Ezekiel 47:1-12 - Believer

The song "Believer" was on my lips this morning but I couldn't remember all the words. The only part that came to me was "...I wanna go deeper..." When I went to the words on KLOVE, I was blessed . This song is where I am in life. 

Do I believe...
When I walk through the valley of the shadows
When I'm trapped in the middle of the battle
I will trust in You
‘Cause trouble comes, but You never let it take me
I hold fast ‘cause I know that You will save me
I will trust in You
I will trust in You

YES!

Can I say...
I want to live this life unsafe, unsure, but not afraid
What I want is to give all I got somehow
Giving up letting go of control right now

YES!

Do I believe...
I can push back the mountains, can stand on the waves
I can see through the darkness, I'll hold up the flame
Take me to the ocean I wanna go deeper
I'm not afraid no, I'm a believer

YES!

The desire of my heart is to go deeper in my relationship with the Lord. I am seeking for how that will happen. I am asking for His direction to take me to His will in a deeper way. I came across an on-line article that shared about Paul's words that tell us to be "imitators of God". He is holy, therefore we are to be holy. As we allow Him to take us deeper, He will. The article also shared four areas in our lives the Lord will lead us into deeper waters through: prayer, Bible study, spiritual gifts and evangelism. The article encourages us to go from being ankle-deep, to being knee-deep and finally being in the deep waters to swim.

The Lord took me back to Ezekiel 47 again this morning...

47 The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. 3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits[a] and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. 4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh.9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets.The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. 11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”

Interesting...ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, then swimming...I want to go deeper! As I go deeper, I know the Lord will be with me encouraging me. I know He will reveal things to me that I need to know in order to go deeper. I also know He will bear fruit through my efforts. I like something Matthew Henry wrote in regards to a believer who goes deeper and bears fruit. "Each one of them shall bring forth fruit monthly, which denotes an abundant disposition to fruit-bearing (they shall never be weary of well-doing), and a very happy climate, such that there shall be a perpetual spring and summer. And the reason of this extraordinary fruitfulness is because their waters issued out of the sanctuary; it is not to be ascribed to anything in themselves, but to the continual supplies of divine grace, with which they are watered every moment (Isa. 27:3); for whoever planted them, it was that which gave the increase." Woo hoo!

I go back to what the Lord told me last week that when I have faith like Abraham and go deeper with Him, He will empower me to be His vessel for physical healings. As I read these words this morning, I am excited! I feel like I am going to jump out of my own skin! The last part of Ezekiel 47:12 is another confirmation that I need to go deeper. This fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. ...their leaves for healing!  ...their leaves for healing!
The desire of my heart is live as Matthew Henry writes:

"Christians with their good discourses, which are as their leaves, as well as with their charitable actions, which are as their fruits, do good to those about them; they strengthen the weak, and bind up the broken-hearted. Their cheerfulness does good like a medicine, not only to themselves, but to others also. They shall be enabled by the grace of God to persevere in their goodness and usefulness; their leaf shall not fade, or lose its medicinal virtue, having not only life in their root, but sap in all their branches; their profession shall not wither (Ps. 1:3 ), neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed; that is, they shall not lose the principle of their fruitfulness, but shall still bring forth fruit in old age, to show that the Lord is upright (Ps. 92:14, Ps. 92:15 ), or the reward of their fruitfulness shall abide for ever; they bring forth fruit that shall abound to their account in the great day, fruit to life eternal; that is indeed fruit which shall not be consumed."

Dear Jesus,
Yes, take me deeper! Lord, take me from the ankle-deep waters...take me from the knee-deep waters...take me from the waist-deep waters... Lord, I pray for more of You and less of self so I will go deeper. I pray for the supernatural powers that You have in store for me. I pray for 'my leaves' to be be used in physical healings. Lord, cleanse me of anything that could get in between me and You. Thank You Jesus for being My River! Amen.