The Mindset Of People Who Feel Unworthy Will Accept Any Kind Of Treatment From Anyone, Because They Are Under The Faulty Impression That They Are Not Of Any Value. A Faulty Shelter Does Not Help Us, It Offers A False Sense Of Comfort Or Security.

The Mindset Of People Who Feel Unworthy. They Will Accept Any Kind Of Treatment From Anyone Because They Are Under The Faulty Impression That They Are Not Of Any Value. A Faulty Shelter Does Not Help Us, But It Offers A False Sense Of Comfort Or Security. Know If You Have Any Faulty Shelters. God Values You So Much That He Does Not Even Discard You When You Mess Up! Our Shelter Is Not A Place, Or Thing, It’s A Person.

False shelters can be found in drinking, smoking, gambling, drugs, food, and hobbies. In commercial buildings there are emergency routes that lead to safety, they are normally marked in red.  In the New Testament, Jesus’ words are written in red.  His words will guide and lead to His shelter. When you are in a trial learn how to run to Jesus. Maybe you have taken up residence in one of these faulty shelters before, where it offered a false sense of comfort & security. Learn how to live an unshakeable life during trials. If you only knew how valuable, you are. “When you are in a trial you will run to Jesus.”

I am holding a $20 bill in my hand (let your imagination follow me). If you were sitting here with me and I offered this $20 bill to you, would you take it? I think you would. Now you are going to have to use a little bit more of your imagination to picture what I am about to do, but here goes. I am now crumpling that nice $20 bill, and I am crushing it into a little wad. Do you still want this bill? If you were right here, would you still take it? Keep in mind that it is all wadded up now. OK, say you decide to take it anyway, well, now I am beating on this wadded-up $20 bill, and I am stomping on it with my muddy shoes! Now, if I still offered to give you this $20 bill, would you still take it? I mean, it has been beaten up, it is crushed, stomped on, so would you still want it? Well, of course, you would! Do you know why? Because no matter what happened to that $20 bill, IT NEVER LOST ITS VALUE!

And that is the point, isn’t it? No matter how abused and beaten up that $20 bill is, it is still worth just as much as it always was, and in case you were wondering, SO ARE YOU!

I do not have to guess, assume, ask questions, or look prophetically into anything. I can guarantee you someone today feels just like I just treated that $20 bill. They feel beat up, mishandled, and treated badly, they have been crushed, crumpled, and trampled on. And when someone has been treated like that, they begin to believe a lie that they are not worth much. If they were, why would anyone treat them like that? People like this begin to feel like, ‘If I were so loved, why would he hit me; why would she leave me? If I am so valuable, why would they treat me like trash? If I am so important, why did they reject and abandon me? If I am so beautiful, why doesn’t anyone tell me so? If I am so needed, why do I feel so lonely?’

And what is worse about people who feel like this is that when you think you are worthless, you start making choices based on unworthiness. You start throwing yourself away, settling for junk, doing anything for a little love, a little affection, a little attention. Think about it: No one treats fake fur the same as a real one; no one handles real diamonds the same as fake ones; no one treasures a brand-new top-of-the-line car the same as they do a 30-year-old (raggedy, hope it makes it to the next corner) vehicle. If you want to know how much someone values a thing, JUST PAY ATTENTION TO HOW THEY TREAT IT.

But the truth is, you are just like my beat-up $20 bill. No matter how you have been treated, you are still just as valuable! You are still precious because no one on earth gave you your worth – GOD DID! So, no one on earth can take it away! So, if you have found yourself in the unfortunate predicament of allowing people to treat you as less than others, today is your day to Stop It!

We have got to go to God’s Book to get the truth about our value! And when we do, we find three worthy givers that cannot be taken from you:

FIRST, YOUR WORTH IS BASED ON BEING MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE: In Genesis 1:27, the Bible says, “So God created man in His image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” God made you as a reflection of Himself, so do not tell me you are not worth much!

Did you catch all of that? YOU are created, crafted, designed, and made in the DIVINE IMAGE OF GOD, TO BE LIKE GOD YOUR MAKER, REFLECTING THE NATURE OF THE GODHEAD! Yep, that’s VALUE! No matter what you see or don’t see, like or don’t like when you look in the mirror, the bottom line is YOU ARE THE REFLECTION OF GODHEAD, WHICH MAKES YOU IMPORTANT, SIGNIFICANT, WORTHY, AND VALUABLE! LET NOTHING AND NO ONE TREAT YOU LESS! YOU ARE TO BE TREASURED!

