The Holy Spirit woke me up in the night & began speaking to me about rivers. It was crazy, things like swimming, rafting, etc…
He kept pointing out that there were right ways & wrong ways to be involved in river activities.
I feel like He led me into this so we could look at some things that will help us to flow fruitfully & safely in the Rivers of Revival.
I. There is always a process to learn…
a. Know the waters where you are going.
As I began to look at what is the protocol for going whitewater rafting this was one of the things that came up.
You need to be familiar with the waters & their obstacles that could potentially be a problem.
What does this have to do with Rivers of Revival?
As you step out on your faith journey it is a must to learn how things flow with the Lord.
Psalms 5:8 NLT Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make Your way plain for me to follow.
Jesus shared how important it is to know where you are going.
John 12:26 TPT If you want to be My disciple, follow Me & you will go where I am going. And if you truly follow Me as My disciple, the Father will shower His favor upon your life.
b. Safety requirements for the journey.
Again, I was checking things out lately because I thought we were going rafting in TN.
While looking some things up I saw something that showed up on almost every sight I looked at…
• Wear proper clothing
• Wear a helmet at all times
• Keep lifejacket on & tight at all times
• What to do if you fall into river
• Listen to your guide
All these were safety requirements for a good experience.
Joshua 1:7-9 NLT Be strong & very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day & night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper & succeed in all you do. This is My command—be strong & courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Can you imagine that rafting guides speak the same kind of wisdom that God does for us to have a great experience on our journey with Him.
• Strong & Courageous
• Obey the instructions
• Don’t get discouraged or fearful
WOW! I don’t know about you, but this is great & very helpful to me for navigating the Rivers of Revival journey that I am on.
It is clear that listening & obeying is critical to the flow that we are in with God’s plan.
II. Maneuvering with the Flow…
I want to use some of the rafting terminology on this point as well.
• On whitewater raft you always keep one hand on the very end of the shaft of the paddle; this is called the “T-grip.” Your other hand should remain somewhere along the halfway point between the T-grip & the tip of the paddle. If your hands are in any other position, you will lose grip & control very quickly.
To have a successful & enjoyable trip while on the river it is imperative that you learn to maneuver whatever you are riding in for the journey.
The time we are going to spend in the Rivers of Revival are going to be filled with twist & turns, challenges & difficulties…
It will be critical to learn how to maneuver effectively so as to have a successful journey.
Romans 8:14 NLT For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
The Rivers of Revival will not be successfully traveled without learning to flow with the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:9-12 NLT That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, & no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything & shows us God’s deep secrets.
No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, & no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
• Seven things Isaiah told us about God’s Spirit.
• Fruit that the Holy Spirit brings.
• Gifts that the Holy Spirit brings.
• Not to mention the Presence He brings.
I hope you are getting what the Holy Spirit is saying to us right now…
Maneuvering these Rivers of Revival will only happen successfully by learning to hear & follow what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us about God’s plan.
III. Enjoy the Journey…
Nobody wants to go on a trip on any river & not be able to enjoy what is going on.
The last thing anyone wants is to be trapped on a canoe, raft or boat & be miserable all the time.
That’s why God took Ezekiel on that journey on the river. He wanted to make sure he understood that to really enjoy what was being shown he had to go to water to swim in.
God wanted to get the message out that completely submerged in Him is where we will find the greatest joy in the journey in the Rivers of Revival.
What does all this have to do with God’s ultimate plan?
God knows when we are enjoying the journey we will be more fruitful in every aspect.
Genesis 35:11a NLT Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful & multiply.
That’s a picture of what is going on while traveling the Rivers of Revival.
If you are not catching fish, then it is an unprofitable trip!
Matthew 4:19 TPT Jesus called out to them & said, “Come & follow Me, & I will transform you into men who catch people for God.”
As we travel these Rivers of Revival, we get the seriousness of the objective while enjoying the journey.
2 Peter 3:9 TPT This means that, contrary to man’s perspective, the Lord is not late with His promise to return, as some measure lateness. But rather, His “delay” simply reveals His loving patience toward you, because He does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance.
I believe the message is clear…He brought us into the Rivers of Revival & now He is anticipating us to engage with His plan to call those who are in the darkness out & lead them into the light…
or to the Rivers of Revival that God has made available to all who will come get in.
I don’t know about you; I felt the tug of the Holy Spirit saying to me that it is my time to press into a deeper place so that my fruitfulness of my river trip will increase!
I don’t want to just go fishing…I want to catch fish!!!
Come Holy Spirit, draw us out deeper just like Ezekiel was drawn out to deeper.
• If you don’t really know Him the way I have described tonight, this is your moment.
• Maybe you feel like you have fallen overboard & are just treading water & seems like your not getting anywhere…He says grab hold & I will pull you back in.
• You may just be one that says things have been good, but I know He is drawing me in deeper…
Let’s go after Him tonight!
