We Are In A Season Where Many Are In Need Of A Spiritual Refreshing. I Love The Word Refresh. It’s Such A Perfect Word To Describe Starting Again Or Returning To Something. The Word Refresh Means “To Give New Strength,” "To Give Energy To" And “To Reinvigorate.” Could You Use Some Spiritual Refreshment Right Now?
At the beginning of the year (2023), God gave me two words for the year that stayed close to my heart. The two words were Refresh and Release. Throughout the year, my sermons/messages have been centered around these two words during this season of preparation. God wants us to release people, places, and things that have been a hindrance to our spiritual life. God knows what we need, and He knows that His children need a refreshing. Many have been overwhelmed, exhausted, weary, and "BUSY". All we must do is come. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But so many times, we are too busy, and we have tried to quench our thirst elsewhere.
Jesus takes up this cry in John 7:37 and informs any who are listening that He is the water that quenches the desire of the thirsty soul. He then declares that out of us can flow rivers of living water (v.38). Not only can we have our thirst quenched, but we can be a source of water for others.
Do you long for intimacy in worship?
It is not just a listening experience; it is a journey of soaking worship. It is a place of intimacy with the Father, a place where the heart longs for His touch.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? But we won’t live in the reality of it until we ourselves come. Until we admit our thirst and come and drink, we will not have water to give to others.
Our land can be a barren wasteland or a well-watered garden. The difference lies in the amount of water that is received. This water is freely available, but if we want it, we must come. There is no price, but it costs us much. To simply come and receive means that we stop our activity, wait in His presence and drink deeply of the water that He came to give.
If we want the rivers to flow, we must first come to the waters and drink.
Are you thirsty for His presence? I Love The Word Refresh. It’s Such A Perfect Word To Describe Starting Again Or Returning To Something. The Word Refresh Means “To Give New Strength,” “To Give Energy To,” And “To Reinvigorate.” Could You Use Some Spiritual Refreshment Right Now?
Times of refreshing do not come from striving to read more of the Bible or praying for a certain period each day. Biblical spiritual refreshing is simply coming to Jesus. His invitation to each one of us is simply "come to Me" (John 7:37). Jesus’s sermon on the mount in John 7:37 encourages us to find refreshing in Him alone. When we stand in His Presence and allow Who He is to satisfy our souls, our parched hearts are soothed and refreshed.
I love the word refresh. It’s such a perfect word to describe starting again or returning to something. In fact, I even use it as a computer term. Sometimes, when I’m working on my computer, leave it for a while, and then come back, things freeze up. Certain programs aren’t working properly anymore. So, I have to refresh my computer screen. And there are times when that means I need to completely reboot.
Sometimes we need a reboot in the Christian life as well. Sometimes, we need to be refreshed because we find ourselves tired and exhausted. Here’s what Jesus says: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NLT).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the people, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19 NKJV).
The word refresh means “to give new strength,” “to give energy to,” and “to reinvigorate.” Could you use some spiritual refreshment right now? The place to find that is from God Himself.
1. Refreshed in the Word of God
The Bible is very specific about how we can find refreshment for our souls. For example, Psalm 19 says, “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul” (verse 7 NKJV). We will find spiritual refreshment when we read and study the Bible.
Of course, it isn’t always an emotional experience when we open the Bible and read it. But this is not about emotions; this is about replenishment. This is about restoration, getting perspective on life, and getting direction from God. And as you open the Bible, the Word of God, it will refresh your soul.
Have you ever been reading the Bible and suddenly a verse seemed to jump off the page? Maybe it was a verse you’ve read before, but amazingly it had a new meaning and applied to your situation. That is finding refreshment from the Word of God.
2. Refreshed by Selflessness
You also will be spiritually refreshed when you think of others more than yourself. I know this is counterintuitive to the selfie culture in which we’re living. People are trying to get more followers on social media and are very aware of their image. And sadly, we’ve heard stories of people who have literally died trying to get the ultimate selfie.
The truth is that when you stop thinking about yourself so much and instead think about others, it will refresh you spiritually. The Bible tells us, “Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25 NLT). As you’re giving to others, you’ll find that you’re replenished yourself.
3. Refreshed Through Prayer
There is also refreshing power in prayer. Why do we put off prayer? Why do we avoid praying? Allow me to offer some observations. Maybe we don’t pray more because we think we don’t have the time.
