What does it really mean to have your whole life flow in the river of His Spirit?
This question came in my spirit on the way to work one morning. I was driving on the beautiful, lush green, winding country road on the way to work, listening to Kent Henry’s song “Turn My Heart” from his Purify My Heart album. Here are the words that brought tears to my eyes and filled my spirit with a longing to truly make my whole life flow like pure water flowing in HIS Spirit…
“Turn my heart, O Yah, like rivers of water.
Turn my heart, Oh Yah, by Your hand.
Till my whole life flows in the river of Your Spirit.
And my name brings honor to the Lamb!
Yah, I surrender to Your work in me.
I rest my life in Your loving hands.”
(I replaced ‘God’ with Yah…this is how I sing it too!)
As I sung the song in my car, Abba’s presence filled the car. I never wanted that drive to end. I wish
I could have driven for 100,000 miles worshiping and praising Him!! I knew after this happened, He
wanted me to search the Scriptures and write what He placed in my spirit that day.
The first thing I decided to do was look up all the verses with water, rivers, living water and more in
the Scriptures, then research rivers. Water is mentioned in the Scriptures over 722 times in some
form and is first mentioned in Genesis and last mentioned in Revelation. A river in the mountains is
one of the most pure sources of water on this earth. We all need water to live. In every river, there
are river rocks or stones. The river flows steadily over the stones, cleansing the stones until they are
smooth and soft. This is what Yahuweh does to us and our lives as we lay down our life and will to
Him (surrender), immerse ourselves in the Scriptures, pray, praise and worship Him, and learn to
know Him.
John (Yohanan) 4:10, 13-14 “Yahushua answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of Elohim,
and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have
given you living water.” “Yahushua answered and said to her, “Everyone drinking this water shall
thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I give him shall certainly never thirst. And the water
that I give him shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
John (Yohanan) 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water.” Or in the Scriptures version, “As the Scripture said, out of His innermost shall
flow rivers of living water.”
Psalm (Tehillim) 1:3 “For he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water, that yields its fruit in its
season, and whose leaf does not wither, and whatever he does prospers.”
Revelation (Hazon) 22:1 “And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the
Throne of Elohim and of the Lamb.”
Jeremiah (Yirmeyahu) 2:13 and 17:13 “For My people have done two evils: they have forsaken Me,
the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves cisterns, cracked cisterns, which do not hold
water.” “O Yahuweh, the expectation of Yisrael, all who forsake You are put to shame. Those who
depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken Yahuweh, the fountain of
living waters.”
From Wikipedia….”A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a
lake, a sea, or another river. A river begins at a source (or more often several sources) and ends at a
mouth, following a path called a course. A river flowing in its channel is a source of energy which
acts on the river channel to change its shape and form. The submerged weight of objects that may
be carried away by a river is proportional to the sixth power of the river flow speed. This formulation
is also sometimes called Airy’s law. Thus, if the speed of flow is doubled, the flow would dislodge
objects with 64 times as much submerged weight.”
In relation to Abba and Yahushua Messiah, They are our source and His Spirit is our energy, power
and authority to proclaim the Word and fulfill the gifts mentioned in the Word! When we are filled
with His Living Water, we are powerful enough to heal, move mountains and more!!! Praise Yah!!!!
With the River flowing through us, everything that is contrary (lodged in us), that restricts the flow of
the River, if allowed, will become ‘dislodged’ from our lives (sin, habits, hang-ups). Only by our will,
do we have the power to allow the River to dislodge the things in our lives that prevent us from
being carried completely (unrestricted) by the flow of the River.
River Rocks are real stones with smooth surfaces created by tumbling around in rivers for many years.
Rocks start out with rough edges and over time smooth out from the force of the water. These
statements about the rocks immediately made me connect us/His people as the rocks and
Yahuweh/Yahushua as the river flowing through us.
In the beginning of our walk with Yahuweh and Yahushua, we are those river rocks…we have many
rough edges relating to things in our life, hurts and baggage from our past, and a nature that does
not line up with His nature (sin, personality traits, impatience, haughty attitudes, etc.). The fruit of
the Spirit does not operate in us yet. We do not have a love for His commandments, and there are
things in our hearts and minds that do not line up with His nature, ways and thinking. Our soul (mind
and emotions) is not lined up with our reborn spirit yet.
As we allow Abba/Spirit and Yahushua to teach and discipline us, we mature and grow in our
relationship with Him/Them and He uses us more. We allow Him to purge us of all things not of Him.
Jeremiah (Yirmeyahu) 17:7-10
“Barach (Blessed) is the man who trusts in Yahuweh, and whose trust IS Yahuweh. For he shall be like a tree
planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and does not see when heat comes.
