Having A Mary Spirit Chapter 9 Guarding the “WellSpring”

My study group is not discussing this chapter this week- but there was so much good in the chapter I decided to share anyway. So please join me and offer your thoughts.

This chapter focused on guarding the heart. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

Joanna points out the importance of not even letting a little sin into our wellspring as even the little has the power to pollute and corrupt the very essence of who we are. We must be careful not to begin to compromise, "After excusing one sin, we find it much easier to committ others". We will reap the consequences of sin. Even when others sin against us we must be careful not to become bitter and sin. "Because what we plant today determines what we will harvest tomorrow."“ We need to be cleanse daily, washed in the blood daily this was not a one time thing, it is ongoing. If you are thirsty, go to Jesus who "will cause streams of living water to flow from you." Be carful not to leave the well dry for "we were ment to be rushing rivers, pouring out His love and mercy to everyone around us. We were meant to be conduits of living waters,the sweet and refreshing flow of the Holy Spirit coming in and flowing through and out of our lives." Joanna ends this chapter with a great reminder: "God has chosen us to be vessels for His presence. As we dig our spiritual wells deep and rely on Him to help us keep them clean, as we daily prime the pumps of our spiritual hunger,Christ fills us with Himself. Than He places us strategically as living water drinking fountains in a drought-stricken land. Tall crystall goblets filled with His mercy, brimming over with His love. Lush oases where travelers come and taste and see that the Lord is good. You and I have been cleansed--and filled-in order to be spilled. A crystal-clear "refreshering" drink of Jesus Christ."

Questions for Discussion
“Others May---You Cannot”
Why do you think God convicts some people of certain things while He doesn’t seem to convict others?
a-The path and purpose God has for each of us is different and I believe based on His purpose and the lessons He is choosing to teach me may contribute to why others may not seem to be getting convicted while I am
b- Some are being called to a higher calling.
c-For whom much is given much is expected.
d-God is preparing me for His purpose and His plan.
e-God is growing me
f-I am praying God will show me the things He desire me to correct in my life
g-I am truly seeking to become more Christ-like
h-We don’t know for sure others are not being convicted-we don’t know what others are going through. My Pastor often say we don’t know what it took for someone to get here. We can’t measure or judge someone else‘s walk with God. We don’t know their relationship- regardless of what it may appear as.

(This also spoke to me most in this Chapter)
“If God has called you to be like Christ, He may draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put on you such demands of obedience that He will not allow you to follow other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let others good people do things which He will not let you do.”
*Others Christians who seem very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot and if you attempt you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make your sorely penitent.
*Others may boast of their work, success, self but the Holy Spirit will not allow you, if you begin He will lead you to deep mortification, that will make you despise yourself, and good works.
* Others will be allowed to succeed in making money, but God will likely keep you poor-because He wants you to have something far better than gold, and that is a helpless dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs days by day out of an unseen treasury.
*The Lord will allow others to be honored and put forward, and keep you hid away in obscurity because He want to produce some choice fragrant fruit for His coming glory.
*He will let others be great, but you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing.
*The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you…rebuking you for little words and feelings, or for wasting time.
Yes, I have been in this place even in the place where I stood in judgment because of how it appeared, thus my answer to the initial question. God has grown me and I am learning what God has for me is for me and what He has for you is for you and as G. D Watson states God has the right to do what He pleases with His own, and I am His own.

The Bible is clear that we must manage our freedom to avoid harming ourselves, harming others and hurting God. The following 2 scriptures speak to our hurting GOD.
Hurting God- Hebrews 6:6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

1 Thessalonians 4:7-God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Hebrews speak to non believers-no believer wants God rejected we understand the importance of this we cry because we don’t want anyone to be lost, but this scripture gives us another reason to cry when God is rejected He is hurt, brought to shame , nailed to the cross again and again and again. He has already paid the price for us why must He continually be nailed to the cross.

This speaks to my heart the matter of witness and evangelism is more and more necessary not only for others to come to Christ but that our Savior is not continually put to shame. Once we turn from the unbeliever we must look at ourselves-believers.

So often we reject the message because man/woman brings it. We must look to the word and know it is not man we reject or hurt but God. We must be careful not to nail Christ to the cross again and again as the unbeliever. This is a problem that has been around for some time. Exodus 16: 7 Moses said this very thing to the Israelites when they were complaining not having food. In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that should complain about us? What has the messenger of God done but brought us his word?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.