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Go Deeper

I finally broke the pattern in my dreams. I used to have a pattern in my dreams where I would consistently be late for or miss something entirely. From missing a mid-term to missing a flight, this theme had recurred in my dreams for years. In 2014, I embarked on a healing journey with 6 other women. One of our exercises was to write down and consider our dreams. Through this exercise I came to understand why I was having those dreams. But that story is one for another day.

 

This story is one of breaking the pattern and completing what I started.

 

I dreamt that I had to swim across this vast ocean holding onto a mini replica of my car. In fact, when I went to pick up my car, it wasn’t there and I was instructed by the Director to take any car of my choosing. I chose a Mustang (I am so NOT a Mustang girl, more like a Volvo/Mini Cooper hybrid; conservative yet energetic). Nonetheless I took my Mustang in hand and began to swim across this wide channel. I started out strong, arms slicing through the water like a Ginsu knife through a tomato. I just knew I was strong and powerful and I believed I could and would make it across. Then the Lord spoke to me and said, “Come deeper”. I couldn’t make sense of that. Even though dreaming, I thought I couldn’t go deeper. I thought I wouldn’t be able to breathe, just keep slicing through the water I told myself. Again the Lord said, “Come Deeper”, to which I quickly obey.

 

And wouldn’t you know, I could breathe underwater. And instead of exerting all this energy stroking through the water, I began to do the dolphin kick. My legs seemed to become as one and my body arched up and down in a fluid motion propelling me right through the water. I went deeper still and continued the dolphin/mermaid swim. I could breathe, I could feel the depth of cold of the water but I was making it across that great expanse. With the car held in my two hands out in front I me, I rocketed to the other side. I obediently went deeper and the pattern was broken.

 

For months the Lord has been calling me to come deeper.

 

When He had stopped speaking,

He said to Simon, “Launch out into

the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Luke 5:4

 

 

I believe it is the mark of discipleship to have an ongoing, vibrant relationship with the Lord in which He continues to make mysteries known to you. He wants to lead you and guide you in paths of righteousness for His namesake. And to traverse some of those paths requires us to go deeper. And when we obediently take up our cross and follow Him deeper, He makes His mysteries known to us.

 

Diving deep into the ocean we find mysterious sea creatures that stand in stark contrast to their present reality. In the inky blue/black of the deep sea live bioluminescent sea creatures. 12,000 feet below are astounding animals that shine bright in stark contrast to their dark surroundings. Chemical reactions in their bodies cause them to glow.

 

As you go deeper in the Lord, His glory shines, flooding you with light and causing you to glow even in the inky blue/black situations of life. Because of your willingness to follow Him into the deep, He makes the mysteries of life know to YOU. This type of revelation is not for all but for His TRUE disciples because TRUE disciples follow and obey His commands

 

 

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given

to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,

but to them it has not been given.

 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men

desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear,

and did not hear it.

Matthew 13:11, 16-17

 

This topic of going deeper isn’t new to me. In fact, one of my top 5 favorite movies, The Abyss is about going deeper.

 

In the movie, one of the lead characters, Brigman goes deeper than deep to detonate a nuclear bomb. He thought it was the end for him. In fact, he said going down deeper was a one-way ticket. And we may feel like that sometimes when trusting God and walking in faith. We may feel like we are plunging into darkness with no way of escape. But as happened with Brigman, he was standing right on the brink of breakthrough. He was just feet away from the light. Saving himself, his loved ones and the entire planet was within his reach.

 

Oh friends we would do well to trust God. To walk out in faith and not give up before our breakthrough. It’s right there on the brink. You are standing on the precipice of deeper revelation, deeper knowledge, deeper love.

 

In addition to Israel Houghton’s Deeper, I’ve been blessed to have a song that encapsulates this journey of going deeper. The song is called Oceans by Hillsong. The lyrics read:

 

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep

My faith will stand

 

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

 

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand

Will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

 

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

 

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

 

Oh, Jesus, you’re my God!

 

I will call upon Your name

Keep my eyes above the waves

My soul will rest in Your embrace

I am Yours and You are mine

Yes. That’s where we find Him, in oceans deep. Feet may fail in oceans deep but faith equips us to breathe underwater. Totally immersed in the rivers of living water is where I want to be.

 

Last year He told me, “I need water walkers”. And like Peter I walked out to meet Him. Since then, He’s calling me deeper, deeper, deeper.

 

Yes Lord, I am coming.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

P.S. This subject of living waters started out as a single post but it just would let me go. This is part three of the series on Living Waters. Read parts 1 & 2:

Rivers of Living Water

Tapping Into The Source

 

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Happy to connect with friends sharing the Good News #DanceWith Jesus, Grace & Truth

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Tapping Into The Source

Their survival depended on it. They needed to access fresh water. This tool would give them access.

 

spile

The Spile

 

Like Katniss Everdeen and her crew from The 75th Hunger Games, receiving the spile was a lifesaver. In the event of a natural disaster, we could use spiles today to tap trees for water.

