Hi Everyone,

Thanksgiving was just a day or two ago. I hope you all had a wonderful day with your family.  The Lord is so good, we should thank him everyday! He is our provider, our healer and our deliverer. 

I am sharing a vision today that concerns our relationship with the Lord.  

The Thirsty Pet

In the vision I saw a small animal, a pet, like a guinea pig or a small rabbit.  I only saw the face of the animal, so it is possible that it could have been either one.  The animal was taking a drink from a water bottle which has a stainless steel “straw,” and a ball bearing at its tip.  The ball bearing acts like a plug or stopper.  So, when the animal wants water it pushes up the steel ball just a bit with its tongue to release a mouthful of water.  Then the ball falls back into place to stop the water from draining out.  A water bottle like this allows a rabbit or guinea pig to serve himself.  In this way the owner can leave his pet for a weekend knowing that it will have a reliable supply of water.

Water is essential for life.  We can go many days without food, but only a short while without water.  This vision reminded me of the words of the Lord when he was in Jerusalem on the feast of Sukkot, (The Feast of Tabernacles).  It concludes with a water pouring ceremony.  

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  John 7:37-39

“Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:14

In the Old Testament, the Lord extended to his people an invitation to come and drink.  700 years before Jesus came to earth, Isaiah the prophet gave this invitation to the people, prophesying that there would be a new covenant with the Lord:

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?  Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 

Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.  Isaiah 55:1-3

When Jesus spoke at the water pouring ceremony, He was announcing this same prophetic invitation to drink of the Spirit of God and to make an everlasting covenant with him.  This covenant is available to those who believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world, that he is God, and has come in the flesh.   

His announcement also referred to the prophecy of Joel when the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all flesh.

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.  Joel 2:28

It is the very thing that John the Baptist meant when he said of the Lord:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  Matthew 3:11

What is this all about?  Living water, the pouring out of the Spirit, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, what do these mean?

Jesus is speaking of living in the Spirit and not in the flesh.  He is speaking of being born again and being filled with his Spirit so that we…

“Live and move and have our being in him!”  Acts 17:28

Yes, we are speaking of a new life. 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

And another Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel, speaks of this:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”  Ezekiel 36:26

It is thrilling to read about all that Jesus said and did as the Messiah.  It is remarkable that the Lord had planned long ago to bring both Jews and Gentiles and all who accept him, into his eternal kingdom.  And now while still on the earth we can have a taste of heaven when we are born again and filled with his Spirit.  We experience for ourselves the goodness of God, and we have the assurance of his presence in our lives. 

His gift of the Holy Spirit is for anyone who hungers and thirsts for righteousness.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”  Matthew 5:6

Yes, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the living water that satisfies our thirst for God.  Yes, our spirits become alive in the waters that Jesus gives.  He is the true Messiah, the Christ.

 At Jacob’s well, Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman about this living water.

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”  (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)  The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”  The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?  Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”  Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”  John 4:7-15

Jesus revealed his identity to the woman and went on to explain that the living water is the Holy  Spirit that moves in us as a river springing up and bringing us into eternal life with him.  And the Spirit of God comes to us when we are born again, born of the Spirit.  This is true life.  Without the Spirit, we are dead in our sins and spiritually dead.  By acknowledging Jesus as Lord, God and Savior, we have new life in him!

There is another aspect to this vision of the small rabbit or guinea pig.  It is the idea of the Lord’s ownership and care for those who are his own.   

I see the vision as being similar to the Lord’s story of the good shepherd and his sheep.  Most people, like myself, have little knowledge of sheep and what is involved in caring for them.  But many of us understand what is involved in caring for a pet.  A sheep is led to water and pasture everyday and confined to a barn or a fold at night.  And a rabbit or guinea pig may be confined to a cage much of the time, but they are still given love and attention when they are taken out to play.  Yet both the sheep and the pet receive the best of care from those who love them.   

Jesus spoke of himself as the good shepherd who cares for his sheep.  We are the sheep of his pasture.  He wants us to know him, and to hear his voice.  When we believe him, and trust him for all our needs and concerns, he proves himself faithful.  

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.  He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.  John 10:1-18

Yet, Jesus is no ordinary shepherd.  He was willing to die for his sheep, so that they might live forever!  

The 23rd psalm is David’s personal testimony of the Lord caring for him like a shepherd cares for his flock.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  Psalm 23:1-6

We see that David took great comfort in his shepherd’s care.  The Lord gave him rest as he was led beside the still waters.  With his rod, the Lord fought off David’s enemies. With his staff the Lord saved him.  Even when walking in “the valley of the shadow of death,” he was not afraid, because the Lord was his provider and defender.  

The Lord is our shepherd too, when we trust him for our provision.  When we seek him for our needs, when we seek his wisdom and his counsel, we begin to trust him more.  Our walk with him becomes more intimate.  We share our deepest thoughts and concerns, and we receive his guidance, mercy and love.  David saw that as he loved and cared for the sheep, God loved and cared for him.

David, as a shepherd, had much time to spend with the Lord and to learn his ways.  Through his time of solitude, he developed a close walk with God.  Even the Lord called him, “a man after His own heart.”  (Acts 13

:22) Many of his psalms were written in distress, but they always ended with praise to the Lord for his faithfulness and his everlasting love.

Through his shepherding experiences, he saw that the Lord could be trusted in every situation.  When a lion or bear came to attack his flock, David was able to defend the sheep from these dangerous beasts, even snatching a lamb from their clenched teeth!

It is the Lord who fights for us, who gives us courage and boldness to do what we ordinarily would not be able to do.  

When David met Goliath, who mocked and challenged the armies of Israel, holy boldness came upon him, and instantly he knew that Goliath was no match for the Lord.  Just as the Lord had delivered him from the lion and the bear, he would deliver Goliath and the Philistines into his hands.  His confidence in God inspired King Saul to trust the Lord for the victory.  David approached Goliath as an already defeated foe.  Entirely without fear, he declared to Goliath what would be his fate, for defying the Lord and the armies of Israel.  David’s faith and boldness pleased God. 

And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”  

1 Samuel 17:43-47

David ran towards the Philistine.  With a slingshot and a smooth stone, he hit his target– the forehead of Goliath.  Only one stone brought this seasoned warrior to the ground.  David then took out the Philistine’s sword and cut off his head, holding it up for all to see.  The Philistines ran in fear as the Israelites, shocked at the turn of events, pursued and overtook their enemies.  The victory was God’s!  

David’s zeal for the Lord’s honor brought about a stunning victory.  The Lord was glorified by David’s courage and faith.  Shouldn’t our faith be the same?  Shouldn’t we also bring glory to the Lord by our faith and trust in him.  

“And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  Mark 16:17-19

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”  John 14:12-14

If we spend time with the Lord and his word, we will learn to trust him too.  Our walk with him is truly a walk of faith.  When we exercise our faith, praying and believing him for miracles, our faith will grow and become stronger.  We will be able to believe him for greater and greater things.  But if we fail to spend time in intimate fellowship with God, and fail to read his word and exercise our faith, it will atrophy just like a muscle that is never worked.  When a difficult situation arises, we might not have the faith to believe him and we will take matters into our own hands, which could easily result in defeat.

Faith produces victory.  Little or no faith produces nothing.

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5 

In Summary

If we want an eternal home with God, then we must know him and serve him. If we hunger and thirst for righteousness, and the presence of God he will cause us to become born again and filled with his Holy Spirit. As a result we will have rivers of living water flow through us. We will increase in desire to understand and to know the heart of God. We will live a life pleasing to him. As we trust in him, we will no longer be fearful of the days ahead. We will meet life’s challenges as David met Goliath knowing that the battle belongs to the Lord and it is he who fights for us.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

God bless you all! Please share this post and encourage others to seek the Lord!