Which Will Refresh?

Sometimes I just need a Coke – nothing else will do. I’m thirsty but choose something that actually defeats the purpose – something that dehydrates me. My body is asking for water – my flesh chooses wrongly.

We have become a “thirst-less” bride of Christ – dehydrated from choosing wrongly. We live an ineffective lifestyle – no longer true ambassadors for the Kingdom. So many of us have chosen wrongly – chosen that which has dehydrated us.

How do we become thirsty if we have allowed our thirst to be quenched with other things?

Once again we need to turn – stir up what has been lost – pant as a thirsty deer after the presence of a living God. Drink deeply from the rivers that reside within us – then we will be the bride that has made herself ready, the bride that will pour out healing for the nations, the bride whose heart overflows with living water to all those around her.

Today chose to put down the Coke and drink deeply of the water of His presence.

Psalm 42:-2a As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirst for God, for the living God. (ESV)

John 7:37-38 On the last day of the feast, the great day; Jesus stood up and cried out, “if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (ESV)

We Are Never Empty

As I wrestled with sleep through the late hours into the morning, I dreamed. I woke over and over from a similar dream – quickly falling back to sleep to dream another version. This puzzling dream was filled with only one thing – open boxes. All the boxes were different sizes, construction and material but all were empty. I began to question God and wait for an answer as to “what does this mean and what do I do with it?”

That morning, I soon found myself listening to my pastor explain a tradition of the Feast of Tabernacles regarding drawing of water and empty cisterns. (In Latin, cisterns translates to boxes) My galloping heart sat transfixed, waiting for God’s revelation.

Now, days later as understanding has marinated in my spirit, His direction brings expectation in my heart. We the bride of Christ have allowed our cisterns (the place of His indwelling presence) to grow cold and empty – thus many empty boxes.

How easy we trudge through life in the midst of chaos, pain, and distraction; never realizing that each hit we take from those we love, our physical ailments, financial struggles and living in a crazy “on the edge” world; sucks the water from our own cisterns. We live in a state of constant empty boxes – our cisterns have been depleted – and that is the insidious lie! We have been given full cisterns – ALL the time – it’s a sustainable promise! The Spirit dwells within us, we are never empty – we just don’t take time to dip in and drink.

Within each of us resides the Spirit of God through Christ – we have all we need within us. Jesus has given us a river of living water that is available to us ALL the time. We don’t have to live a life with dry empty cisterns. Just stop, dip in and you will find water available! Begin to walk in a life filled with thanksgiving and praise – yes in the very midst of all that sucks you dry – there you will soon find that your cistern is no longer dry but will begin to flow. Joy will bring relief – and though life may still be in the same state you will find the journey now flows differently within your heart.

John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “if you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

John 4: 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Just Add Water

     Most kids are fascinated with things that grow. Mine were the same; over the years we had countless “experiments” to watch things grow. Washcloths, rocks, crystals, submarines, dinosaurs and a myriad of other gimmicks that came up – all changing what WAS into something NEW. The experimentation always began as water was applied.

     Even in these childhood experiments the key began with the water. Water is our life source that transforms and without it dehydration quickly begins.

     Spiritually we too need water – we need to be immersed, saturated, engulfed in the water of the Spirit and the Word. The transforming presence of God must be continually entered into – it is the key that changes what WAS into something NEW. His presence is our life source and we quickly find that when we step out of that place of His presence – dehydration begins.

     You often don’t even realize you have stepped out of that flow; dehydration is a slow process. You suddenly awake to the feeling that something is missing. How did this happen? Life just got busy, distracted, overwhelmed and here you are. But, just like those tiny cardboard washcloths, the transformation can swiftly take place. You need only to submerge into His presence to watch the transformation occur – renewal begins and the old is refreshed.

     Pursue, wait and be engulfed by the presence of God – stay saturated in the water of the Spirit and the Word as you allow that water to continually change what WAS into something NEW.

IICorinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.