There's More! (Prophetic Word)

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." (Isaiah 55:1)

Jesus is the living water this verse speaks of, and He's got a special invitation for you today to receive more! He's inviting all who are spiritually thirsty to come and satisfy your parched souls. Let's break down this water symbolism a little deeper to see exactly what Christ is saying, and then I'll share with you the fresh prophetic word He gave me for His body.

In John 4 we see Christ at Jacob's well asking a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. The Samaritan woman asks Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans" (v. 9). He tells her "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water" (v.10). 

This meant that she'd never have to come back to the well and fill up again, and she'd never thirst again. It sounded like a win-win to her! Of course, she asks Jesus for some of this water. He then speaks a word of knowledge to her about her life, and reveals Himself as the Messiah, the living water He'd spoken of.

Today, God is giving us the same offer He gave to the Samaritan woman. "Come and drink. I have more for you!," He's saying! John 7:38 tells us that "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." This verse speaks to the miraculous nature of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Here's a modern-day example of what Christ is saying.

Imagine yourself taking a sip from a bottle of water. When we receive God's gift of salvation through Christ, it's as if we take a sip of Him into ourselves.

He comes inside of us and makes His home in the form of the Holy Spirit. Since He's a supernatural being, He doesn't just stay in this one form. He transforms into not just one river, but several. He then flows out of us to touch the lives of those around us! This is God's original plan of salvation. He wants everyone around you to get a drink of the living waters inside of you!

So, why is this not happening more in the body of Christ today? Are people better or worse off when they come into our presence? Are we so burnt out that we can't focus on providing this living water to others? According to scripture, this water should flow out of us naturally, so, what's causing the waters to be stopped up?

God would say to you today that the problem is the evil twins, busyness and distraction. He says you've taken a sip of Him, but there's more! The reason why the waters have been clogged in the body of Christ is because we haven't gotten enough of the living water inside us! The "more" that God is speaking about is an ocean! The deep of God is calling to the deep river in you, beckoning you to go to a deeper level!

"Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me." (Psalm 42:7)

God says that so many Christians have His Spirit, but they're lacking in His presence. Today, He's inviting you back into His presence. Too many of us have gotten distracted. The Lord is saying, "Tap into the River! There's more for you! Come and drink in My presence. Here you will be refreshed. Your answers, all you need, is in My presence. Come back Home. Come and drink! You've gotten too busy. Come. Drink. Be refreshed. I've got so much to show you! Don't make an idol of your busyness. Come and drink. Come!"

"The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."
(Revelation 22:17)

This is an invitation to more! To enter into God's rest. God is refreshing the weary soul (Matt. 11:28), and the door of heaven is standing open for you to come up higher (Rev. 4:1)! If you've been running on empty, going in your own strength, Jesus invites you to drink of His limitless water! We all need to take another sip of Christ and go deeper.  It's in the deep that we'll find satisfaction and begin to overflow to others without hindrance until the whole world gets a drink.

Prayer:
Lord, I repent today for letting anything clog the flow of your living water in me. I return to Your presence and let go of the idols of busyness and distraction in my life. Help me to make you my center and revolve my day around You instead of trying to pile You on top of everything else. Teach me to steward and practice your presence so that You can flow freely to others from within me. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen. 

Top 3 Ways to Get Closer to God

So many of us are seeking so much in life and we're not getting it. There's a reason for that. God tells us in His word that if we'll seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, all other things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). The reward for seeking God is His presence along with our heart's deepest desires according to His will (Psalm 37:4). Thankfully, God's given us many ways to get closer to Him. Here are my top 3.

1. Acknowledge God before making decisions.

Proverbs 3:6 says, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." This means EVERY decision we make. When we acknowledge God before making decisions, we include Him in everything we do. The more God sees that you want to include Him in your life, the more He'll make His presence, thoughts, and feelings known to you.

2. Practice God's presence.

Begin to talk to God all throughout the day about everything. Talk to Him as you would your best friend (Proverbs 18:24). Talk to Him when you're washing your clothes, when you get up in the morning, on your commute to work, and when you lie down for bed. This puts a smile on God's face, and He'll surely talk back to you.

3. Make a lifestyle of worship and gratitude.

The Bible says "in everything give thanks" (1 Thess. 5:18). I never feel God more closely than when I worship Him! God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). When we worship God, He draws near to us with big hugs of His presence. Nothing pleases Him more!

What are some practices that have helped you grow closer to God over time? Please share with us in the comments below.

