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A river is a source of life. As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. Jesus told His disciples that if we believe in Him, “rivers of living water” will flow out from within us, from our hearts.
“Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart'” (John 7:38, NLT).
As followers of Christ, we are blessed with this supernatural flow in our lives. Let’s come step into the river of God. Let’s wade in further. Let’s swim deep in the river of God!
River of Living Water
Jesus was led by the Spirit to do what the Father was doing. He was grounded in the Word of God and He was sensitive to the flow of the anointing coming upon Him and through Him.
What is the anointing? It is God’s power released to accomplish His supernatural purposes. It can manifest like a feeling, a surge of authority or a presence of calm and peace that comes upon you.
Every believer can and should learn how to flow with the Spirit in his/her everyday life.
You and I can learn to pay closer attention to the divine flow upon and through our own lives, and using emotional language can help us understand what God is doing.
Most of the time, we will not be praying over someone for healing; we will be just going through our ordinary routines. During those long stretches of “just living,” we can and should be able to stay in close touch with the Holy Spirit.
We can keep moving in the river of God’s presence, for example, by noticing our fruit-of-the-Spirit feelings — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Pay attention to how you are feeling during the day, even when your feelings are subtle, and express your delight to the Lord.
You may find yourself saying:
– “I feel so loved! Now I know a little better what it means to be the beloved of the Lord.”
– “I can’t stop laughing! The joy of the Lord is my strength.” (See Nehemiah 8:10.)
– “I can’t think of anything except _______. It’s like a weight on my soul. Help me with it, Lord.”
– “That heavy burden has lifted at last and I can sense the peace and grace of God.”
– “Oh, look at that beautiful _______! I’m so grateful for the beauty around me, Lord.”
– “My heart feels lighter and my whole being feels refreshed. Being in the presence of God is wonderful.”
– “That music brings tears of joy to my eyes.”
– “Father, I can feel Your comforting hand on my shoulder and now I know I’m Your child. You help me every day.”
– “I can feel quiet strength coming into my soul. Now I know I’ll make it through this long trial.”
When the Holy Spirit is directing you to reach out to others in service or ministry, you may sense His guidance in various ways. You may feel pain or heat in a specific part of your body when the Lord is present to heal someone through your prayers. When He wants you to step into a leadership role, you may feel something like the weight of a mantle settling on your shoulders or you may feel something touch your forehead.
You may feel the compassion of the Lord toward someone and, with it, an inspiration to meet that person’s need in the power and grace of God. You may sense the presence of supernatural faith in someone and identify it so that the person can release it for its intended purpose. You may see, either with your natural eyes or with the eyes of your spirit, angels or other manifestations of the Lord’s presence.
At times, a person may simply cross your mind. If you are paying attention, you will know whether God wants you to reach out to the person in some way at that moment and whether He wants you to stop what you’re doing and pray for the person. You could pick up on just about anything with your senses and God will always supply the “interpretation” so you know what to do. It is my hope and prayer that you will be better equipped to operate in the feeler realm with integrity and joy.
Word and Spirit Together
To move into the greater works of Jesus, we need a marriage between the two very necessary, complementary aspects of the kingdom of God — the Word of God and the Spirit of God. We need to return to the Acts 13 model in which the school of the Word and the school of the Spirit cooperated together. (See Acts 13:1–2.)
By combining our gifts in the grace of God, we can step into the greater-works generation with those who have taken to heart Jesus’ words in John 14:12 (NLT): “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”
If we work together, God’s power can flow freely and revive the dry places on the face of the earth. Let’s drink deeply and allow His refreshing river to spill out!
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price…. And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail” (Isa. 55:1, MEV; 58:11, NASB).
Let’s rejoice! This is an exciting time to see God’s river flowing out! Praise the Lord; it is a new day and there are fresh understandings for a new era!
Prayer of a Passionate Heart
“Father, I am amazed at Your ways and I purpose to unite myself with Your people as You lead me. I am grateful for all of the streams and tributaries that are joining together into a mighty river of life in this day. I pray to know and flow in that river of Your presence and power. I give all the glory to You. Send Your Spirit more powerfully, for Jesus Christ’s sake, as I offer thanksgiving and praise in His mighty name. Again, I say, amen!” {eoa}
Dr. James W. Goll is the founder of God Encounters Ministries. He is an international bestselling author, a certified Life Language Coach, an adviser to leaders and ministries and a recording artist. James has traveled around the world ministering in more than 50 nations sharing the love of Jesus, imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry and life in the Spirit. He has recorded numerous classes with corresponding curriculum kits and is the author of more than 50 books, including The Seer, The Prophet, The Discerner, The Lost Art of Intercession and Praying with God’s Heart. James is also the founder of GOLL Ideation LLC, where creativity, consulting and leadership training come together.
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