Dying of Thirst

This modern world is a dry, hot desert and our fellow humans are dying all around us, even though Authentic Christians contain the water that they need to give them life and enable them to live victoriously on this earth.

Yet, we often withhold from them the very information they need in order to find the endless well of God's life-giving water. We fail to tell them about our loving Father and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3).

As we seek to follow God's Spirit each moment of the day, they will see His fruit in us, which is the divine nature of Christ, who lives in us (2 Peter 1:4). The living water in us can also nourish fellow Christians going through a dry spell (1 Corinthians 16:18; 2 Corinthians 7:13).

Our source of water never leaves or forsakes us. He cares for every issue which we cast on His shoulders (Hebrews 13:5; 1 Peter 5:7). As we share the living water within, we never run dry.

Rivers of living water satisfy the longing of our soul (Psalm 107:9) and overflow to those around us who need His special touch in their lives as well. If the flow is a mere dribble, then we have some work to do.

We start by taking our focus off what we want from life and concentrate instead on what God wants from our life. We walk in the Spirit and we do not fulfill the carnal desires of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-25).

When Jesus walked on the earth, many recognized Him as the boy from Nazareth (John 5:23). Therefore, they did not believe He was the Messiah. They did not know God and did not recognize Jesus for who He truly is (John 5:42-43).

Yet, others recognized His Godly nature and believed in His divine calling in their midst (John 8:19). We too can recognize our need for Christ in our life and allow Him to flow from us into the lives of those all around us (John 5:37-38).

We choose to live in God's will for us - not to seek our own glory, but to seek God's glory instead (John 7:17-18). We willingly share the living water within us with whomever chooses to come and drink from our well.

Prayer:

Father God, You offer for us to come and drink, because You desire that not one person perish in the eternal flames of hell. You provide Your free gift of salvation to the entire world (Matthew 23:37; John 2:16-18); but many are caught up in their own plans or in the devil's lies and are sidetracked from any pursuit to follow You. They use counterfeit methods to attempt to quench their thirsty soul.

Remind us that we are more than our mortal body. We are also a never-dying soul - emotions, thoughts and choices - as well as a spirit (Luke 16:19-31). Help us to take advantage of Your great wisdom, power, goodness, justice, love, peace, joy and holiness. Remind us to feast on Your Word and to drink from Your wellsprings of living water (John 4:14, 6:35). Draw us close to You and never, ever let us go.

Thought for the Day:

The ache in our heart and the thirst in our soul are only filled by coming to Christ for His salvation and fulfillment. 

- John 1:12

Continual Filling from the Rivers of Living Water

We receive God's Spirit at salvation, which is the river of living water within us (1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:3). We receive all of Him, all of Christ and all of God at that very moment (Romans 8:9).

God's Spirit seals our redemption in Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14). He gives His gifts and fruit to all Believers to enjoy and to share with the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Galatians 5:22-23).

He reveals to us the riches, which the blood of Christ purchased for us, and which God prepared for all those who love Him and keep His commandments (John 14:12-17; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

He is the supplier of every spiritual blessing, which Christ has for us in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). These blessings provide us with everything we need for an abundant life of holiness (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Out of His presence within us flows rivers of living water (John 7:38). As we walk in the Spirit, we no longer carry out the desires of the flesh, because we follow Him one step at a time throughout our day (Galatians 5:15-25).

The world, the flesh or the devil may tempt us, but we rely on God's Spirit to vanquish every foe. The fruit and gifts of the Spirit gain ascendancy over our former carnal nature, and we do only the will of God (Ephesians 2:10).

If we do not have the Spirit of God within us, we do not belong to God (Romans 8:9-10). If God's Spirit abides within us, we are a watered garden with unfailing springs of living water flowing from us (Isaiah 58:11).

We shall never thirst again (John 4:14). We joyously draw life from His springs of salvation and share them with those around us who hunger and thirst after God (Isaiah 12:3; Ezekiel 47:9).

Prayer:

Father God, there is nothing in this life, which we desire more than You. We find our lasting peace and joy in the center of Your will. Everything else compromises our ability to enjoy the filling of Your Spirit each moment of our day.

Remind us that the pleasures we receive at Your right hand are lasting and fulfilling, and so much better than anything this world has to offer. What we once found entertaining or enjoyable loses its luster and we see it for the counterfeit that it really is.

Thought for the Day:
For the glory of God, our spirit and soul need to experience a continual filling of God's Spirit as we daily lay down our life and anything in it that may grieve or quench God's Spirit.

- Ephesians 4:30, 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19

My Soul Thirsts for God

Prayer is our method of communication with God. We pray in one of two ways: monologues or dialogues. A monologue prayer is one-sided. We recite a litany of needs and tell God what we want and how He should provide it. 

We even give Him the game plan that we think is His best alternative. Of course, a dialogue is two-sided, and we are quiet long enough to hear from God.

God calls us to be still and to know that He is our Almighty God (Psalm 46:10). His words to us never contradict His words in the Bible. 

