If you take the time to remove each stone

one by one,

a doubt and fear at a time –

gradually, the Living Waters

will begin to flow more freely through you.

If you want to experience the bubbling joy

of infinite Divine Love,

heavy lifting pays off.

Jesus said “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” (John 7:38)

But even though we’re practicing faith, sometimes we experience more of a desert than this river of living waters He promised. There are a lot of potential reasons for this that we can’t control, but often we’re getting in our own way by holding onto fears and limiting beliefs.

In our humanity, we operate 10% consciously and 90% unconsciously. So even though we believe in God and are faithful on the surface of our lives, deep down we can be holding onto a painful memory or belief, which blocks us from allowing “the living waters” of His love to flow more freely through us.

If you’re in a desert time right now, I encourage you to pray this simple prayer:

Spirit of the Living God, I want Your healing love, life and energy to flow more freely through my life. Please come into my heart, and reveal any hidden fear, belief or misconception about who You are that is blocking me from experiencing more of Your living presence in my life. Please help me remove whatever’s holding me back, so I can allow Your spirit of truth and love to flow more freely through me. Heal my unbelief, and give me the gift of increased faith in You.

Then, spend some time in quiet, journaling.

Try reflecting on the following scriptures:

John 4:14 “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Isaiah 44:3 “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”

Ask yourself:

• Do I really believe these scriptures?
• What do they mean to me?
• What is holding me back from experiencing more of God’s “living water” in my life?
• What is stopping me from experiencing the peace God promises to believers?
• In what area of life am I struggling to accept God’s love and forgiveness?

Saint Augustine said “Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.”

The power, love and grandeur of God lives in us. It’s a marvelous thing, but in order to more fully experience this reality in our lives, we need to get out of His way. Sometimes, this requires some inner work and excavation of old beliefs and thought processes to replace them with the truth about God’s plan for our lives!

God, give us the gift of faith. Help us to see how our misconceptions about you are blocking us from experiencing Your divine plan for our lives. Help us remove any interior misconceptions about who You are and what Your will is for our lives, so we can more fully allow Your love to flow through us into the world. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

What’s stopping the “living waters” of God’s love from flowing more freely through you? Comment below, and I’ll be happy to keep you in my prayers.