The poor and needy search for water, but there is none: their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. (Isaiah 41:17-18)

                                                                                           Water Sources

Jesus is the Living Water (John 4:14), because from Him, and through Him flow all the nutrients we need to grow strong mindsets. Our bodies were made to crave water. Just like all living things, the necessity for water is built into our DNA. God was intentional in our design. He ensured that even when our mindsets shift, our physical body would keep us “connected”, “craving”, “thirsting” for a source of liquid. What is your liquid of choice? In a world where so many manmade versions of liquid are available, what is your preference? Free will gives us the right to choose, but with so many options I often find myself confused. I search the labels for natural ingredients yet simultaneously look for something that matches my tastes and cravings. I desire to do right, I need the liquid, and yet things get… cloudy. Many nutritionists would say there is a simple answer, which is, drink water. However, because I recognize that in this world even simple seems hard, I would counter respond, what kind? Tap water, spring water, purified water, filtered water, coconut water, electorates, mineral water, ph+. I hope this “Bubba Gump” type list assists with recreating the picture of confusion during my grocery store errands. What is the perfect source of water, the cleanest option available?

John 4:13-14- Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

                                                                                      The Perfect Source

There is crystal-clear water, a natural untainted source, a source not impacted by the decay and toxicity of this world. Additionally, this water has an added perk, it is living. Living things grow, they flourish, mature, bear fruit, and create seeds. These seeds multiply and become more than they were at the beginning. Similarly, in “our” spiritual beginning we thirst, and in our seeking, we are offered drink, in our free will we choose. When we drink from the “Living Water”, it does what all living things do. It grows, craves more water, reproduces and replicates itself, and ultimately multiplies the fruit of its original creator.

Many believe that after the initial “drink” of salvation the work is done. Not so, because once saved, the transformation now begins. Now the living water (The Spirit), is at war with the manmade liquids (flesh). Now we must make room for living water to create the seeds needed for a new mindset. This is a gradual, and ongoing process, maturity in the making, not the be rushed. Perhaps compare it to your own education. For example, Kindergarten to graduate school is a long process, and each grade and degree is designed to coincide with development. The instruction at each level is intentionally segmented into the building blocks of what is needed for a specific outcome. Could you imagine teaching Kindergarteners trigonometry before basic addition. Children would hate school or develop a false sense of intelligence before they even experience Kindergarten graduation. Therefore, day by day, and block by block, we learn and grow. We drink from the well of Living Water who supplies daily and individualized lessons, curriculums, and manuals.

                                                                                         Daily Supply

However, we must make room for instruction and have discernment regarding the many worldly water supplies and lessons that swirl around us. Some of the other sources may not be bad necessary, some may just not coincide with our personalized lesson, or worse may even distract us from our education. How does one have discernment, when there are so many tasty, confusing, and “nutritious” liquid items at our fingertips? Liquid options we crave, and dare I say need, are easily assessable and comfortably familiar. Enter the seeds of instruction, planted in our spirit, through the Living Water. The key to a changed mindset is a willingness to receive not just “the water”, but the living parts of its design. This includes the seeds of His instruction, guidance, correction, and love. It really is a package deal. Unlike the world where we can pick and choose what we want at opportune times. This Living Water is eternal, and it craves the ability to continually thrive. Therefore, after the initial drink, the saved will find that the Living Water speaks, as all living things do, one way or another.  When it speaks, we have to decide to listen. We have free will and can choose in the moment of instruction to ignore it or accept it. If we are obedient, we allow the instruction of the Spirt to flow through us and create a firmer mindset. A Mindset that does not wither easily and change with each coming situation. But like any living thing, this is a process for we are strengthened daily. Daily the Lord provides for his children, ensuring access to the source of Eternal water.