Is Your Water Fresh Or Salty?

“...He is like a tree planted by streams of water...”



We’ve been looking at characteristics of prosperous people as defined by Psalm 1:2-3

But His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

So far we’ve identified two characteristics for prosperity:

1. Guard your thinking; “whose leaf does not wither”
2. Focus on bearing fruit; “which yields its fruit in season”

Now let’s consider the type of water by which we are planted. Is is fresh or salty?

Our companion scripture from Jeremiah 17 gives some insight as to the danger of being planted by salt water or in a salty land for prosperous living.

“He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will live in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. v 6

Fresh water is what we must be planted by. What is the source of fresh water?

One clue comes from another companion scripture to Psalm 1:2-3 which is found in Ezekiel 47:11-12 

But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will server from food and their leaves for healing.



What is the source of this living water? None other than Jesus, and through our belief in Him the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

John 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.



The book of James gives us insight into how streams of water affect prosperity. Are we planted by fresh water or salty water. What are the characteristics of being planted by either fresh water or salty water?

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made on God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. ch3:9-12



A swamp is unfit for cultivation and a marsh is most often treeless. It is flowing water, fresh water, living water by which we must be planted. This water must come from the sanctuary or the Holy place. This fresh water will affect our words, that they will be blessings. It will also assure that our fruit will not fail, our actions will be proper; and it will cause our leaves not to wither, our thinking will be right. Whatever we do will prosper!!

Words are a determining characteristic of those that prosper. To experience prosperity we must control what comes out of our mouths, the words we speak. We must speak blessings, not curses.

It is not enough just to know where the source of this water is, we have certain responsibilities with it and over it that will affect our prosperity. Join me in discusiing this in future episodes. Click the follow button to stay tuned in.


Previous
Whatever He Does Prospers
What Does Prosper Mean?
Over What Aspects Of Your Life Would You Like To Prosper?
Does Your Leaf Stay Green?
Yielding Fruit In Season

Next
What Are You Meditating On?

Yielding Fruit In Season

Deliberately yielding fruit is a characteristic of prosperous people. Yielding fruit is a result of our actions.

His delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted on streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:2-3 (NIV)

We’ve discussed how the definition of prosper goes beyond just material or financial prosperity. Prosperity means to render one happy; meeting your expectations in all aspects of our lives.

Under pressure we need to work to overcome worry, fear and anxiety. We must control our thinking and our thinking affects our actions.

Therefore, in order to prosper, we need to focus on our fruit.  The companion scripture to Psalm 1 is Jeremiah 17 which tells us that we should “never fail to bear fruit.”

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

No matter our circumstances at a given moment, concentrate on bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

Again, our ability to bear fruit is going to be affected by our thinking. If we are overcome by fear, worry and anxiety; if our leaves are withered, will it be difficult to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit in our actions?

How much more so, if our thinking is focused on things that are pure, noble, lovely, and admirable and of good-report can we then operate in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

And if we bear the fruits of the Spirit, how will others with whom we relate respond to us? Will they be more inclined to favor us?

We are more likely to be rendered happy when we live a life of love, joy and peace.  Our relationships will be more agreeable when we demonstrate patience, kindness and goodness. Faithfulness, gentleness and self-control will cause things to go according to our expectations.

We will in fact prosper!!!!

Easy to say, but harder to do; but He that is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Which aspects of your life do you need to prosper, but haven’t been? Which fruit of the Spirit do you need to bear to yield prosperity? How does your thinking need to change?

I welcome your comments below.

Come back as we explore how the condition of the water that nourishes us will determine fruit bearing and the condition of our leaves.

Previous

Whatever He Does Prospers
What Does Prosper Mean?
Over What Aspects Of Your Life Would You Like To Prosper?
Does Your Leaf Stay Green?

Next
Is Your Water Fresh Or Salty?

Does Your Leaf Stay Green?

This series begins looking at Psalm 1:2-3 “His delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted on streams of water, which bears fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (NIV)

One characteristic of prospering is to not let your leaf wither. Psalm 1 has a companion scripture found in Jeremiah 17. Let’s take a look.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it roots by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

If we are going to prosper we can’t allow ourselves to be in fear when the heat comes. When the pressures of life come on us we cannot afford to worry.  We must overcome anxiety.

To get beyond fear we need to understand where fear comes from. The word tells us that fear does not come from God. Therefore, it comes from the deceiver, the oppressor, Satan.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

Knowing where fear comes from will help us prevail over that fear. The opposite of fear is faith. I have faith in God.

Many times our worry comes from contemplating the future, according to our present circumstances. Refocus your thinking about the future and just concentrate on the day at hand.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

What is the prescription for overcoming anxiety? Think on things that are of good report. Look for the good in the day at hand. It’s there if you look for it.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:6-8

The word then gives us one of the characteristics for those that operate in true prosperity.

1. They conquer fear. Know that fear does not come from God.
2. They triumph over worry. They focus is on this day. They don’t spend time worrying about things they can’t do anything about.
3. They prevail over anxiety by focusing on the good around them.
4. Their leaves do not wither.

Post in the comment section how you deal with fear and worry and anxiety?

How do we keep our leaves from withering? Don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t let fear overcome you. Look for the good. Concentrate on bearing fruit.

Bearing fruit? Come back for the next of this series on “Whatever he does prospers.”

Click on the follow button

Previous

Whatever He Does Prospers

What Does “Prosper” Mean?

Over What Aspects of Your Life Would You Like To Prosper?

Next
Yielding Fruit In Season
Is Your Water Fresh Or Salty?
What Are You Meditating On?

Over What Aspects Of Your Life Would You Like To Prosper?

A prosperity message often meets with skepticism in the church because it is most often associated with financial prosperity. But in looking at the meaning of the word prosper we see that the word encompasses much more than to prosper economically.

In fact the meaning of the word from its origins in the 15^th century simply means to:  “render one happy, according to expectations, agreeable to one’s wishes.”

In what aspects of your life would you like to be rendered happy? This is a list that comes to my mind:

• Marriage
• Parenting
• Relationship with family
• Rapport with friends
• Career
• Financially
• Walk with the Lord
• Ministry
• Bearing fruit

What about you? Let me know the aspects of your life you would like to prosper? Use the comment box.

Next I’m going to explore the characteristics of those that prosper. Come join me.

Psalm 1:2-3 His delight is in the law and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted on streams of water, which bears fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (NIV)

Previous

Whatever He Does Prospers

What Does “Prosper” Mean

Next
Does Your Leaf Stay Green
Yielding Fruit In Season
Is Your Water Fresh Or Salty?
What Are You Meditating On?