PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT SERIES

CONCEIVING IN THE SPIRIT

In this message we want to touch on something like the conception and gestation and birth forth in prayer. There are three aspects of the prayer. We realize that in the natural world that before life comes forth there has to be a conception, a gestation period and of course a time when the child comes forth. We realize that there are different principles that are involved. There are different experiences that are involved in each period. There are different experiences involved in conception. There are different experiences involved in gestation. There are different experiences involved when it is time for the child to come forth. There are different signs, different symptoms that are involved. For example, when a conception takes place and a lady had conceived, one of the signs that sometimes happen would be what they called morning sickness. And it happened differently with each lady. Sometimes it may not be as severe in others as it is in others because of the chemical composition of each person body. But they are common symptoms. So a lady will know. She will have certain physical changes begin to happen in her body. Her body will immediately know that there is something that is taking place in her body. Conception takes place. And then during the gestation period which is the longest period. It is a different development stage. Her body began to change and adjust. And by the time the baby is almost due. She will not look the same as when she didn't have the baby. During the gestation period is a very tough period. Then when it is time for the baby to be delivered, she will have different symptoms. One of the first signs that a doctor will tell you when there are movements, when there is contraction that begins, you straightaway go to the hospital. So we realize that is important to recognize physical symptoms in order to identify periods of time.

And in the realm of prayer especially in things which God wants us to give birth to. God uses human spirit to give birth to what He wants to do. He chooses to use human spirits as vessels by which He conceives what He wants to perform in this earth. You notice in Genesis to Revelation God could have done it Himself. But He always chose man to work through whatever He wants. If He does it Himself it would be very fast. The fact that He has taken nearly six thousand years of human history to do whatever He wants to do. Shows us how slow we are to respond to God. If God does it Himself, He would have done it very quickly. Yet He has chosen by His love to the methods of using human beings. So God will work through the human spirits and help them to conceive whatever He wants to do. And given birth to their spirits into the spirit realm and thus transforming the natural realm. If it takes place in the spirit realm it won't be long before it began to affect the natural realm. Whatever takes place in the spirit realm will begin to change the natural realm. If it does not take place first in the spirit realm it will never take place in the natural realm no matter how hard you try. It must always take place in the spiritual. The spiritual will affect the physical.

Conception

We realize that there are three periods when it comes to conception, gestation and birthing of a child. So as we look into prayer we want to see some of this principles that are involved in each period. There is period called what I call a desire. The first period is what I call the conception in the spirit realm. Some people pray and pray and pray and seemingly they don't seem to move anything. You wonder why it doesn't move. There are reasons; there are causes and effects for everything that happens. Nothing happens or remains as it is without a reason, a spiritual reason. So there is a cause for that. Why is it not moving? It is not moving because the conception has not really taken place sometimes. There will be signs and symptoms when conception has taken place. We have to check at the conception level first.

A seed that is given that is not planted into the soil will not germinate at all. You could keep the seed for a thousand years and it will not germinate because it does not have the right condition. They have been able to take some of those seeds from the archeological finds in Egypt out of the tombs of the mummies. And they planted it and it grew. Imagine it kept for thousand of years. Life is still there. But it is as useless as a dead seed if it not germinated. So there must be certain conditions given. This thing will not happen accidentally. There are forces involved. There are reasons, cause and effect. The spirit world was not designed as a confused world. It is the most systematic world ever designed. In fact if you live in the spirit realm like the angels and all those things who are always in the spirit realm and you into this natural world to have a look, you see that it is the opposite way round. It is the natural world that looks confusing. In the spirit world God is a God of order. There is no confusion. There are reasons, causes and effect for everything.

Why is it that something does not take effect? Number one, check the conception area. What are the signs and symptoms that a true conception has taken hold of the spirit man? See sometimes a thought or a seed may get into our physical ears but remained there. You just hear about it, you just know about it. But there is no conception that takes place. Sometimes it gets into the soul. Affect your thinking a little bit. But it has no effect until it gets into the spirit of man. That's where conception takes place.

Right Desire

And one of the laws of conception is the law of desire. Jesus said in Mark 11:24 What things so ever you desire when you pray believe that you received them and you shall have them. What things so ever you desire. Why should Jesus speak about desire when He talks about prayer? See desire is an important constituent to the conception period. Without desire there is no conception. There has to be a desire involved in the spirit realm. And God will build the desire to the degree where conception can take place. A half desire is not good enough. It has to be full desire. We are going to see some illustrations in the bible.