But is that true?
How much time do we spend on social media every day? The latest research says that people in the United States check their Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts 17 times per day. That’s once every waking hour.
Imagine if we prayed 17 times a day instead of checking our social media. John Piper put it this way: “One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.”
How true is that? Then factor in all the hours we spend binge-watching shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or some other outlet. We can waste so much time. So let us not say that we don’t have time to pray. The fact is that we will make time for what matters to us.
Maybe we don’t pray because we don’t think prayer is all that important. Of course, we never would admit that outright. But do we really think it’s important? I can assure you that it’s very important.
Why Prayer Is Crucial
The Old Testament book of Joshua tells a story about the Israelites who were led out of the bondage of Egypt into a new land flowing with milk and honey. But there was an obstacle in their path: the mighty city of Jericho, a huge fortress. There was no way they could bring it down militarily, but God had said He would give them that city.
So, they prayed and called on God, and He gave them a battle plan, which I have to admit was pretty unorthodox. They marched around the city, yelled, and blew trumpets. But it worked. The walls of the fortress crashed down, and they took control.
After that there was another little city called Ai, which was much smaller than Jericho and not nearly as difficult to conquer. They didn’t pray about that. They thought Ai would be a piece of cake because they had taken down Jericho. But when they went in, they were soundly defeated because they didn’t pray about it.
We need to pray for everything. The Bible tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6 NLT). Notice it doesn’t say that “in some things” or in “only the big, scary things” we should make our requests known to God. Rather, it’s “in everything” that we should make our requests known to Him.
Maybe another reason we don’t pray more is because we don’t think that prayer really works. Again, we wouldn’t admit that, but it may be the case. Let’s understand what the objective of prayer is. It is not to align God with our wills; it’s to align us with His will. God is not a genie; He’s our Father in Heaven.
If you’re studying and memorizing Scripture and understanding the message of the Bible, then your desires will change. Thus, your prayers will change as well.
Do you want to be spiritually refreshed? Then study the Bible, the Word of God. Put the needs of others above your own needs. Spend time in God’s presence through prayer. Then you’ll find the refreshment you’re looking for.\
REFRESHMENT, AND RESTORATION
That kingdom will be, first, a kingdom of refreshment, everlasting refreshment. We need refreshing in this life again and again. We need to lay our heads down and go unconscious for seven or eight hours a night, or we get crabby and really depressed. In the age to come, it may be that we’ll sleep, I don’t know, but whether we wake or sleep, whether there’s the rhythm like that or not, it’s going to be perfect refreshment every time you need it. We will mount up with wings like eagles. We will run and not grow weary. We will walk and not faint. It will be Perfect.
The second characteristic of this kingdom is that Jesus is going to be there as the king. It speaks. “He will send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus” “Acts 3:20). And He will establish His kingdom on the earth, erect His throne, and rule His kingdom. And I believe that my own refreshment and yours will come from looking into the face of Jesus again and again and again and again.
The third characteristic of this kingdom is that it will mean a restoration of all things. As you look at the world today things are not as they should be, and we often want to ask, “What is God up to? Where is God in a world with so much agony, so much tragedy, so much futility, so much frustration, so much immorality, and so much corruption? Where is God?” The answer is that He reigns and He’s coming. And when He comes, there will be no more guilt, no more pain, no more suffering, no more frustration, no more corruption, no more decay, and no more futility. It will be as it was in the beginning before the fall, only better with no possibility for the fall.
God will meet the needs of our weary, overwhelmed, and exhausted soul.
First, God fulfills his hope-giving promises in spite of, and even through, the opposition of ignorant people. Second, God wipes away all the sins of people who repent, and nobody needs to go out of this room carrying sin in their life. God, in the twinkling of an eye, takes it away when we turn to him. And third, he will establish the kingdom of Christ on this earth, and it will be a kingdom of refreshment in the presence of the Lord, along with a restored creation where there is no futility, no frustration, no sickness, no pain, no tears, and no sadness anymore.
Blessings
J.P. Olson
www.journeyintotheword.com
Join Journey Into The Word each Sunday morning at 5:30 AM CST & 6:30 AM EST on The Now Network http://www.theNOWnetwork.org
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