Spirit And Life
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water
(John 7:38).
As God’s children, we’re all called into the
ministry, and the Lord Jesus gives us a good
definition of what Christian ministry is in our opening
verse. Ministry is the outflow of the rivers of living
water in you. The thirty-ninth verse explicates: “But this
spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him
should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given;
because that Jesus was not yet glorified.”
The “rivers of living water” He’s talking about is
the Holy Spirit. So, ministry is actually the outpouring
of the life of the Spirit of God from within you! You
can’t give what you don’t have. He says out of your
belly, meaning out of your innermost being, shall flow
rivers of living water. This means the Holy Spirit pours
out Himself through you.
Talking to His disciples earlier in John 6:63, the
Master said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh
profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit, and they are life.” This is wonderful!
The Master’s words weren’t ordinary; they were spirit
and life. Make this your objective in life, to speak words
that are spirit and life. Don’t seek to be an orator or
a good preacher; seek to release words of life. That’s
what makes the difference. That’s how you can stand
before others, and as you speak, miracles happen;
blessings abound.
A young girl told a story. She was brought into
the church, and as she sat listening to the teaching,
not even knowing what I was saying, an evil spirit that
had bound her for so many years suddenly went out
of her. She could see the evil spirit looking at her and
threatening her from a distance, but that devil couldn’t
stay. “The devil was afraid of what Pastor Chris was
saying and then ran out of the church,” she said.
Someone else testified that he’d been sick for so
long but noticed that every time he came to church,
he got better. So he decided to keep coming, until one
day, he realized he was completely normal. This is so
because the words we speak are spirit and they’re life!
And until you minister spirit and life, you’re not fulfilling
your role. We’re life-giving spirits. Hallelujah!
Prayer
Thank you Father for the honour to be useful to you in ministry.
I yield myself fully to your Spirit and ask that you be pleased to
use me continually for your glory in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further Study
1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Peter 4:11
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Hebrews 13
Ezekiel 16
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
John 12:30-41
1 Chronicles 17