Let's continue with our prayer journey around the gates and walls of Jerusalem, which in this context, represent our hearts and homes. This week we're focusing on the fountain gate.
The restoration of the fountain gate speaks of the living waters of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said: ‘Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:38)
There is a fountain that God wants to release from within us, however, our hearts are clogged and blocked by many negative issues.
Just look at what the Bible reveals in Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV); Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. This scriptures urges us to consider the issues that are important to people because these issues are directly connected to what has happened in their hearts.
Hearts have been damaged, crushed, raided, abused, and ravaged by abandonment, divorce, divisions, death, disasters, etc. Restoring the fountain gate touches the very purpose for which God sent us out. HE sent us to people who have been deeply wounded in their souls. The very soul of America cries out and wails in anguish.
While religion points out and judges the behavior and actions of mankind, God looks at the wounded sin-sick soul and starts there.
This gate is for those souls today.
For most of us, our lives were devastated in early childhood. In Isaiah 61:4, we read, "And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities."
Former desolations refers to devastating things that happened in the past; in particular they refer to devastation that happened in the early years of your life.
In my life (Chris), my soul was wounded before I was even born. My mom was pregnant with me when her youngest child was killed in a food-choking accident. Her grief and sorrow engulfed my unborn substance. I was an extremely melancholy inner city kid because I was always overwhelmed by grief, sorrow, and despair. I lived a very sad, depressed and pessimistic life, even after I gave my heart to the Lord. As human beings, we develop habits and vices as we turn to pacifiers and some other way to try to ease or comfort our pain.
I even developed a very violent and murderous temper and nearly killed my younger sister in an outburst of rage. Shortly afterwards, I was filled with the Holy Spirit and the rage was literally washed away in the streams of living water.
Last week, we talked about restoring the refuse gate and the many toxins that we need to eliminate from our lives, but this gate (fountain) is where we find the actual power and ability to follow through with those decisions to get the trash out of our hearts and homes.
The Bible presents a very powerful admonishment: And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)
In this context, drunk means to be under the controlling influence of wine (or whatever it is that you turn to for comfort). The issue was not the mere drinking of wine, but the lack of moral restraint. The caution and warning is about becoming a person who is given to immoral and improper conduct. The emphasis is on being filled and under the controlling influence of the Spirit of God.
Let’s rebuild, restore and renew the fountain gate and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is where you and your family will become empowered! When the river is unleashed, you will no longer simply respond from the issues of a broken and damaged heart. With the fountain gate restored, your heart and home can be brought under the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit.
---Chris and Carol Green
