Embracing the Spirit: Water, Truth, and Rest

Devotional

Day 1: The Life-Giving Presence of Water

Water is a profound symbol of the life-giving presence of God, representing the cleansing and renewing power of the Holy Spirit. In the spiritual realm, water signifies the vitality and sustenance that God provides, contrasting sharply with the demonic realm's preference for arid, waterless places. This aversion highlights the enemy's rejection of God's life-giving presence. As believers, it is crucial to be filled with the Spirit, allowing the living water of God to flow through us, empowering us to resist the enemy's influence and live in the fullness of God's presence. [02:20]

"For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants." (Isaiah 44:3, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you feel spiritually dry? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to refresh and renew you today?

Day 2: The Enemy's Limited Influence

The enemy is real and active, but his influence is confined to the systems and ideologies of this world. He does not own the earth, and his power is limited. The enemy's primary tool is deception, using lies to lead believers astray and disrupt their lives. However, God's truth has the power to set us free. By aligning our thoughts with God's truth and being vigilant, we can avoid being led astray by the enemy's lies and live in the freedom that God offers. [03:20]

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: What worldly ideologies or systems have you noticed influencing your thoughts? How can you actively align your thoughts with God's truth today?

Day 3: The Power of Truth

Lies are the enemy's primary tool, but the truth of God has the power to set us free. The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in helping us discern and reject these lies, leading us to live in the freedom and fullness of God's presence. By immersing ourselves in God's truth, we can break free from the chains of deception and experience the abundant life that God intends for us. [08:18]

"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17, ESV)

Reflection: What lies have you believed about yourself or your circumstances? How can you replace these lies with God's truth today?

Day 4: Fortifying Our Lives with Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual disciplines such as prayer, study, and rest are essential for fortifying our lives against the enemy's attacks. These practices fill our lives with God's presence, leaving no room for the enemy. By engaging in these disciplines, we create a strong spiritual foundation that enables us to stand firm against the enemy's schemes and live in alignment with God's will. [11:07]

"Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: Which spiritual discipline do you find most challenging to maintain? How can you incorporate it more consistently into your daily routine?

Day 5: The Discipline of Rest

Rest is a vital spiritual discipline that many overlook, yet it is essential for spiritual renewal and resilience. As we approach the Christmas season, it is crucial to enter a period of rest and solitude, allowing God to refresh and replenish our spirits. This discipline helps us resist the distractions and influences of the world, enabling us to live in alignment with God's will. [13:38]

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29, ESV)

Reflection: How can you intentionally create space for rest and solitude in your life this week? What steps can you take to ensure that you are spiritually renewed and resilient?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound spiritual significance of water and its connection to the Holy Spirit. Water, as seen in the baptismal waters, symbolizes the cleansing and life-giving power of God. This is contrasted with the demonic realm, which seeks waterless places, highlighting their aversion to the life-giving presence of God. This spiritual truth underscores the importance of being filled with the Spirit, as it is through this filling that we can resist the enemy's influence and live in the fullness of God's presence.

We also delved into the realities of the enemy, acknowledging that while he is real and active, he does not own the earth. His influence is limited to the systems and ideologies of this world, which often lead believers astray. The enemy's primary tool is deception, using lies to bind and disrupt our lives. However, the truth of God has the power to set us free, and it is through the Holy Spirit that we can discern and reject these lies.

Furthermore, we discussed the importance of spiritual disciplines in fortifying our lives against the enemy's attacks. By engaging in practices such as prayer, study, and rest, we fill our lives with God's presence, leaving no room for the enemy. Rest, in particular, is a discipline that many overlook, yet it is essential for spiritual renewal and resilience.

As we approach the Christmas season, it is crucial to enter a period of rest and solitude, allowing God to refresh and replenish our spirits. This discipline helps us resist the distractions and influences of the world, enabling us to live in alignment with God's will.

