When You Fall Down, Get Back Up

When I think of a pregnant woman who is carrying an unborn child, that child has all the instructions to become an adult man or woman one day.  It will take many years for this to happen, but non-the-less, over time that baby will grow to full maturity - an adult human being that can contribute to society.  Can you imagine all the stumbling and falling that child would experience in the next few years of his life.  No one questions whether or not he will make mistakes or miscalculate decisions.  It is part of the learning process.  In the same way, when a person becomes a Christian, he has experienced what the Bible says “Born Again,” or born into the family of God.  He has been given a new nature that is responsive to God’s heart, he has been given eternal life and the spiritual and physical tools necessary to live out his God given destiny.  Even though he has received everything necessary to live out the Christian life from God, he enters a process called sanctification or being set a part.  A new Christian has to learn what it means to walk with God and live in obedience to God’s will for his life.  Just like a new born child can’t drive a car the moment he enters into this world, over the next 15 or 16 years of his life, he will grow and mature to become a responsible young man who can handle this privilege.  There are no shortcuts in growing to maturity in Christ and being a yielded vessel that God can fill with His Spirit to accomplish His will on the earth.  It takes time…period! 

Even a mature Christian and one who continues to mature through the years, will make mistakes.  We never arrive.  Be weary of people who claim they are without sin or are so full of pride they can’t let people see their flaws. 

The bible says,”For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity” (Proverbs 24:16.)

In other words, a person who loves God will make mistakes along this Christian journey, but he gets back up and keeps moving forward.  Just this week, I was working on a promotional piece for a worship event our church is sponsoring and I had to get some images off a well known stock photo website online.  I searched under the keyword “worship” and as I scrolled down through the great worship photos I noticed a picture of a naked woman in the middle of all of them.  I had the choice to immediately click to another page or continue to admire God’s creation.  Well, in a moment of weakness, I chose to look at the picture a few seconds longer than I should have.  I felt convicted for the poor choice and asked God to forgive me.  God in His great love for me said, “Cory get up, dust yourself off and keep moving forward.  You are forgiven!”  I received His forgiveness and went on with the rest of my day making a difference in other people’s lives.  God reminded me that I am a work in progress and that I have come so far in this area of my life.  I used to struggle with pornography on a regular basis several years ago, but God truly has delivered me and rarely do I feel the urge to succumb to it.  The devil was doing his best to try to heap condemnation on me for hours, but I have learned to receive God’s forgiveness and really believe I am forgiven!  Remember we are a work in progress and though we are maturing, we still mess up!   Even the greatest of Saints, if they are honest, will tell you they need God’s mercy and forgiveness on a regular basis. 

Here are a couple of key points to remember. 

One – the Christian life is a journey and it takes time to become mature.  Just like the little baby that falls a lot, you will fall and make mistakes along the way, but get back up and keep moving forward.  Those mistakes actually become nuggets of wisdom to help others as you learn from them.

Two – Don’t try and make excuses for the wrong choices you make.  Just admit it and let God forgive you.  He resists the proud person, but gives grace to the humble.  Those who freely admit they were wrong and look to God for help are met with God’s loving embrace.  

Three – Receive God’s forgiveness, NOT condemnation.  God convicts us of sin, but the devil condemns us.  Once you ask for forgiveness and you still feel heaviness and condemned for the mistakes you made, don’t receive them.  You need to fight back against the lies of the enemy by saying, I am forgiven by God.  He paid the price at the cross so that I could be in right relationship with Him. 

When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you begin this amazing journey with God.  I pray that you continue to mature and become all that God intended you to be.  Don’t let your past mistakes keep you feeling less than or not good enough.  Jesus paid an enormous price so that you could experience His very best and be free from condemnation and a life of regret.  Remember, a righteous man falls seven times, but he gets back up!  Get up, dust yourself off and keep heading into all the good things God has for you.  Life is worth living. 

Are You Stuck In The Mud?