Let's turn to an incident of prayer and see what are the signs and symptoms that must take place during the conception period. It is about Hannah who was barren.

1 Samuel 1: 1-8 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Penninah. Penninah had children, but Hannah had no children. This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophini and Phinehas, the two priests of the Lord, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Penninah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah although the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it was year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons? So Hannah arose after they have finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting at the seat of the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.

Notice here that the reason why she cried which her husband knew was because she was barren. She wanted a child. And year-by-year her desire grew more. You could not say that she didn't desire. She desired until it consumed her. Some of the things we prayed for, we do not want it badly enough to give up everything for it. That's why we don't get it. We have a nonchalant attitude. If it comes, well and good. If it doesn't come, never mind. My friend if you are going to pray that way, you will never break through in your prayer. You know one reason why fasting is powerful. If you desire something enough to give up food, you are demonstrating your desire.

As an illustration when you are involved in a work or project that the time passed without your knowledge. And you may have passed two meals time without even knowing it. When I am involved in a project I don't feel hungry at all. You forget to eat, your stomach also forgets. As we see here sometimes when you are involved in a project or something that involves your attention you forgot about food. Why because your desire to complete it is so intense that it takes all your attention away from every other things. And one reason why people don't receive what they prayed for is because they don't pray for it with intensity and with great desire. They approach whatever item they pray for with a couldn't-care-less attitude. Never mind-lah can get, get-lah cannot get never mind. This never mind business is not good enough.

If Jesus hears you talking that way, ah-ha you say Jesus is kind. Haven't you heard how He rebuked His disciples some times? I tell you when there are times when He expected more from his disciples. You should have read some the gospel stories. He said how long have I been with you and you have not understood? He tells them like that. He expected more from them. And Jesus said that if any man does not love Him more than anything else or anyone else, he is not worthy to be His disciple. That is Jesus' standard.

Right Method

One main reason why prayer items don't seem to be answered is that the desire in what they pray for is not intense enough. I learned this thing from the school of hard knocks, school of experience. There is something in my life that I prayed for. And I said, "Lord, why is it taking so long?" The Lord said, "It wouldn't take so long if you desire it more. If you concentrate all your effort in that, it will come fast." I said, "Lord, is that the key?" He said, "Yes that is the key." Our desire must be intense and not half-hearted. You could hear a sermon like that and say yes now I desire.

When you say you desire something it means you give up other things. When a man fall in love and when preparing for the marriage, what are you saying to the world? You are saying that you have chosen to give your love, your attention as a life partner to this one person whom you love. And you are also rejecting and saying no to every other man or woman in that area. They can still be your friends. But they cannot be your life partners. By saying yes to one you are saying no to ten.

Here we see that Hannah desire after a child and she was barren. And her desire consumed her. You notice she was in bitterness of soul. Her soul was affected. And her body was affected. So that Elkanah said why don't you eat. The desire to have a child has consumed her. Now we were talking about how we really desire we will cut out other things. When you desire to be healed and then you don't do whatever you can of your time to get that healing, I doubt your desire is strong enough to get it. It has not consumed you yet. And there are some things that operate only when we reach that realm of desire. Now there are some other things that when you pray it comes very fast. But here we are talking about certain things that need conception that will take a great level of desire. You got to prove it. You got to show forth before it really begins to manifest into your life. Sometimes people are not desperate enough to get it. Whatever you pray for if you are desperate enough to get it and you give up everything to get it and it is in the line of God's will, you will probably get it.

Let's say somebody says that he wants to win one million people to Jesus. Do you know that the person will live and die without winning if that person doesn't pay the price and doesn't know how to desire? It's one thing to say I like to pray and believe God for one million souls. If you don't travail and you don't see the one million souls day and night, you probably just win one thousand. It's not just talk. It's not just saying it although saying it is part of the process. But it must consumed us until it becomes a part of us. The desire must overwhelm our soul and our body until you want it badly enough, desperately enough that you are willing to do everything you can to get it.

Sometimes when I visit hospital and I pray for people who are desperate, they pull out their old dusty bible; hide everything else in the drawer because they know you are coming. Then you pray for them and some days later, you pay them a surprise visit. There you find on the table gun-smoke stories, novels, three newspapers and the bible is somewhere inside. They are not desperate enough to get their healing from God. If I was in that person's position and I was given a certain number of months to live, I would throw away everything but the word. If I am desperate enough to get healing now that there is no other alternative. You must not only be desperate enough but you must be desperate enough to come God's way. Some people are desperate enough to try anything. Some people come with old wives' tale and tell them you take a little of this and a little of that. We are talking about desperation but not desperation that is unguided. But it is desperation enough to do everything you can.

