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WELLSPRING: Unleash Your Passion For God

INTRODUCTION

"Has a nation ever changed its' gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols. Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror," declares the LORD. "My people have committed two sins:They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."
Jeremiah 2:11-13

Wouldn't it be considered strange if a person, dying of thirst, refused a glass of water from a willing host? Many of us, while dining at the table of the King during our first 40-day journey, realized, for the first time, how truly hungry we were for the Word of God. We had been trying to fill ourselves with artificial - and unsatisfying - substitutes, and we did not know what we had been missing. After 40 days, however, we experienced a true hunger and thirst for righteousness. We have tasted the Bread of Life and have seen first-hand that He is good (see Psalm 34:8), and we long to sit at His table, refilling our plates with His heavenly manna. We were willing to sit humbly before Him, allowing Him to feed us, and we experienced fulfillment that we may otherwise have missed. His ways are always higher than our ways, and, while we didn't initially understand how this process could possibly bring us into a deeper more abiding relationship with Him, He met us and led us, moment-by-moment and meal-by-meal, to depend upon Him and to desire Him above all else and all others.

In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus told the crowd, "I am the bread of life" (v.48). He explained to them that the manna eaten by their forefathers provided only for their physical needs; it did not meet their spiritual needs. While they were satisfying their bellies, however, the Lord was offering to satisfy their souls. While daily feeding them, He was teaching them to depend on Him and to trust Him as Sustainer and Provider. Our Heavenly Father provided another heavenly manna, which would forever satisfy our souls, through the gift of His beloved and only Son. "I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (v.51).

During our first 40-day journey, we experienced what it meant to eat the "bread that is [His] flesh." We feasted upon the abundance of His Word, which satisfied our souls, fed our spirits, and filled our hearts. Our hearts were transformed and now pump more freely with His lifeblood flowing through us. We have been strengthened and renewed with a clearer sense of vision and a greater sense of purpose.

Jesus came to offer us more than bread, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (v.53). He came to not only satisfy our hunger but also to quench our thirst. If you’ve ever eaten a piece of bread without washing it down with a glass of liquid, you know how difficult it can be to swallow. So, too, is dining on the Word of God without the presence of His Spirit to unleash the power of His Word in our lives. The Holy Spirit is like a refreshing drink that flows through our veins and revives our souls.

The Spirit gives us life. This third person of the Trinity is a gift that we received at the moment of salvation. “…He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6). The Holy Spirit gives us understanding of God’s Word, and He opens our eyes to the revelation of the Heavenly Father’s will for our life. He is the power behind the spiritual food upon which we have been feasting. We have no need to dig our own well and search for our own power; we need only to tap into the life source planted inside of us. There is a well within each of us, ready to burst forth as a fountain, offering refreshment to this dry, desert land. We must learn how to turn it on.

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). We have been called to both eat and to drink. Our 40-day journey with EAT led us to feast upon the Bread, experiencing a time of consecration. Now, our WELLSPRING journey will guide us to drink from the Cup, experiencing true communion. The process of these past 40 days, as well as the 40 days ahead of us, is about increasing our fellowship with our Lord. Through this journey, we will experience the importance of the communion He desires us to have with Him - and with others. To experience the true communion that the Lord wants to have with us, we must first examine ourselves (see 1 Corinthians 11:28) and be willing to have our hearts

sifted once again.

We can not overlook the importance of communion as we reflect upon the Old Testament offerings and see that the fellowship offering was a peace offering (Leviticus 3). This offering signified wholeness or oneness (i.e. unity) and included a communal (fellowship) meal. We are missing this within the Body of Christ, and, while the Lord desires that our hearts be in greater fellowship with Him, He also desires us to be in greater fellowship with each other. This disconnection and disunity within the Body of Christ has left us weak, fragmented, and unable to stand against the evil forces that are pressing in upon the Church in these last days.

We must remember, “There is one loaf, we, who are many, are one loaf, for we all partake of the one loaf” (1 Corinthians 10:17). We all sit at the same table in the bonds of peace and there is abundance for everyone (reference Ephesians 4:3-5). The church of Acts

worked together and gave all they had for one purpose: that the gospel of Jesus Christ would be spread to the four corners of the earth. Praise God for their faithfulness and for the faithful saints throughout the generations who brought His message of hope and

salvation to us! The cup is being passed with a mission from the Lord to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). We must be willing to pass on what we have received, and He has given us the power to do so through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

His holy mountain looms in the distance – it is not an obstacle it is an adventure. This journey will tear down the road blocks that have kept us from ascending His glorious heights. There is no need to pack a bag for this trip – leave everything behind and look ahead with expectancy as He guides every step, lights your path, and draws you every closer into His presence. Drink deeply, faithful one, your journey awaits.

Dear Saint, it is time to tap into the Source of our life and allow His living water to flow through us. Our connection to the Head is vitally important as we allow His blessing and gifts to flow through our hearts and flood the world around us. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). By doing so, a wellspring of life will flow from you, hydrating a world that is dying of thirst!

“Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way…” (Isaiah 35:6-8)