Rivers of Living Water and Bearing Fruit

John 7:38 (NKJV)

³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

John 15:5-6 (NKJV)

⁵ “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.

⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:5-6 NKJV)

This is how it works: once one`s heart is given to the Lord and completely surrendered, God clears all the dirt out through the circumcision of the heart using appropriate circumstances in one`s life. Once all that is scrubbed out, God fills one`s heart with His love, His life, and His rivers of living water flow into the lives of others baring "much fruit".

It is the same principle as when growing a beautiful garden. In order for the flowers and trees to fully bloom or produce fruit, they require manure, a very stinky soil treatment in order to enhance and enrich the soil itself.  The way it translates into our lives is by God placing some “stinky” and painful circumstances in one`s life in order to enrich that “soil” in one`s heart, so one could produce fruit for His glory. I had a lot lf “manure” dumped on me (Apparently my soil was that barren), in order to start producing fruits of the Holy Spirit.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25, NJKV)

It is a lie if someone told you that you can live your own selfish life and produce fruits of the Holy Spirit at the same time. God is a Holy God, and He would never compromise His standards with our own carnal selfish nature. He requires that complete surrender on our part to His will in order for Him to do that work in one`s heart to bring forth fruit. I was trying to combine both for awhile, and all I got was failure in both because it is impossible to have joy, love, peace when I think about my own interests and desires. Selfishness can never produce these fruits. As a Christian, I am obligated to bring forth that fruit; otherwise, there are consequences for those who do not abide in Him—they are “cast out as a branch and withered’ and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned (John 15:6)

What Jesus talks about here is hell which is a real consequence for those who reject God. If I live my life calling myself a “Christian”, and I don`t produce “much fruit”, I would be cut down and burnt. When I was rebelling against God, he showed me the scripture that once and for all made me grateful for God`s mercy and patience with which turned my life around for Him.

⁷ Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’

⁸ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

⁹ And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that^[a] you can cut it down.’ (Luke 13:7-9 NKJV)

I had God`s mercy to give me one more year to bear fruit for His glory before I was to become one of those “Untouchables” that I described in my other article who are left alone to sin until they can take it no more. God was gracious enough to give me one more year, and I got lots of “digging around and fertilizing” dumped on me to get me to change my ways. When I look at my heart now, I can honestly say to God: “here I am Lord; only,You, can use me and do whatever You want with me” because I want that “flow of the living water” pouring out of my heart effecting lives of others. That unconditional love that I`ve been praying for in the last month finally filled my heart because I allowed God to cleanse me and wash me through the heart circumcision process. I feel this flow of the living water that I can share with others because I feel God`s real power in my life. He`s done the impossible: He is binding up my wounds; He showed me the principle of forgiveness and taught me how to forgive, so to be forgiven; He filled my heart over again with His love and His presence.

The ultimate goal of our existence and creation is to bring glory to Him. That`s why each human being or any creation was brought up to this world. When I go astray and disobey my ultimate goal “to bring glory to Him”, I get repercussions because disobedience is a sin and sin always produces repercussions.

Are you living the way that produces “much fruit” and has your heart bringing forth “rivers of living water”? You should examine your heart because if that`s not the case, there is that God`s patience that can give that “another year” to bear fruit just like He did with me, but if not, there will be repercussions.