Do you find yourself frustrated with life, going through the motions, or just feeling like you are stuck in the mud?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone.  Everyone has moments where life becomes routine.  Instead of a sense of excitement, there is the dread of getting up in the morning to face another day.  Though we all face these thoughts and feelings, the key is to push past the way we “FEEL” and continue to move forward in the direction we believe God has asked us to go.

 I had to learn this lesson.  Over the past two years, I faced the worst financial collapse of my life.  Every decision I made in an effort to do the right thing threw me into a worse predicament.  I was so broke, I could no longer live on my own and after 11 years of doing so, I had to move in with my parents again.  In this trial, I believed God spoke to me and said “Set my people free.”  In my mind, I was like what does that mean?  How can I set God’s people free when I have no money and have no car to get around?  I have always been fascinated with new modes of internet technology like Youtube and Facebook because these are free vehicles to let ordinary people get ideas and experiences out to the masses.  People have literally become famous over night because of them.  I found a free blogging website that I could start sharing experiences that God has taken me through over the last 12 years to help people grow in their relationship with God and experience His very best.  Within weeks, people from all over the world started viewing my blog and were benefitting from it.  I was so excited.  After a couple of months of writing this blog, I found myself wondering if people were really getting something out of it because I was not receiving as many encouraging comments as I did when I first started.  I even took this to God in prayer.  He said to me, “Continue writing…Set my people free.”  I wanted to be obedient to God so I just continued to do what I knew God had asked me to do, even when it was hard to keep moving forward.  I didn’t see the results I wanted to see, but in faith I kept pressing forward.  Within a week or two of all these thoughts, I received an email from the editor-in-chief of a Christian newspaper company in south Florida.  She had read several of my blogs and wanted me to start writing for the newspaper.  I communicated with her several times and I am now a columnist writer for this newspaper company with a reading audience of over 250,000 readers.  God is amazing! 

I learned some big lessons through this event.  One – if you are going through a difficult season and can’t figure out what God is up to, He might be repositioning you like He did me.  God repositioned me to live at home and cut all my expenses down to almost nothing so that I could spend my time and energy communicating the truths I learned over the last several years.  Don’t fight against God, let Him guide you and trust by faith He has a good plan even if it is uncomfortable. 

Two- When God asks you to do something, keep on course until He asks you to do something else.   Many times we quit before our blood, sweat and tears produce good fruit.  The bible says, “And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint” (Galatians 6:9 Amplified Bible).  In other words, we will see the good things God has in store for us if we continue until the appointed time for us to receive them.  I had to press through the way I felt at times and do what God asked me to do.  The end result was a promotion and the ability to influence so many more people!  If we get whatever we want when we want it, we become spoiled.  God allows us to go through seasons of pushing forward with little or no results to teach us to trust Him by faith and not give up because the journey is difficult.  This difficulty and trust in God teaches us to be grateful when we do see the fruit of our labor. 

Three – When these negative feelings come into our minds, we need to cast them down and replace them with the truth of God’s Word.  I had to make a decision regardless if I received positive feedback from others or not and trust that God would not lead me in this direction if He didn’t equip me to minister to His people.  He will not lead you into something He has not already given you the grace and ability to do it.  People were being ministered to.  I just didn’t hear about it.  One day, I ran into a buddy of mine and he told me he reads all my blogs and I should continue to write because it is good stuff!

The next time you find yourself in a season of frustration or you are just going through the motions, I want to encourage you to take some time and ask yourself if you are doing what God has asked you to do? Or, have you stopped?  Real joy comes from walking in obedience to God and His plan for your life.  You were destined for great things and the key to walking it out is obedience to God.  It might be hard, but God will give you the strength to endure and live an overcoming life.  I pray you will allow God to pull you up out of the mud and lead you into your destiny.    