And his leaf shall be green, and in the year of drought he is not anxious, nor does he cease from
yielding fruit. The heart is crooked above all, and desperately sick—who shall know it? I, Yahuweh,
search the heart, I try the kidneys (loins), and give every man according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 58:11
“Then Yahuweh would guide you continually, and satisfy your being in drought, and strengthen your
bones. And you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
As we grow and mature in our walk with Yahuweh and Yahushua…He becomes a river in our lives, in
our spirits, He cleanses us, disciplines us, changes us permanently…washes away the bad and fills us
with His nature and we become the smooth stones He intended! The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy,
shalom, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) is
prevalent in our lives and everyone around us see His nature, ways and thinking IN us!! He
circumcises our hearts with a love of His commandments and a love for his Truth. These are gifts
from Him to those He can trust!! The Spirit not only teaches us but guides us in all we do. This is
why Messiah said, “I am the Truth, the Way and the Life” and “I am the Light…” We also become a
light to others as they see His light in us…His living water in us! HalleluYAH and Amein!!
The word ‘Spirit’ (Strong’s #7307) means wind or breath and comes from the Hebrew word ruach
(roo-ach). From a Hebraic perspective, the wind of Elohim is His breath so His breath gives us life but
also directs and leads us on our journey through life. His Spirit leads and guides us in all we do IF we
have laid down our life/self-will to follow Him! Someone said, ”When we live according to OUR “wind”
we follow the path of destruction, but when we live according to Elohim’s “wind” (His Spirit), we
follow the path of life.” This is so true!!!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
“And I will give you a new heart and a new wind (ruach) I will give within you, and I will cause the
heart of stone to be removed from your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will give MY
wind (ruach) within you and I will make you walk in my statutes, and my judgments you will preserve
and you will do them.” Ezekiel 36: 26,27
The ‘Wind’ or ‘breath’ also refers to someone’s character. So, His Spirit is His character! Fear in
Proverbs 9:10 is from the Hebrew noun yirah derived from the verb “Yarah” which means “to flow
as water, to rain, to point out as aiming the finger, to instruct, to teach, to lay a foundation” or
“ to flow out of the gut.” What flows out of Yahuweh’s gut? His teachings and character. (See Psalm/Tehillim 1:2 and
Judges/Shophetim 3:10) So, looking at Proverbs 9:10, it would read, The flowings of Yahuweh is the
beginning of Hochmah (wisdom) and knowledge of the Set-apart One (intimately knowing Him and being filled
with His Spirit) is understanding!
This means Hochmah (wisdom) is also connected to flowing and water. It literally means, “separating the water.”
When we learn Yahuweh’s and Yahushua’s instructions and teachings, nature, character and ways,
and we are filled with the Spirit, He is the river of living water flowing through us, guiding us. He
cleanses us, disciplines us, matures us until we are completely blameless and set apart unto Him.
“Let the set apart be more set apart. (Revelation / Hazon 22:11)” He gives us more understanding
(the ability to separate what is good from what is bad…spiritual discernment)! This is Hochmah (wisdom)!
We also take on His nature, ways, character and He speaks to us through His Spirit to ours (gut/loins
area). Last, when we are truly saved…truly born again by experiencing a true new birth through HIS
cleansing us as mentioned above and proven by the fruit in our lives, His Spirit flows through us and
allows us to witness to others. Others see the difference…and He gives us the words to share with others!!
So when we sing or pray for Him to turn our hearts like a river of water, we are asking Him to purify us,
cleanse us of all iniquity/sin and anything not pleasing to Him, make us blameless before Him, and make
our hearts be circumcised with a love for His commandments and a love for the Truth.
When we surrender our will to Him and ask for our whole innermost being to flow in the river of His
Spirit, we are asking for Him to keep smoothing out our rough edges and remove all that is not of
Him until we are truly set-apart unto Him and are true witnesses and lights to others in His …
we are asking to be led completely by the Spirit and for Him to rule completely over everything in our lives!!
you want to be in His presence all the time, you want to read His Word, you want to be alone with Him in
prayer, and you want to sing praise, worship and rejoice in Him and to Him all the time!! Be like the hart/deer
as the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O Elohim. My soul thirsts for Elohim,
for the living Yahuweh…”
Berâchot, joy and shalom!
In His love, Rivkah
PS: Listen to Kent Henry’s Purify My Heart album…become more like Him! I close with the lyrics of
“Living Water” by Michelle Benedek (I found this song as I was finishing this study):
“Like a river running through my heart
Your Word is the water that brings my soul new life
My soul cries out for more of You, my soul cries out for You
My heart it thirsts for more of You, my heart it thirsts for You
So I lift my song to You, oh Father
For only You I live
My heart, it thirsts for living water
That only You can give
Like a fountain always breaking out
My heart is a river of praise and joyous shouts
My soul cries out for more of You, my soul cries out for You
My heart it thirsts for more of You, my heart it thirsts for You
Living water, rising river
Breaking forth from the throne of Elohim
Dance and sing at the edge of the water
The deep is calling
The deep is calling (The deep is calling)
I’m jumping in”
(I replaced ‘God’ with Elohim)
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