The word saturate means to permeate until no more can be received, to soak thoroughly. Spiritually, to saturate is to “soak” in God to the point of saturation – as full as one can be. Take a moment and think about that, to “soak” in God to the point where you are soaked thoroughly. The idea behind spiritual saturation is similar to a sponge in water; as it soaks up the water surrounding it when removed, it drips from the overflow of the water it’s been soaked in.

Similarly, spiritually saturating and “soaking” requires intentionality to “soak” in God. And when removed (like the sponge), a person drips from the overflow as they are saturated with God’s essence. Through saturation, we are more aware of God’s presence, and his presence is fully received into our lives without hindrance. The fun part about this is we share with others (without effort) what we have so freely received from God. So, let’s look at three awesome things we can learn from spiritual saturation.

As simple as it may seem, to saturate spiritually does not happen accidentally; it takes intentionality. A person must choose to remain in God to be thoroughly soaked.

OlaDele Okuwobi

1. Our culture necessitates seasons of spiritual saturation.

I believe saturation is not just a good idea but is necessary for the 21st-century believer. The culture we live in is antithetical to the culture of the Kingdom of God, the values of Christ, and the nature of Christ. So we must occasionally limit our exposure to things not consistent with the culture of the Kingdom of God so that we can soak in the presence of God.

2. Spiritual saturation requires extended periods of time.

To saturate requires extended periods with Christ, which results in the actual transformation of the heart, soul, and mind. Once a year, for 21 days, our spiritual community intentionally soaks in God’s presence through rest, worship, prayer, nature, reading of the word, community, serving others, and fasting. We don’t instruct how to incorporate the mentioned elements; instead, we encourage the community to receive God’s presence to the point of saturation as led by the Holy Spirit.

3. Spiritual saturation requires intentionality.

So how does one saturate in God? In short, it takes intentionality. There are many ways to saturate in God, but we believe spiritual saturation can be best understood through intentional preparation, separation, and saturation.

• Preparation:
  • A period of intentional preparation is needed. I strongly suggest a person review their weekly schedule to consider how they will allow extended periods to saturate. For example, will you prepare not to watch as much television, spend more time in nature, invest more time reading the bible, etc.? Whatever your medium to soak, you must prepare your heart and calendar.
    
    
• Separation:
  • A period of separation from your everyday life rhythms is needed to saturate. In practice, this means after you prepare yourself, you have to separate yourself from the ordinary so that you can be separated from the extraordinary, i.e., the things of God. For example, will you consciously separate from consuming things that do not bring life to you, more plainly stated–– things that are not holy? Or will you separate to only listen to or read specific content? For some, an intentional separation from excessive work may be necessary. Whatever you decide, separation is critical.
    
    
• Saturation
  • This last step may be the easiest but can be the hardest. It’s tough to know when one has been “thoroughly saturated.” In light of that, I encourage you to lean into the preparation and separation steps and allow the spirit to guide you through the saturation process. You may realize you desire to get up earlier or stay up later to attend to God. Perhaps you decide to read your bible longer than usual or want to remain connected to spiritual experiences more so than usual. The key indicator is that there’s a desire to stay in the experience and spaces where the things of God are active.

Is spiritual saturation still relevant?

Yep! It’s as relevant as any other spiritual practice. Because our culture is antithetical to the Kingdom of God, times set aside for spiritual saturation are not just a good idea but are necessary for the 21st-century believer. I pray you will be inspired to prepare, separate, and saturate as the Spirit guides you. When you are fully saturated in God, those near you will experience the effects, and that’s good news.