Drinking Living Waters

"If any one thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." It's an open invitation from the Savior; He tells us to enter into, and drink of His presence. This was not intended for only to those present in the crowd, but a beckoning that He is still calling us to Him today.

Many believers have experienced the presence of God at some point in their life. People will often recall it with fondness, describing it as a wonderful experience that they previously had with God. "Back in the revival meetings of the '90s" or "when I got saved in '79, I was baptized in the Spirit" or "when that powerful speaker spoke at our church last year, you could feel God in the room..." Now I'm not throwing shade at those experiences, because anytime you encounter God its a great thing, but did you know that you don't need a grand service to be drink of His presence? Yes, some of my most memorable moments with God have been in a powerful service, led by a glory-carrying guest speaker, following an anointed worship service with a highly gifted leader, but, I have learned that, by faith, we can drink of His presence on a daily basis, without the venues or the big names.

Praying in the Spirit is a great way to start and end your day. It's also a great way to walk through your day. In other words, if you're awake, its a great time to pray in the Spirit. If you don't know what to say, or where to start, or you just want to meditate on Him, begin to lift Him up using your own unique prayer language. Find time for the "prayer closet," that is, a focused and undisturbed place where you can worship Him and pray uninterrupted. You will begin to usher in the presence, and the more you usher in the presence in your focused prayers, or meditation of Him, the more you will begin to encounter His presence in the rest of your life.

In His presence there is fullness of Joy (Psalm 16:11), this is why when you are feeling the pressures of life, you need to get to your intimate place with God. A great benefit of that is that you cannot live in His presence daily without being changed by it; the more time you spend with Jesus, the more your life with reflect Jesus. You will begin to crave Him and yearn for more. You will hunger and thirst for Him, and Jesus said those who do hunger and thirst will be filled. When you are filled with Him, you begin to purge out the distractions of life and direct your attention to Him.

 God says that He will pour out His Spirit on us, therefore, let's begin to thirst for Him. Drink of the living water, begin to live a life not with a visitation of His presence, but with the habitation of His presence. We do this through a life of continual praise and worship, thankfulness, and the meditation of Him. You will never be dry because of the daily drink of His presence.

Jesus is looking for those who will sacrifice their time to be with Him. Not just in thought or in lip service, but in worship and in spirit. Pray in the Spirit and you will experience the Spirit. Experience the Spirit and you will walk with Him in the Spirit. The more presence you have in your life, the more you will be able to unlock understanding, not only changing you but those around you.

"As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, Oh God. My soul thirsts for the living God." -Psalm 42:1-2