Think about it: When we think of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost), what are some of the things that come to mind? Almighty, Powerful, Awesome, Dynamic, Creative, Anointing, Gifts, Strength, Protection, Victorious, Ability…Well, You My Friend Reflect All of That! Stop underestimating and undervaluing yourself! You are powerful, victorious, anointed, gifted, and strong! You are Worthy!

SECONDLY, YOUR WORTH IS BASED ON GOD’S ONE-OF-A-KIND MASTERPIECE: In Psalm 139:13, David says to God, “For You created my inmost being You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful. I know that full well” (NIV). Listen to the Message Bible, “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; You formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank You, High God – You are breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration – what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before You, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” (MSG) Does that sound like a nobody to you? Does that sound like someone unimportant, unworthy, and without value? Not! When you believe you are not worth much, you are insulting the One who designed you. From the moment that egg and sperm came together to start your life, you have been God’s unique creation. If you do not believe it, look at your fingerprints. There is no one else on earth like you! You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made. God Himself Made You Bit-By-Bit, He Sculpted You from Nothing into Something, How Dare You Demean Such Tremendous Creation! Your Mess Can Never Mess Up His Masterpiece! And Do Not You Dare Forget It Again!

AND NOW, MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU ARE INFINITELY VALUABLE BECAUSE GOD PAID FOR YOU WITH THE LIFE OF HIS SON:  I want to invite you to walk with me right now up a hill near Jerusalem called Skull Hill. At the top, imagine there is this blood-stained cross. That is where God’s one and only Son thought you were so precious that He poured out His life for every wrong thing you have ever done and will do. Why? Because that’s the only way you could ever be forgiven of your sins; the only way you could ever have the loving relationship with Him you were made for; the only way you could be with Him in heaven forever.

Can you imagine being so valuable that to purchase you it took the Heavenly Father giving His Beloved Son to Sacrifice His Life? You were worth LIFE! You were worth blood, mockery, spit, nails, thorns, spears, and gall. You were worth the torture, the whipping, the mangled body. You were worth the cross. You were worth Life, Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Return! You were worth the Heart of the Gospel! You were worth Redeeming, Saving, Justifying, and Loving Unconditionally! You were worth the angels are given charge to keep you. You were worth having unlimited access to heavenly resources on earth!

YOU ARE WORTHY, TREASURED, AND STILL VALUABLE!

It is my prayer that this little reminder will put a smile on your face. No matter what you have done or left undone, no matter where you have been or why. No matter how many times you have fallen and failed…YOU ARE STILL VALUABLE!

No matter how many mistakes and even deliberate bad decisions you have made; no matter what you look like, where you are from, your marital, social, or financial status…YOU ARE STILL VALUABLE!

No matter what or who you have lost, never lose your value! And never allow anyone to make any attempts to alter or diminish it.

Let no one tell you that anyone is beyond restoration. Not even Jesus felt that way. And He had good reason to kick quite a few folks to the curb, but He didn’t…Judas betrayed Him (but He didn’t discard him); Peter denied Him (but He didn’t discard him); Thomas doubted Him (but He didn’t discard him); and in the end, they all left but John, and still He didn’t discard them He gave up His life still. Can you imagine hanging on a cross, dying yourself, between 2 thieves, knowing full well that they are guilty as sin, and yet one calls out to Him, and He still answers?

We are still called the Ministry of Reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20, “Because of this decision, we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly do not look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that ANYONE UNITED WITH THE MESSIAH GET’S A FRESH START, IS CREATED NEW. THE OLD LIFE IS GONE; A NEW LIFE BURGEONS! Look at it! All this comes from the God WHO SETTLED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US AND HIM AND THEN CALLED US TO SETTLE OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world A FRESH START by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what He is doing. We are Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to DROP THEIR DIFFERENCES and enter God’s work of MAKING THINGS RIGHT BETWEEN THEM. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; He’s already a friend with you.” (MSG)

I’M STILL VALUABLE!

If you are not being treated with the love and respect you deserve, check your price tag. Perhaps you have marked yourself down. It is YOU that determines what you are worth by what you accept. Get off the clearance rack and get behind the glass case where the Valuables are kept.

“If you don’t value yourself, you’re not going to draw valuable things into your life.” (Robert Tew)

“If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone you have already forgotten your value.”

Unshakeable in a chaotic world. David also teaches that to live an unshakeable life during trials.

