Out of My Belly

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water ( John 7:38)

Jesus made this statement that those who believe in Him, as the scriptures say, shall flow rivers of living water out of their belly. What are these rivers of living water? What does it mean to have these rivers flow out of our belly? There’s a place where it says their god is their belly. The belly can be about corruption, selfishness, death, and indulgence; the belly is about the earth. The belly commands that we eat every day. Sometimes the belly commands that we overeat. It makes us tired, unwilling to pray, and unwilling to work. The belly is one of the least honored members of the body, couldn’t there be a better place for the waters to flow? What about the head or hands? Jesus said from his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Why is this? Christ came to make it possible for us to be incorrupt. The belly, certainly, is the sign of corruption, the sign of our being rooted to the earth. He can clean up everything.

But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.  John 7:39

God provided water for the Israelites in the wilderness as well, but its thirst-quenching effects were also temporary. The living water Jesus was referring to is the Holy Spirit. God wants to give us an expression of the Holy Spirit. His power is inside of our spirit. Jesus offers the living water that quenches all thirst and is a source of life eternal. Water cannot be held back when it is in a torrent; everything in its path is pushed out of the way. So, it is with the Holy Spirit. When a flood comes upon us it’s not of our own will that the water comes and the water destroys things that are precious to us. But the flood of the Holy Spirit comes only if we desire it. We desire to follow the things of God; then indeed the torrent will come. The torrent will flow and never end. Anything ungodly that is in our way of the keeping of the commandments will be scoured away, will be pushed away and the water will flow eternally.

The water of the Holy Spirit eternally gives us life, and refreshment, invigorating us; a spring that never ends. A drought will never come upon he who has the Spirit. The Holy Spirit abides in a child of God. The moment we believe in Christ, immediate effect results. We become a channel of blessing others as the water flows through our bellies. Jesus is the source of blessing, but the believer is the channel of that blessing by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus offers two blessings to the believer, the first is himself as the source of satisfaction to our soul. The second is for us to be a source of blessing to others by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We become the channels of spiritual life.

Out of our belly shall flow forth rivers of living water, because our Lord showed us how to live. He made us capable of living and gave us a guide to how to live and to strengthen us. God dwells within us and he who empowers us by the Holy Spirit to walk in obedience. I pray we all will come to the place of absolute surrender, consecration, and total sanctification so that he does dwell, make his home in our spirits never departing. Then rivers of living water will perpetually flow from our innermost being and the glory of the Lord will be seen in and through the lives of those who walk just like Jesus.