Water is an essential ingredient for our survival. It makes up about 70% of our body weight. It keeps us hydrated, allowing for increased bodily functions. It cleanses us both internally and externally. To maintain the correct body temperature, we must have water; it seems that water keeps us “cool, calm, and collected.” It protects our nervous system, which includes our brainand spinal cord. Fluidity in a person’s movement is aided by water and it keeps our joints cushioned. Necessary for internal cleansing, it helps us get rid of toxins and waste. We see from this that water is essential for our existence.
In His infinite wisdom, God drew correlations between that which is natural with that which is Spiritual. Just as natural water is necessary for the human body to function correctly, spiritual water, the Word, is essential for the born-again believer to function correctly. Jesus said in John 7:37b-38 states that if any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! He who believes in Me [whocleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, from his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water (Amplified Bible).
Are you having trouble functioning in the body of Christ? Do you find that everything gets on “your nerves,” and you seem to have a short fuse? Are you wearing garments that have been spotted by sin or neglect? Have you had some rough times and find that you are struggling with bitterness, depression, or heartbreak? Do you need to be cleansed on the inside? Be refreshed! The Holy Spirit is that living water that Jesus spoke of, according to John: 39. Believe, receive, and cleave to the person of the Holy Spirit – out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
According to Dr. Henry Wright, every thought we have, whether conscious or unconscious, produces a corresponding chemical, hormone, neurotransmitter, or neuropeptide somewhere in the body in response to that thought to maintain homeostasis. Incredibly, science confirms what God teaches.
In His love for us, God has given us his Word, which leads us to cast down imaginations. Do not harbor fear, bitterness, resentment, and anger. Why? They impact us in body, soul, and spirit. When someone is always anxious and fearful, it causes my body to stay in a fight or flight response. Fear and anxiety produce (dis)ease in my body. What would happen if we chose to remain in peace? Jesus said, “peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 KJV
Most diseases have psychosomatic root causes complicated by sin and inequity passed down from prior generations. According to scripture, in the ten commandments, He spoke to Moses, saying: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep mycommandments. Exodus 20:4-6 KJV
Our decisions impact not only our lives but those of future generations. “Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more forever (Exodus 14:13).”
When you fight the enemy, it ensures his defeat in your life. When we choose not to fear and stand in the truth of who He is and who we are in Him, we will see His salvation. The “Egyptians” or demonic forces might be in hot pursuit. As we stand in God’s truth and His provision, they are swallowed up by God’s overflow in our lives.Now, may the God of peace and harmony set you apart, making you completely holy. And may your entire being—spirit, soul, and body—be kept completely flawless in the appearing of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One (1 Thessalonians 5:23 TPT).
Are there situations and circumstances plaguing your mind and causing (dis)ease in your body? Jesus invites you to know him and, through your relationship with him, cast all your cares on him. We can only know the Father’s love and protection through the blood of Jesus and the gift of salvation. However, as we see in the following scripture, He invites us to come to him and find rest. All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.… (Matthew 11:27-29).
I recommend the following process.
Spend time finding the heart of God regarding your situation by reading and studying the Word.
Find a scripture that speaks to your circumstance.
Declare this truth over your life.
Talk to God about your situation and remind him of his commitment to you regarding the matter.
I have found over the years that God has an opinion regarding everything, and he has provided the foundational truth in his Bible, but you must seek out his answer. If, at first, you have trouble with thisprocess, find a trusted friend to help to search out what God has to say about your situation. Be leery of counsel that elevates humanmade opinion above the scriptures.
God’s Word is not as confusing as some would have you to believe, but you must have a hunger to replace your (dis)ease with His peace. God’s peace comes through knowing him and trusting his Word; this is the first step to overcoming (dis)ease.
It is essential to plan, and many spend a good deal of time contemplating their next move. According to Luke 14:28-30, we are to count the cost before we begin any project.
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ (Luke 14:28-30)
Although we are to count the cost to determine if we have what it takes to finish our assignment, we must begin. It is important not to get bogged down and never achieve forward momentum. Jesus worked until He finished His mission on earth. We are to keep stepping forward.
Nothing in the universe operates without work. You must work to fail. Failure requires that you get up each day and choose not to fulfill your purpose. If we do not cooperate with Holy Spirit and the principles needed to achieve our goal, we have resolved ourselves to failure. Cooperation with Holy Spirit requires a work ethic.
Work is a principle of the universe. Each day the sun must work to release energy. If it stops working, we will die because we become devoid of its life releasing forces. A caterpillar must work to become a butterfly, and a woman must work to give birth. Even a small child must work to walk.
Even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-15 ESV
If you want the blessings of God, you must work for them. It is easy to slump into a position of lethargy while in transition. We may not live in our dream house. Our financial situations may not be what we want it to be. Our current position may not be pleasant. However, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going (Ecclesiastes 9:10). God will lead you into your next step, but you must keep stepping and moving forward.