You will be faced with some type of crisis in your life; it may be in your marriage, career, finances, health, or even faith.  During a life crisis, God has an evacuation route in place.  King David was one of the greatest kings of Israel.  He was also known as the man after God’s own heart.  He had a special relationship with God, but that did not make him immune from adversity. There was a time in his life before he was king; King Saul was trying to kill David. Three truths helped David live an unshakable life through the chaos. God will always make your path in life known. Whenever we are faced with some type of trouble God will reveal to us the path of life that we are on. In Psalms, “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence, there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11 ESV) David teaches that in an unshakable life: OUR SHELTER IS NOT A PLACE, IT’S A PERSON.  David finds shelter in God.  In Psalms David proclaims, “Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.’” (Psalm 16:1-2 ESV) David’s shelter is his relationship with God.  He surrenders his life to God and finds refuge in him.  During a troubling situation, surrender to God, and pray. Instead of taking the path of worry and fear, take the path to God’s shelter. The Psalmist declares,  “But as for me, how good it is to be near God!  I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter…” (Psalm 73:28 NLT) God is sovereign.  He is the supreme ruler of all the Earth.  God has everything in control.  Choose God’s shelter, He holds everything together.   During troubles, David reminds us, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” (Psalms 16:5 ESV) The “RED PATH” scripture guides by stating, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV). Jesus reminds us that in the world we will face troubles. Those troubles can be extremely intense and hold great pressure.  When pressure builds up, there needs to be a release. Instead of running to faulty shelters, run to Jesus and trust in Him.  By finding shelter in Jesus there will be peace. David also teaches that to live an unshakeable life during trials: CHOOSE TO WORSHIP. David says, “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also, my heart instructs me” (Psalm 16:7 ESV).  David worships God during times of trial. He blesses God and receives guidance from Him.  It is critical to worship God during times of trouble.  Instead of falling into the pressures of trouble, the heart of worship will change us.  Worship songs are not just music; they can be prophetic words from God speaking to our hearts.  We need to posture our hearts towards God.  Worship aids the posture of our hearts.  We can easily allow the flesh to take over and things like anger, gossip, sin, and guilt can take control. The Devil will feed on sin and guilt. God will feed on the praises of His people.  Do not give the Devil any food; give your worship to God to delight in.   God knows our struggles.  We need to be vigilant in our commitment to do what is right in life, rather than settling for what is convenient.  No matter how tough things will be, we need to be responsible and take the right path in life.  God will always be faithful and guide us through our struggles. GOD KNOWS WHEN WE NEED GUIDANCE. The “RED PATH” scripture says, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13 NIV). God is the spirit of truth.  He will guide us in all situations.  He will use His word, our worship, and even the spirit of a true friend.  The spirit of a true friend is a friend who is grounded in Jesus and will help us seek Him. Lastly, to live an unshakeable life David says, STAY CLOSELY CONNECTED TO YOUR SHELTER.  As the Bible says, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8 ESV). By surrendering to God and placing Him first, He will be in control. God is greater than our problems and burdens. When we choose to control our own lives, we may steer them in the wrong direction to disaster. By placing God first, He will direct us on the right path to safety. God will be at our right hand to defend us through any circumstances; He will never reject or abandon us.  God is our shelter. The “RED PATH” scripture says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”. (John 15:5 NIV). Without Jesus, we cannot do anything. God wants us to have that childlike faith, humility, and dependence that allows us to fully surrender to Him. In God’s shelter, He will guide us and help us to grow.   He wants us to stay close to Him and build our confidence through Him.  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak these three truths to live an unshakable life. God is our shelter; when we worship God, He will guide us; by staying intricately connected to God, He will help us grow. Blessings J.P. Olson www.journeyintotheword.com

Understand That There Has Never Been And There Never Will Be A DAY That Our God Has Failed Us! On Different Days Our Spouse May Fail Us, Our Family, Our Boss, Friends, Folks At Church; Our Income, Our Health. But, Every New Day, He Does Not FAIL!

Every New DAY, He Does NOT FAIL…” Declares the Word of God! And That’s A Promise You Can Take To The Bank! 

Understand that there has Never been and there Never will be a DAY that our God has failed us!  On different days our spouse may have failed us, our family may have failed us, our boss, friends, coworkers, folks at church; even our income, car or our health has failed us.  But “…Every New DAY, He Does NOT FAIL…” declares the Word of God! And that’s a Promise You Can Take to the Bank! Why? Because:  

“God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind. When He says something, He does it. When He makes a promise, He keeps it.” (Numbers 23:19 GWT).       

Believe that every wall that's been holding you back is going to come tumbling down. Don't focus on what's tearing you apart, focus on Who is holding you together.  Everything we do for God may not always feel good to our flesh. Regardless of your circumstances. Let every unholy agenda against you be exposed and terminated immediately by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ!  Let combat angels pursue and subdue wicked people who intend to harm you!  The harm they intend on you, shall be their own undoing!

