What a picture of the Spirit-filled, & Spirit-controlled Christian life!
Illustration: InBlytheit’s mostly farmland. They have many cement watertroughs that surround their fields. At each turn they have a “sluice-gate”(flood-gate) that controls the flow.
Jesus opened the Spirit-gate at Pentecost. And as water seeks its own course, He seeks to channel His course through consecrated believers, so as to communicate new life & abundance in the midst of surrounding spiritual death & unfruitfulness!
[3] FORCE! –ankles, knees, waist, swim. (vs.3-5)
1st it reaches his ankles, then knees, then waist, then deep enough to swim in.
To the babes in Christ, there are the shallows for wading.
For others, the waters are knee deep, enough for splashing.
Then there are waters up to the waist, for those learning to swim.
And finally, the deep waters for the well-trained swimmers.
God wants us to be swimmers not “puddlers”!
We must grow up to full Christian manhood/womanhood until we can live in the deep waters of the Spirit.
Q: How can you learn to swim if you avoid the water?
No matter how deep you want to go into the things of God the opportunity is there.
It’s tragic that too many linger in the shallows when they could be enjoying the depths.
Some young believers are swimming in the deep end right away! And unfortunately some older Christians are only up to their ankles!
The fullness is for you just down stream a little bit!
Another words, the deeper the channel through our hearts & lives, the more deeply the Holy Spirit will flow through us.
It’s not claiming it, it is yielding to it.
You can’t commandeer these waters, so stop asking, claiming, praying, begging, & start yielding. Let them start having there ways in us. There is no restraint on the part of the Holy Spirit.
The fresh-flowing, ever-deepening, heart-gladdening, life- transforming river is there for us! Oh that we might find those waters to swim in.
(13-23) Borders – The divisions & geographical changes in the land.
Israel was promised the land under the Abrahamic Covenant.
It was unconditional – its fulfillment was based on God’s promise alone. (reiterated in Deut.30:1-10)
It is divided equally between the 12 tribes, with Joseph receiving a double portion through his sons (Ephraim & Manasseh)
What a picture of the Spirit-filled, & Spirit-controlled Christian life!
Illustration: InBlytheit’s mostly farmland. They have many cement watertroughs that surround their fields. At each turn they have a “sluice-gate”(flood-gate) that controls the flow.
Jesus opened the Spirit-gate at Pentecost. And as water seeks its own course, He seeks to channel His course through consecrated believers, so as to communicate new life & abundance in the midst of surrounding spiritual death & unfruitfulness!
[3] FORCE! –ankles, knees, waist, swim. (vs.3-5)
1st it reaches his ankles, then knees, then waist, then deep enough to swim in.
To the babes in Christ, there are the shallows for wading.
For others, the waters are knee deep, enough for splashing.
Then there are waters up to the waist, for those learning to swim.
And finally, the deep waters for the well-trained swimmers.
God wants us to be swimmers not “puddlers”!
We must grow up to full Christian manhood/womanhood until we can live in the deep waters of the Spirit.
Q: How can you learn to swim if you avoid the water?
No matter how deep you want to go into the things of God the opportunity is there.
It’s tragic that too many linger in the shallows when they could be enjoying the depths.
Some young believers are swimming in the deep end right away! And unfortunately some older Christians are only up to their ankles!
The fullness is for you just down stream a little bit!
Another words, the deeper the channel through our hearts & lives, the more deeply the Holy Spirit will flow through us.
It’s not claiming it, it is yielding to it.
You can’t commandeer these waters, so stop asking, claiming, praying, begging, & start yielding. Let them start having there ways in us. There is no restraint on the part of the Holy Spirit.
The fresh-flowing, ever-deepening, heart-gladdening, life- transforming river is there for us! Oh that we might find those waters to swim in.
(13-23) Borders – The divisions & geographical changes in the land.
Israel was promised the land under the Abrahamic Covenant.
It was unconditional – its fulfillment was based on God’s promise alone. (reiterated in Deut.30:1-10)
It is divided equally between the 12 tribes, with Joseph receiving a double portion through his sons (Ephraim & Manasseh)
Verses 1-23
Verses 1-23