Post by Zac Loh on Sept 1, 2005 21:54:31 GMT -5
THE WATER ANOINTING
And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was tto deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. (Ezekiel 47:3-5)
TIPS ON SPIRITUAL SWIMMING
1. The Water Is Your Friend
Everyone who is any good in swimming must know that the water must be your friend. If you fight against the water, you will not get anywhere. A swimmer glides through the water to get the aerodynamics. A swimmer also tries to get maximum surface contact with the water while pushing against or pulling the water.
One must understand the nature of water, and work with it. It’s the same here with the Holy Spirit.
Understand the nature of the Holy Spirit. Work with Him. Don’t fight Him. Flow with His working in our midst. Be A Friend to the Holy Spirit. Slight Him, and you will lose the power.
2. Relax And Surrender
As a swimmer, one must be acquainted with the concept of ‘buoyancy’. The moment we struggle, we will sink because we get ‘heavier’. So, relax and flow with the Holy Spirit. Surrender yourself totally to Him. This is how it works!
3. Have Faith
One must be confident that one is able to swim should one be taught the proper way to do it. A person who fears the water, obviously, will never be a swimmer. We see the example of Stephen, ‘a man full of faith and power’ (Acts 6:5)… and again noted, ‘full of faith and power’ (Acts 6:8). Barnabas also was ‘full of the Holy Spirit and of faith’ (Acts 11:24). Trust the Holy Spirit to lead you, and guide you, as you go into the unknown territory.
If we continue, persist on relying and depending on the Holy Spirit, I believe that we will see miracles taking place in our regularly.
4. Until It Is Natural
The first thing that a swimming instructor will teach when you are in a pool, is how to do the breathing exercise (blow bubbles!). You see, the fact is, there isn’t anyone who can inhale and exhale at the same time. The goal is to synchronize your inhaling (breathing in) and exhaling (breathing out) in-and-out of the water.
The exercise is to exhale under the water by blowing bubbles either through your nose or mouth (the air from the lungs has to be blown-out thoroughly using the stomach muscle).
And it can’t be too slow either. Once you’re out of the water, air will automatically rush-in as you open your mouth. This is repeated over and over again, until it is a second nature to you.
Breathing in-and-out of water should be as natural to you as jogging. If we’ve not been in tune with the Holy Spirit everyday and throughout the day, it is unlikely that we are able to flow fully with Him during a prayer meeting.
So, are we fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit, listening to Him and sensitive to Him everyday and throughout the day until it is natural to us like what the breathing exercise is for?
A RIVER WITHOUT MEASURE
There is depth at the river that one could not stand there – in order to make a measurement. Even if one could swim, can one make a measurement while one is swimming? God gave Jesus the Spirit without measure (John 3:34). It is meant to be that the Spirit flow through us without measure. Measurement is done by human reasoning. For the Spirit to flow without measure, it means that He will go beyond our natural mind. In our human ways, we have limited the move of the Holy Spirit. We have set limitations on the Spirit of God who wants to move beyond measure. The point is that in our human self, we still want Him to move in the way that we can measure.
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the thighs of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the thighs of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we might know the thighs that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not reveal the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:5)
Within the above portion of scripture, we can find a few fundamental principles. Firstly, the things of God are brought to us by the Spirit of God. Secondly, our natural man is unable to discern them (so don’t try!). Thirdly, as a spiritually born-again Christian, we have the spirit man. With the spirit man, we also have the mind of Christ to discern what God is revealing and doing, and to know what we are supposed to do.
“...not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit." (Zechariah 4:6)”
A brother shared that as long we are at the depth level where we can stand and not swim, we are still depending on our own strength. The act of standing shows that we are depending on our own strength.
The water of this river reaches the sea of humanity. The result of this great river is healing, life and evangelism; among others. There will be may lost souls, and God will raise up fishermen to save them:
Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the river go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceeding many. But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. (Ezekiel 47:8-11)
The water flowed from the temple toward the east. The entrance to the temple is at the east side. East speaks of the entrance to the kingdom of God. Eastern region speaks of the salvation of the lost. A new day is born by the rising of the sun. At dawn, the sun rises from the east. Therefore, east speaks of the new birth. It depicts the the dawn of a new life.
Do you want many souls to be saved? God is saying to us that for the multitude of souls to come into the kingdom, the Spirit has to move without measure.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him (Isaiah 59:19)
When the tide of the spirit of the world comes in, the river of God will take us higher. We must be able to swim at the surface of the river of God, to be able to be higher than the level of the spirit of the world coming upon us.
The force of the river is greater that the force of the sea of humanity. We must let the river of God take us, even as we swim, being swept by the current of the Spirit of God.
