The Lord says:
"I am refreshing what has become stale in your life! I am causing you to break free from the staleness that dampens you! I am releasing My fresh wind and fresh rain to clear what has become stale! There will be a new life again! There will be a new vigor and passion again! This is the time to receive that refreshing!"
Let's go to the Scripture now. Jeremiah 31:23-25 (NIV) says, 'This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: 'The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.' People will live together in Judah and all its towns - farmers and those who move about with their flocks. I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."'
The word 'refresh' here is 'ravah' in Hebrew, literally meaning 'to fill with abundance of water, to breathe new life', and interestingly, this word 'ravah' is from the word 'ruwach' in Hebrew, meaning 'breath of God' or 'Spirit of God'.
The context of the verses above is that the Lord had spoken about the day when His people would say, "The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain." Not only would they be restored spiritually and materially, they would also be refreshed, i.e. 'filled with abundance of water' and 'breathed with new life'!
But how do you apply these verses in your life today?
The Lord is setting His people free from the 'captivity' that has kept them defeated, stale and small all these while! Therefore, declare by faith that your time of breaking free has come - free from those 'chains' and 'bondage' that have held you down - and declare by faith these same words upon yourself, "The Lord bless me, I am a prosperous city, I am a sacred mountain!"
In Isaiah 44:1-4 (NLT), the Lord says, "But now, listen to Me, Jacob My servant, Israel My chosen one. The Lord who made you and helps you says: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, My servant, O dear Israel, My chosen one. For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank."
Notice that not only the Lord made you, but He also helps you. If you look carefully, one is in past tense (i.e. 'made you'), and the other is in present tense (i.e. 'helps you'). It goes to show He is presently and continually helping you! So, there's nothing to be afraid of, whatever your 'crisis' or 'situation' may be at the moment. He will not leave you forsaken or forgotten even now!
In fact, the Lord has promised to 'pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields'. And He will even do the same on your descendants, or whatever your 'offspring' may be, including the works that you put your hands on! This is the time to declare all the above will begin to 'thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank'! By the way, this word 'thrive' is 'tsaw-makh' in Hebrew, meaning 'to spring up, to spring forth, to grow again, to be full of life again'. Let it be so for your life. In Jesus' name. Amen!
Practical tips to keep yourself fresh and stay fresh:
1. Pray in the spirit often (Isaiah 28:11-12)
2. Meditate on what the Lord has spoken to you (Habakkuk 2:2-3)
3. Talk to the Lord what to add, what to cut down in life (Proverbs 15:13-15)
4. Get rid of your physical and emotional clutter (Ecclesiastes 3:6, Isaiah 43:18-19)
5. Clear your mind from worry and entanglement (1 Peter 1:13)
