Tag: <span>pure</span>


“Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within Him” John 7:38


Fresh clean water flowing from a mountain!  When was the last time you drank from a fresh mountain stream?  Or have you ever?

When I was a child, our family lived on a wonderful, scenic 64-acre dairy farm which had treed hills to explore and a creek running through it. During the summer, I would often go fishing for trout. A willow branch was my rod, a string, a cheap hook, earth worm for bait and a nut (from dad’s workshop) for a sinker was what I used.  No expensive fishing rod. If I grew thirsty while fishing, I would lean over and drink the water with cupped hands. Refreshing and good.

When Marvin and I bought our first property, we had a deep ravine around three sides of our house. Flowing from the ravine, in several places, were fresh water springs. Actually this is where a river had its beginning.

My husband dug a shallow well and captured the water from one of these springs– this is the water we drank.

Occasionally in fall and winter – our rainy season – the fallen leaves from the trees would block the path of the spring running into the well we would have to remove the rotting leaves and the flow toward the well would begin again.

Aren’t our lives like that sometimes? We have received Jesus Christ and the streams of new life, joy, peace, gentleness flow from within us because of the Holy Spirit. People are blessed when we cross their paths.

However, sometimes the source of our “Springs of Living Water” gets blocked with rotten leaves (sinful acts or attitudes), and they slow down or cut off the stream of Living Water coming out of our life.

You know, all we have to do to get that flow of Living Water flowing out of us again, is sincerely confess our sin (1 John 1:9), and by faith appropriate the fullness of His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Then the streams of Living Water will begin to flow again. Sin blocks the flow!

I encourage you to do this every time you contemplate a sinful act or attitude.  Someone once said, “I ‘fess them as I does them, I don’t bunch them.” Great way to live.

Father, thank You for living within us.   You are the source of the Living Water flowing out of us. May we always keep the flow free from any obstructions. Amen.

By Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission

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Further Reading

•  Living Water for the Thirsty – by Charles Spurgeon

•   Fountain of Life – by Sylvia Gunter

•   Bible Studies


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thoughts by Katherine Kehler Thoughts by Women


Think about a time in your life when you experienced true grief.

We experience grief when we lose a cherished loved one.  We experience grief when we know we’ve badly hurt someone we love.  Or maybe grief comes from the loss of a dream.  Sometimes we grieve when we know we’ve been unable to reach someone whom we desperately want to help turn their life around.  There are many reasons we feel grief in our lives.

I want you to think about how it felt when you faced that grief in your life, the broken-hearted, gut wrenching sorrow in which your soul cried for release from the pain.

Do you know that when we sin we grieve the Holy Spirit?  The Bible says in Ephesians 4:30:

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

There are times when I’m really tempted to sin in which the Lord reminds me that if I do so, I will grieve his Holy Spirit.  At those times, if I really stop and think about how I felt during times of great distress and grief in my life, I realize that I don’t want to cause the Holy Spirit of God to experience grief because of my actions.  Let us not resist the Lord’s prompting to turn away from the temptation which so easily besets us.

Prayer: Merciful God, Abba Father, may I be ever mindful that when I’m tempted to sin, to do so would grieve your Holy Spirit.  Give me the strength to resist the lure of evil.  Help me to choose to do what is right in your sight and bring honor and glory to your name.

By Sherry Yarger
Used by Permission

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Further Reading

•  Temptation – by Phil Ware

•  How Temptations Lose Their Power –  by Bethany Hayes

•   Dealing Wisely with Temptation – by Charles Stanley


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thoughts by Sherry Yarger Thoughts by Women