God Has A Plan And He Wants Us To Take One Day At A Time:  Never Cast Away Your Confidence In The God That Has You Covered! 

The message today is from: Zephaniah 3:5, “…Morning by morning He dispenses His justice, and every new DAY He does not fail…” (NIV)  

Some of you today have had unfair things to happen; life has not turned out like you hope.  God is saying "If you rise up out of those ashes, put on a new attitude, I'll not only bring you out, but I will bring you out with twice what you had before." Every season needs faith to get us through it. God's dawn of deliverance often comes when the hour of trial is darkest. 

If you are not anchored in the Word of God right now…the waves of bitterness, strife, malice, anger, hatred, lack of compassion, & fear are at high tides. You’re either joining the waves or anchoring down in what God says about ALL these things.

If we are living our life in Christ, we will always be more powerful than anything that comes our way. But the Bible is clear that we aren’t to be ignorant of our enemy.  Paul points out, “We are not ignorant of his schemes.” I have often heard the phrase, “Ignorance is bliss,” which suggests that if I don’t know something, then life is more comfortable, relaxed, and peaceful for me. But ignorance is not a godly way of living. Being ignorant of the enemy’s schemes only leaves us vulnerable to his tactics.

Being spiritually illiterate doesn’t mean the enemy will leave us alone. It means we are more likely to make critical mistakes due to a lack of full understanding. Ignorance will hurt us and leave us confused, dejected, and deceived. God did not call us to be spiritually blind; he called us to be spiritually alert.

Jesus did not live-in reaction to the devil. He lived in response to the Father. We should be aware of Satan, but not impressed by him.

God knows how to balance Your Grief with His Goodness! He knows just when you need encouragement, and He sends it! He knows just when you need a hopeful sign, or comfort and rest, or an extra shot of strength, or a miracle at the last minute! And He sends them all right on time! God knows when you’ve had all you can take and He raises His almighty hand and says, “Enough! No More!” He’s promised to NEVER let you have “more than you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Question: If God is all-powerful, why does He allow Satan to be the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4)?

Answer: Scripture makes it clear that the devil—Satan—is currently in charge of planet Earth. Even Jesus Christ Himself, shortly before His arrest and crucifixion, acknowledged Satan’s authority: “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14:30).

Was there always a Satan? No! God created a powerful and beautiful archangel named Lucifer, who—along with Michael and Gabriel—served at God’s throne in heaven. Why did this Lucifer (Latin for “light-bringer” or “morning star”) fall and become Satan (Hebrew for “accuser” or “adversary”)? You can read about this in Ezekiel 28:12–15 and Luke 10:18.

Lucifer and a third of the angels (Revelation 12:3–4) rebelled against their Creator. At some point in the distant past, Lucifer led these angels “above the heights of the clouds” to take the throne of God (Isaiah 14:13-14), leaving their “proper domain” or assigned responsibility (Jude 6) below the clouds here on Earth. Unsuccessful, they were cast back down to the Earth (Isaiah 14:12).

Satan failed in his rebellion, but he remains in the office God gave him, where he is ironically still instrumental in God’s plan. You see, human beings are spending 6,000 years living their own way, influenced by Satan’s spirit of selfishness and evil. They are writing with their own blood, sweat and tears the history of what it is like to live in disobedience to God’s way.

You see, you have (‘a promise’; ‘a word from God’) and the enemy is worried and ready to attack because he cannot let you have that ground, then gain more! God knows that the enemy is ready to attack, you see suddenly Satan is interested in you. He did not have to bother you when you were not a threat. He did not bother you when you stopped fasting, became lazy in reading/studying the Word, started slacking in your prayer/devotion time with God, when you stopped going to Sunday School and started making excuses for skipping Bible Study. The enemy did not think 2 cents about you. You didn’t even appear on his radar, in fact he may have said something like this: “But the evil spirit retorted, “I know and recognize and acknowledge Jesus, and I know about Paul, BUT AS FOR YOU, WHO ARE YOU?” (Acts 19:15 AMP)

The enemy does not bother those who do not bother him! If you are not reading the Word, in prayer, fasting, obeying the commandments, fellow shipping with your brothers and sisters in Christ, walking in the Spirit, being directed, and guided by the Holy Ghost, what does he want with you? After all, what can you do to attack his kingdom, when you are not armed with any of the weaponry of the Kingdom yourself!