True Words From A Real Friend

I love singing.  I grew up singing in my bedroom, the shower and pretty much anywhere for that matter.  I even thought that God was asking me to sing for Him and use this amazing gift for His glory!  I could see it in my mind, touring the world for Jesus.  However, there was one small problem.  I was not as gifted as I thought I was.  Whenever I actually got in front of people to perform, I was so nervous that I went flat frequently.  Not to mention, it was a real struggle for me to sing correctly.  I never felt comfortable in my own shoes while singing, nor did I sense the grace of God on this particular ability.  I tried to get inspiration from my younger brother who was an excellent singer/ song writer and I thought I could do what he was doing because I liked what he was doing!  My first clue that I was not a gifted singer should have been the fact that NO ONE came up to me and said I did a good job, unless it was family of course.  They would tell me I sounded great even if I was a broken record.  Then one day, I went to dinner with a friend who straight up told me that I could not sing.  He went on to say that I was not gifted at singing and that my talents were in another area.  “Cory, Explore what those are,” he said.  Well, let me just say that I was devastated by our conversation and I couldn’t sleep the whole night because I was convinced that I was supposed to sing.  Over the next several months and even years, I realized that I was not gifted to sing, even if I practiced every day and took singing lessons…the whole nine yards.  I would have been a very very low average singer…if that! 

The bible says “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy” (Proverbs 27:6 New Living Translation).  Sometimes, we are so convinced we are right about the direction in life we need to take or about an important decision that we fail to see clearly.  We really like the gifts and talents of someone else, and try to claim them for ourselves.  We might not say it out loud, but we say it secretly in our hearts and take steps to see them function in our lives.  That happened to me.  I saw my younger brother was a great singer and song writer and I wanted to be too.  It was cool!  What came very natural for him was extremely burdensome for me, but I would not have admitted it.  I just tried harder and it became very frustrating.  God had to work through a friend of mine that was very close to me because I was not listening to Him directly.  My friend’s words hurt me, but they REALLY HELPED me in the end.  I was so grateful for his honesty, because it helped me discover and go after what I was really good at in life.  Instead of pursuing something I was average at, I am know running after what God has called me to do.  I love speaking and sharing what God has done in my life with others.  It is something I do naturally and when I am speaking in front of people, it motivates me.  When I get done, people tell me that I really helped them grow closer to God.  I finally started running in my lane and life couldn’t be better. 

Are you going through a rough patch and need someone to be honest with you?  Or maybe you see someone in your world going through a very difficult season and you know you should say something to him because you LOVE and VALUE him as a person.  It might hurt his feelings because you could say something that he doesn’t want to hear, but in the end, it will help him down the right path.  I was so thankful for my friend who was willing to tell me the truth even though it hurt.  I look back and see how much happier I am now knowing that I am using the real gifts and talents God has given me to further His kingdom.  The next time you find yourself in a situation where you hear words you might not want to hear from a true friend, prayerfully consider what he is saying.  Those words just might be true riches that leads you into your destiny or brings real healing into your life.  It did for me. 

Show A Little Respect

I grew up with three brothers and eventually had two amazing sisters added to the mix in my late teen years.  My twin brother and I happened to be the middle children, so we knew what it was like to have older siblings and a younger brother.  In the hierarchy of siblings, it was my older brother’s right to sit in the front passenger seat of the family car whenever mom or dad went somewhere.  This older sibling right-of-passage was supposed to be passed down to me, but for some reason was never enforced.  In fact, my younger brother many times would make some quick maneuver to sit in the front passenger seat and my parents would let him get away with it.  I felt extremely aggravated and ripped off that they would let him sit in “MY SPOT.”  After all, I waited years to be able to claim the rights to the front passenger seat.  Well my animosity toward my younger brother continued to grow.  He became the center of attention at family gatherings and I was secretly jealous of him because he took the attention away from me.  So like a nice older brother I made comments that ate away his confidence and brought his ego down a couple of notches.  Needless to say, our relationship was not very good.  I continually thought in my mind, if he would only respect me, then I would treat him different.  On several occasions I told him that I hated him.  This was said in love of course…not really…who was I kidding? 

