Rivers of Living Water (Bible Study)

This morning, I felt a tightness in the upper part of my stomach before I even got out of bed. I don't know why I paid  attention to it, but I knew it did not belong. Somehow, I felt that a spirit of anxiety (fear) and infirmity was trying to find a lodging place within me. So I placed my hands over the spot and began speaking scriptures to it silently in the name of Jesus:

• "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)."

• "Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth (Jeremiah 33:6)."

• “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water (John 7:37-38).”

When I said the last scripture, I got a vision of water coming up out of my belly, washing away everything that did not belong. The Spiritual water left me feeling renewed, refreshed and restored. Suddenly, many scriptures started flowing through my mind about the living water Jesus promised His people. Below is the Bible study I wrote down that the Spirit gave me. But before I give it to you, let me share the end of the story for those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus and live in His word. It is a glorious picture of heaven:

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.

The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:1-5)."

Psalm 1:3 says that blessed people are like trees planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth fruit in its season. So this Bible study will cover what the Lord showed me about the living waters. You will learn about what is needed to increase the flow of God's spirit in your life - and what can quench it! My prayer is that you become thirsty for the things of God. There is a popular beer commercial on T.V. in which the star, an older gentleman, always ends it by saying:

"Stay thirsty, my friends."

To receive an overflow of God's Spirit, you must be thirsty for it! The Samaritan woman's story in John 4 tells of a woman who was thirsty. She was coming to a well to draw water. However unknown to her, she had a divine appointment with Jesus Christ. As you read the story, you see that the woman had had 5 husbands and now was with a man who was not her husband. So clearly, the woman was thirsty for something that she was not finding. She may have been estranged from other women too. According to tradition, the women would come to the well in the cool of the day to draw water and to socialize with one another. Yet, this woman came alone at noon, the hottest part of the day. But Jesus was waiting on her. The words He spoke to her is also a promise to us:

• “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but 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.”

Are you thirsty? Then the Lord wants you!

• "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).”

In the end, the woman believed in Jesus and told others about Him. They too came to believe. So they were heirs to the promise, just like we are. But what prevents God's people from obtaining living water? Jeremiah 2:13 tells us:

• “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water."

The reason they do not obtain living water is because they do not seek after God in their daily lives. They do not make spending time in His presence a priority. Instead, they seek other things every day - a job, a business, money, a relationship, entertainment, clothes, shoes, houses, cars, even food. In short, they seek after everything but the Lord Himself! They think these things will bring lasting satisfaction, but they won't. These people will thirst forever after things that can never satisfy ultimately. However, God is forever calling us to seek Him first:

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance (Isaiah 55:1-2)."

I recommend that you take a moment to read the entirety of Isaiah, chapter 55. Jesus gave His life so that we could experience abundant life. Isaiah 55 describes what abundant life looks like. Are you thirsty for it? Lastly, let's discover what other things can block the flow of living waters in our lives. Psalm 1:1-3:

"Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper (Psalm 1:1-3)."

Here we see a picture of a blessed man. He is defined not only by the things he does but by the things he does not do! He does not follow the path of Spiritual decline. First, this man does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. This not only applies to ungodly people, but I also believe it applies to ungodly thoughts! Many times we heed the counsel of ungodly thoughts, knowing full well they are leading us into paths of unrighteousness. When we do that, we quench the flow of living waters. Second, he does not stand in the path of sinners, which speaks to hanging out in the places where we know ungodly people gather. I believe this even extends to the entertainment we watch regularly. When we stand in the path of sinners, we are influenced by them eventually. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be deceived: 'Evil company corrupts good habits.'" So do not be surprised if your Spiritual flow is quenched when you hang out with people who are doing ungodly things regularly - whether in person or through the media. Finally, the Spirit cannot flow in a person who sits in the seat of the scornful. This is the last stage of Spiritual decline. Such a person has a hardened heart of unbelief, even to the point of ridiculing the Bible and making fun of those who strive to walk in it. For a scornful person, their heart will only become more hardened over time. Even if they did believe in Jesus at one time, they will fall away from the faith - as surely as night follows the day. I hope that this study has given you an increased thirst for Godly refreshment! My friends, let us pray that we be forever thirsty for the things of God and that we seek Him daily to quench our thirst with the living water of His presence. Kimberly Taylor Creator of the 'Take Back Your Temple' program https://takebackyourtemple.com/program P.S. Are you ready to grow stronger Spiritually and heal emotionally as you achieve your ideal weight? Let the Take Back Your Temple program be your plan. God’s way is change from the inside out and once you are changed His way, you are never the same! Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program