You know what I will do in that person position? I will probably take two or three scriptures. See you don't need the whole bible to get you healed. One verse is good enough if you could get it. One verse is good enough if you can really utilize it and use it. If I was in that person's position the first thing I will say is by His stripes I am healed. In the name of Jesus, body I command you to function perfectly. And quote all those scriptures on healing that I know concentrating on just two or three until it become a part of me. Rest once in a while. Take a break once in a while. Then the moment you rested, you get it back again and say by his stripes I am healed. In the name of Jesus I take authority over this sickness. Then at night before you sleep you still do the same thing. The next morning as you open your eyes, you keep saying by his stripes I am healed. If you do that before long even the cancer will melt.

You got to hang on long enough and confess God's word. That is the main thing you will concentrate on day and night. I only illustrate in the area of healing. If it is in the area of finances, you apply the word differently. You are so desperate. That is the only thing in your heart and mind. Day and night you take God's word. You keep on saying By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ I have been made rich. He was made poor that I might be made rich. Thank you Father God that I have been made rich in Christ. You supply all my needs according the riches in Christ Jesus. But of course the laws of finances work with other sub-laws. You tithe, you give offering. And as you obey those laws, you give all you got to the word. It is going to be very fast to turn around. Perhaps it could be your business, or the share market is going down. We are speaking about the same principle that applies to finance. First thing you open your eyes. You got one stack of bills in front of you. First thing you open your eyes, you say by the grace of Jesus Christ I have been made rich. Thank you angels of God for bringing prosperity. Thank you Father God for sending angels to work on my behalf. Day and night and you speak and speak just one or two verses is sufficient. See we are talking about applying the word to our situation. We need to do that. Are we desperate enough to move our situation, to move our problem, whatever it is? Or perhaps you are jobless. Get the scriptures that are involved to change the situation. Don't sit around and say I am without a job for five months. What have you been doing? I have been looking about the papers. What about the other paper? Which paper? the Good News. Confess the favor and grace of God on your life. The moment you walk into the interview room everybody wants you. It is here in the scriptures you can confess grace. First thing you get up in the morning, don't look at the bad news. Just concentrate on that area with the word. First thing you wake up in the morning you say Father I am blessed. I thank you I have the grace and favor in my life. Thank you Lord that you love me with your great love. You have poured your grace and favor upon me. And as Jesus Christ found favor with God and with man, so I am in Him. I too find favor with God and with man. Say that from morning till night and you see what happens. Then things occur faster. These are practical things. We are talking about things that are applicable.

A Christian brother once shared the following testimony when he first discovered the above principle and started applying it. He said, " 'One day when we were sitting at a bus stop before it was developed. My wife and I were waiting for the bus. The bus was delayed and we were looking across the street at this man selling star fruit. My wife was saying, 'Poor man. Nobody is buying his star fruits. Let's do something about it." And we said, "Father God we thank you that we are your children. We are the salt of the earth. What we bless is blessed. Father we bless that man. Angels of God go forth and bring customers to that man." And in the next fifteen minutes, people started coming to that star fruit stall and beginning to finish off his star fruits. The Lord was teaching us all these lessons. As we applied it in the daily things of life, we realize it is applicable. And my wife gets excited when anyone buy the star fruit she said another one. Through that kind of experiences we realize that there could be things that we could release.'

'When you pray for a job, you got to keep at it. Continually confess it. It is always your confession or your senses that defeat you. Keep confessing the word. You are desperately enough to not let it go. So we have here what we call desperation. How much we really want it. You want something you got to go for it persistently. Never give up. You know what most people do. They will work at it and then give up. You never achieve it that way. You got to go for it continually. How much do you want it? So the first thing we have is as high level of desire until it consume our very being. But of course desire, desperation is one part. And the proof of our desire, desperation is how much are you willing to give up other things.

Right Relationship

Let's turn to the book of 1 Samuel 4: 1. Now the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamp besides Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamp in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hands of our enemies."

Just to cut the long story short. What the Israelites did was they brought the ark. They said if we bring the ark, which has brought Israel into the Promised Land we will win. Remember they have lost. Several thousand men have died. So they brought the ark and there was a great celebration. The men of Israel shouted and the Philistines heard it. Then word brought out that the Israelites have brought out the ark. All the Philistines became frightened. The Philistines fought and were surprised that they won. The Israelites lost. And poor Eli also was shaking wondering what will happen to the ark. He was a priest and he was responsible for the ark. Suddenly come this runner and said the ark is gone. When Eli heard that he got into a shock and fell and broke his neck and died. And his son's wife who was expecting delivered the baby when she heard the news. And she named the baby Ichabod that means the glory has departed. Everybody was in a state of shock.

The question is were the Israelites excited when the ark came. Yes, they shouted until the ground shook. In verse five the Bible tells us they shouted so loudly that the ground shook. They were excited. Were they desperate? Yes, of course four thousand men died. But didn't Joshua enter the Promised Land with the ark? Joshua plus ark at Jericho equal success. Therefore we plus ark equal success. It was a formula. But they forgot one thing. You could copy the method but you could not copy the anointing. You could do everything exactly but when it comes out, it is like plastic with no life. They couldn't duplicate the anointing that Joshua had. They lost the whole ark. It was the real ark. The ark still had power. In the next chapter you find that the ark had power. Dagon really had it. They put the ark in the temple where the idol Dagon was worshipped. Next Dagon was worshipping the ark. So the Philistines thought that it was an accident. They pushed Dagon back. The next day Dagon was down again. This time his arms were chopped off. And all the people got judgment of God. They got boils. Then they brought the ark to another city. That city was struck by the power of God. Then they send it to another city. As the ark was being carried to the other city, the other city didn't want the ark. I tell you the ark still has its power. But it didn't work for the Israelites because they had no relationship with God.

It would have been like Acts 19 where the seven sons of Sceva came to the demon possessed person and said by the name of Jesus whom Paul preach come out. These seven sons were beaten by the demon. Why didn't it work? The spirit said I know Jesus I know Paul but I don't know you. It was the end of Sceva's exorcist and company. Why because they had no relationship with Jesus whom they use His name. It is not just the method that matters but a relationship. Israel was disobedient. Israel was not living right with God. So we realize desperation is one thing. But you have to have desperation plus the right relationship with God.

For example there are some people in financial need. They are desperate enough but they don't have a relationship with God. How do I build that relationship? That is why sometimes the healing or the deliverance comes when you worship Him. Why, worship is the only key to relationship with God. As you spend time in His presence worshipping him, we develop a relationship with him.

Desperation must be channeled the right way. Some people are so desperate for healing, they will try anything under the sun, even ungodly and ridiculous things. You should be desperate and then channel it to the right direction. Desperate enough to give up everything to come to God. Desperate enough to cut off everything else and let your desires turn to that only one matter. Let me assure you God has not let anyone down. Not one man, one woman, one boy, one girl has been let down by God. Or anyone who gives themselves fully without turning to any other method, God word has not fallen unfulfilled when all the conditions are met. Never has God failed to keep His promise. If you are really desperate you give up all things to give more time to God. There has to be a choice made. So whatever you are praying for that has not been moving as we are sharing the word right now, ask yourself how desperate are you. Are you desperate enough to give other things to focus on that? That is the question whether it move or not.

I remember when I was praying for my father's salvation in the seminary. When I left for the seminary I remember when I boarded the train all my possession was in one suitcase. My father came to say goodbye to me. I remember the tears dropped from my eyes. There was no church supporting me and I wouldn't know where the next meal was coming from. Just went by faith. When I got into the seminary the first thing I did was I knelt down and said Lord I don't know when my next meal is coming. But you never fail. If ever there is a place and time where I have to choose to compromise you or die, I will choose to die. I rather die serving you and die believing you than to die doing anything else. I made my commitment to God. And as I was there my father who threatened me when I decided to serve the Lord, every month without fail he will send a hundred dollars in money order. And he was not even a believer. And I survived for two years in that seminary. And in my second year I was really crying out for my father. I said Father God he doesn't even know you. He does not know the salvation of Jesus. He does not know the peace of Jesus. He does not know the bible. He does not know the promises of God. Here am I serving you giving the Good News to others. And here a person in a scriptural sense is called a heathen because he doesn't know you sending this money to support me your child. And every day I will come before God and the desire increased until one day I was in tears. And I say Father God of all things I ask I want to see my father in heaven. After all he has done. If it is one thing you can give to him. Give him salvation. I remember as I was praying and weeping before God. I wanted it so much that I told God I am not moving from here until I get the answer. Now that was the way I pray in those days. But that shows my desperation. I couldn't explain it but one thing I know that burden lifted and whenever I think of my father a joy arise inside although he was not saved yet. But I knew that I had it. That God has heard. Just a month or so later he was born again. When I was on this choir tour. We travel all over. And we went to my hometown. And he came to attend. That night when he left and continued in Singapore and a few days later came back home. And he told me few days ago when I went to your singing and came back. I had a dream. He said I dreamt this huge big giant white cross and I was so small at the foot of the cross. And I said pa Jesus wants you to be saved. And he told me I have been praying the prayer at the end of that little booklet you left in the house. I said which booklet. And he took it out from his pocket. It was the four spiritual law and at the end of it was a prayer that say Lord Jesus. And he says I prayed that for one month every day. I said pa Jesus has heard your prayer. You are saved. I baptised him and my mother in the Straits of Johore. He has gone to be with the Lord now. Because I was diligent in God and I was desperate enough. Some of us want something. But we are not desperate enough. We only have the idea of having whatever it was. Such was my approach with God and I know that we need to enter that stage of desperation whatever you want from God. And there are a lot of things I know that God has heard and answered in my life because I was desperate enough for it.

