Scripture Reading:

Eph. 6:17-18 And receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God, by means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints.

Jer. 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them, / And Your word became to me / The gladness and joy of my heart, / For I am called by Your name, / O Jehovah, God of hosts.

Psa. 119:103 How sweet are Your words to my taste! / Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

 

I. Knowing the essence of God’s Word:

A. God’s Word is God’s breathing out—2 Tim. 3:16.

B. The Bible is the spiritual milk—1 Pet. 2:2.

C. God’s Word is our bread of life, our food of life—Matt. 4:4.

D. The Word of the Lord is spirit and life—John 6:63.

E. The Word is God—the consummation of the Word is Christ because Christ is the Word of God—John 1:1, 14.

II. The meaning and function of pray-reading the Lord’s Word:

A. Pray-reading is to pray with the words of Scripture and over them, using the words of the Bible as our prayer to God.

B. When we pray, we use our spirit. When we pray-read, our spirit touches the Spirit of the Bible, and thus we receive life.

C. To pray-read is to eat, drink, and breathe the Spirit and life in the Word of God—

III. The exercise and practice of pray-reading the Lord’s Word:

A. Individual pray-reading:

1. Hungering for the Lord; hoping in God’s Word.

2. Praying with the spirit; touching the Spirit in the Word.

3. Not relying on our mind; according to the Spirit.

4. Daily, morning and evening; eat, drink, and enjoy.

B. Four secrets of pray-reading corporately:

1. Quick: Follow quickly, connect quickly, and add to quickly. Do not fight—fighting causes confusion. Do not wait—waiting results in depression.

2. Short: Short sentences pick up the spirit—masticating not swallowing.

3. Real: Release the spirit by forsaking the self. The feeling is real when it is expressed from deep within.

4. Fresh: Following the Spirit to express fresh feelings. Do not try to be funny.