God rewards diligence. No matter the circumstances, it is crucial that we do our tasks as if God himself were watching us. According to Colossians 3:23, whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men. Scripture teaches us that a man that is diligent in his business with come before kings. According to Proverbs 22:29, it says “seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” Do not be intimidated by what you see in the world. God is not intimidated by the world, and His word remains steadfast.
God created us for a purpose. We are his handiwork. Ephesian 2:10 For we are His workmanship [His own masterwork, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set] so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. We are his trophies, and he leads us triumphantly as he shows us off to the universe (2 Corinthians 2:14), which reads, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”
If triumph is to become our portion, we must be doers of God’s word and not just listeners or talkers. According to James 1:22
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
We can be good churchgoers and never fulfill our purpose. We are ambassadors for God’s kingdom. Everything we do should be about building the kingdom of God on earth. The work God calls us should impact our sphere of influence. What is your sphere of influence? What is your assignment? We can be busybodies and not recognize it. Are you living purposefully? According to Jeremiah 29:11, God has a plan for your life.
For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call on Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice], and I will listen to you. Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13).
Ask him for strategy as you impact your sphere of influence as you keep stepping forward.
Our streets are filled with chaos and confusion. As God’s image bearers, we have a lot of work to do. Jesus said:
See to it that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:4-8)
Many will read this verse and go about their daily lives without the conviction to impact their world with their gifts, time, and talent. The same Jesus said to occupy until he came and to world while it is still day:
Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him. 4While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:3-5)
We are God’s image-bearers. We carry His light and love everywhere we go. Our life should be infectious, leaving people with a hunger to want more. We are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Matthew 5:14 KJV
We are God’s change-makers. We present to humanity a choice, a possibility that they may not have considered. Jesus changed His world, and it has not been the same since He came into the world. Jesus knew why He existed and lived to that end. According to John 18:37, Jesus said “…to this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” Why did God create you what change are you to bring into the world?
We are God’s light. We lead people to a new Kingdom entrance and into new opportunities that they may not have seen before. The blind sees. The deaf hears. The lame walks. We as His image-bearers must walk then run, gaining momentum as we perceive that destiny awaits our obedience to His call.
We are God’s ambassadors. We are here for all people. Although few will flee in desperation to our Kingdom seeking asylum, we stand as His representatives. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.(2 Corinthians 5:20 KJV)
We are His uncompromisingly righteous. Most will choose compromise and attempt to live in two kingdoms. Some will put on shades and continue to stumble about in the darkness. There will be those who, while running for safety, turn to look back and become stuck. Their hearts never left the Kingdom of their origin and continue to suffer the consequences of a compromised life. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Matthew 6.24a (ESV).
We are God’s standard-bearers. He leaves us here to show others the way. We are to reflect the characteristics of His Kingdom. Some may ask, “where is your kingdom.” We demonstrate the Kingdom of God. His fruitfulness and faithfulness will be reflected in our daily lives through each act of obedience to Holy Spirit.
We are God’s sent ones. We represent Christ wherever we go. We are to strengthen, encourage, nurture, and train influencers in our sphere of influence. We are not limited to church work. We are to bring His Kingdom to earth by demonstrating our heavenly Father and his principles for transformative living.
We are God’s servant leaders, stewards of a greater God. What we bring to our assignments is His excellency. Martin Luther King Jr said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
As his image-bearers, we need to grab a broom and begin the arduous task of cleaning our streets. He will empower you with his amazing grace. He will empower you with himself.
Does your life reflect his glory? Is it time to get a fresh revelation of your life in light of the glory of God? When we look at the heavens and the earth, we see the glorious revelation of God’s love. Everything exists by him and for his glory. He has invited us to join in his glorious adventure.
Based on Thayer, the word glory is rendered in scripture over 371 times and often means splendor or brightness like the moon, sun, and stars. It refers to something or someone that is magnificence as well as excellence with preeminence filled with dignity, and grace. There is a glory only belonging to our majestic Father. However, he given to us his glory as a reflection of his kingship over our lives. He is King of kings, and his kingly majesty belongs to him as supreme ruler. He is majestic, the absolute perfection of deity, for he is the God of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17) but do not forget we are his children (Romans 8:16). We reflect his glory. As we use our spiritual and natural gifts, we manifest the glory given to us.
Is your gift hidden under a bushel (religious covering or facade)? Where is your light? Is it dimly lit out of fear or false doctrine? Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17, KJV). It is time to take the lid off and show forth his glory.
Colossians 1:16-17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist
References
Thayer, J. H., Grimm, C. L. W., & Wilke, C. G. (2003). Thayer’s Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: Coded with Strong’s concordance numbers. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson
