Living Water - Fall Series pt. 8
This is the time of year that stirs up warm, fuzzy memories of Christmas time as a child, or, it can be a time of loneliness, sadness, depression for those who feel abandoned or are without loved ones or who have lost hope, or all reason/purpose to care what 2025 has in store. No matter what your personal story is, whether you have lots of loved ones, or you are alone and barely living - Jesus has come that you may not be thirsty in your souls any longer. You do not have to ever be alone or thirst for life ever again. Come, be encouraged, listen today!
Diana’s Notes
I hope everyone had a wonderful THANKSGIVING!! This is the time of year that stirs up warm, fuzzy memories of Christmas time as a kid, or, it can be a time of loneliness, ,sadness, depression for those who feel abandoned or are without loved ones or who have lost hope, a reason/purpose to even care what 2025 has in store. No matter what your personal story is, whether you have lots of loved ones, or you are alone and barely living - Jesus has come that you may not be thirsty in your souls any longer. You do not have to ever be alone or thirst for life ever again.
I grew up on a farm and we had a well that provided our water. An Artesian Well fed off a spring that ran through the property. At one time there had been a small lake on the property where locals would come and swim, but at some point the land owners at the time decided to put tile down and make it an agriculture farm.
In the summer, that well was a great source of refreshment. Both for a quick swig of some good ole ice cold well water and for spraying yourself off and the horses, dogs, the kittens not so much! Or the ducks! LOL But it would feel great when you were hot and sweaty from weeding the garden or mucking stalls or just running around playing.
I know sometimes a good homemade lemonade, or ice tea, or other iced beverages taste good and are refreshing too, , but there are health benefits to just plain water that we can not get from any other beverage and without water we die.
Water is a major component in blood and it helps transport important nutrients and oxygen to the cells throughout our bodies.
Water helps produce saliva which is needed to help break down solid foods and keeps our mouth healthy.
Hydration - getting enough water is vital to regulating our body temperature
Drinking enough water helps lubricate and cushion our joints, and spinal cord, along with our tissue. This is important because it helps us enjoy physical activity and lessen discomfort in conditions like arthritis, if you suffer from this like I do, you know water is key to managing pain by keeping your tendons and ligaments and tissues and your body in general well lubricated -and getting plenty of oxygen ( blood flow) to your limbs.
According to an article in Eating Well, about 60% of the human body is water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), it needs to maintain hydration levels to fuel cells and keep the brain and body functioning.
Besides creating problems with our vital organs if we deny our bodies water, not getting the proper amount of water can impact our daily life - 10 basic areas we can impact by not providing our body with what it needs - water
You can create:
9. Weaker Workouts - or just daily tasks and chores, work in general
In John 6:35: Jesus replied, “ I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be Thirsty…
Jesus tells us in the Bible, that He is Living Water. And when we receive Him as our Savior He gives us streams of living water, His Spirit.
Regular water is needed for our physical survival while we are alive on earth. Jesus came to tell us that He is Living water, eternal water that we need for our eternal life and for a good flow - here, right now. Not some distant future of an eternal life that we may not even understand, but what we need to realize is that our relationship with Jesus is critical, like water, for a healthy, balanced life right now, today and for as long as we are given breath on this earth.
Earlier in John - Jesus had been traveling with His disciples, it was the heat of the day about midday, and Jesus saw a Samaritan woman drawing water from the well. At this time of the day, when it is at the hottest point, it would be unusual to see women gathering and drawing water, they waited until the cooler hours of the day to go together, but Not this woman, and Jesus goes up to the well and begins a conversation that would have started a whole lot of drama and unrest. The disciples had gone on to get some food, so this left the perfect timing for Jesus to introduce her to a “water” that would satisfy her brokenness. At this point we can guess that the woman was an outcast by the other women in town. this Samaritan woman, as Jesus points out later, would be the last person any Jew would want to talk to and the women shunned her from gathering water with them. The guilt and the shame she probably endured was far worse than having to deal with the hot tempaures she endured when at the heat of the day . But Jesus, did talk to her. Not out of harshness or cruel words, not down on her because she was worth nothing, but Jesus spoke to her with empathy and compassion. He was engaging and interested in her. Can you imagine the Son of Man caring about a woman whose life was riddled in sin and the people of her own village found her disgusting, dirty, worthless. But Jesus found her worth His time and wanted to extend living water of restoration and refreshment into her life.
In John 4 Jesus meets this woman at the well and asks her for a drink of water, being a jewish man and the fact that he was speaking to her made her suspicious. Cautious. Do you find kind people make you suspicious?
John 4: 10-14
Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and Who you are speaking to, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water.”
11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
The Samaritan woman did not necessarily know who Jesus was. To get a better idea of exactly what authority this man who was talking with her might have, or who he might be, she says to him - in verse 13
“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 4:11-15
Jesus knows the story of this woman, the whole story and He is trying to tell her that she has been making a lot of poor decisions because she is looking for something or someone to satisfy, a love, a belonging, an approval of worth that she longs for, thirsts for and Jesus wants her to know, it is Him she truly is thirsty for. Only He can satisfy and quench her thirsty soul, our thirsty souls. `
Jesus follows in His Fathers footsteps and chooses to love the least lovable people, and He chooses to use the least likely among us.
Scripture
If we have a humble heart, and can admit that on our own we will just mess everything up, than God can use you! A heart full of it’s own pride, has no room for God to move, so, He doesn’t. The best way to increase living waters, streams… to have eternal living bread, the fruit of God’s character enhancing, equipping and empowering us in our everyday lives, is to humble ourselves. To rest, and rely on Him. When we are weak, as Paul says, then we are strong.
Jesus is awakening her heart to what she really needs: love and forgiveness.
Love and forgiveness are the streams of living waters that we all need to embrace. To hold on tightly to, because, at least in my life’s journey , that love and forgiveness will guide your steps in the right direction and keep you off of paths that steal God’s best for us, paths that lead us to feeling defeated, emotionally, physically, spiritually. Drained of life for life.
The opposite of Love and Forgiveness is hate and unforgiveness
Do you want to live a life that is always intense, edgy, harsh, hard. Life-stealing - an attitude of the mind that seeps into our hearts and rather than giving more life brings rot and decay. Hate only subtracts from life, it never adds anything of any real value. Do you want to live in an atmosphere of anger and unhappiness? And do we want to live in unforgiveness. - according to the Bible, God’s Word, it is the act of unwillingness to forgive or show mercy towards someone who has offended or hurt us. It is characterized by bitterness, anger, and resentment, and goes against God’s command to forgive others as He forgives us.
When my kids were very small there was a kids musical we did called L.I.F.E by bill and Gloria Gather.
L = the love I can show
I = I can be impatient to grow
F= friends that we know
E= means life is exciting
Are our lives exciting? Are we showing love towards others, the kind of love God demonstrated towards us by not withholding eternal life. Do we give something back to our community, our friends, our families; or do we take, take, take all of the time. We can get impatient with ourselves in life if life isn’t what we dreamed it would be when we were young and full of hope and adventure. But as we get older, we tend to settle in whatever state we find ourselves drifting in. But God does not want us drifting through life. He has a purpose, a reason for you. YOU! Get to know Him, spend time with Him this holiday season and let Him reveal to you the LIFE He has planted within you.
Let Him awaken the child within this holiday season. The child who dreamed and imagined and envisioned all kinds of wonderful hope for a future life. A life as children we do not see, yet, we feel it bubbling up within us. Find that well of life again. Jesus.
In an article on Bible Study tools Find Refreshment in the Living water Jesus Offers, provided by a contributing writer Clarence L. Haynes Jr.
“The Samaritan woman didn’t need long though, she knew that the change of love and grace and worship was bubbling up in her heart. She was experiencing the living water welling up inside of her to eternal life. What an incredible feeling. You can have that too. Jesus is more than just a story on the page, Jesus is more than a faint Hebrew promise. It’s not unattainable for outsiders like us and the Samaritan woman. Jesus is here, and He is near to us. If you haven’t experienced His presence yet just ask Him to show you who He is and what He’s done for you”
Is your life not quite what you thought it would be? Are you feeling like something is missing, that you are flat, dehydrated, in need of refreshment. Then maybe you need to drink from the well, the well that Jesus draws from - the well of heaven and drink of His Living water. What do you have to lose? A life you aren’t crazy about anyway?? LOL - It might feel scary - that is good, that means you aren’t dead… yet! Rather than just a sip, maybe you just need to take the plunge and jump all in.
Jesus came to be our Sacrifice so that in Him, we can have Living Bread and Living Water, and next week we will talk about how Jesus is our Living Hope! Jesus became a living sacrifice for us. To take on all of our sins, to actually become sin before God so that we can have eternal life. LIFE.
I have been changed by the Living Water of Christ in me, His Spirit. I am not worthy, I am completely undeserving, like the woman at the well, I have lived in sin and shame, but that is the beauty of salvation. I don’t have to do anything, I don’t have to earn my way to heaven by becoming good enough. There is only ONE Who is the way the truth and the life and that is Jesus. ,,,,,,
Do you need to be refreshed this holiday season? Does your heart, soul, life, need to be replenished with life, joy, energy? Have you lost enthusiasm for your life? Today, come to our Living Water. Jesus.
We have the real food of heaven, the Bread of Life Himself, Jesus, Who came from heaven to be our daily, living bread. To satisfy us with a good life, a life that feeds our soul. He is the Source and the Sustainer of all we hunger and thirst for.
Jesus tells us He is Way truth Life
John 14:5-7
5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”…
And when we seek Him with our whole heart we will find Him and know Him - We can be sure we will find Him, because He tells us we will
Jesus tells us in Matthew 7: 7-8:
Whoever seeks find:
7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
If you need a miracle to turn your life around, if you need to know that a miracle can still happen today. Then turn towards Jesus and let Him reveal the mysteries of God’s will for you. Jesus is our Miracle - AND I have put a link of the founding Pastor of Valley Family Church, Jeff Jones message -Miracles: Jesus turns water into wine: - on the notes for this week on our website.
You can find the link of the podcast on -
Heartfeltconversations.com -https://www.heartfeltconversations.com/
Keep your Chin Up - Eyes fixed on Jesus!
NOW! May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)
Be well! Be Alive! Be ALL God Created YOU to be! God bless and see you next week when we talk about -Jesus, Our Living Hope!
Songs to inspire you
O Come All Ye Faithful Lyric Video - Hillsong Worship
Amy Grant - Breath Of Heaven (Mary's Song) (Lyric Video)
Joy To The World (Joyful, Joyful)
Scriptures from This Weeks Podcast
2 Peter 1:5-11 The Message
5-9 So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, ( the fruits of God’s spirit we have been looking at) spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others.
With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
10-11 So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
John 6:14-15 Jesus feeds the multitude
When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.
John 6:24-40
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for Him. They found Him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
Jesus replies, “ I tell you the truth, you want to be with Me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food/ Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given Me the Seal of His approval.”
They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”
Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you; Believe in the ONE He has sent.”
They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in You. What can You do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, “Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
Jesus said, “I tell you the Truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the True Bread from heaven. The True Bread of God is the ONE Who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Sir”, they said, “give us that bread every day.”
Jesus replied, “ I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be Thirsty. But you haven’t believed in Me, even though you have seen Me. However, those the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God Who sent Me, not to do My Own will.
And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given Me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is My Father’s will that all who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. For they shall be filled.
John 10:10
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Psalm 107: 8-9
Let us give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things
Matthew 11:25-30
25At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [I openly and joyfully acknowledge Your great wisdom], that You have hidden these things [these spiritual truths] from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants [to new believers, to those seeking God’s will and purpose]. 26Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son [deliberately] wills to reveal Him28“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST (renewal, blessed quiet) FOR YOUR SOULS. 30For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”
Other Scripture to meditate on, let it roll over in your thoughts and heart
Acts 3:19-20
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then, times of refreshment will come from the presence of the LORD, …
Philippians 2:12:
continue to work out your salvation - [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]
Foundation Verse
Romans 8:11
The Spirit of God, Who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Chrisr Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living in you. “
Additional Resources
Prayer of Salvation
Jesus has given salvation, healing, and countless benefits to all who call upon His name. These benefits can be yours if you receive Him into your heart by saying this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You admitting that I am a sinner. Right now, I choose to turn away from sin, and I ask You to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus rose again from the dead so that I may be justified and made righteous through faith in Him. I call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life. Jesus, I choose to follow You, and I ask that You fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. I declare right now that I am a born again, child of God. I am free from sin and full of the righteousness of God. I am saved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This prayer and the comment above, were taken out of the book:
Secrets to Powerful Prayer - Discovering the Languages of the Heart
By Lynne Hammond and Patsy Cameneti
If you have just received Jesus as your Savior, please write Lynne Hammond Ministries at:
PO Box 29469
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55429-2946
Or, email one of the ministries listed on the Additional Resources Tab and let them know that you are a brand new christian and need some direction on the next steps for your new life in Christ.
Or email us here at Heartfelt Conversations with Diana and we will pass along your information for you.
Congratulations if you are a brand new Christian or if you have Returned Home! Welcome!!! Get in God’s Word and get it into you!
Diana’s Home Church:
Valley Family Church - Pastor’s Eric and Alexa Jones
www.valleyfamilychurch.org
Other recommended Jesus-centered churches who teach the True Word of God:
Elevation Church - Steven Furtick
https://elevationchurch.org/
Joseph Prince Ministries - Joseph Prince
https://www.josephprince.org/
Joyce Meyer Ministries
https://joycemeyer.org/