For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring; they will spring up among the grass like willows by the watercourses.” (Isaiah 44:3-4)
All through the bible we’re presented with a metaphor of the Spirit of God being poured out like water… the prophet Joel proclaimed:
“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” (Joel 2:28)
This picture is important as it helps us understand how the Holy Spirit operates in and through us a Christians. Think of the ways that flowing water impacts its surroundings...
Flowing water contains life - Nothing lives in stagnant water, but a flowing river is abundant with life. As the Holy Spirit of God is poured out in our lives, we are living the life of Christ. Paul wrote:
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Flowing water brings forth new life - When water flows to an area, plant and animal life will begin to flourish. As we live empowered by the Holy Spirit, the result is that new life will be brought forth in those that we point to Christ:
"By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." (John 15:8)
Flowing water brings refreshment - When we’re hot and thirsty, there’s nothing like the cool flowing water of a stream to quench our thirst. When the Holy Spirit flows through our lives, not only are we refreshed, our lives refresh the lives of others:
"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
Flowing waters always moving - Some Christians believe that when the Holy Spirit came into them at salvation, that was it. Yet the picture the scriptures give us of the flowing Spirit of God indicates that the filling of the Holy Spirit is a continual and changing flow. There are times when the Spirit is flowing through us that we aren't aware of, yet at other times it flows stronger and we sense it's move.
In this sense I believe it's paramount of the Christian to desire, even to ask that the Lord pour out His Spirit in our lives daily, so that we can not only be empowered to live in obedience to Him, but that the living, flowing water of our lives would bring life and refreshment to everyone around us.
Charles Spurgeon, the British minster known as the “Prince of Pastors” said:
“I believe that, at this present moment, God’s people ought to cry to him day and night that there may be a fresh baptism into the Holy Ghost. There are many things that are desirable for the Church of Christ, but one thing is absolutely needful; and this is the one thing, the power of the Holy Ghost in the midst of his people.” (C. H. Spurgeon)
Pastor Clay
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