Ranked World's #1 Most Refreshing Drink

What really quenches your thirst?

One day I was asking the Holy Spirit to speak to me while trying to fight off the distractions of rushing to start my long to-do list, checking messages, emails and social media. I had gone through a journey of surrendering my co-dependency of people, family and laying down idols of media, entertainment and anything that took my attention off of God.

Suddenly I Realized I was "That" Woman

All of the sudden, the story of the woman at the well came to my mind, and He matched it to another scripture I hadn't connected to before! Jesus found this woman while she was getting her daily bucket of water, an uneventful task, and one that she did during the heat of the day to avoid other people. She was embarrassed by her lifestyle and reputation.

Jesus saw right through all of that and told her everything she'd done, that she had married five times and the man she was living with was not her husband. But instead of adding to her embarrassment, He said that the water she was getting would leave her thirsty, and He offered her Living Water. This water He offered would cause her to never thirst again! What does THAT mean?

It meant that she had been searching all her life for something that would fill the bottomless VOID in her soul. She was still empty, weary and thirsty. She felt beyond hope, broken and like nothing could fix her hot mess. Have you ever felt this way?

JESUS was the thing she was missing. The resurrection, Zoë LIFE he offered was what she needed all along.

The Holy Spirit said to me, "Julia, when you seek to fill the void with anything but me, you come up empty and thirsty, like this woman. She filled her void with "husbands," but you, Julia, try to fill it with tasks, people, media and social media. Ouch. Anything that I get up and seek after that isn't Jesus, is an empty well. It's dead water. It's like drinking air when you're desperately parched, your lips all chapped. He is the Well that NEVER runs dry. He is the Living Water that quenches all thirst!

Then He gave me Isaiah 54:4-5...

"Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth (your past searching for things that do not satisfy) and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore (time spent away from your God) For your MAKER is your HUSBAND; The Lord of hosts (God of angel armies) is His name; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel: He is called the God of the whole earth."

Wow. All along, God, her MAKER, was her REAL husband. I love how this verse describes God as so close to you, like a spouse or Husband. Someone you join yourself to, make vows and covenant promises to. Someone you share your deepest secrets, hopes and dreams with. This is an amazing picture of a God that wants to be close to us, NOT a distant, strict "policeman" in the sky, or a merciless judge watching our every move in order to punish us!

So what do YOU run to and try to drink from? Try fasting those things, and replacing them

with Living Water instead! Start your day with worship until He fills you, read His love letter to you, His Word, pray in the Spirit. Then as you become drained during the day, COME BACK to the Well. And keep coming back! It will never run out, or run dry! Fill your spirit with Him, for He made our spirits, souls and bodies. And only HE can FILL them!

#freedom #spirtualgrowth #jesus #dailygrowth