Come Swim With Me
The summer of 2023 brought me two opportunities to swim: first in the sea off the coast of an isle of Italy & second in the ocean off the coast of America. In both places, I swam in water saturated with saltiness; yet in both places, I found a uniqueness, a difference in the way I swam.
Now, I must first be honest when I use the word “swam,” for by swam I mean “float.” In my mind, floating in the water is a type of swimming and maybe the greatest type because whenever a person floats on his back, then the person must not control the water by attacking the water with his arms as one does when he swims the butterfly, breaststroke, or the backstroke. That’s correct. When a person “floats” upon the water, he must totally trust the water holding him, sustaining him, protecting him, & keeping him.
Let me try to explain through the only way I know how: the Word of God.
“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,
(Romans 14: 17 NASB)
but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
&
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
(Ephesians 4: 30 NASB)
by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
- The Holy Spirit of Almighty God is moving & breathing inside me!
- God’s Spirit is the most intimate part of my life!
- The outpouring of God upon me at the moment of God’s saving grace makes me “fit” for God.
Everyone seeks JOY & PEACE (actually they desire all nine of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, but these two fruit) which has always been & will continually remain as people receive the “indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit” that is poured into their being when they trust & believe & accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
Go with me into the sea found off the island of Ischia, Italy. See the outcrop of solid rock separating the vastness of the sea from the sea where I swim. As I stepped into the water and walked out into the sea, the salty water saturated my swimsuit. Then, I allowed myself to lean back, totally resting upon the water of the sea. The peace, the comfort, the abiding presence of the water moving inside my ears, lapping across my eyes, and surrounding my body (top and bottom) did not bring me fear but only PEACE.
There was the white noise of voices surrounding me, mostly speaking Italian.
Children were playfully taunting one another as they swam about me there in the sea.
Older men and women were there in the water too, enjoying the hot July sun and the cool sea.
People everywhere, all living life, while I floated there in the Italian sea water, perfectly content with my mind resting upon the beauty of God’s amazing love & JOY, as He used the living water surrounding me to hold me secure and at PEACE.
The prophet Joel spoke of the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit, so please come read with me the Old Testament of the Holy Word of God.
“It will come about after this”
[Joel speaks of ‘it’—the promise delivered]
“That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;”
[God speaks through His servant Joel to explain—HOW HE IS THE ONE WHO GIVES HIS HOLY SPIRIT TO MANKIND.]
“And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”
(Joel 2: 28-29 NASB)
Then the prophet Joel begins to speak about ‘The Day of the Lord.’
Go with me into the Atlantic Ocean found off the coast of North Carolina. See how there’s no outcrop of solid rock separating the vastness of the ocean where I swim. Watch me walk into the water and step into the waves of the ocean & notice how the salty water saturated my swimsuit. Then, see me attempt to lean back, struggling to rest upon the ocean water. There is no peace to be found, no comfort, as the force of the ocean water rushes inside my ears, splashes across my eyes, and submerges my body (top and bottom) plunging me lower and lower toward the ocean floor. Truly this did not bring me PEACE but only fear.
Truly, there were voices surrounding me, mostly speaking the language I understood, but I could not detect their words because of the roar of the ocean beating across me.
Before I stepped into the ocean, children could be seen playfully taunting one another as they splashed about there in the ocean.
Older men and women were there beside the water too, but sitting in their chairs, safely at the edge of the water, not daring to venture in where the force of the ocean water was felt.
People were everywhere, as far as my eye could see, all living life, while I began to wonder—
- Why God can I not peacefully float there in the ocean sea water?
- Why God can I not float here on this body of water as I could in the Italian sea?
- Why God can my mind not find rest there within the ocean?
- Why God can I not focus upon Your amazing love or find PEACE as the ocean water rushed on top of me, overcoming me, and driving me downward?
Suddenly, God’s Truth filled my mind.
It is ONLY HIS JOY, HIS LIVING PRESENCE surrounding me & holding me secure, that brings me COMPLETE PEACE.
There is a distinct difference between nonbelievers and believers.
- The nonbeliever is Not Yet filled with the Living, Holy Spirit of God!
- The believer is filled & even overflowing with the Living, Breathing, Holy Spirit of God!
The nonbeliever is swimming in the beating down, crashing, roaring water of life while the believer is floating within the constant, PEACE-FILLED, & gorgeous presence of Almighty God even while swimming in the salty water found within this earthly life!
People need to meet the Lord Jesus Christ, and maybe the only way they will ever meet the Savior is through the obedience of the living, breathing Christian.
- May we love from the centermost being of who we are—God’s Holy Spirit.
May we not be fake!
- May we share time with nonbelievers, introducing them to our Savior.
- May we not worry about what the world thinks about the places we go for the lost are everywhere, surrounding us, working with us, sitting where we eat, eating wherever we eat, and attending life-events, even going places where “Pharisaical” people whisper we should not go.
May we enter those places anyway!
- May we be ‘prayed-up,’ & ‘studied-up’ as we prepare our minds, bodies, and souls for the battles we will face within this world when we encounter Satan striving to keep the Lost One—LOST!
- The power of Jesus changes lives!
- The power of the Holy Spirit fills us with God’s Amazing Gift His Saving Grace!
- The power of Almighty God sustains us, keeps us, & goes daily with us as we step into our days!
Realize how we are fully equipped with everything we will ever need.
Step into the dark waters of life, resolute in the TRUTH—We who believe have become ETERNALLY CHANGED!
TODAY, GOD ASKS EVERY PERSON—
- WILL YOU COME SWIM WITH ME?
- WILL YOU BECOME FILLED WITH MY GRACE?
Help us who already believe to remember—
- It is GOD who totally controls the Gift of Salvation!
- It is GOD’S ONLY SON who is the living water flowing out of God & into our innermost being! &
- It is GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT who changes hearts!
Artist Lauren sings a melody that speaks of the LIVING PRESENCE of GOD. Please listen with me.
“I’m home with You.
I’m HOME!
I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t know you; I’d probably fall off the edge.
I don’t know where I’d go if You ever let go, so keep me held in Your hands.
I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t know you; I’d probably fall off the edge.
I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t know you.
Thank God I do.”
You’re my safe place, my hideaway.
You’re my anchor, my saving grace.
You’re my constant, my steadiness.
You’re my shelter, my oxygen.
I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t know you.
Thank God I do.”
“Thank God I Do” by Lauren Daigle