May 13 - Rivers of Living Water
One of the many benefits of being filled by the Holy Spirit is to be filled, or to be full or full-filled. Just imagine that you are filled and satisfied by God Himself and not by anything else. The result of being filled is that the Holy Spirit may flow out of you like rivers of living water. It is not just one river, but “rivers” of living water. Water brings life and the lives of many others can be impacted because of the fact that you are filled by the Holy Spirit.
On the last day of the Feast of the Tabernacle, Jesus made a plea, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as he Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” He was referring to the Holy Spirit whom those who believed in Him were to receive. The first step to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to recognize one’s spiritual poverty. You are hungry and thirsty if there are some unmet needs in your life. These needs and wants would create holes in you that need to be filled.
Do you have drives and urges to achieve, to get more, to be secure, to get ahead in life, to be more respected, to receive praises, to be accepted? Are you grabbing things in the world in order to satisfy? This is a sure sign of having holes in your life and you are in spiritual poverty. You really need the filling of the Holy Spirit so that those holes are completely filled. If God is not meeting all your needs, then He is not filling you. Do you realize that you are thirsty? Many of us do not recognize it and think that this is a normal human condition.
You need to receive the Holy Spirit just like you have received salvation at the foot of the cross. The Holy Spirit needs to go into you, fill all your needs and then flow out of you in rivers of living water. The Spirit in you is to flow out of you. When there is an overflow, when you are no longer focusing on your own self, when your life is a blessing to other, then you are truly filled. The water out of you is a confirmation that you have been filled. Do you believe in this? Do you believe that your life could be better and more fulfilling?
If you recognize your spiritual poverty and holes in your life, now is the time to come before Jesus. He is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, as John the Baptist called Him. Ask Him to baptize you in the Holy Spirit now and your life will never be the same. Get out of the daily grind, the many struggles to compete, to win, to overcome, to bring in more or to simply survive. God has a better plan to make you into a full person. Go to a quiet place and tell Him that you are thirsty, that you believe, that you ask Jesus to baptize you by the Holy Spirit. Take in by faith and God will confirm His filling in you through the Holy Spirit going out of you!
Ps 69:1-4 1 Sam 13:23-14:52 John 7:30-53 Prov 15:5-7