Your Spiritual Well

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14

At Christian Retreat you can view a multimedia presentation, formerly at a World’s Fair, called “Thirst for Life.” It depicts the human body’s need for physical water and the soul’s thirst for spiritual water. Have you learned to drink from your spiritual well?

If your spirit is dry, you may have to DIG A NEW WFLL. Do not camp on old contention and strife; move on. “Enlarge the place of thy tent. . . .” (Isaiah 54:2) Do not look back. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17)

You may need to learn to SPEAK TO THE ROCK… that is, that obstacle or hardened heart. Do not “strike” at it in your flesh. As Moses was commanded by God to “speak” to the rock to obtain water in Numbers 20:8, so you must use God’s mighty weapon of warfare— confession—to pull down strongholds in your life.

Finally, you must learn to DRAW LIVING WATER FROM THE WELL. How? Through worship, in spirit and in truth. “… if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” (John 7:37b)

PRAY:
“Your prophet foretold that ‘with joy [I] will draw water from the wells of saIvation.* Heavenly Father, refresh me today with Your Living Water. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

*Isaiah 12:3 (NW)

How to Keep Your Healing

“.. . If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee. . . for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26

Thank God that you can look to “Dr. Jesus” for your healing. I Peter 2:24b says,”… by [His]stripes ye were healed.” But how do you KEEP your healing? The SPIRITUAL principles for staying well are similar to those of natural medicine.

1) OBEY THE DOCTOR’S ORDERS as to your activities. Deuteronomy 28 promises God’s continued blessing as you walk in obedience to His Word.

2) RECEIVE AND UNDERSTAND YOUR PRESCRIPTION. These are God’s promises in such Scriptures as Mark 16:18, Psalm 107:20, Isaiah 53:5, IPeter 2:24, Matthew 8:17, and Psalm 103:2-3. If they are hard to decipher, ask your druggist (Pastor).

3) CONSISTENTLY TAKE YOUR MEDICINE – The Word of God. “For [my sayings] are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” (Proverbs 4:22)

4) EXERCISE DAILY. “. . . faith without works is dead.” (James 2:20b) Speak the Word, praise and worship God, walk by faith and not feeling, do good to others, have a clear conscience.

5) SURROUND YOURSELF WITH HEALTHY PEOPLE. Stay around people of prayer and faith.

PRAY:
“Dear Father, I submit to You and resist the devil so he is powerless to attack my healing. Help me to be single-minded in my faith. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.”

Be Holy

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy;for l am holy.” I Peter 1:15-16

Before you can begin to walk in the holiness Peter wrote about, you must be sure of your salvation from sin. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) I John 1:9 tells you how to be sure: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When that work is accomplished, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16)

Now that God has made you righteous, He wants you to be HOLY. Another word for “holy” is “sanctified,” meaning to separate. . . to set apart for God’s exclusive use. . . to withdraw from anything unclean.

Sanctification is a purging process. Luke 8:17 says: “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” God foreknew how Satan would use hidden sins to keep people in unholy bondage, so He urges you here to confess them and to give them all up.

The simplest way to holiness is to follow Jesus’ example. “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (I John 2:6, NIV)

PRAY:
 “0 Holy One of israel, make me holy, as You are. Once I was blind to Your loving, purging process, but now I can see how necessary it is for my spiritual maturity. I pray in Your Son’s Name. Amen.”

Grace

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” Titus 2:11

Have you ever noticed how the love and “GRACE” of God penetrates the hardest heart and the darkest corner? God’s “GRACE” IS sufficient! (See II Corinthians 12:9.)

It is marvelous how entire Muslim villages on the West Bank in Israel are being reached with the love of God. In the United States, too, wayward sons and daughters are being restored to their families through the saving “GRACE” of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:20b says, “But where sin abounded, grace did MUCH MORE abound.” (Emphasis supplied.) God seems to glory in splitting the darkness with His marvelous light and does so in miraculous ways! So take courage. Have faith in God! There is no darkness that His love and “GRACE” cannot penetrate. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) (Emphasis supplied.)

PRAY: “Heavenly Father, please give me a fresh awareness of the depth of Your love and ‘GRACE’ today. Thank You for the intercession of Your Spirit on behalf of those for whom I am praying. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Stand Firm

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” II Corinthians 1:21-22 (NIV)

In these last days, it is important to understand fully what God has done for you, as shown in this Scripture, so there can be no mistake about His provisions for your standing firm.

1) “GOD MAKES YOU TO STAND FIRM IN CHRIST “. . . for God is able to make [you]stand. “(Romans 14:4c)

2) GOD ANOINTS YOU. “…thou anointest my head with oil. . . .” (Psalm 23:5b)

3) GOD HAS PUT HIS SEAL OF OWNERSHIP ON YOU. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:20)

4) GOD PUT HIS SPIRIT IN YOUR HEART AS A DEPOSIT. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. ..”(Acts 2:17a)

5) GOD HAS GUARANTEED YOUR FUTURE.

“Paul, a servant of God. . . in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” (Titus 1:2)

Stand FIRM today in the promises of God. You have His personal GUARANTEE!

PRAY:
 “Heavenly Father, I am lovingly Yours. You have put Your seal of ownership upon me, and Jam eternally grateful. Help me to stand firm in Your promises. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Stand Firm

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” II Corinthians 1:21-22 (NIV)

In these last days, it is important to understand fully what God has done for you, as shown in this Scripture, so there can be no mistake about His provisions for your standing firm.

1) “GOD MAKES YOU TO STAND FIRM IN CHRIST “. . . for God is able to make [you]stand. “(Romans 14:4c)

2) GOD ANOINTS YOU. “…thou anointest my head with oil. . . .” (Psalm 23:5b)

3) GOD HAS PUT HIS SEAL OF OWNERSHIP ON YOU. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:20)

4) GOD PUT HIS SPIRIT IN YOUR HEART AS A DEPOSIT. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. ..”(Acts 2:17a)

5) GOD HAS GUARANTEED YOUR FUTURE.

“Paul, a servant of God. . . in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” (Titus 1:2)

Stand FIRM today in the promises of God. You have His personal GUARANTEE!

PRAY:
 “Heavenly Father, I am lovingly Yours. You have put Your seal of ownership upon me, and Jam eternally grateful. Help me to stand firm in Your promises. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

More than a Conqueror

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:37

Before this positive statement was made, the Apostle Paul had asked these questions:

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? Who is he that condemneth?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Verses 33-35)

“No,” Paul concluded, “I am PERSUADED that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God!” (Verses 38-39, paraphrased)

Paul had been there. In II Corinthians 11:23-27, he speaks of his perils and tribulations. . . five times lashed with thirty-nine stripes, thrice beaten with rods, once stoned, thrice shipwrecked, robbed, betrayed, often hungry, cold, and thirsty. Yet, in all of these things, Paul saw the loving hand of God bring him deliverance.

You can trust God’s ability to save, too. Like a loving Father, He watches over His children. He promises: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5b)

With God at your side, you are a CONQUEROR!

PRAY:
“Master and Commander, thank You for Your promise of victory in all my distresses. With You by my side, I am more than a conqueror always. Amen.”