…Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39)
The world is shaking all around us and can make you wonder what will come tomorrow. Almost every human dilemma at a personal level can be categorized as either fear (emotional difficulty), or doubt (intellectual difficulty). Our emotions and intellect constitute our soul and govern the choices we make (our will). Doubt, fear, and inner turmoil—compounded by things that happen to people throughout the course of their lives—are real hindrances that oppose your peace and deteriorate your confidence. The Holy Spirit desires to reach down inside of us, remove obstructions to our wholeness, and heal our pain. He wants to fill our souls with God’s peace, but there’s a distinct way in which that peace flows.
When Jesus spoke about rivers of living water, He was speaking about the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Spirit is given to us at the time we receive Jesus. The overflow of the Spirit has to do with when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at the dimension that He comes from Jesus with power. The Book of Acts makes very clear: repent, be baptized, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who then gives us gifts to answer specific needs. There’s no more outstandingly manifested flow than that seen in Acts 2—manifest evidence of the Spirit of God working in people.
Let me say here that baptism in the Holy Spirit, baptism in water, or the exercise of spiritual language doesn’t improve anybody’s status with God. You’re either saved through the Blood of Jesus or you’re not. God loves you, and He couldn’t love you any more—in fact, even while we were sinners, He loved us (Romans 5:8). Nevertheless there are multiple points of release which cannot flow as rapidly apart from the flow of spiritual language. It’s nothing we produce; it’s something God creates in us, it’s available to everyone, and it’s the will of the Holy Spirit that all receive that release in language (Jude 20; Ephesians 6:18).
There’s a direct relationship between what God does in me, what He freely does through me, and the flow of the Holy Spirit happening in me (Romans 8:26-27).
The Holy Spirit is “The Great Psychiatrist.” The prophet Isaiah described the Holy Spirit as wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (11:1-2). The Bible says that he who speaks in a tongue is speaking to God “mysteries” (1 Corinthians 14:2), referring to things that were not known before, but now are being brought into the light. When the Word of God comes alive in a person, you are experiencing a flow of the Holy Spirit. It’s not the letter on the paper, but the Word of God animated in you by the Holy Spirit quickening it. The Word of God is a spiritual resource that enables us to make wise choices (John 8:32).
When those two things are put together—the Word made alive by the quickening of the Spirit, and Holy Spirit life being released through the flow of spiritual language—then you have a river of living water that will filter through the deep recesses of the psyche, uncovering and breaking down those things which have become obstacles to your liberty in Christ (1 Corinthians 14:2; 2 Timothy 2:19-22):
Fear: Confrontation of fear with spiritual language is a key to your peace of mind (2 Timothy 1:7; Romans 5:5; 1 John 4:18). There’s nothing more dynamic than the flow of God’s love, which is the power to cast out torment or fear. God’s love is directly related to His Spirit. God’s power is His love. Love is the only trait that is ever directly identified with God. He pours forth His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Doubt: Whatever is not of faith is sin; when doubt arises, you are being confronted by that which is outside the realm of the Lord. God doesn’t deal in sin; He rescues people from it. It is impossible to answer to sin with reason. Though everything about the Lord is intellectually sensible, you don’t come to know God by the power of the human intellect. God is known through the heart. Therefore you can only face doubt on spiritual terms. Bring your doubts to the Lord; pray in your spiritual language over them, and the Great Psychiatrist—the Holy Spirit of wisdom and revelation—will give you true insight (Ephesians 1:17; John 16:13-14).
Inner turmoil (Isaiah 59:19; Psalm 23; Mark 4:39-41): Jesus’ authority over the tumult in Mark 4 was out of the spiritual resource in Him. By the power of the Spirit, He spoke to it: “Peace be still.” The tumult that confronts you will never subside unless you speak against it. Praying in the Spirit has a way of bringing perspective to our understanding. The Holy Spirit exposes issues of bondage and pain; and then, as we acknowledge those things, He uses our speaking them out as “scissors” to cut the cords of what has held us captive.
If you will allow the Holy Spirit to flow in your life, both through the Word of God and through the ongoing exercise of prayer language, that flow can penetrate the conscious mind and produce deliverance from any hindrance to God’s fullest purpose for you. God’s program of redemption is to bring every one of us into wholeness and full partnership with Him. Through the release of our spiritual language, the Holy Spirit—The Great Psychiatrist—is available to give us peace of mind in the face of great trial and stress, and the sustaining power to persevere in spiritual warfare.
Copyright © 2003, 2010 by Jack W. Hayford, Jack Hayford Ministries
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