Deep Cries Out to You part 2

LOL I like writing in parts don't it?! But I feel to add to the last posting - because there is so much more God wants to share with us!! 


In Psalms 23 we are introduced to the Lord as being our Shepherd- a great image is displayed of the places where He leads us as the Shepherd will do anything to care for His sheep- even lay down His life as we find out in the gospels! One of the things that our Shepherd does is that He restores our soul! David says that besides the still waters He restores his soul! 


How amazing is that?! Our soul- comprised of our emotions, thoughts, attitudes- can be restored. In a world where life can leave us broken, hurt and confused- there is a Shepherd who leads us beside the still waters where our souls are restored!!


In John 4, the lady at the well had issues - there was an underlying issue for the reason why she had had five husbands and the man that she was living wasn't even her husband! In life, we meet people (because of course we would never do this :p) who fill that void in their life with other things in the world- they try and satisfy their broken emotions with short term pleasures. But God offered this woman living water - and this water restored her soul. This water is no short term pleasure-Jesus said she would never thirst again! Any insecurity she had was now gone. He brought healing in the deep places.






Her response was to tell all about it! "Come see a man"- all the people could see there was a visible change in this woman! A restored soul carries waters of joy, peace and love!! A restored soul carries rivers of living water! When you drink of Him-that's what flows out of your now restored soul!


Rivers of living water will flow from a restored soul! Let Him lead you by still waters where He will restore you soul :)

*out with the old, in with the new* part 3

!The Finale!

Tired of the mundane life?

 OR 

Okay so was watching Wall - E! Yes Wall-E! and if you have not watched it, it is a must!! But watching it I realised a few things...firstly Wall-E is a great movie :P (lol) but most importantly about the way we live, and after watching a message from Bishop T D Jakes, about how we should Live on Purpose, think there are a lot of principles we need to apply to this so that this year is a year of purpose!!

A comfortable life, an easy life is what a lot of us work towards...Easy Street is where we look to buy our homes...but what was promised to us- a narrow road, an abundant life! None of these include comfortable and none of these include easy. 

In Wall-E one of the characters decide that is time that the people to live and stop surviving- "I don't want to survive, I want to live'. Some of us just exist and forget that we have been given for a life! We go to church on a weekly basis (possibly) and get fat off the Word we receive - and the end result is a people who are hearers of the Word and not doers of the Word- living that easy life, comfortable and ordinary. But that becomes boring and mundane! Mainly because we were not created for an easy, ordinary life! But we were created for the extraordinary! Being God's workmanship we were created for good works! What does good look like to you? Walking an old lady across the street maybe? Giving to a charity regularly. What does good look like to God? Well when He created Creation, the world, He looked on that and said that was good! Creation was an extraordinary work and that's Gods standards of good! He's created us for good works!

He wants to awaken us to a life of purpose! He wants to awaken dreams, visions, passions and desires in us that will see us achieve the impossible through Him! We can't be like the man in the parable of the talents who buries what the master gives him out of fear. We are not survivors! We must allow what God has given us to increase. This includes walking in love! Loving others should be a fruit people see when we walk with Christ.

This year LIVE!

*1 John 3:18*

Deep Cries Out to You

* Psalm 42:7*

In John 5 we learn that there was a pool, Bethesda, where the sick would wait around, because when the water was stirred by the angel of the Lord, whoever went in first was cured.

There was a man who could not reach the water, because of his sickness. So Jesus approached him and told him to pick up his bed and walk! Jesus didn't carry him to the water - He brought the effectiveness of this water to the man. Let's explore how he did that.

In the chapter before Jesus is talking to a Samaritan woman and says to her 'I will give you fresh and living water.' She was receiving from an Old Testament well, He was offering her His New Testament river! In the Old Testament people lived with visitations from God, but the Samaritan woman and the man by Bethesda got to experience the fullness of God.

Again we see in John 7 from verse 37, He is telling people that the thirsty must come to Jesus. He then says that out of THEIR belly will flow rivers of living water. So when they came to Jesus, not only would this water be available for them to drink but it would flow through and out of them! The water represents the Spirit! 

So if Jesus said the effectiveness, the power of the water is in Him, then as we come to Him the water flows through and out of us. In Colossians 1:27 says that Christ is in us the hope of glory! If Christ offered that water, that Spirit and Christ is in us - then that water is in us! A water, a river that can heal the sick, feed the hungry. Funnily enough, Jesus talks to the disciples about the harvest after He shares the revelation with the Samaritan woman, and then demonstrates the Word by healing the man waiting outside Bethesda. There's people around us waiting to be healed! We need to realise that we have a river inside of us- a river of living water.

But I also believe there needs to be a stirring -  a stirring of that river inside of us. In Songs of Solomon 4 it is said that the Shulamite woman is like a spring closed up (Bishop TD Jakes preaches a good message on this). We can be like a spring and fountain closed up. But then Solomon goes onto say that she is a fountain of living waters, a flowing stream! Does this mirror what Jesus says about us? The Shulamite woman then says let the winds blow upon her garden so her beloved can enjoy the fruits. We want His winds to blow on our garden so our rivers can flow. How can we stir the waters? Through worship and intimacy. In John 4, Jesus links living waters and worship. Let those waters be stirred in worship.

I also had the privilege of going to a friend's baptism on Sunday. Water also points to newness of life. There is new life waiting for us to experience and there is life waiting to come out of us!! Be in that place of worship to let life come out of you :)