The Seven Fundamentals of Spiritual Growth (The Second Requirement) By Robert Wurtz II
Of all of the substances on the earth, none are more essential for sustaining life than water. Water is irreplaceable. For us as believers, the Holy Spirit is that water. Many times in Scripture the Holy Spirit is referred to metaphorically with water. The reason for this is because God wanted His people to know how IMPORTANT the Holy Spirit is in the life of a believer. You will not live long without water- and your relationship with God cannot survive without continual infillings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is essential for sustaining the Spiritual life of ALL believers, and cannot be replaced with anything else. All living things are composed primarily of water, and without it- life ceases.
Drinking of His waters..
In lesson one we discussed the importance of eating (spiritually). We said that if we do not eat, we will not grow (spiritually). The difference then between eating and drinking is that if you do not eat you will not grow; if you do not drink you will die (spiritually). Spiritual death occurs when the Holy Spirit no longer exercises control over of a person through conviction, nor empowers them for holy living. When a person reaches a certain point in their rebellion against God's Holy Spirit- they are considered REPROBATE. This word is used in the New Testament several times. Romans 1:28-32 reads; And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. The people had decided that they did not want to partake of God's Holy Spirit through His natural process of conviction. If you will notice it is said that they were 'filled' with unrighteousness, fornication, etc. in direct opposition to God who said be 'Filled with the Spirit.' The Spirit of God was striving with the people as God said He would do in Genesis 6, but the time came when the Spirit gave them over to a reprobate mind. Paul referred to this process when he wrote 'But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway' (I Corinthians 9:27). The word 'castaway' could have easily been translated as reprobate as it is in several other New Testament passages. On the other hand, it could have had a meaning similar but slightly different than what Jesus said in Luke 9:25-26; 'For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.' When it comes to spiritual survival the believer needs to ‘drink' of the Holy Spirit. Not just drink, but drink and drink and drink.
Getting a Drink of Spiritual Water.
Contrary to popular belief, getting a spiritual drink does not mean getting a glass of Holy Water. Spiritual Water is the Holy Spirit being poured into or onto a believer. Jesus said it like this 'Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life' (John 4:13-14). The Spirit of God is to your Spirit, as H20 is to your natural body. The 'waters of God' bring everlasting life, just as earthly water brings physical life (see John 3:5-7). The question then becomes 'where can I get a drink of this water?' The answer is simple; from Christ Himself. Christ is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit. We come to Christ and we say 'Lord, FILL me with your Spirit.' The woman at the well asked Jesus, 'Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.' Jesus then replied, 'woman call your husband.' He no doubt used that statement to remind the woman of her fornication. He did not condemn her, but rather made a statement that opened the door for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and godly sorrow (II Corinthians 7:9-10). She repented and told the whole town of what had happened. Only a few verses later Jesus made the memorable statement 'look on the fields for they are white unto harvest.' With one command (go call thy husband) Jesus was able to touch the woman's heart with the need for repentance- in the context of a field that was ready to be harvested. Whether people like to hear it or not, the number one job of the Holy Spirit is to bring holiness to this world. As it is written.... Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:7-8). If the Holy Spirit is TRULY present there will be great Holy Ghost conviction for sin. That is the primary purpose of the Holy Spirit- that we might conform to genuine holiness by emulating the personality of Jesus Christ.
The Washing of Water by the Word.
It is next to impossible to wash without water. If perchance a person were able to wash well with soap, they will still need to rinse with water. The two go hand in hand. This is also true in the Spirit, as it is written....Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27). There is a washing effect that takes place when the Holy Spirit applies the truth of God's word. I wonder if God views the Church as if it had the 'Beaver Cleaver' syndrome? You know, go in the bathroom, close the door, turn on the water, and stand in front of the mirror to fool your mother. Oh' he made a lot of noise in there, but he had a phobia about taking a real bath. He avoided that bathtub like the plague. Is that not what many people do in church? Come to the house of God, close the door, turn on the water, and make a lot of noise in our attempt to fool God? Do you stand beholding our natural face in a glass (James 1:23-24) and leave straitway to forget what manor of man and woman that you are? Imagine a service where the Spirit of God was being poured out like water, while the word was being preached without fear or favor to loosen up the sin; but you are not washing, scrubbing, and rinsing. Do you leave the working of God unchanged? The word of God is like the Holy Spirit's soap. It has a certain ‘acidic' level when preached in balance like regular soap. Some people will never get clean with regular soap. They need a STRONG dose of hellfire and brimstone passages to be ‘mined out' and preached ‘strait'- just to cut through the layers of sin. Others need a gentler word that leans heavily on love and mercy because of their brokeness. This is why a preacher MUST be led of the Spirit of God. When the word has to be preached with such strength and power, God will use it to expose your sin for what it is. He will then cleanse you of it by 'destroying the yoke' (because of the Anointing) by the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember the Spirit's name is Holy. The TRUTH sets the person free from the stains of sin- to be washed away by the tears produced by great HOLY GHOST CONVICTION.
The Many Avenues of Water
Water comes to us in many ways. There are oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, wells, ice, rain, and steam. Amazingly, God uses most of these as metaphors to explain the working of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that 'out of our bellies would flow rivers of living waters,' while Revelation said that there is a Crystal Sea around the throne of God (Revelation 4:6). John 4:14 said that the water that Christ gives is as a well springing up into everlasting life, while we are told that God will send the early and latter rain. To simplify the matter, we come into contact with the Spirit of God when we are born. When we get saved (genuinely born again) He enters us to dwell there after binding the strong man that used to reside there (Matthew 12:29). We then have the option of being baptized with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance. Have you sought for the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Offer your body to Christ, as a living sacrifice and the great Baptizer in the Holy Ghost will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with FIRE. Are you right now FULL of the Holy Ghost? Ask the LORD to fill you to overflowing!
Evidence of fullness
You do not have to ask if a person is Full of the Holy Ghost. Their actions are self-announcing. Not to be confused with simply being ZEALOUS, the person who is truly zealous for God in accordance with His Spirit seeks to do the will of God and not their own. They do not turn God off and on like a switch, and they live a life of holiness. Conviction is the number one most influential force in the life of a person sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of God uses it like a steering wheel to guide them. They are convicted when they do not love, when they hold bitterness, or treat others in a rude fashion. Love thy Neighbor as thyself is their cardinal rule. Above all things they love God, with a true love, that demonstrates itself verifiably. Their tongue is a bridled member of their body, while the rest of them are being brought into subjection as well- lest as Paul said 'having preached to others they themselves might become disqualified.' They are full of godly wisdom that begins with the Fear of the Lord. When they ask for wisdom they are not surprised when their fear of God simply grows a little more. For them, GOD IS AS REAL as you are-as I am.
Get to the Filling Station!
The first thing that happens when a car gets low on water is that it overheats. Tragically, it could burn up. Bad things happen when a car overheats and often it is expensive. So it is with the Christian life. If we do not check our 'water level' we could simply burn up under the pressure of life. Especially the pressure of a Spirit Filled life at 'half full.' We need that drink of water that the woman at the well spoke of daily in our lives. Not a metaphorical Pepsi, or Coke, but a drink of WATER. God has equipped us with the ability to know when we are thirsty physically, AND spiritually. It is imperative that we keep ourselves as full of the Spirit as we possibly can, and at all times.
