Floods are Coming!

It's raining.  Again.  
I've heard several people talk over the last few days about floods.  Most of these people lived through the devastation of a flood in the past.  They've seen the damage firsthand and they are fully aware of the possibilities.  They speak of floods with a bit of fear in their voices.


What do we know of floods?  We know that they destroy.  We know that they are capable of killing.  We know that they can happen in an instant... or slowly over time.  We know that there are many different circumstances that can cause floods.  


While talking with a co-worker, I had a revelation of sorts.  Bear with me while I try to sort this out and make it useful for all of us.
He was talking about the flood a few years ago that hit Columbus and Franklin HARD.  There were hundreds of homes and businesses devastated by the flood waters.  He said that there was a huge amount of water coming in the basement of our business, so they tried pumping it out.  They thought they were having success until they realized that more water was coming in. The flood waters weren't rising any more and the rain had stopped... where was the water coming from? They finally figured out that the ground around our building was so saturated that the water being pumped out had nowhere else to go but back inside!  They were very busy pumping water out only to have it come right back in!  Talk about fighting a losing battle...!!


Over the weekend, my church, Grace Assembly of God, put on a production called "The Last Adam".  It was a very clear message of Jesus and our need for a Savior and how/when sin came into the world.  There was a scene about Noah and the ark God told him to build to escape the coming flood and save his family and animals.  We all know the story in its most simplistic form, but think of the magnitude of flooding the entire earth!  Katrina was NOTHING comparatively speaking!


That was when I had a thought... 
What if the flood was of LIVING WATER? 

In John chapter 4, Jesus spoke about this living water while having a conversation with a Samaritan woman.  Read it. 


Lets go back to what we know of floods...
*We know that they destroy.  So what would a flood of living water destroy?  It would destroy pride, anger, addictions, hate, fear, hopelessness, sin.

*We know that they are capable of killing.  What would living water kill?  It would kill the sinful man... the human natured man... the double minded man.  


*We know that they can happen in an instant... or slowly over time. 


There is a Hillsong United song that we sing at our church called "Welcome In This Place".  Some of the lyrics are:


Rise up within me
Living Water
Spirit of God in me

You are welcome in this place
You are welcome in this place
God of power love and grace
Saturate my soul

My sincerest prayer today is that Jesus would cause His living water FLOOD your soul and destroy the things that are destroying you.

I don't care if it happens instantly or over a period of time, I just pray that it happens.  

And I pray that the floods would saturate your soul so that the living water would flow freely out of you in such abundance that it has no where else to go but back to you.

 Let the floods begin!!!!

Life Sentence or Full Pardon?

Once in a while, I watch this show called "Lockup".  It's a documentary style show focusing on people kept in prison.  It's sometimes sad, sometimes funny and always thought provoking.  There have been a few times that it's been very scary and disturbing to watch (and that's why I limit my time watching it).
There was one episode in particular where the prisoner being interviewed changed his demeanor and countenance so quickly that it scared the interviewer.  He went from jovial and cheery to sneering and hateful in 2.6 seconds.  One of the guards noticed the difference in him and immediately put a stop to the interview for the safety of the film crew.  The warden said that he was normally a very cordial inmate and had experienced only minimal behavioral problems from him... until recently.  Apparently, the prisoner had gotten worse as time went on.
 
The interviewer found another guy who was sitting in his cell reading his Bible.  He had been in prison for quite a while and it was for murder.  He had killed someone in a drunken rage.  Since his incarceration, he had earned his GED, taken some college courses, learned 3 languages (2 fluently) and had read the Bible through many, many times.  He also led a chapel meeting twice a week for other inmates.  He had changed in a different way while in prison.

What was the difference between these two men?  Why had one gotten worse and the other gotten better?  They were both incarcerated for murder, both had been there for over 20 years, they both had the same resources at their disposal, and they came from very similar backgrounds... Didn't seem to make sense...

I've spent some time thinking of various types of prisons lately.  Of course there's the example I just gave of the  literal prison.  Then there's the physical prison due to physical limitations on the body (ie. broken leg, brain damage, neurological diseases, etc.) and spiritual prison of the soul and various mental prisons.

I have this vision of being in prison and Jesus comes to visit me.  He sits outside my cell and just keeps me company.  We talk and laugh and cry together.  And then He hands me a key and teaches me how to use it.  It is my key to freedom.  I see the key.  I hold the key.  He tells me how to use the key.  I try once and I fail.  He encourages me to try again.  I try again, but I didn't do things exactly as He said and I fail again.  He encourages me still.  I finally listen to Him and He was right!!  It worked and I am finally freed from my cell!!    As I walk out of my prison, I see other prisoners trying to get out.  They are using their own materials and making their own keys and they don't work. They're using what appear to be keys, but they are not real. They get frustrated and angry.  They keep trying other methods, but none work.  They are all alone in their quest for freedom and they don't have anyone encouraging them to keep trying.  I ask Jesus to go help them with their freedom too and He says "You asked for my help.  Some have not.  Others have, but won't do what I say.  They're not ready to give up their own way yet."

I see people everyday trying to escape from their prisons. They try things on their own and they continually fail.  Over and over, time after time, they try and fail.  When will they learn?  What will it take for them to finally realize that they do not hold the keys to freedom?    Sometimes they go to friends for advice... and then they quickly realize that their friends are simply fellow prisoners with their own cells they're trying to escape.  They have no answers... not REAL answers.
 
Only One does.  His name is Jesus.  He holds the keys to your freedom.  Are you tired of trying on your own yet?