            Several years ago, God took me through a series of events that broke my self-reliance and caused me to surrender control of my life to God.  In the months and years to follow, God began chipping away areas of my life that did not reflect his character and heart towards others.  One day He began to deal with me about how I had been treating my younger brother.  As I was spending time with God, this scene played out in my mind.  There was a huge royal feast with Christians seated along this rectangular table having a great time.  As far as the eye could see people were seated eating and carrying on conversation.  Jesus was at the head of the table and I noticed that He got up and came over to where I was seated and He said this to me, “You take my seat and I will take yours.”  I told Him that I could NOT take His seat because it was reserved for Him.  Then He said to me, “He who wants to be greatest in my kingdom will be a servant of all.”  I did not understand what this mental scene meant at first, but little by little, I began to understand.  Jesus was at the seat of honor and rightly so.  He deserved to sit in the highest seat at the feast.  He was God!  But, He gave up His right and took my place instead.  I knew God was asking me to give up my right to the front passenger seat of the family car and let my younger brother have it.  Not only that, but I was to ask if he wanted to sit up there!  The first time I did that, my brother looked at me as if I had lost my mind?  He could not believe that he was talking with the same Cory that terrorized him days and weeks earlier.  Over time, I looked for ways that I could show him that I loved and valued him because I was experiencing the same love and value from my Savior Jesus Christ.  The Bible says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7 NIV).  For many years, I sowed disrespect toward my brother and was expecting respect in return!  God began to teach me that if I wanted respect from my brother, I needed to humble myself and show respect to him.  I will reap what I sow into the ground only.  Over the course of several months of sowing respect, I saw a real change start to take place in him and he began to treat me with kindness.  To this day, we have an amazing relationship and it is all because I humbled myself and started sowing what I wanted out of the relationship…RESPECT.

Maybe you are having trouble in a relationship with a loved one, friend or coworker.  I encourage you to let go of pride and stop waiting for them to make the first move.  Humble yourself and let God teach you how to show love and respect toward them and you will see God transform those broken relationships into meaningful ones.  It might be tough, but with God’s help you can be more than a conqueror.  You might want to quit because they are not showing you love in return for the changes you made.  Remember, you are starting to sow good seed.  It takes time for it to germinate and produce a crop. 

“And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint” (Galatians 6:9 Amplified Bible).

Leaning Forward

I recently had the opportunity to go snowboarding with some friends a couple of weekends ago in Michigan.  I had been several times before, but never quite grasped how to go down the hill fast.  Every time I started to pick up speed, I would start to lean back on my back foot.  This would cause the edge of my board to catch the snow and I would take a nasty spill.  Eventually, one of my friends who went that day and who was quite good at snowboarding, gave me some advice that really changed my approach to carving down the slopes.  He told me the key for going fast down the hill and not allowing my snowboard edge to catch the snow was to lean forward onto my front foot.  This new advice was very intimidating to implement at first because of how much speed I generated in such a short amount of time.  To my amazement, leaning forward and trusting the board to guide me down the hill worked.  As I took pressure off my back foot and leaned forward, the back edges of my board were loose enough on top of the snow to keep the board from digging into the snow.  In turn, the board went straight down the hill.  The key was for me to trust the board to do its job as I leaned forward into an uncomfortable position. 

Our relationship with God is a lot like this snowboarding experience.  God so many times wants us to lean forward and trust Him and lean on Him for direction, guidance and council and when things don’t make sense to us, we need to trust that He sees the bigger picture.  Our carnal minds want answers and we want them “NOW”.  When we don’t get the answer we are looking for, we sometimes take things into our own hands.  

Romans 8:6 (Amplified Bible)

Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].

This verse is simply stating that without the illumination from the Holy Spirit we will miss what God is trying to teach us or where He wants to lead us.  We need to trust God and let His peace guard our hearts and minds.  Sometimes God leads us into very uncomfortable situations because He is trying to train us so that we can be fully mature believers.  