Key Takeaways

1. Water symbolizes the life-giving presence of God, contrasting with the demonic realm's preference for waterless places. This highlights the importance of being filled with the Spirit to resist the enemy's influence. [02:20]
2. The enemy is real and active, but his influence is limited to the systems and ideologies of this world. Believers must be vigilant in aligning their thoughts with God's truth to avoid being led astray. [03:20]
3. Lies are the enemy's primary tool, but the truth of God has the power to set us free. The Holy Spirit helps us discern and reject these lies, leading us to live in the freedom and fullness of God's presence. [08:18]
4. Spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, study, and rest, are essential for fortifying our lives against the enemy's attacks. These practices fill our lives with God's presence, leaving no room for the enemy. [11:07]
5. Rest is a vital spiritual discipline that many overlook. It is essential for spiritual renewal and resilience, helping us resist the distractions and influences of the world. [13:38]
** [13:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:31] - The Spiritual Significance of Water
[01:25] - Demonic Aversion to Water
[02:20] - Rivers of Living Water
[03:20] - The Enemy's Limited Influence
[04:53] - The Reality of the Enemy
[05:40] - The Power of Thoughts
[06:14] - The Enemy's End Goal
[07:14] - Discerning Lies
[08:18] - The Power of Truth
[09:38] - The Bible as an Owner's Manual
[10:51] - Filling the House
[11:07] - Spiritual Disciplines
[12:23] - Entering the Christmas Season
[13:38] - The Discipline of Rest

Sermon Clips

"and in peering back that Veil he he recounted a story about a guy that got delivered from demonic possession and he was clean and then the scripture said that the demons that came out of him the demon that came out he went looking in waterless places and everybody say waterless waterless went looking in waterless places to see if he could find a place to have a home a a place so so what does that tell us about the Demonic realm that Jesus unfail to us they don't like water." [00:01:00]

"why do you think the Apostle Paul said be ye being filled with the spirit of the Living God that there's a necessity for us when we're walking in the spirit the Bible tells that we not fulfill the lust of the Flesh in other words the natural proclivity that your flesh has to sin and darkness it gets it gets displaced by the fullness of God's presence so the way you put the flesh down and you put the world down and you put the devil down is to be filled with the spirit of the Living God." [00:02:52]

"because friends the Bible does say that he is the prince of the power of the air it's interesting he's in the air but he doesn't own the Earth he's the God of this world but he doesn't own this world you know what it means when it says he's the God of this world the world is just a ideology for the system how many know there's a system that's Antichrist that's already in the world today uh John the Apostle he told us the Antichrist was already working way back then." [00:03:15]

"so we have to get properly aligned that's why the scripture says that we need to cast down every vain imagination every high and lofty thing that acknowledges itself against the knowledge of God and to bring every thought captive Into The Obedience of Christ amen so this this thing that the devil does there's three realities about the devil you ready for him first of all he's real he he's not a figment of your imagination he's not just some you know mythical creature that was created eons ago." [00:04:28]

"the enemy is real your enemy is real my enemy is real and as long as we're on this side of Heaven this side of Glory we are going to be in a Battleground we need to understand that the Bible says that if we're going to if we're going to put on faith that we need to be like a good soldier that doesn't entangle themselves with the cares and the Affairs of this life the system of this world that there has to be some separation if you will it it it begins mentally." [00:05:07]

"because whatever you think about you become as a man thinks in his heart is so is he right because you see your thoughts become actions your actions become habits your habits become a lifestyle and your lifestyle predicts your destiny so if you want to change your destiny you got to change your thoughts that's where it's got to start so there there needs to be this understanding secondly the devil a reality about the devil his end goal is to spread ruin in our souls and our society." [00:05:41]

"he wants to disrupt he wants to bring disruption but you know what he can't take your voice unless you give it to him he he can't subdue your destiny unless you give sympathetic thoughts to him you see I want to be I want to be kind of like U Sherlock Holmes with a big magnifying glass going around rooting out every lie I can find that binds people up I I want to put a magnifier on every lie that you might believe like you're less than that you can't ever amount to nothing." [00:06:24]

"because greater is he that is in you the truth says that he that's in the world and he's going to lift you up right so I'm just going to you know put that magnified glass and look for the lies but I'm just one guy and the truth is the holy spirit is inside of you to reveal to you all truth he's the magnifier of God he's the one that magnifies the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together thirdly the enemy destroys by what I just demonstrated by lies." [00:07:20]