 

Oh friends we are the trees planted by rivers of water and God’s word is the spile that penetrates our hearts and permits rivers of living water to flow. He and His word are one.

 

While water tapped from trees is only good for 24 hours, God’s word is good and true from everlasting to everlasting. But we need to tap into it daily to prevent it from becoming stale in our hearts.

 

In The Hunger Games, wealthy benefactors gift needed supplies. We have the ultimate Benefactor who gave Himself as the gift that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Because of Him we have boldness and access with confidence to not only approach the throne of grace, but to tap into His unlimited power supply. And the combination of His living water coupled with His power will not electrocute us unto death but will act as a defibrillator, creating in us a clean heart and renewing a steadfast spirit within us.

 

So exactly how do we go about tapping into the source? The methodology may be a little different for each of us but here are some simple, practical tips. We don’t have to be SUPER spiritual, or SUPER deep. We just have to come to God with clean hands and a pure heart. I thank God for purging me with hyssop and for presenting me without spot or wrinkle then I eagerly run on to tap in.

 

Tapping In

 

Worship Music

Music ushers me right into the presence of God. For the first few years of my salvation, I didn’t really understand how integral the role of praise and worship was to the Sunday church worship experience. It was one of those things I just didn’t GET until I got it. When I look back now, I can smile and say to myself, “Girl, you really had no clue.” And I follow that up with, “Thank you Jesus for being patient with me.”

 

Today, I can listen to the same song on repeat umpteen times throughout the day. I let the spirit guide me to the song. And sure enough the song speaks to my heart and serves as the gateway to worship and intimate fellowship with the Lord.

 

“Lord I reach for you, lead me to your heart. And I thirst for you, draw me deeper still. Deeper into the water. Deeper until I’m under. Ohhh Oh living water flow and overtake us. Ohhh oh healing water flow and overtake us”, sings Israel Houghton in one my absolute favorite songs, Deeper. Needless to say with all that’s churning in my spirit right now, this song is the current soundtrack to my spiritual life.

He goes on to sing, “God give us a heart, give us a heart, give us your heart. God gives us a heart. Deep cries out to deep.”

 

Mmm. Those lyrics right there. Each time I sing them, it’s like I’m putting on the mind of Christ and I come into alignment with Him. We begin walking step in step and my will becomes His will and we are ONE. Our hearts beat in unison. And the music is the metronome that keeps our hearts beating with synchronicity. And my response is, “Yes Lord. You are calling me deeper. I am coming. Getting closer with every step”.

 

Scrap The Legalism

My daily tapping in always involves scripture. Because I am a systematic, linear person, I tend to use structured materials for my scripture reading. Bible reading plans, day-by-day devotional books, topical studies, etc. My natural nature can hold me hostage to completing these materials in a robotic fashion, blocking up the flow of the spirit. So I’ve had to learn to not be legalistic in my approach to tapping in and to give God room to communicate what He desires in the way that He desires, even if He says step away from those materials and sit still. Sometimes He’ll call a word up in my heart. Sometimes it’s a scripture sung in a song. Sometimes he’ll have me turn to a specific scripture, chapter and verse. But I had to crucify my need to tick off or not skip a day of scheduled reading to not miss Him in how He chose to show up in my quiet time.

 

Dialogue Not A Monologue

When we tap into the source, we have to give Him opportunity and room to flow. If I stick my spile into a tree then fill the spout with debris, I will certainly muddy and impede the flow of water. And the same is true when allowing His truth to flow through our hearts and mind. When communicating with the Father it is not a monologue but a dialogue. There is a time to speak and a time to listen. We cannot hear from the Lord if we have endless internal chatter. It is critical to silence the chatter. This requires much practice and disciple. But God is a very present help. He will help you take those thoughts captive so that you can be quiet and clear your mind so you can hear from Him. For more on quieting your thoughts, CLICK HERE.

 

He longs to communicate with you. His voice will flow.

 

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel

came from the way of the east. His voice

was like the sound of many waters;

and the earth shone with His glory.

Ezekiel 43:2

 

Write

Writing has always been therapy for me. It is the way I receive, communicate, find clarity, vent, heal, and more. Writing helps me think and process. So after I sing and meditate on scripture, I write. I write whatever scripture I’ve been led to. I may write some of the lyrics to the song I listened to. I sit and I listen to what the Lord has to say then I write His response.

 

These are a few of the strategies I employ to tap into the well that never runs dry.

 

You’ve been invited to tap into the source.

 

COME!

 

DRINK.

 

And thirst no more.

 

The Spirit and the bride say,

“Come!” And let the one who hears

say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty

come; and let the one who wishes take

the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation 22:7

 

P.S. I try to keep posts shorter than this as I don’t want you to skim the post but to read in its entirety. But the water has overtaken me once again. To read Part 1 of The Living Waters series CLICK HERE

 

Glory to God I’m going deeper!

 

Will you join me?

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

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