Take Job for example.  Behind the scenes, God had a conversation with Satan about Job and God allowed Satan to bring difficulty into his life.  Job lost everything he owned and all his sons and daughters were killed in one day!!!  Then, if that wasn’t enough, Job was stricken with sores from the top of his head to the soles of his feet for an extended amount of time.  Eventually some of Job’s friends heard about all the trials Job had faced and came to comfort him.  They told Job that he must be in sin, because a righteous person wouldn’t go through such trials. 

It’s amazing to me how many critics we have when we are down in the lowest points of our lives.  When we need someone to encourage us, we get blasted with judgmental stares and opinions.  Many of them even claim to be speaking on behalf of God.  I had such an experience.  At the start of the economic downturn a little over 2 years ago, I was working in Atlanta, GA for a very successful landscape architecture firm.  Everyone at the office was given a pay cut and eventually several people were laid off, one of which was me.  It was very difficult to find a job during this time and especially one in my field.  About 75% of the landscape architecture/ architecture industry was wiped out and was not returning any time soon.  Every job I took ended in me being laid off or forced to leave due to bad economic times and employers couldn’t afford to keep me on staff.  It was very confusing.  At the same time, I owned a house and rented rooms to some of my friends and they started struggling financially.  It was hard for them to pay me rent on time and some could only make partial payments.  For the first time ever, I started being late on bills and had to live off credit to survive.  None of it made sense to me.  I loved God and was trying to obey Him to the best of my ability and I tried to listen to financial experts about what to do.  Every good sound decision I made ended up spiraling me further into debt and despair.  Several of my friends began to question every aspect of my financial condition.  One of them even asked “Are you in sin?”  I was thinking in my head, “no, but I will be in five seconds if you don’t get away from me.”  I don’t think people have much compassion for others and where they have been, unless they have personally walked a mile in their shoes.  My own financial collapse has taught me to not be so quick to point the finger and judge anymore.  I am sad to admit that I used to be one of those critics!!  I can honestly say that God has completely changed my perspective and I am so grateful for the hard times.  They teach me to have God’s heart.  During this time, I was really discouraged about the whole ordeal and one night I cried out to God and asked Him, “Please show me if I am doing something wrong.  Help me trust you when I don’t see what you are doing.”  The next morning I was reading a book and it talked about how God had taken Job through a very difficult season that he didn’t understand why.  Then I read this verse in Job:

            Job 23:8-10 (Amplified Bible)

Behold, I go forward [and to the east], but He is not there; I go backward [and to the west], but I cannot perceive Him; on the left hand [and to the north] where He works [I seek Him], but I cannot behold Him; He turns Himself to the right hand [and to the south], but I cannot see Him.  But He knows the way that I take [He has concern for it, appreciates, and pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold [pure and luminous].

Through this verse, God was asking me to trust Him when life didn’t make sense and to leave the critics in His hands.  I don’t have to try and convince people why I am going through these trials, but I need to lean forward on God and let Him teach me the lessons He wants me to learn, even when it is uncomfortable.  Then, I will come forth as pure gold with no defects. 

My financial condition worsened.  I ended up losing everything: my car, my house, all my household belongings and I eventually had to declare bankruptcy.  On top of that, I had to move back in with my parents and be dependent on them for the first time in almost 11 years…very humbling.  I made up my mind, I was not going to try and figure it out.   The bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6 (Amplified Bible) Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. 

It’s interesting that in the depths of my financial despair, God placed on my heart to write about all the difficult experiences He allowed me to walk through over the last 11 years.  It had always been a dream of mine to help encourage others in the midst of life’s challenges and I saw myself one day communicating these truths through writing.  God used what seemed to be a tragic season in my life to steer me in a totally new direction…a God direction.  Just this past week, someone in South Florida read my blog and asked me to become a writer for a Christian newspaper.  Had I not gone through all these challenges, I would not have been in a place where I had the time or energy to write.  God’s ways are truly not our ways. 

