Rivers of Living Water: The Impact of the Holy Spirit

 ^“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this, he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” John 7:37-39

 

Rivers of Living Water:

The impact of the Holy Spirit

If you’ve been following this website for a while, you would know that I have written several articles on the Holy Spirit.

 

Many years ago, I realized that I wasn’t living under the influence of the Holy Spirit and had the habit of falling apart at the smallest hint of adversity. I have been (and continue to be) on a learning journey with the Trinity, and the Holy Spirit has been teaching and guiding me to walk and keep in step with Him.

 

Last July, I joined an early morning virtual prayer group, which has been a tremendous blessing. One morning, we prayed through John 7:37-39, and I became captivated with the verses. I have meditated upon these Words for many weeks, and my goal is to share the Word on the power and impact of the Holy Spirit on lives that are fully yielded and submitted to Him.

 

So, let’s go!!

 

LET ANYONE WHO IS THIRSTY

Jesus addressed His loud invitation to anyone who is thirsty. Simply put, without exception, everyone is welcome. However, anyone who comes must have realized their need and be aware that they cannot satisfy their deepest, most critical need: spiritual thirst.

 

Every person is born into this world spiritually dead and thirsty (Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13). The problem is, some people do not know it, so they try to satisfy their thirst with anything but Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only One who can regenerate us from spiritual death to life and satisfy the thirst within us. Nothing else will, and no one else can (Psalm 23:3).

 

COME TO ME AND DRINK:

WHOEVER BELIEVES IN ME

In speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well (see John 4: 7 – 15), Jesus identified Himself as the source of living water that forever quenches the thirst of all who drink from Him. Just as the woman came to the physical well to draw physical water, we must come to drink from Jesus when God calls us through the Holy Spirit.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

 

To drink is to believe in Jesus and trust Him as the only way to God (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). To confess Him as Savior and Lord and depend on Him as the giver of life and the One who satisfies our souls (Romans 10:9; Psalm 23:3).

 

Our faith in Jesus gives us access to His living water (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8). When we come to Him in faith, our thirst is satisfied.

 

RIVERS OF LIVING WATER

Jesus explained what He meant by living water; “By this, he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive” (John 7:39). Jesus was referring to Isaiah’s prophesy that God would pour out His Spirit on Israel’s descendants (Isaiah 44:3).

 

When we put our faith in Jesus, we become born again, spiritually reborn, and made alive through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit flows from God into our hearts (our innermost being) like a river, makes us spiritually alive, and recreates us into new creatures in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:6 KJV

 

Temples of the Holy Spirit

After we receive Jesus as Lord, The Holy Spirit lives permanently in us. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one(Galatians 4:6). Through Christ, we are God’s children and God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. Therefore, the life of Christ continues to flow like an unceasing river into our spirits as we remain in Christ and abide in Him. His living water, aka the Holy Spirit, never ceases to flow from Him to us.

 

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-18

See also 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16

 

(To read more on the role of the Holy Spirit in salvation, click HERE.)

 

RIVERS OF LIVING WATER FLOWing FROM WITHIN THEM

 

The impact of the Holy Spirit on Our Inward Transformation

The living water, aka the Holy Spirit within us, teaches us and helps us to be transformed into the image of Christ so that our character and conduct align with God’s will for our lives (2 Corinthians 3:18).

 

He trains us to yield to Him instead of our sinful desires. That is, to walk in the Spirit and say “no” to the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Then, the fruit of the Spirit flows uninhibited from within us as we become conduits for God to reach our world (Galatians 5:22-23). We interact and relate with others through the overflow of God’s love that He already deposited within us (Romans 5:5).

 

When fear tries to entangle and imprison us, The Holy Spirit reminds us that He is in us and we are not subject to fear (2 Timothy 1:7). When we feel drained by the busyness and cares of this world, He refreshes us with joy and peace as we abide in Christ and His Word.

 

(To read more on abiding in Christ to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, click HERE.)

 

The impact of the Holy Spirit on Our ACTIONS

The Holy Spirit within us empowers and emboldens us to do great things for God as He works through us (Acts 1:8). When we yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in and through us, He enables us to act on the Word as we fulfill the Great Commission.

 

His life flows through us to shine His light to others, dispelling the darkness in which they walk.

 

Unless we allow ourselves to be uninhibited, unrestrained and fully yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will not effectively shine the light of Christ into those places He is leading us. Like a dam in a river, our unbelief, lack of faith, and distrust of God’s promises will stop the power of the Holy Spirit from flowing through us.

 

But when we hear, believe, and obey Him, He uses us as conduits and channels to share the Gospel, speak the Word, encourage and help others, practice hospitality, lay hands on the sick, drive out evil spirits, etc.

 

(To read more on how to yield to the Holy Spirit and keep in step with Him, click HERE and HERE and HERE.)

 

RIVERS OF LIVING WATER FLOWING FROM Peter

The night Jesus was betrayed and handed over to be crucified, His disciple, Peter, who had been with Him for three solid years, denied three times that he knew Jesus (Luke 22:54-62). Peter denied Jesus out of fear and timidity. He wanted to save his skin more than he wanted to be identified with Jesus.

 

After Jesus ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit as promised to His disciples (Acts 1:6-9). This same Peter received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and preached a bold sermon to a huge crowd that resulted in 3000 souls being saved and welcomed into the Kingdom of God (see Acts 2).

 

What happened? What made the difference?

 

The difference, of course, was the Holy Spirit. As Jesus promised, out of Peter’s spirit flowed rivers of living water.

 

RIVERS OF LIVING WATER FLOWING FROM US

What about us?

 

The same can be true of our stories.

 

The essence of writing this article is not to learn the meaning of John 7:37-39. It’s not enough to know the information. How can we live and breathe this Scripture by allowing the Holy Spirit to impact our lives and flow through us?

 

Jesus is calling us to yield to His voice, to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit when He directs us to act on His behalf.

 

I have experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. However, I perceive that I have only seen the tip of the iceberg. I know that there is more, and I write to encourage us to deepen our walk with God because He has so much in store for us.

 

Rivers of living water will flow from within us as we unapologetically live out our identity in Christ and do the good works He prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Rivers of living water will flow out from us as we proactively engage with the Holy Spirit and step out of our comfort zones.

 

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit is always available. We can always drink and be satisfied.

 

So, are you thirsty?

 

Come to Jesus and drink. Let His rivers of living water fill you up, refresh your soul, and flow from you unceasingly!

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.” Revelation 22:17 NLT

 

REMINDERS

1. As I yield to the Holy Spirit, He flows from within me like rivers of living water to transform me and impact my world.
2. He trains me to walk in the fruit of the Spirit. He redirects my wants and aligns them with God’s desires for me.
3. Through His power within me, I receive boldness to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
4. He gives me the revelation of the Word and an insatiable desire to study and meditate on Scripture.
5. He uses me to comfort others with the same comfort that I received from Him.
6. When l lay hands on the sick, they will recover because the Spirit of God lives in me.
7. He brings His wisdom through me into difficult situations, empowering me to speak up and bring fairness into unjust situations.

Photos by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash and John Salvino on Unsplash

© 2021. Chizobam Idahosa @Beautiful in Jesus.