Satan gets busy whenever God has made a major landing in your life. Maybe you have recently made a new surrender of your life to Jesus, or you have said yes to His call on your life. You have stepped up to leadership. Could it be that you have begun a new work for the

Lord? Made a new commitment to be the marriage partner or the parent you should be, to give more to the Lord’s work, to live by new priorities? Guess what? If so, alarm bells are going off in hell!

But do not get discouraged. Do not go back to the old ways. This is just your old enemy trying to stop this progress while it is new and fragile. If you keep going this way, your enemy’s going to lose big time, and he knows it. So, step up and launch a Biblical counterattack. In the words of James 4:7, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.”

Time seems to stand still when a pressing problem is making us worry. It is emotional pain that suspends itself across all other daily experiences. Satan wants us to worry, be anxious, rush, doubt God’s timing, but God is saying take one day at a time.

Zephaniah 3:5, “…Morning by morning He dispenses His justice, and every new DAY He does not fail…” (NIV)       

We should be mindful of Zephaniah 3:5. It’s just seven reassuring words, but in those words, God points us to the way He wants us to handle things called Our Life! It simply says, “…Every New DAY He Does Not Fail.

God is saying to you Today, “Instead of trying to do Weeks, Months and Years, would you please do yourself a huge favor, and simply do Life in the 24-Hour Increments that I’ve obviously wired you to handle!  I’ve even given them a special name says God, I call them “DAYS”!

Think about it: If GOD Even handled HIS creative work by “DAYS”, what makes you think you can handle them by Weeks, Months and Years?!

The Bible says, in the beginning:

“…God called the light day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the First DAY.” (Genesis 1:5).

“…And the evening and the morning were the Second DAY.” (1:8).

“And the evening and the morning were the Third DAY.” (1:13).

“And the evening and the morning were the Fourth DAY.” (1:19).

“And the evening and the morning were the Fifth DAY.” (1:23).

“…And the evening and the morning were the Sixth DAY.” (1:31).

“And on the Seventh DAY God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the Seventh DAY from all his work which he had made.” (2:2).

Do you see the Pattern here? Learn how to handle your LIFE in “DAYS”!

When we try to drag Yesterday, with its baggage and its failures into Today, we become stressed, overwhelmed, feeling incompetent, even bitter, angry, and resentful! When we try to drag Tomorrow into Today, with its worries and its fears, we run ahead of His resources, which are issued each new DAY for that DAY! 

In a Nutshell: I’ve got Wednesday’s resources for Wednesday’s needs! When I start worrying about Thursday, or a week from Thursday, I’m on my own and I’m going down…FAST!

You need to learn how to handle your life in the days that God has given you. He has promised that we will always have ‘sufficient for each day.’ Which means, daily we will have what is satisfactory, acceptable, and equal to the needs of that one day! So, stop worrying about October; stop worrying about the holidays (that have not yet arrived); stop worrying about the September school year; and stop trying to plan every day of 2024, and for some of you, even 2025 in advance! Live in this DAY! Embrace this DAY! All you have need of God will grant you, for this DAY!

And just in case you need something short and sweet: “Give us This DAY our DAILY Bread.” (Matthew 6:11).

“My word, which comes from my mouth, is like the rain and snow. It will not come back to me without results. It will accomplish whatever I want and achieve whatever I send it to do.” (Isaiah 55:11 GWT).  

“Then the Lord said to me, “Right. I am watching to make sure that my words come true.” (Jeremiah 1:12 GWT).  

“For as many as the promises of God, they all find their Yes in Him [Christ]. For this reason, we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20 AMP). 

In other words, GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES…YOU HAVE HIS WORD ON IT!

“Because of the Lord’s great love,” you are “Not Consumed.”  And You NEVER Will Be! You serve the God of DAILY Bread; the God of the “strength that will equal your DAYS” (Deuteronomy 33:25).

The God of whom you can say Every New DAY: “This is the DAY my Lord has made…” (Psalm 118:24). Not the day my condition has made, or my boss has made, or my frustrations have made, or my disease has made, or my spouse has made. My LORD Made This DAY And He’s Promised Me Everything I’ll Need To Live In It, Therefore I Will Rejoice in it and Be Glad!

So instead of stressing, seek God; instead of panicking, pray; instead of worrying, worship; instead of fear, have faith; instead of planning tomorrow, just give God praise for TODAY! Live in this moment, this DAY!

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.journeyintotheword.com

People Do Not Know What They Are Missing When They Do Not Hang Out With Jesus, The Coolest Thing. Hanging With Him Will Stop You From Drinking The Things That Make You Thirsty. Three Things We Need To Do If We’re Going To Quench Our Thirst In Jesus.

