“Jesus answered and said unto her, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; 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 4:13 -14
The woman at the well was thirsty for something she didn’t even know existed. She had filled her life with everything she could think of and yet an emptiness remained. A woman scarred by a life of bad choices. Choosing to wait late in the day, she would make her way down to the town well to fill her cistern, in order to avoid the overwhelming stares by the other women of her village.
But then….. I love those don’t you. So many lives throughout the ages have been changed by that statement. I was just thinking the other day about my initial but then moment.
9 years old, listening intently in the pew and starting to squirm. Realizing, that this man called Jesus chose to die for me so that I could be with him in heaven one day. Simplicity that even a child can understand. Continuing to squirm in my seat, the invitation had arrived, a decision was pressed upon my heart. Fear of stepping out consumed my body.
BUT THEN…. The spirit of God urged me tenderly and before I knew it, I was staring the preacher in the face, tears flowing in sadness that someone had to die in my stead. The sinner’s prayer and a life reborn. Restored unto the good graces of a God who loved me in spite of ALL my shortcomings.
GRACE you gotta love it. None of us deserve it, but that’s why it’s called GRACE. We love Him because He First Loved Us…1 John 4:19.
Do you remember your But Then moment? That moment when God gently whispered into the depths of your soul, and you felt his presence so strongly that you could feel him standing next to you urging you to come to the freedom that awaits in Him. Isn’t it the most amazing feeling you have ever felt in your life? The weight being lifted is the most unbelievable feeling. True Freedom.
The initial jump off the block of sin and we are making our way down this newfound path of freedom leading for eternity. A new purpose found in our Savior. We dig deep and cannot get enough. We are on FIRE! But then…. We hit a plateau, our flame begins to slowly die back to embers, we hit the world and it hits back and Satan loves nothing more than to discourage us. He no longer has claim to our soul, but he sure can discourage our growth. We have all been there, it happens.
So, let’s work on the why all this happens. Growth as a Christian is a lifelong process. You will never stop learning and growing if you do that’s a problem all itself. Once reborn, you have been set out on your path of purpose, and that purpose is to point everyone you can to the one who gave you your newfound freedom so that they can have it as well. Tell others about Jesus and all He has done for you. We all have our individual stories to tell, and we must make it known.
First, we lose focus. Hey, you are not alone, we all do it. This is a busy world and things on the priority list get jumbled up from time to time. So, what measures do we take to overcome this? We have been given the instructions, road map, warning signs, God made sure we had what we needed to get us through until we can be with Him. It is called the BIBLE.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:10-18
Let me ask you this? Are you a planner? Do you make lists? Or do you just get in your car on a whim, drive wherever (whew with these gas prices I hope not) and sporadically choose what you are doing for the day? Exactly, you know what your daily to do list is and you divide and conquer. So why would we approach our spiritual life any differently?
Let’s face it there is and always has been a spiritual war waging in the world we cannot see, beyond the veil of this world and the next. Just as the Friday night lights come on and the players suit up before heading to the field, we as Christians must choose daily to suit up. We need our armor, we need a battle plan, and we do not need to leave our home without preparation, daily quiet time, and prayer.
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but though shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy ways prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8
Our initial But Then Moment began a relationship between us and our LORD. Just as a plant needs water, our soul thirsts for that relationship to continue and unless we do our part, the flame will starve and begin to die. The woman at the well got a taste and realized it was unlike anything she had ever tasted. So did you when someone introduced you to Jesus. The one who is always there every morning waiting for us to join him. Prayer is for us, not him. It keeps us connected, focused, learning, growing, and prepared. By meditating on the word, we equip ourselves for the unknown and He prepares our hearts as needed because He is fully aware of what we will face every moment of every day.
So, what shall we do? Let’s grab ahold of that success. When God is for us, who can be against us? We are going to dust off those bibles, spend more time in the word. We are going to choose daily to set a time apart and get in that prayer closet. We will choose to keep our hearts cleared out from the chaos this world creates by talking daily with our creator. So, I offer you this dare/challenge… Let’s take a journey of growth together. I am working on a 6-week series for us to grow our relationship in Christ.
I will provide scriptures for us to read at the end of this post and we will meet again if you choose to do so next Wednesday with discussion of the scripture along with more in-depth study of how to be more successful on this journey of purpose.
Scriptures to study by next Wednesday: Please make time to read the following:
- Genesis 3:8-11
- John 1:38
- Matthew 8:26, 7:7-8
- Luke 11:13
Next Wednesday by 9 a.m. I will have a new post discussing the scriptures in depth and where our journey continues. So, grab a shovel and start digging deeper into those words of Life.
God Bless : )
Surrendered Heart 