God knows what He is doing in your life!  Will you lean forward and trust God in the midst of uncertain times?  He is the only one who can see beyond your troubles and guide you to a safe place.  Don’t be afraid to place your complete trust and confidence in God and allow Him to direct your steps.  

Lean Forward…Lean on God. 

Let Go

Have you ever wanted something so bad that it consumed your every thought?  Sure, we all have.  Sometimes it might be a really good thing and other times it can actually be something that can bring real harm into our lives.  Let’s look at Abraham’s life as an example.  

Genesis 15:2-5 (Amplified Bible)  And Abram said, Lord God, what can You give me, since I am going on [from this world] childless and he who shall be the owner and heir of my house is this [steward] Eliezer of Damascus?  And Abram continued, Look, You have given me no child; and [a servant] born in my house is my heir. 

And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This man shall not be your heir, but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir.  And He brought him outside [his tent into the starlight] and said, Look now toward the heavens and count the stars--if you are able to number them. Then He said to him, So shall your descendants be. 

Abraham waited years for the dream God promised him to come to pass and after much patience, Isaac was born.   It was a joyous celebration and a real step of faith and trust in God because Abraham learned to trust God to bring to pass the very desires in his heart.   Abraham grew fond of his son and cherished every moment with him.  Then one day God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the one God promised to make into many descendants.  It’s amazing to see that Abraham responded in obedience to what God asked him to do. 

            Genesis 22:12, 15-18 (Amplified Bible)

And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear and revere God, since you have not held back from Me or begrudged giving Me your son, your only son.”

The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time And said, I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that since you have done this and have not withheld [from Me] or begrudged [giving Me] your son, your only son, In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies, And in your Seed [Christ] shall all the nations of the earth be blessed and [by Him] bless themselves, because you have heard and obeyed My voice.

  

Abraham had to “Let Go” of the very thing that was so important to him and trust that God would bring it back into his life if it was good for him.  Abraham had no way of really knowing whether or not he would ever see his son again.  But He trusted in the One who could save his son and raise him back to life, if need be, and ultimately carry on his lineage.   

The bible says in Psalm 84:11 (NIV) For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  This means that God has our best interest at heart and will bring into our lives the things that will be good for us and keep the things out of our lives that will ultimately harm us if we allow Him to lead us.  Sometimes, we think we need something so badly to be happy or satisfied that we override God’s leading and push forward to get our way.  The bible says in Proverbs 14:12, there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.  How many people push forward with a relationship that ends up being very destructive because they overlook the Holy Spirits leading or godly council in their lives?  Or, they push and claw to be in relationship with their boss, not because they value him, but because they want something from him…promotion.  We seek so many things, but are our motives pure in God’s eyes?  There is nothing wrong with asking God for something, but we need to be okay with God saying “NO” or “Not Yet”.  His ways are higher than our ways and He can see into the future and knows what can eventually harm us if we get our way all the time.  So, what am I saying?  We, as children of God need to be confident in asking God for desires that are in our heart, but let Him dictate what is best for us.  Don’t hold so tightly to something that you can’t let go and trust God to bring it into our lives if it is something that will benefit us.  Are you struggling to “Let Go” of a situation and place it completely in the hands of God?  Maybe you are trying to get a job and you are being overly demanding of a business or a loved one who is trying to help you.  When in actuality, God is saying trust me that my timing is perfect.  Or maybe you have unhealthy friendships because they are influencing you in a negative way that will take you away from God instead of closer to Him.  And God is saying to you…let them go and trust Me.  Our job is to trust God that He knows best.  Just as Abraham had to give God the dreams in his heart, God requires that of you and me.  I have found that when I give God everything, I have peace knowing that the God of the universe has my best interest at heart and loves to give amazing gifts to me.  If He doesn’t want me to have something, then as an act of faith, I just trust Him, even if my flesh is screaming to have its way!  Will you trust God today?  Will you just let go?  If you find yourself struggling in this area, ask God to help you give Him all the desires and dreams of your heart.  He is full of mercy and wants to embrace you and forgive you of past mistakes.  You can let go with God’s help.  

