Soapy Water

Hebrews 10:21-24 (NLT)

And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

Have you ever been really thirsty seeking a cold beverage? You head into the kitchen and grab your favorite glass stacked neatly in the cabinet. After filling the glass with ice, you pour sweet tea or ice cold water to the top finally it is time to quench your thirst. As you take it to your lips and begin to partake that which you greatly desired, it becomes apparent there is a problem. Small bubbles begin to form in your mouth as you look for a place to rid yourself of the awful taste or dare to swallow it for relief. Either way, you have a mouth full of soap. The glass chosen had not been rinsed properly and hidden inside was the residue of the cleanser that was used to clean it. Your moment of satisfaction is squelched by the overcoming disgust of the bitter taste of soap.

A clean heart is a requirement of those who want to live in the Presence of God. Those who thirst after righteousness must experience the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ. It was “sprinkled” to make us clean as our bodies were “washed with pure water.” This careful process provided by our Savior and executed by our Father through the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential to take care of the sin problem that threatens to overtake us causing a rampant disease that will weaken our faith, destroy our trust and kill our hope. However, we must never underestimate how powerful the blood of Jesus is. It is an injection of such magnitude that it will permeate every cell of your being and every second of your existence until we are with God. All that power in just one drop. It is permanent. Though there is a daily struggle with sin and it is impossible to live a sinless life so therefore the blood of Jesus is absolutely essential but it only takes a drop to cover every single sin ever committed. It is all in the blood. But God goes further to wash us with the pure water of His Word which is filled with every single promise that God ever made to us. We have to go through the blood to the washing of the Word to live as God intended. But often, believers cannot get past the sin problem to the water flow. They live constantly in the cleanser and it causes a bitterness to rise up as they struggle to experience God’s Glory manifested. What hinders us from reaching the refreshing pure water of God? Why are we constantly faced with the cleansing process?

God has called us to a life of obedience. Consecration is the act of setting apart. When we live in constant contact with our Savior and adjust our living standard to match His Guide, then we experience the Promises of God in our life. The Promises of God hold peace, love, joy, and hope for every born-again Christian. Everyone must be cleansed by the Blood of Jesus to attain these things. However to experience the sweet goodness of God and be satisfied, it is imperative to live beyond the constant need for the radical cleansing experiences due to overexposure to the world and all the filthy residue it leaves behind to a daily washing in God’s Purity. It means living in the holiness of the Presence of God. Once there the Blood of Jesus is actively purifying you thereby allowing you to dwell in God’s Presence, but when we choose to leave and return to the sin of this world it requires coming through the blood again. Those who choose to constantly go back and forth will experience bitterness and frustration because they do not experience the manifestation of God’s Glory and His Promises in their life. It is that bitterness that the enemy uses to draw God’s Children back into the world where “anything goes” is the order of the day and sin destroys the lives of God’s Beloved. When a doctor prepares for surgery, he rigorously cleanses his arms and hands. He removes his daily living clothes that germs can live in and wears sterile scrubs. He dons gloves and enters the heavily sanitized operating room. As long as he does not leave this room, he is considered sterile and uncompromising to the patient. However, should he leave the room and go into the germ-filled hospital, the entire process would have to be repeated all over again. Therefore the doctor chooses to stay in the operating room until the procedure is complete. God is calling His Children to remain in His Presence until their Purpose is complete and they are with Him in Eternity! In this place is no bitterness and frustration, all that you desire and thirst for is waiting for you!

Psalm 19:13-14 (NLT)

Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

To experience the refreshing, revitalizing and satisfying pure water of God’s Promises, we must move beyond the need for constant cleansing and live in the Presence of God. Sin cannot be in control in this environment, it must be the Lord. The Message Bible says, “Keep me from stupid sins and from thinking I can take over your work”. If we can just move beyond the sin that attempts to reside in our life and move into the Presence of God with our whole being and entire life, there we will be satisfied. Bitterness has no place in God’s Courts. Break the cycle of constant sin and move into a new life standard that demands the Glory of God through obedience and discipline! You will experience to Glory of God and be satisfied beyond your greatest expectation!