If you have ever been dehydrated, you know how awful the effects on your body can be. Minor dehydration can lead to a headache, while more severe dehydration can lead to nausea, diarrhea and worse.

Scripture repeatedly compares the Spirit of God to water. In our spiritual lives it is quite easy to become “dehydrated” if we try to live that life apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. Trying to resist sin or stand against evil apart from the empowering presence of God’s Spirit is analogous to running a marathon without drinking any fluids leading up to your race. That would be insane! But why do we try to live our Christian lives apart from the Holy Spirit?

Did you know it is entirely possible to read the Bible for hours per day and still be spiritually dry? Don’t believe me? Look at the Pharisees… they knew the Word of God backwards and forward yet missed the Word Incarnate when He showed up! Am I saying that reading Scripture is not important? Of course not! But when you read Scripture, ask God to join you, instruct you and counsel you by His Spirit. That is His desire and that will assure that you don’t become spiritually dehydrated. But when you stop reading Scripture, don’t stop walking and living by the Spirit!

We wonder about the effects of our spiritual dehydration all of the time: “Why am I being so grumpy?” “Why is everything annoying me today?” “Why am I so tempted by that sin?” etc etc ad nauseum (no pun intended!…ok, maybe sort of). But we don’t consider that we have gone days, weeks or even months without “Abiding” in Christ by His Spirit.

“…but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus in the book of John

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

John the Apostle in the book of Revelation

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