In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway. Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through. He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows (Ezekiel 47:1-9 – NLT).
We’re living in the time that I believe the Father will be fulfilling the prophecy of Joel 2:28 in full. He desires to pour out His Spirit on all flesh. And this is the time for the body of Christ to take full advantage of our personal relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit.
In the above passage, Ezekiel saw the future Temple of God and saw a river flowing from it. The water began as shallow as ankle deep and grew in depth; from ankle deep to knee deep, to waist deep, until it became waters to swim in.
The river speaks to us church age folk of the anointing of the Holy Spirit and its rise in our lives and ministries, and of the harvest of souls that we should seek to bring into the kingdom of God.
There is rising a stream as it were of the Holy Spirit that the Father desires that we jump into. We must be willing to get wet if we want God’s best. We must be willing to go where the Holy Spirit through the Word is leading us! At first, we’re ankle deep, and for the most part we can choose our direction.
Then, as the water of the Spirit gets deeper, we feel the tug and weight of the water. As long as we are knee deep, we can still push ahead in some self-effort. Waist deep water is more difficult to navigate. It takes a lot of physical effort to resist the waist deep water’s tug.
But when the water becomes deep, perhaps over the head, and becomes water to swim in, we become completely controlled by the current of the water. And that’s where the Lord wants to take all of us; to a place where we are no longer in control of our lives. He is in control. We simply allow Him to take us where He wills!
Jesus called this abiding in the vine in John 15. Paul said it this way in Acts 17:28, In Him we live and move and have our being! Paul also referred to this process of giving control of us over to the Father in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Be willing to step out into the river of God! Allow Him to work in you to the point that you’re willing for Him to decide what is best for your life; you’re willing to risk letting go of the reigns of your life and you’re willing to do whatever He says. The end result of this type of living is the fullest satisfaction you can have in life.