Soaking: A Doctrine of Demons?

Yesterday I commented on someone's Facebook posting asking where in the Bible one finds "soaking."

ME - not sure where "soaking" is in the Bible, nor where "no thinking" is promoted in the Bible. Instead we are told to "think on these things". JMHO

Response - You are right there is no such word as soaking per se in the Bible but the experience is to cease from your own dead works and Be still and know that He is God Ps 46:10 and to like Samuel did just lay in His presence. There is plenty of time for thinking and being a good Berean and searching the scriptures but this is a time out where you don't lean to your own understanding Prov 4 and you just come into His presence and recieve. As you said on your website we are in a war it's not about playing church but even Yeshua himself took a nap on the boat and we are told to labor to enter into His rest. Heb 4:11 Resting is not just physically but laying down all our thoughts. So many don't know how to do this and they are weary in well doing.

Notice the "laying down all our thoughts".

So this morning, I did a bit of research, because when I hear about soaking and the emptying of the mind alarm bells go off in my spirit...kind of like what happened when I attended (the first and only time) Rodney Howard Browne meeting. All those people rolling on the floor laughing...no mention of Jesus Christ...no scripture given...and yet this was supposed to be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit?

Anyway, what I've found only supports the reason for the disquiet in my spirit at this "new" practice that is invading many churches.

 “these mystical experiences broaden the division between a "factual faith" and a "felt faith," and threaten to replace sound biblical teaching with emotion-driven response.” http://www.gotquestions.org/soaking-prayer.html

Soaking prayer involves a trance like meditative or contemplative state in which the adherent is encouraged to empty their mind. This type of prayer seeks to experience God’s presence through mystical exercises which teeters dangerously on the edge of the esoteric.

“is nothing more than contemplative / centering / listening prayer and is used for occult meditation.” http://enjoyingthejourney.blogspot.com/2009/02/is-soaking-prayer-biblical.html

http://safeguardyoursoul.com/soaking-is-it-biblical/

You’ll notice in this article the mention of Rodney Howard Brown. That’s all I needed to see to confirm in my mind that this “soaking” is NOT Biblical and is, in fact, demonic.

Prayer in its simplest form in the Bible is calling on the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26), and in each instance where it is found in Scripture, it is descriptive of communicating with God. Soaking prayer starts that way, but quickly devolves into a trance-like meditative state. This is when soaking prayer ceases to be biblical and becomes more like a New Age practice or something an adherent of Hinduism would participate in.

There is no denying that experiencing the presence of God can be powerful and life changing. It is not the goal of soaking prayer that is biblically off base; it is its methodology. Soaking prayer focuses on obtaining a spiritual high by seeking out the presence of God through mystical exercises. In this it is very similar to ”contemplative prayer” and contemplative spirituality, which are equally unbiblical http://airocross.com/2010/03/19/what-is-soaking-prayer/

I think the biblical foundation that’s cited is very weak. In order to justify the soaking, many texts are taken out of context, or simply gleaned together  to be able to demonstrate that soaking is biblical. Often biblical texts are half or misused without looking at the context.

We must remain vigilant and not everything that seems good immediately accept it as well.  If you want a Bible topic and you have to justify them apart from the Bible, it is not biblical but human.

There is nothing wrong with a good music program that includes the Lord is magnified and there to relax and listen, because you might cheer up. Soaking in my opinion is simply a form of Eastern meditation.  http://www.rejoicenow.nl/page/soaking-eng

Soaking prayer is a modern form of contemplative prayer ... People put themselves in an attitude of stillness, focusing on Jesus and open to the Holy Spirit but with no requests or agenda. The aim is to be still in God’s presence, "waste time with Jesus.". The Toronto church sees soaking prayer as one of the main ways in which they encourage people to be open to the Holy Spirit.

Contemplative Spirituality Definition
definition: contemplative spirituality: a belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology; the premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). It is using soaking worship music to bring about altered state of consciousness. http://walkingintruth.blogspot.com/2011/04/deceptive-new-age-soaking-prayer.html

 

“Resting” in the Lord is NOT emptying your mind. Instead the Bible says:

1Th 5:6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us KEEP AWAY AND BE SOBER...8 But since we belong to the day, let us be SOBER, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 

1Pe 5:8 Be SOBER-MINDED; be WATCHFUL. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 

Eph 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end KEEP ALERT WITH ALL PERSERVERANCE, making supplication for all the saints,

Act 20:29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 

Act 20:30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 

Act 20:31 Therefore BE ALERT, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. 

Titus 2:1-6 talks about being sober-minded, self-controlled (3 times), dignified, and reverent.

Now, I grew up in the Assembly of God church, receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as evidenced with speaking in tongues when I was nine years. I've been a church pianist for years, starting when I was just 15. So I've seen a lot of worship fads come and go, many involving music. 

What I've noticed over the years is that all too often the Pentecostals and the Charismatics show a remarkable lack of discernment about what is, and is not, a move of the Holy Spirit. All too often people in these groups focus on the experience...they want the feeling...that emotional high, and they will fall for anything that comes down the road without questioning whether it's really from God.

They'll twist scripture and take it out of context just to support the newest "movement".

Often this disregard for scripture has more to do with pride than lack of spiritual discernment. There's a feeling that comes across from many who fall for the Todd Bentleys, the Jewish Roots, the Toronto Blessing, and all the other fads of "I'm more holy than you, because I..." soak or laugh or pray in the name of Yeshua instead of Jesus.

Silly and sadly dangerous.