Many people are afraid to hang with Jesus, many do not know Him so it is up to us to share Him with others, but we are afraid, due to what others may think or say, if we even utter the name Jesus. Satan has so many believers walking in fear. Some people would probably love to hang out with Jesus, but we will not introduce Him. The woman at the well hurriedly ran to the city to tell the men about a man who told her everything about her life and guess what they were so excited they went to see for themselves, and they ended up asking Jesus to stay longer and He stayed two extra days hanging out. Jesus not only sits and speaks with her but has a conversation so significant it is the longest one recorded by any of the gospel writers.

Some people won’t hang out with Jesus thinking He is going to judge them, another one of Satan’s tactics. Now we are afraid to sit and talk with Him, we don’t want to hang out with Him, because now we must make time for Him, and we do not have room for Him on our agenda and to-do list. I don’t get it, make it make sense. All the peace that surpasses the world, genuine love, patience, joy, understanding. You say He doesn’t quite understand me, now what kind of sense does that make, when He knows and understands you more than you do yourself, every hair on your head, every thought that is in your mind? Telling People About Jesus Is Not An Option. When was the last time you hung out with Jesus? When was the last time you talked about Jesus with a friend? 

John 4:5-30 – Only Jesus can quench your spiritual thirst.

Jesus invited these men (His disciples) to immediately begin the journey of experiencing and learning from Him, rather than planning a specific teaching or discussion time.  This did not require an address or specific place to go.  We are also to learn from Him as we walk with Him through life.  That’s far more intimate, authentic, and effective than a child learning language, knowledge, and skills from parents in their ordinary daily walk-through life together.          

This method was exactly that of a rabbi.  Every rabbi had disciples who lived and traveled with him wherever he went for years, not sitting in some formal classroom or waiting for lectures.  They received instruction and learned their rabbi’s head and heart step-by-step as they spent the hours of their days together.  They saw how knowledge was applied with wisdom in everyday situations.  They modeled their lives after his example.

Being with Jesus today means the same thing for us!  We must spend time with the Scriptures, God’s Word given to us in written form that reveals who Jesus is and all that He wants us to know about Himself and about how to live as He lived on earth.  That Word speaks the truth of God to our spirit just as faithfully as Jesus spoke audibly to His disciples on that day.  We must spend time in joint conversation with Him as we go along.  It's different, but just as genuine as what the disciples had.  His Holy Spirit resides within to open our understanding, communicate His heart and mind, and guide us into faithful application of truth.  In other words, He is developing the character of Jesus in those who set the desires of their own lives aside and follow Jesus with all their heart as we spend time with Him in walking together and hanging out.

We heard the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, from John 4:4-42. I love this story. It is the longest conversation between Jesus and another person in any of the gospels, and it is with a woman. And not just any woman, but a Samaritan woman. Jewish men were not really meant to speak to strange women of any variety, and Jews were not supposed to associate with Samaritans at all, so this conversation was forbidden on all kinds of levels. We get a sense of that in the woman’s response to Jesus - “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”  We can’t be sure if she was shocked offended or confused by his request, but it is quite clear that their differences made it seem strange and unexpected. And so, the simple fact that Jesus not only sits and speaks with her but has a conversation so significant it is the longest one recorded by any of the gospel writers, speaks volumes about Jesus’ own heart for inclusion, and complete disregard of all the rules about who was and wasn’t acceptable.

Curious about the man she described, many townspeople made their way to the well to see for themselves (Jn 4:30). At first, many Samaritans believed in Jesus based on the woman’s testimony: “He told me everything I ever did.” Because of her words, they sought him out and asked him to stay with them in the town. For two days, Jesus stayed with them, and many more came to believe in him because of his words. (Jn 4:39–41. You see once they met Jesus they wanted to hang out with Him, His conversation was so deep and intriguing, that the men did not know how thirsty they were and if people would just hang out with him by reading His word, praying, sitting and talking to Him and listening for His reply, at that point wanting a personal relationship with Him will bring you all of the happiness in the world. When it was time for Jesus to go, the townspeople told the woman (Jn 4:42) “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man is the Savior of the world” (Jn 4:42, direct quote from NRSV). They had been hanging out with Jesus.

He mentions life-giving water again a few verses later. Those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give them will become in them a spring which will provide them with life-giving water and give them eternal life. (John 4:14)

So, what is this life-giving or living water? Well, Jesus isn’t talking about physical thirst here.  He’s not offering to buy the woman a personal spring on the Malverns. Instead, he’s speaking about her spiritual thirst.  He’s saying He has something that will completely satisfy her spiritual thirst forever.