If we think we hear from God, and it is contrary to His Biblical words, then we know that Satan, the counterfeit, is trying to lead us away from God’s Truth. God's sheep know His voice; and the more we listen, the more we recognize that He is speaking to us (John 10:27-33).

Have you ever been very, very thirsty? You mowed the lawn or cleaned all the windows or walked for several miles in the heat and your body is crying out for water. 

As we mature spiritually, our soul – our thoughts, choices and emotions - comes to this same place of thirsting for God (Psalm 42:1-2). The soul of a spiritual Saint is consumed with longing for more intimacy with God (Psalm 119:20).

We want all of our being to be filled with all of the fullness of God, to have the richest measure of His presence and to become a person entirely filled with God (Ephesians 3:19). 

Our soul yearns for God, even as we sleep; and our spirit seeks more intimacy with Him both day and night (Isaiah 26:9). Our body and soul ache for Him and cry out for our living God (Psalm 84:2).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that intimacy infers honesty. We cannot have a personal union with You without an agreement to completely expose our life to Your Holy Spirit. We cannot hide anything from You, because You already know everything about us (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13). 

Thank you that Jesus invites those of us who thirst after Him to come to His living water. Even those with nothing to offer to Him are welcome (Isaiah 55:1), and He freely gives us all things (Romans 8:32).

Thought for the Day:

Our intimate interludes with the Lord are our favorite times of the day.

Receiving God's Blessings

 

God’s agape love fills the soul of everyone who believes in Him. He manifests His love to the world through us (1 John 4:8; John 13:35). We no longer live for our self, but for the will of God, the perfection of His Body, and to further His Kingdom in the earth (Romans 14:8; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Acts 14:22). We all have different ministries, but the same God works through and benefits us all (1 Corinthians 6-13). Our fear and anxiety undermine our faith; but God proves His faithfulness to us.

Stepping out in faith serves to increase our enthusiasm about living for God. God often does not act according to the way we believe He should. However, He is under no contract to perform, as we demand. In order for Him to bless us, it is up to us to pray and live according to His will and ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). When we consider Christians in third world countries, we realize how materially blessed we really are, compared to their utter poverty.

Even though everyone is originally dead in sin; at salvation, Jesus raises us up to live in His new life (Ephesians 2:5). God calls us to stop living our life led by our carnal appetites, emotions, desires or aspirations (Romans 5:16, 25). This counterfeit lifestyle only leads to corruption, sorrow, anxiety and ultimately to devastation (Romans 6:23). If we live in union with Christ and are led by His Spirit, then we live with joy that defies description (1 Corinthians 6:17).

It is only as we abide in Christ and let His Words abide in us, that we can ask for what we want according to His Will. As we respect who He is, He will hear and save us (Psalm 145:19). His Spirit unites His Body and makes us all one in Him (Ephesians 2:14; John 17:23). We simply ask according to His Will and He hears us (1 John 5:14). When we keep these criteria, then He always blesses us (John 15:7).

Prayer:

Father God, we often do not have what we need, because we ask with the wrong intention for things, which only gratify our flesh (James 4:3). We have complete confidence to approach Your throne in our time of need (Ephesians 3:12). We refuse to throw away our trust in You, because You greatly reward Your Body (Hebrews 10:35). We believe in Your Word and we trust in You to provide for our every need, according to Your will. We want to walk in Your ways, so that we will not feel shame and remorse when You return for Your Bride (1 John 2:28).

Thought for the Day:
Those without a relationship with God do without; yet, those who live for Christ have their desires granted according to His will. - Proverbs 10:24

 

I Want My Own Way

Read: Luke 12:20-31 

"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" - Matthew 6:20

How often do I reject God's plan for my life and choose to follow the ways of the Satan, the flesh or the world? How often do I disappoint God with my choices? I wonder how often God grants my request, knowing all along that it is not His best plan for me. In my quest for life, do I look for fulfillment in all the wrong places?

God gave the Israelites a prophet to speak to them directly, but they wanted a king instead (1 Samuel 8:5). Eventually, it turned out that their king had to go to the prophet to find out God’s will for them at any given moment. So tell me, why did they need the king? He was merely a middleman. They just wanted a king, so they could be like all the other nations in their world.

Do we marry the wrong person, take the wrong job, go to the wrong school, move into the wrong neighborhood, buy the wrong car and wear the wrong clothes just because we want to be like everyone else in our world? What’s wrong with being different? What’s wrong with putting God first, living out His will for our life, and dressing and living in such a way to give glory and honor to Him? Let’s seek first His kingdom, and He will provide us with every thing that we need.

Prayer:

Lord, when my heart longs to be like the world, I step out of Your will for my life. Help me not to sew to the flesh, because I will most certainly reap destruction. Transform my mind to see things from Your perspective and make me content with Heavenly treasure instead of earth's counterfeit.

Thought for the Day:

When I seek to follow the Spirit’s direction with my life, I may not always see the results, but I know that I am laying up treasures in Heaven.