5 October 2015

WHAT CAN YOU (OR I) EXPECT IF WE LIVE IN THE RIVER (5)

By John Ollis

This series has so blessed me I cannot wait for others suggestions of what we can expect if we live in the River. So I start today with some suggestions.
In the same Psalm (65:4) where it speaks of “the river of God is full of water) David said “We shall be SATISFIED by the GOODNESS  of your House. Firstly, I would suggest you will never be satisfied as a believer unless you live in the River, and then you will experience a “satisfied unsatisfaction” as you will be satisfied but you will want more and more (Lord make me a glutton to receive all You have for me). King David says in Psalm 17:15 “As for me I will see your face in righteousness;I shall be SATISFIED when I awake in Your likeness. We must maintain our FOCUS  on Jesus and we are guaranteed satisfaction and a constant changing more and more into His likeness..
Solomon says, (12;11)”A man will be SATISFIED with good by the fruit of his mouth”. When you live in the River, you will have grace to speak that which is good, just, lovely and of a good report. Remember “death and life are in the power of the tongue Proverbs 18:21.
Solomon continues (14:14) “a good man will be SATISFIED from above (himself). When you live in the River, you realise the source of true satisfaction comes exclusively from God, and we can take it for ourselves.
Twice in Jeremiah 31 :14 the prophet says, “I will satiate (satisfy) the souls of the priests (we are New Covenant priests (1 Peter 2:5 & 9)  with fatness. A satisfied priest is fat and flourishing. Psalm 92:14. The second reference says we will be satisfied by His GOODNESS, hasn’t the Lord been good to us ?
DO YOU WANT GREATER SATISFACTION ? LIVE IN THE RIVER.
In the next Psalm (66)  at the end of the teaching regarding the refiner’s fire, v.12 says This will bring us out into RICH FULFILLMENT.
We have said that generally, unless we are living in the River, we will react to the “fire’, but as we live in the River, we are given grace to respond, and the end result is not just fulfilment, but rich fulfilment. Just as there is little satisfaction if you are not living in the River (living and walking in the Spirit) neither will you know much fulfilment in your Christian walk. As victory and purity only flows out of the surrendered life.
DO YOU WANT GREATER FULFILMENT IN YOUR WALK WITH GOD? LIVE IN THE RIVER
One of the awesome things that come out of living in the River is found in John 16:13 “Howbeit when He, the Spirit if truth is come, He will GUIDE you into ALL truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come.
We may regularly read the Word of God, but as we live in the River and meditate on the Word, the Logos becomes Rhema, the information becomes revelation, and Paul says in Romans 10:17 that is when Faith comes and we are enabled to embrace the promises of God and see them out worked more and more in our lives. We have the Divine Teacher/Tutor living on the inside, and as we have ears to hear, He leads into truth.
DO YOU WANT TO BE LED INTO TRUTH? LIVE IN THE RIVER.
Speaking personally, some of the truths that have come to me or been reaffirmed during my “Refiner’s Fire experience  are:
That I have instant constant ACCESS  into the presence of God at any time, I can actually come BOLDLY,CONFIDENTLY and FEARLESSLY before God, no longer do I need to hide (like Adam & Eve) and in spite of my sinfulness I can come and find grace and help in time of need Hebrews 4:16.
DO YOU WANT GREATER ACCESS INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD ? LIVE IN THE RIVER.
As a result of Christ’s death and resurrection we have received a glorious INHERITANCE, Ephesians  1:11, 14,Collosians 1:12. Almost all of this inheritance is available NOW, but it is only as we live in the River, and have revelation of what our inheritance is, that we can embrace it and experience it every day in our lives.
DO YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE MORE OF YOUR INHERITANCE ? LIVE IN THE RIVER.
In the midst of the pain and hospitalisation I read Jeremiah 31:3 Yea, I have loved thee with an EVERLASTING LOVE. It came as such a word of comfort to me, we can develop attitudes of unworthiness because of our failings, but God ALWAYS loves me, thank you Jesus.
DO YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE MOFRE OF HIS LOVE ? LIVE IN THE RIVER.
When you live in the River, it is so much easier to hear God’s voice, not only does He want to daily speak to us from the scriptures, but he wants us to learn to hear His voice in our spirit.  So we can know :
What is His ongoing will for our lives
Where He wants to lead us
What is the ministry and gifts he has given to us
How to be a man or woman of God
How to be the Husband or wife God wants us to be
How to be the parent He wants us to be,   etc & etc.
DO YOU WANT TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE CLEARLY ? LIVE IN THE RIVER.
So these are some of the things you can expect when you seek to live in the River, of course there is so much more, I await your response to tell me what  you think we can expect when we live in the River.