I remember reading several years ago about tennis player Boris Becker. Did you know that at the very peak of his career, he contemplated suicide? In his autobiography, he writes, I had won Wimbledon twice before, once as the youngest player. I was rich. I had all the material possessions I needed … It’s the old song of movie stars and pop stars who commit suicide. They have everything, and yet they are so unhappy. He said, "I had no inner peace." He had it all – and yet really, he had nothing. And Jesus is saying the same thing to the woman – no number of relationships can give her inner peace whether it is with men or the worship of idol gods. Nothing will – until she addresses the spiritual thirst that sits at the very core of her being.

There’s an old Christian cliché – we all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts. I personally call it a Void that we all have. It’s there because we’re designed for a relationship with God. And when we don’t have that – or when we don’t understand our relationship with God properly – then that God-shaped hole becomes an ache. It cries out for completion. And we’ll never know lasting happiness and contentment until that hole is properly filled. St Augustine so put it like this: You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.

Whoever it is, Jesus sits with them. And He invites us to do likewise. Just as the disciples walked with Jesus and began to live out the radical inclusion He practiced, so we are called to do the same. Because that’s when we begin to transform the world into a kingdom.

Given that the conversation takes place by a well, water seems a natural image to pick. We see throughout the gospels that Jesus often used examples or pictures that were relevant to the situation and lives of those listening to Him, as a way of communicating that what He said was relevant to the situation and lives of those listening to Him. What Jesus said still has meaning for the situation and lives of those who stop to listen to Him - that’s why we’re here - but the example or pictures can sometimes feel a little unfamiliar. Not so here, though, as water always has been and always will be a necessity. It is as refreshing and as satisfying and as sustaining now as it was then, and so is the message that Jesus brought, though on a much deeper level.

So, what’s to be done? Well, if the only thing that can satisfy our spiritual thirst is God, then we need to find a way to quench our thirst for Him.  So, what is it? Well, I reckon Jesus points us to three things in this passage Three things we need to do if we’re going to quench our thirst in Jesus.

1) admit you’re dehydrated.

The first step to solving any problem is admitting it exists. That’s what the woman does when she says to Jesus. “Sir,” the woman said, “give me that water! Then I will never be thirsty again. (John 4:15)

 For some of you, admitting you are spiritually dehydrated will be easy. You can feel it, feel the dryness. You’ve tried everything but deep down you know that you’re still missing something vital. You’re the sort of person who has Psalm 63 as a memory verse,

O God… My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you.

For others it’s much harder –it’s often the brightest and most capable people who struggle the most with this. You’re used to being able to fix any problem – all you’ve got to do is set goals, come up with a plan, build a team, motivate them, and soon the problem is solved. That works great in the office. It even works great in church.  And it can bring great temporary satisfaction. But it can never satisfy the great spiritual ache within you. No amount of achievement can rehydrate a dried-up soul. Only Jesus can do that. And until we let Him, the drought continues. So, admit you’re dehydrated.

The second thing we’ve gotta do is… 2) stop drinking the things that make you thirsty

 What does Jesus do when the woman admits she’s dehydrated? He points to her marital issues. At first, it sounds like he’s changing the subject or being petty. How cruel to bring up this area of embarrassment for her. Except Jesus isn’t being cruel. He’s challenging her – saying – okay – you’ve realized you’re thirsty. Now you need to admit you’ve been hoping these relationships can do for you what only a relationship with God can do. In other words, you’ve been trying to quench your thirst with things that make you thirsty.

On those hot summer days when the temperature gets into the high 90s, what’s the advice the doctors give?  Stay hydrated! And the way to do that is to lie in the sun and drink lots of beer, isn’t it? Wrong. Alcohol and caffeine-based drinks don’t quench our thirst – they make us thirstier. And it’s just the same with spiritual thirst.  If we try to quench it in the wrong way, it just makes us thirstier.

Now that’s not to say that there aren’t things we can do to make ourselves temporarily happy. Nor are the other things we turn to for happiness and contentment. If money is your source of happiness, can you ever have enough? If beauty is the source of your happiness, you’ll always feel ugly. If it’s popularity or attention, you’ll never be able to please enough people.  If it’s your children, they’ll leave home.  If it’s being in love, the feelings won’t last. If it’s power, you’ll always feel insecure.

So how do we stop trying to quench our thirst for things that’ll make us thirsty? Well, it’s too simplistic to simply say “Kick them out of your life.”  But what if it’s your spouse that you’re trying to cram into the God-shaped hole in your heart? How can you kick him out of your life?  You can’t.  So, what’s the solution? It’s to prayerfully admit before God that we’ve been misusing these good things. We’ve been making them far more than they should be in our lives.