Gethsemane Before Glory (prophetic word)

"Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39).

A little farther. That's the place the Father's trying to take you today. God wants to take you father into the "power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians 3:10). He's got spiritual exploits waiting for you in His Kingdom (Daniel 11:32). He wants to take you deeper into the realm of His glory where you see Him act in power. God still works miracles, signs, and wonders, and He wants to bring heaven to earth through your vessel, but you've got to go a little farther with Him first.

In the garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus praying for the cup of death to be taken from Him before He was betrayed and led to Calvary. The cross was where He'd be separated from the Father's presence for the first time (Matthew 27:46). This was worse than any physical death could ever be; yet, it was the only way we could be redeemed. It was the Father's will, and this cup would not pass. Jesus had to drink it. Jesus finally surrendered saying, "yet not as I will, but as You will."

No servant is greater than His master (John 15:20). If Jesus had to go through Gethsemane to get to glory, so do you, and if He could do it, so can you. "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you" (Romans 8:11).

What is God asking you to surrender today so that you can reach the next level in your spiritual walk? Is it a person, ways of the flesh, or a secret sin? Whatever it is, God will give you the strength and grace to release it if you depend on His Holy Spirit.

Know that you can never out-give God. Anything you give Him can't compare to the riches He'll place in your hands. Someone once said that your penthouse dream is God's basement idea. You've got to give up that basement in order to get to God's best. You won't reach the pinnacle without it.

Will you choose to go a little farther with Christ today? Imagine what blessings await you on the other side of your sacrifice!

"Truly I tell you," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--along with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life"" (Mark 10:29-30).

What to Do When Your Good Deeds Go Unnoticed

Have you ever put your heart and soul into making someone feel special only to barely get a thank-you? Worse yet, maybe your act of kindness was even spat upon. You went to the moon and back to make sure someone's big day turned out perfect with all the trimmings. You took off work to do someone a favor. You went without so someone else could have. You were never thanked. You stayed after work without pay and did your co-worker's job to make sure the company project was successful. Still, someone else got the promotion. Perhaps you're in ministry and sow into people's lives on a constant basis, and the ones who love to eat at your table never sow back into you. Unacknowledged, unimportant, and unappreciated is how you feel, and you're not alone. Here's what to do when your good deeds go unnoticed.

Let's look at the example of Mordecai in the book of Esther. Early on, we see him stop a plot to kill King Ahasuerus. Mordecai would sit within the king's gate, and one day while there, he overheard a plot to whack the king. He told Queen Esther who then informed the king, and the plot was confirmed. Then, the two eunuchs who'd planned the murder were executed (Esther 2:23). Afterwards, everything returned back to normal for Mordecai. He wasn't rewarded or promoted, and the Bible doesn't even tell us that he was thanked. But you know what Mordecai did? He went about his daily life trusting and serving God, and continued looking out for others (See chapter 4). Look at what happened next...

A trap was set by Haman, Mordecai's enemy, to have him hanged. The night before it was to take place, God interrupted the king's sleep so that he was restless. King Ahasuerus asked for the book of the records of the chronicles to be read to him, and when it was, Mordecai's kind act was mentioned. The king asked if Mordecai had been rewarded and was notified that he hadn't been. At that very moment, Haman came in to ask for permission to have Mordecai killed.

6. So Haman came in, and the king asked him, "What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" Now Haman thought in his heart, "Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?"

7. And Haman answered the king, "For the man whom the king delights to honor,

8. "let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head.

9. "Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!'"

10. Then the king said to Haman, "Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king's gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken." 

11. So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!" (Esther 6:6-11)

Mordecai was publicly honored at just the right time for what he'd done. This shows us that God sees all that we do for others, and at just the right time, He will reward us. What you do for others privately, God will reward you for openly (Matthew 6:4).

 

Note how the night before the plot to kill Mordecai was to be carried out that God kept the king awake and the chronicles were read (Esther 6:1). This shows us that God is always one step ahead of the enemy! He is our protector. He's working on the king's heart on your behalf even while you sleep! 

Perhaps you weren't recognized for that special act, or you didn't get that promotion because God was protecting you from something just as He was Mordecai. Rest in God. At just the right time, you'll receive your honor, recognition, and promotion. Until then, do as Mordecai did. Keep serving and trusting God, and doing for others. God sees you, and you are appreciated by Him. Trust that your reward will come just when you need it most.

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ." (Col. 3:23-24)