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Chariot July 2011 - Norm Wakefield Upcoming
Speaking Events - You're Invited!
Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Father/Son Retreat - Peniel Bible Camp, Lake Luzerne,
NY, Contact: Doug Allers, dallers@nycap.rr.com Oct. 14-16. Family Conference - New Covenant Fellowship, Nappanee, IN,
Contact: Dale Swartzentruber, 574 354 1940, dalelsie@gmail.com Oct. 21-23. Men's Retreat - Evangelical Institute, Greenville, SC, www.eibibleschool.org Oct. 27-30. Father/Son Camp - Walnut Point State Park, Oakland, IL, www.fathersoncamp.org Nov. 11-13. Family Conference - Antioch Community Church, Elon, NC.
Contact: www.antiochchurch.cc Thirsting for God
Here in Texas,
we're having an extreme drought. We've had perhaps three or four rains
that I can remember this year. Nature looks thirsty. The grass and trees
are brown and shriveled. Unless people water their outdoor shrubs,
everything looks desperately in need of the life that water brings.
Have you noticed
the extreme spiritual drought in the souls of people? Their souls are
shriveled and dry. In spite of all the improvements in technology and
science designed to make our lives full and meaningful, they are instead
empty and in desperate need of living water, Jesus Christ. I've heard
many excuses for this spiritual dryness. Some will say it's a matter of
time–their schedules and responsibilities are so demanding that they
don't have time to drink from the spring of living water in Christ.
However, I'm inclined to agree with my mentor and friend, Jerry White,
Jr., who wrote in his blog (www.adisciplesnotebook.com): "Time is not
the issue; lack of thirst is the cause for anyone to neglect seeking God
first." Indeed, it's a matter of thirst. Family Devotion Suggestion
"Jesus stood
and cried out, saying, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and
drink'" (John 7:37).
Here's a suggestion for how to teach your family about spiritual
thirst. Jesus often used natural occurrences to teach spiritual lessons. I
think that's what occurred on the last day of the great Feast of Booths.
You may be able to create a similar teaching moment in your family
devotions. Make this devotional moment a surprise by presenting it in the
middle of a hot, summer Saturday afternoon when your family has been doing
chores outside. This makes the setting somewhat like the setting in
October when the Feast of Tabernacles was held. Since in Israel the rains
normally stop in March, there probably had been no rain for almost seven
months! If God did not provide the "early" rains in October and
November, there would be no spring crop, and famine was at the doorstep.
There was a ceremony on the last day of the feast where water from the
pool of Siloam was poured out on the altar in the presence of the priests
and tens of thousands of worshippers. The act was intended to invoke God's
blessing on the nation by providing life-giving water. The people were hot
and thirsty when that water was poured out on the altar. What do you think
happened in their mouths when they saw the water being poured out? What do
you think might happen in the mouths of those in your family if you called
them together from their tasks for a brief devotional on John 7:37-39 and
started by drinking from a refreshing glass of iced water?
You've probably guessed the answer: their taste buds would
awaken, their desire for water would increase, and you'd better have
glasses of water available for everyone! Take a number of swigs of water
before them before launching out into the devotional. Then you're ready
to teach them about spiritual thirst.
We don't know for certain when Jesus cried out,
"If anyone is
thirsty, let him come to Me and drink." Was there something in the
ceremony that sparked his cry?
I suggest the moment the water from the pool of Siloam was poured
out on the altar would have been an opportune time for Jesus to proclaim
that He was the living water provided by God. The feast represented
God's deliverance from Israel when the exiles lived in booths or
tabernacles in the wilderness. In a matter of days, Jesus was to fulfill
the ultimate deliverance of His people from the bondage of sin. The feast
was a reminder of God's provision of water in the wilderness, and Jesus
was going to be the "rock" that was struck to provide living water in
the wilderness of this world. When the water was poured out and thirst had
been awakened in the mouths and minds of that crowd of worshippers,
certainly, Jesus couldn't keep from crying out, "Is anyone thirsty?"
Hopefully your family members will experience the same awakening of
thirst when you drink water in front of them after they have been working
hard. However, instead of offering them glasses of water, you might offer
some poor substitutes such as crackers, bread, or chips. These, of course,
represent all the things that the world offers us. They won't satisfy
our thirst. Then finally, offer them the glasses of water which represents
the living water offered by Jesus Christ. Watching people drink of Jesus awakens thirst for Jesus
One important lesson you might emphasize is that people are
awakened in their thirst for Jesus when they see others drink their fill
from Him. Just as watching someone drink water awakens thirst for water,
so you can make others thirsty by drinking from Christ. Lack of thirst is the cause for anyone to neglect seeking God first
Everyone is busy. The demands of family, work, ministry, and
recreational activities can consume time. The problem isn't that we
don't have enough time to do God's will. The problem is that we
don't have time to do the things that are not God's will. There is
plenty of time everyday to do God's will. So time isn't the issue when
it comes to seeking God and living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The
issue is our thirst. What do we thirst for? This offers a wonderful
opportunity to talk with your family candidly about their thirsts. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit
This short story from John 7 emphasizes our need to be filled with
the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who is the source of rivers of
living water within us. The direction of the rivers of living water is
outward toward others. Whereas with the woman at the well, God used water
as a teaching tool representing a well of water springing up to eternal
life, the illustration here is of water pouring out to satisfy the thirsts
of others.