"how do I know that because as I shared with you last week all the ways that Jesus could have used a descriptor of the devil when he was speaking to the religious people he said to them you are of your father the devil because he was a liar from the beginning if the truth makes one free lies bind us up so I I Josh I'm not sure what the fullness of the lie was that got broken last week but man and I glad it did aren't you Hallelujah so so Deliverance came." [00:08:08]

"because the truth came and displaced the lie and and in his case to his own testimony it was is about his Pursuit of Happiness in some alternative that never met the deep deep need there's all kinds of Happiness so to speak that we can find in fleshly engagements but it never goes down deep to answer the real complexity that's in your heart it never gets there there's only one thing that gets there yes Lord and that's the power and the grace and the love of God." [00:08:55]

"your creator who made you he knows what you have need of even before you ask he knows I like to equate the Bible at times like the owner's manual it's the owner's manual and if I if I do what the owner owner's manual tells me to do if I change the oil when I need to change the wall hello and I do the brakes when I need to do the brakes when I take it in for its checkup and I get the and I and I give it proper re all the things that it says." [00:09:29]

"then guess what then life moves in a different capacity with a resilience that you'll never find without it never ever ever okay so let me let me think on a few things somebody asked me uh just recently well well well what is it what is it that if the enemy if the enemy is displaced and he and he leaves how do I fill the house what do I do what do I do to fill the house I I know I'm preaching good when I'm sweating so I'm getting rid of that thing." [00:10:07]

"so so what so what what is it what is it that we do well we spent a whole year last year on the spiritual somebody say it I know we don't like the word say it again spiritual discipline there's spiritual disciplines that build up our capacity that fill our house so when the enemy comes he finds no place in us how many know that's what was said of Jesus that Jesus said the enemy came but he had no place he found no place in me." [00:10:54]

"so I'm in the business of displacing all that's the enemy so that I can put in place what is of God Amen I so love and appreciate the gift of God that's given us in this woman of God that sits here on the front row Dawn over here come on yeah let's give a shout out to I could feel a body language just oh don't do that there was a whole shift but why because she she spoke to us in staff meeting a few weeks ago and she said you know." [00:11:33]

"we're entering in we're entering into the Christmas season and immediately I just thought about are we there again already how the older you get guys I never believ that when I was younger but it comes around faster and my goodness it's a swirl and she said I think because of the Season we've just gone through politically and all the stuff that that's going on and what's happening in the world and the wars and the rumors of wars we don't need any rumors because we got so many of them happening." [00:12:18]

"we need to enter into a season of rest do you know that rest and Solitude is one of the spiritual disciplines do you know that I think many of us give place to the devil because instead of giving ourselves moments to rest and have Solitude in the presence of God we F we fill it up with Mindless watching of Netflix we fill it up with Mindless watching of YouTube true because to enter into the rest that was prepared for us before before the foundation of the world." [00:13:00]

"that we should enter in it's the only place in the word of God that tells us to strive and it's to strive to ENT rest so what does that tell me I'm going to have to have discipline to have rest but rest is something that will bring refreshing and that refreshing will replenish me in my spirit and allow that River of the Living God to flow in and through uhoh got really quiet I know I stepped on something and believe me I I love to watch movies don't get me wrong." [00:13:47]

"anybody that knows me knows all that but there's got to be moderation in all things we have to exercise discipline otherwise the God of this world the prince of the power of the air where is your TV pictures come from the power of the air and what are they flowing in into your head the old Pentecostal preachers I mean back when TV first got invented they said what do y'all want to have that demon eye in your house far maybe they knew something it's television." [00:14:33]

"it's the enemy that's been telling his vision and now he has free reign to tell his vision through the airwaves and into our homes and into our minds and into our hearts and we have to be careful we have to guard our hearts with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life and if we're not careful we can allow the enemy to have a foothold in our lives through the things that we watch and the things that we listen to and the things that we allow into our homes." [00:15:19]

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