February 2nd 

Living Water - the Holy Spirit

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. " John 7:37-39 NIV

Talking about sex addiction outwardly may seem to be a "fleshly" topic.  Breaking the addiction is a spiritual and physical battle.  Acknowledging the existence of the spiritual realm is a difficult task for us, since it often defies logic and understanding.    

The Bible says that if we believe in Jesus Christ, God's Spirit comes to live in us and empowers us to live a righteous, God-pleasing life.  The water Jesus is talking about in the above verses refers to God’s Spirit.  Drinking (figuratively) this living water will change our life!  Paul wrote, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11 NKJV). 

How do we drink this water?  We start by believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and then by surrendering our lives to God.  Once we have done that, then we start to work on the changes that God wants to make in our lives with the help of the Holy Spirit.  When we cooperate with the Spirit and obey his promptings, real change will occur in our lives.  On the other hand, if we don’t obey the Spirit’s convictions and promptings, we will certainly “backslide” into sin.    

If you have been a backslider, you can restart the renewal process by recommitting your life to Jesus.  God will partner with you in this process and the results will be far better than you may have ever imagined!  We encourage you to check out our online course Freedom Journey and proceed into the new life that God has prepared for you. 

Questions for further thought:

• How did Jesus describe the living water that he would give to the woman at the well? (John 4:4-26)
• What are some of the effects that God's living water will have on our lives when we receive it? (Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
• What are some of the ways we try to satisfy our thirst for God with sin?

Prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I am thirsty for your living water.  I confess that I have tried to satisfy my thirst by pursuing the ways and pleasures of the world.  I renounce that sin right now and see that it could never satisfy.   I believe that you are the source of life that I need.  I believe that you will satisfy me and heal me.  Please fill me now, Lord.  I receive your Holy Spirit now.  Thank you, Jesus!  In your name I pray, Amen.”