Without the Holy Spirit, we won't be making anyone else thirsty
for Jesus. When we are filled, the excess pours out on others so they may
taste and drink of Jesus Christ. You might ask, "What do others taste
when they "drink" from your life?" The answers should all have this
in common. People will taste what you drink from. If a person drinks from
technology all day, then that's what people will "taste" when they
fellowship with them. It's the same with sports, work, complaining, or
selfishness.
We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. John said that Jesus was
speaking of the Holy Spirit who was to be poured out after He was
glorified. Well, He has been glorified. He has loved us through His death
on the cross. He has been raised to life and seated at the right hand of
the Father. As a result of His death and life, Jesus and the Father have
sent the Holy Spirit to those who drink of Christ. Coming and drinking are continual actions
The verb
tenses Jesus employed when He cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him
come to Me and drink," indicated continual action–continual coming and
continual drinking. A once a week drink of Jesus on Sundays won't
satisfy or fill you with the Holy Spirit. Drinking from Christ one time a
day during your quiet time won't result in the filling of the Holy
Spirit. Jesus intended that we come to Him and drink from Him all the time
everyday. We do this by constant prayer and fellowship with Him as we go
through our day. Meditating on God's Word, singing hymns, songs, and
spiritual songs in our hearts, and surrendering ourselves in service to
the Lord and others is drinking
from the Lord Jesus Christ.
You might think of other scriptures that teach about thirst or
drinking to add to your family devotion on thirsting for Jesus. I hope
this has not only encouraged you to drink from Jesus but given you a
practical way to teach your family. We live in spiritual drought
conditions in the United States today. People are thirsty for Jesus, but
don't know it until they see someone drink from Him. May we be filled
with rivers of living water. Would
you like to be on the Elijah Ministries Prayer Team? The backbone of Elijah Ministries is the prayer team who pray diligently for God to turn the hearts of men to Himself, their wives, and their children. Before I leave to speak, I send out a prayer team invitation to those who will intercede for God to work for His glory in us as a team for the Kingdom. Not only is it a blessing to those whom I speak and myself; but it is also a reminder to the team about the direction of their own hearts. If you would like to enter into the labor together with me, you may go to my website and click on "Prayer Team". Has Norm's Chariot or other resources been an encouragement to you? As a nonprofit organization, Elijah Ministries needs support from people like you in order to function. If God has ministered to you through Elijah Ministries and Norm Wakefield, would you consider supporting the work? You can do so here. (Elijah Ministries is a tax-deductible 501c3 and is financially accountable to an overseeing board of 8 non-paid members from around the country.) The Chariot is also available as a podcast. You can automatically receive the Chariot each month in iTunes by subscribing here. (An RSS capable browser such as Internet Explorer 7 or Safari is required.)
If you
haven't visited our website, www.spiritofelijah.com,
please stop by sometime. You'll find: * Resources to equip you and your family * Previous Chariot articles * Norm's speaking schedule *
Free MP3 downloads * Subscribe to the Chariot Podcast here. * Various resources/pages translated and available in Spanish * An online store to purchase resources and make tax-free contributions by credit card
I invite you to be a part of the
moving of the Spirit of Elijah in your church, community, and the world.
How?
1.
Send this article to other men or families that you know would
benefit from it. You might inform them of the previous articles
available on-line at our website.
2.
Share resources from the Spirit of Elijah Ministries with others.
If Equipping Men or Rising to the
Call have been a blessing to you, then you know it will be
beneficial to others. Either share your resources, tell them about the
resources, or purchase a set or two as an investment in their lives. 3. Share with others what you have learned and put into practice in turning your heart to God, your wife, and your children. If God has done this in you, then He wants to affect others through you.
4.
Join the Elijah Ministries email prayer team and make
intercession for others that their hearts would be turned in revival to
the Lord, their wives, and their children. This can be done on-line at www.spiritofelijah.com.
Norm
Wakefield 07.11 To unsubscribe, click here.
Do not change the subject of the email that launches when you click
above; just press send. Or send an email with the subject Unsubscribe
Chariot to chariot@spiritofelijah.com.
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