“The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land unproductive.” – II Kings 2:19 (NIV)
Read: II Kings 2:19-22; John 3:6; Matthew 7:16-18; Galatians 5:22-23; Galatians 5:16-21
Everyday, you and I make a choice to either live by the promptings of the Holy Spirit, or obey the dictates of our flesh. The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. But it is also impossible to please God if we are walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit. There is a Spirit ‘lifestyle’ for the children of the Kingdom. That is a lifestyle guided primarily by love for God and for our neighbor. It is a lifestyle of joy, peace, faith, gentleness, meekness etc. It is a lifestyle that helps us cultivate healthy and Godly habits rather than self-destroying ones. So understand that walking in the Spirit is not being phony or weird, or emotional; it is simply cultivating the lifestyle of the Spirit of God and obeying Him in all things.
In the scriptures, water or rivers are a type for the Holy Spirit. There is always water flowing through our lives. It may be good water or bad water. Bad water produces very little results or total barrenness. Whatever is born of Spirit is spirit and whatever is born of flesh is flesh. The active presence of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by His fruits: Love, Joy, Wisdom, progress, fruitfulness etc. The ‘water’ of the flesh is evidenced by the “works of the flesh”: impurity, bursts of anger, rivalry, quarrels, conflicts, hatred, envy etc. Determine to cultivate the lifestyle of the Holy Spirit today. It may be hard on your flesh to not do some of the things you feel like doing, but I guarantee you, it will bring God’s holy ease and joy into your life. You will live a productive life from today in Jesus’ Name. Amen.