And some ministers ask me what is the basic foundation of my life. I said that for one year I read nothing but the word. Confess only the word from morning till night after God show me my spirit man. Why do you do such a thing? I was desperate enough. When God showed me my spirit man after I completed my seminary, I was desperate enough for God. I said God if that is my condition I am not going to do anything until I get it right. And for one year I prayed in tongues and I read no book, no newspaper, I didn't even read a Christian book. The only book I read was the bible.

And there are other things that I approach God with that kind of desperation. I remember in my earlier days in my ministry I was learning to pray and take authority over things. I like to experiment things. I remember when I was praying on the beach in the seminary, there was this rain coming. And I don't want to be distracted by this rain and I ran to a shelter. I said, "Jesus please stop the waves. You can stop the rain. I said Lord I am not moving here until the rain leaves. Either the rain leave or I leave. But I am not going to leave. So the rain has to leave if your word is real." I challenged God that way. I don't talk to Him that way now. My relationship with Him has developed. But that was where I began. And the steadiness has been build up. What I call the spiritual muscle.

Remember God has given us everything He needs to give us in Christ. What you will receive in this life does not depend as much on God as it depends on you. You could live and die without realizing everything that God has determined for you to have. God has done everything. It is only we. How much do we really want it? Paul was not kidding when he said covert earnestly the best gifts. If you really want something you got to get some kind of desperation in your life. We need desperation, we need the right relationship and we need the right methodology. You may have the right way, right relationship but if you are using the wrong method, you are also finished. You see Hannah had the desperation and she came to the right place. Although Eli was not a man fully right with God but yet by the grace of God, God used the anointing upon him as a high priest and opened Hannah's womb. I would use the word despite of him. There is proper place and time.

Then we see in First Samuel chapter four. They were desperate but they don't have the relationship but they use the right method, the ark. There is another case in the bible where king David who love the Lord. You remember the story he brought the ark in. He wanted God very much. He had great desire. Otherwise he wouldn't think of that. He had the right relationship with God but he used the wrong method. God said let the priest carry the ark. They made a cart and they didn't have success. When he did it again he said we have learned our lesson let the priest carry the ark. Remember you can never improve on the method God gives. If God tells you to do something in a certain way don't skim around it just do it. He is the author of perfection. You can never improve on whatever He says. If you keep at it in whatever God commands, if He says confess the word by His stripes you are healed, you confess it. Keep at it. You get it. If Jesus said speak to the mountain, you cannot improve any other way to get rid of the mountain. He never said shovel down the mountain. He never said mould down the mountain. He never said bomb the mountain. He said speak to the mountain. You will never improve on any methodology that God has ordained. Just keep at it with the right relationship, with the right desires. And you hit the mountain down. It many mean continually speaking, continually working at it. Thank God it works. We have covered only on the area of conception.

These are elements and principles of conception. We have not covered gestation period yet. Areas of conception, conceiving the things of God until it really builds into us. Learn to conceive. A lot of people think they have conceived but they haven't. How do we know it? If you conceived you know it. There is something growing in you. If a lady comes to you and say I am expecting a baby in one week's time. And she looks like praying mantis. You will say either the baby is that small or you are fooling me. You cannot hide. In the early stages it may be possible to be unnoticeable. When there is a conception, your body starts changing. There are symptoms. And there is no real conception in some people's life. They think they have it but they don't have it. If you are really conceived these elements will be there. You will have a break through in desperation. You would have a relationship with God. You would have the right method.

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