DAY EIGHTEEN: “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
Are you experiencing some of the “living water” of the Lord during your fast? Are you more sensitive to His presence?
Unquenchable Thirst–Never Satisfied
Before I came to faith in Christ, I was thirsty all the time for things of the world that never satisfied. I was an alcoholic and a compulsive overeater. I smoked cigarettes and marijuana.
I had many brief, dead-end relationships with men who could never give me the unconditional love I craved. I was hounded by a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7) and was deeply insecure.
I was involved in the New Age movement and yoga. I was looking for love, and for God, in all of the wrong places.
What is this “living water”?
To me, living water represents several things, primarily the Holy Spirit and the joy of the Lord, which is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).The Holy Spirit comes to live inside of our recreated human spirit when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
I remember the first time I sensed the joy of the Lord. It was only moments after I surrendered my life to Jesus. The weight of sin was lifted from me (and as a New Ager, I was taught there was no such thing as sin; that it was an acronym for “Self-Inflicted-Nonsense”–LIE!!! – Sin is real – and it has a weight to it, so when it was lifted from me, I FELT it!!!).
In that moment the weight of sin (what felt like about 10-15 additional pounds of body weight!) lifted off me, and the peace of God descended upon me. From the center of that peace came what I described at the time as a “wellspring of joy.” It was not mere happiness (pleasant feelings based on circumstances). No, this was a great, abounding exhilaration that seemed to come from deep down inside of me. I laughed with a freedom I’d never had before. The laughter was not linked to anything humorous. It was an expression of pure, unbridled liberty and delight.
A clue to how to maintain this joy can be found found in Ephesians 5:18-21 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
This is the secret to being continually filled with the Spirit of God.
I invite you to do that right now! Speak or sing a new song: “I thank You, Lord…”
Please share your comments below – HOW have you experienced God’s “living water”?
Previous Entries:
Radio Interview with Pastor Jentezen Franklin (author of “The Fasting Edge”)
DAY ONE – Delight in the Lord (instead of food?)
DAY TWO - Loosed from Wickedness
DAY THREE – Undo Heavy Burdens NOW
DAY FOUR – DO and then Feel
DAY FIVE – Oppressed, Go Free!
DAY SIX – YOU Break Every Yoke
DAY SEVEN – What are You Feeding On?
DAY EIGHT – Overcoming Temptation
DAY NINE – The Mind of Christ
DAY TEN – Illumination from God
DAY ELEVEN – Keep on Wenting
DAY TWELVE – Righteousness Before You
DAY THIRTEEN – What is Your WHY?
DAY FOURTEEN – Call on the Lord
DAY FIFTEEN – We Have Dominion?
DAY SIXTEEN – Whatever You Do will Prosper
DAY SEVENTEEN - His Angels have Charge Over You