The second commandment says this, you shall have no other gods before me. If we’ve broken that commandment, and if we’ve tried to quench our spiritual thirst for anything but Jesus then we have -Then we need to say sorry. But we can’t leave it there. We have one final thing to do.

3)Quench our thirst with Jesus You’ve got a God-shaped hole in your heart – so fill it with what it’s meant to be filled with. With Jesus. In John 7, Jesus says, whoever is thirsty should come to me, and 38 whoever believes in me should drink.” (John 7:37-38) What Jesus expected his audience to do in response was physically come to Him; follow Him; and build a relationship with Him by spending time with Him, copying the way He lived. In so many words; Hang Out With Him:  In Matthew’s gospel He says, come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. (Mt.11:28)

It’s all about coming to him. But 2000 years on, how can we physically do that? We can’t. But Jesus knew that – so He sent His Holy Spirit into the world so we can still have a relationship with Him. And that relationship works itself out as we hang out with Him, listen to Him speak as we read and meditate on the Bible; it works out as we speak to Him in prayer and as we declare His wonders in praise; and as we share in His death and resurrection through baptism and communion.

And as we come to Him, He’ll begin to change us, He’ll quench that spiritual thirst, and we’ll learn the true satisfaction that can only come from Jesus, and which can equip us to face all of life’s hardships, that’s what hanging out with Jesus will do. Sitting with Him changes us, equips us, prepares us, we attain wisdom and knowledge, it becomes personal, and we began to model Him in all that we do.

So, quench your thirst for Jesus. Stop drinking the things that make you thirsty.  And it all begins with an admission that you are spiritually dry. Let’s pray to the only One who can quench your thirst. Sharing the Gospel is a direct command.

Jesus commanded them to meet Him at the mountain of Galilee, a place they had been many times before. There they were, standing on the mountain, listening to Jesus give them His marching orders. He said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations …,” (Matthew 28.18-19 NlT). I envision Jesus, as He spoke these words, with His arms outstretched, gesturing to the nations that were clearly in view from that mountaintop. “Go there and tell them about me. … I’m sending you!” We can’t stand there with Him physically like the disciples did, however, we do have access to hang with Him daily, in our meditation time, reading His Word, praying to Him and listening to what He has to say. We will leave changed. Whenever you sit with Him, however you came to Him, you will leave a changed person, you will have joy, inner peace that surpasses world peace, which is difficult to see these days.

Telling people about Jesus has become an optional suggestion. For those early disciples, the command of Jesus was crystal clear. There was nothing ambiguous about it. Jesus was commanding His disciples to go and tell. What started as a clear command has become a not-so-clear optional suggestion today. I have heard it said that 95 percent of American Christians have never led a person to faith in Jesus Christ. If you are like me that statistic is like a punch in the gut. How could that be? 

While I haven’t been able to determine whether that figure is true, it is a clear fact that American Christians are not sharing their faith very often. According to one poll, when evangelical Christians were asked if they had a responsibility to share their faith, 73 percent said yes. However, when asked if they had shared with someone how to come to faith in Jesus in the last year, 48 percent said no. The poll went on to show that from 2015 to 2020, most generational groups either showed no increase in sharing their faith or showed a steep decline. Only one group told more people about Jesus during that slice of time, and that was the millennial group (people born between the early 1980s and early 2000s). More than 65 percent of this group actively shared their faith with lost friends.

It is considered a sin not to share the Gospel. Why am I sharing these facts and figures with you? Because I want to drive home one really important point — Telling people about Jesus is not optional. On that mountain, Jesus didn’t give a suggestion; He gave a command — a divine imperative. Anything less than obedience is disobedience to Jesus. 

Let me put it another way, and this may sting a little — It is a sin not to share. If you know what Jesus has done for you, and you are commanded by Jesus to share the hope you have with others who are lost and far from God, simply say nothing is sinful. It’s just flat-out wrong. James wrote, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it,” (James 4.17 NlT). 

Jesus declared He had all authority. Jesus then commanded His followers to make disciples. They did. But we don’t. So, the big question is, “Why?” Why are so many people who claim to be followers of Jesus AWOL, (absent without leave) when it comes to sharing their faith? Somewhere along the way, we have considered Jesus’ command an option instead of a mandate.

When was the last time you hung out with Jesus? When was the last time you talked about Jesus with a friend? Take time today to hang out with Jesus. Oh what peace and joy that awaits you.

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.journeyintotheword.com