And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was tto deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. (Ezekiel 47:3-5)
TIPS ON SPIRITUAL SWIMMING
1. The Water Is Your Friend
Everyone who is any good in swimming must know that the water must be your friend. If you fight against the water, you will not get anywhere. A swimmer glides through the water to get the aerodynamics. A swimmer also tries to get maximum surface contact with the water while pushing against or pulling the water.
One must understand the nature of water, and work with it. It’s the same here with the Holy Spirit.
Understand the nature of the Holy Spirit. Work with Him. Don’t fight Him. Flow with His working in our midst. Be A Friend to the Holy Spirit. Slight Him, and you will lose the power.
2. Relax And Surrender
As a swimmer, one must be acquainted with the concept of ‘buoyancy’. The moment we struggle, we will sink because we get ‘heavier’. So, relax and flow with the Holy Spirit. Surrender yourself totally to Him. This is how it works!
3. Have Faith
One must be confident that one is able to swim should one be taught the proper way to do it. A person who fears the water, obviously, will never be a swimmer. We see the example of Stephen, ‘a man full of faith and power’ (Acts 6:5)… and again noted, ‘full of faith and power’ (Acts 6:8). Barnabas also was ‘full of the Holy Spirit and of faith’ (Acts 11:24). Trust the Holy Spirit to lead you, and guide you, as you go into the unknown territory.
If we continue, persist on relying and depending on the Holy Spirit, I believe that we will see miracles taking place in our regularly.
4. Until It Is Natural
The first thing that a swimming instructor will teach when you are in a pool, is how to do the breathing exercise (blow bubbles!). You see, the fact is, there isn’t anyone who can inhale and exhale at the same time. The goal is to synchronize your inhaling (breathing in) and exhaling (breathing out) in-and-out of the water.
The exercise is to exhale under the water by blowing bubbles either through your nose or mouth (the air from the lungs has to be blown-out thoroughly using the stomach muscle).
And it can’t be too slow either. Once you’re out of the water, air will automatically rush-in as you open your mouth. This is repeated over and over again, until it is a second nature to you.
Breathing in-and-out of water should be as natural to you as jogging. If we’ve not been in tune with the Holy Spirit everyday and throughout the day, it is unlikely that we are able to flow fully with Him during a prayer meeting.
So, are we fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit, listening to Him and sensitive to Him everyday and throughout the day until it is natural to us like what the breathing exercise is for?
A RIVER WITHOUT MEASURE
There is depth at the river that one could not stand there – in order to make a measurement. Even if one could swim, can one make a measurement while one is swimming? God gave Jesus the Spirit without measure (John 3:34). It is meant to be that the Spirit flow through us without measure. Measurement is done by human reasoning. For the Spirit to flow without measure, it means that He will go beyond our natural mind. In our human ways, we have limited the move of the Holy Spirit. We have set limitations on the Spirit of God who wants to move beyond measure. The point is that in our human self, we still want Him to move in the way that we can measure.
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the thighs of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the thighs of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we might know the thighs that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not reveal the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:5)
Within the above portion of scripture, we can find a few fundamental principles. Firstly, the things of God are brought to us by the Spirit of God. Secondly, our natural man is unable to discern them (so don’t try!). Thirdly, as a spiritually born-again Christian, we have the spirit man. With the spirit man, we also have the mind of Christ to discern what God is revealing and doing, and to know what we are supposed to do.
“...not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit." (Zechariah 4:6)”
A brother shared that as long we are at the depth level where we can stand and not swim, we are still depending on our own strength. The act of standing shows that we are depending on our own strength.
The water of this river reaches the sea of humanity. The result of this great river is healing, life and evangelism; among others. There will be may lost souls, and God will raise up fishermen to save them:
Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the river go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceeding many. But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. (Ezekiel 47:8-11)
The water flowed from the temple toward the east. The entrance to the temple is at the east side. East speaks of the entrance to the kingdom of God. Eastern region speaks of the salvation of the lost. A new day is born by the rising of the sun. At dawn, the sun rises from the east. Therefore, east speaks of the new birth. It depicts the the dawn of a new life.
Do you want many souls to be saved? God is saying to us that for the multitude of souls to come into the kingdom, the Spirit has to move without measure.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him (Isaiah 59:19)
When the tide of the spirit of the world comes in, the river of God will take us higher. We must be able to swim at the surface of the river of God, to be able to be higher than the level of the spirit of the world coming upon us.
The force of the river is greater that the force of the sea of humanity. We must let the river of God take us, even as we swim, being swept by the current of the Spirit of God.