Friday, we discussed the second part of the River study. Just as a normal river rushes you along in its current if you submerge yourself in its will, the Holy Spirit also brings us through currents of change. That is what we talked about last night. Although it is a two-week session, I would like to share the bits and pieces of lightbulbs I received during the lesson.
Immersion
The first step of business is the process of getting yourself into the River. We are called deeper into His grace and in order to be moved by His will we must step passed dipping our toes in and walk into the River of the Holy Spirit’s leading. A word picture for immersion is being in over your head or fully drenched. This leads to our first point and the first current of change that was discussed: trust and believe.
Point 1 ~ John 9:1-7
In this passage, we were challenged to find the answer to the following questions:
- What was he sent to see?
- What are you being sent to see?
We notice that in this circumstance, the Holy Spirit works in healing and revelation. The blind man was given a command and chose to obey. That is a very important note: he obeyed.
And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.John 9:7
The man was blind to a truth and was sent. He obeyed and trusted the direction and came back with the truth revealed to him. We have to obey God’s directions in our life and follow His commands. The ball only gets rolling when we step out in full surrender and have the faith to trust Him.
Point 2 ~ John 2:2-11
This is the miracle of turning water into wine. What I noticed here was that the wine was the best at the feast, and it showed me that what God is doing is better than anything that comes from man’s devices. What was so interesting after this was that Jesus used the six jars that were used for the purification rites. So, we are to trust and believe in the first current of the Holy Spirit and then we must be purged and purified for the outcome. We must be purged so that the River can transform us and that we may show the glory of Jesus as we step out in belief fully trusting Him, even through the purging fire.
Point 3 ~ Matthew 14:24-29 and Mark 4:35-41
For context: Jesus is walking on the water and calls Peter to join Him. I couldn’t help but see the lightbulb that Jesus meets us in our trials and in our storms while giving us peace. He gives us peace regardless of whether or not we fail to have enough faith. He is not a God who loves bargains. He will not keep something from you because you lack faith. This River shows authority and we are to face our fears and speak to them in order to expose them for what they are: spineless shadows created in our minds.
Point 4 ~ John 21:3-6
After Jesus has resurrected, He shows Himself to the disciples. This is one of those instances. Something fascinating about this account is the phrase in verse 4, “but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.” Sometimes we hear God’s Truths through the mouths of babes and our fellow believers. We must have an ear to listen. Moving on in the story and in my findings, verse 6 ends with these words: “they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.”
We are called to cast in faith. Know that the catch will be beyond our hopes and wildest dreams. If you noticed, before the command to cast, Jesus (unknown to the disciples because of the distance) asked if they had caught anything. He was asking if they had seen the fruit of their endeavors. Have you given up hope? Have you seen the fruit of casting your seed? God sees you and He hears you. You are in good company. The prophet Daniel even had his answers delayed, but it wasn’t because of him or God. It was because of the battles that take place on our behalf. Look at this:
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.Daniel 10:12-13
Just like the disciples and Daniel, we must wait for the instructions and walk step-by-step in faith fully knowing that He is answering. We must keep praying.
Wrapping Up
As I said in the beginning, this is a two-week session so you will have to tune in next week for the remaining three currents. As for now, let me recap everything.
If you plunge into the River of the Holy Spirit while trusting, believing, and obeying, He will start working and purging us through His refiner’s fire. (HE is an ALL-CONSUMING FIRE. The more we pursue Him, the hotter it gets!) We are to expose the fears that hold us captive as He exposes our faults and blemishes. Call out the Fear and Pray the walls down in Praise! Continue until you receive instruction and the increase will be more than you imagined. Plunge – Purge – Pray – Wait for Provision – Proclamation – and Praise for the Increase.
Tying the whole night together
As always, the Lord speaks through others and through song. I wanted to share a thought from the last song we sang: Mighty Breath of God.
There is a lyric that says Blow, Mighty Breath of God (Yah). This hit me. The Word of God is literally, God-breathed. It’s inspired. By His Word blowing our fire for Him, His Word is like a bellows to the refining fire we are purged under. My prayer is that you let the Word of God kindle your fire for Him as you step into the current of the Holy Spirit flowing in your life as a well-spring.
One more thing: faith is like a seed. Fire sets things ablaze easily. If we dwell in His presence, we will catch on fire too. Let the fire spread like a wildfire. Remember that seed? That faith you have? Some seeds don’t grow in the forest until the tremendous heat from the fire bursts them open and plants them in the fertile and newly aired ground. Perhaps that breakthrough you are trusting God for will come in the refiner’s fire. Psalms 37 calls us to follow God and He will give us the desires of our hearts. He is our Heavenly Father, no? Just as our earthly fathers like to bestow gifts on us at times, even more, so does our Heavenly Abba. Trust Him and let Him mold you. Go through the refiner’s fire knowing that in the time of trial and testing, Jesus is walking alongside you just as He did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Look for the next session next Saturday. In the meantime, check out this little diddy and the video which explains it.
BONUS: you stuck with me! I never did mention kairos did I? Kairos means an opportune time or a fitting season. God has called you to something. Step in faith and let Him flow through you as He gives you those opportunities that you are placed there for such a time as this.
The Wanderer 