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He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet {given,} because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:38-39 NAS)
It was the most important day of my life. It was a moment that would set me on a new course for the rest of my days. I walked into a church one person and walked out a completely different one. I walked into that building as a man dying of thirst in a lonely desert, but I walked out with a mighty rushing River flowing from the deepest part of my being. In simple terms, that was the day that I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
My heart was filled with joy and peace. It was as though a ton of bricks had been lifted from my shoulders as the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding flooded my soul. In fact, a River truly was flowing from my heart. The Holy Spirit had entered my heart the moment I placed my faith in Christ. Jesus referred to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit as "Rivers of Living Waters." That's one of the Biblical names given the Holy Spirit. It describes the mighty work that God does when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within our hearts.
I've experienced and learned a number of things over the past 36 years about these "Rivers of Living Waters." First, the Rivers dwell in the deepest part of our being. His love, joy and peace aren't shallow. They run deep. They're much more than a good feeling or a temporary moment of pleasure. The Holy Spirit is present and ready to flow from us in the most difficult of situations. He fills us with peace and joy in the midst of adversity and pain.
Jesus said these "Rivers" will flow out of us from our innermost being. That means that they not only run deep, but the direction of their flow is outward. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is not just to fill our lives with love, peace and joy, but it's also to allow God to touch other lives through us. I once met a man in Africa who was dying of cancer. He had only two weeks to live. Yet, his heart was overflowing with joy and peace. He had a confidence that was extraordinary. It came from "Rivers of Living Waters" that were flowing from his life. The "Rivers" flowed even when he stood at the banks of death. They just kept flowing.
You may be thinking, "That sounds good, but it's not the reality of my Christian experience."
If that's the case, then there can only be one of two reasons. Either you've never trusted Christ to come into your heart and save you, or you've allowed debris in your heart to hinder the flow. If you've never truly trusted Christ to save you, then you can call upon Him right now, and He will come into the humble, repentant and trusting heart.
If you've already trusted Christ, then you need to remove the debris from your heart that keeps these "Rivers" from flowing. It may be an attitude, or it could be a word or actions that have hindered the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life. It may be bitterness that's keeping God's peace and joy from flowing from your life. It could be unconfessed sin that's robbing you of God's deep blessings.
There's one simple way to get rid of the debris from your soul. Confess that it's there and turn from it. God will cleanse your heart, and the "Rivers" will flow. Beautiful "Rivers." Holy "Rivers." Mighty "Rivers." Oh, let them flow. Let them flow. Let them flow.
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