Where Are You Placing Your Trust?

In John 4 we find Jesus sitting at a well.  The passage says that it was necessary for Jesus to go through the region called Samaria to meet a Samaritan woman.  Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water because he had been on a journey and was passing through the town called Sychar.  In John 4:9  The Samaritan woman said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan [and a] woman, for a drink?--For the Jews have nothing to do with the Samaritans--

It was obvious from this passage that Jewish society looked down upon Samaritans and considered them outcasts and to some extent devalued women.  It’s interesting that Jesus lead by the Holy Spirit began talking with this woman even though his ethnic back ground discouraged it!  God cares about the broken, the wounded, the outcasts and He doesn’t discriminate anyone based on the color of their skin, nationality, male or female, or whether a person is rich or poor.  He draws near to anyone who is searching for the Truth. 

John 4:10-14  Jesus answered her, If you had only known and had recognized God's gift and Who this is that is saying to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him [instead] and He would have given you living water.  She said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with [no drawing bucket] and the well is deep; how then can You provide living water? [Where do You get Your living water?  Are You greater than and superior to our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well and who used to drink from it himself, and his sons and his cattle also?  Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.

Jesus used this analogy of water to communicate a huge truth this woman was missing.  He was basically saying to her if you understood who was asking you for a drink of water, you would have ask Me instead for living water and I would give it to you because Jesus discerned this woman’s past and saw where she was trying to find happiness. 

The passage continues…

John 4:16-18  At this, Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband and come back here.  The woman answered, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, you have spoken truly in saying, I have no husband.  For you have had five husbands, and the man you are now living with is not your husband. In this you have spoken truly.

Jesus was helping her understand where she was placing her trust.  This woman had been in 5 marriages and she was living with another man trying to find fulfillment in all the wrong places.  She was looking to men to find acceptance, love, security, value and hope because of a deep void in her heart.  However, only God could fill this hole.  Jesus said that He was the Living Water and if she drank of Him she wouldn’t thirst anymore.  In other words, she wouldn’t have to keep looking for more men to make her happy or fulfilled.  Jesus was saying that only God can truly satisfy the human heart and fill it where it overflows with life and peace.  Notice that Jesus never condemned her for her mistakes or her current sinful condition.  He just said come and drink of Me and I will cause your life to be transformed and give you what you really are looking for.  

Just as this woman came to Jesus as she was, God wants us to come to Him just as we are.  He is the Great Physician and can make us well and whole! 

How many of us are trying to find acceptance or our identity in a relationship, a career, a title, or our looks.  We jump from one relationship to the next, one job after another, and when we get it, we realize it doesn’t fill the void in our hearts just the way we thought it would.    Just as the woman was trying to find her identity in men, are you trying to find yours in things or a relationship? 

Only God has the ability to fill the deepest parts of your heart and give you the love and acceptance you are looking for.  God doesn’t condemn you for your past mistakes, just as He didn’t the woman at the well.  But He is asking you to place your trust and confidence in Him.  As you begin to lean your complete trust on Him, He will forgive you of your past and bring healing to those areas of hurt and pain and will give you an amazing future filled with excitement.  The woman at the well discovered the Creator of all things and experienced His unconditional love and acceptance.  Just think of how she could have a healthy relationship because she was truly experiencing God’s love and forgiveness and now she would be able to extend it to someone else.  Instead of being a taker in the relationship, she actually could be a giver because she experienced love from God.  She was able to pour out and bless someone else!  

Are you a taker in life?  Are you looking for love in all the wrong places?  Are you struggling with your journey and getting frustrated with the results?  Lean into God and He will embrace you and shower you with His love!  He will teach you how to overcome the storms in your life and give you the strength to move forward each day.   As you take steps of trust in God, out of you will flow streams of living water.