Like a tree planted by the waters

The Lord says:

"In a time like this, stay rooted in Me and keep drinking from Me. Like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, you will not fear even when 'heat' comes, and you will not be anxious even when 'drought' comes. In a time like this, your leaf shall be green, and you will not cease yielding fruit!"

People of God, even though many in the world may look at the future with doom and gloom, there is certainly hope for you who are the believers! As long as you stay rooted in Him and keep drinking from Him, you need not fear or be anxious, whatever happens in the world around you!

In John 7:37-39, Jesus said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." The 'rivers' here speaks of the Holy Spirit, and as you receive from the Holy Spirit, you can tap into His wisdom and His revelation that leads to life, healing and prosperity in all that you do!

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV) says, 'Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit'.

You know what that means? Even in a time of 'economic heat' or 'economic drought' (i.e. recession, job cuts, shutdowns, etc) happening around you, you will not fear or be anxious, because your trust and hope is in the Lord!

You may be asking, "How to drink from the Holy Spirit?"

It is as simple as coming to Him with an open heart and receiving from Him! Pray in the spirit and sing in the spirit. Flow with Him and do not resist Him. Hear Him and lean not on your own understanding. As you receive, take heed of His instructions and act on what He says! The Holy Spirit may even bring to your remembrance certain Scripture verses that you've read before, and as you follow His prompting and leading, you'll begin to see the solution to that particular situation in your life!

Therefore, do not fear or be anxious, whatever the 'sticky' or 'tricky' situation you may be facing at the moment. Your answer is on the way! Your part is to keep spreading out your 'roots' to His living water, and keep hanging on to His promises (in the Word) for you! Because there'll never be a situation where He has no answer! 

In this time of change, the Lord is releasing these words to you who are reading this: 

"This is a time of greater opportunity coming your way! This is a time of grand opportunity coming your way! Bigger things are going to happen to you! Unprecedented things are going to happen to you - in a good way, not in a bad way! Your best is yet to come!"

Receive by faith! 

In Jesus' name. Amen!

For the preaching video, click to watch

What does it mean by being blessed of the Lord?

Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV) says, 'Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper'.

The word 'blessed' here in Hebrew is 'esher', literally meaning 'happiness'. It comes from the word 'ashar', and in the context of the Scripture here, it can mean 'to be happy, to be right, to go forward, to be guided (by the Lord), to be led (by the Lord)'. That is to say 'Happy, right, going forward, guided by the Lord, led by the Lord' is the man who chooses not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, but rather, his delight is in the Word of God!

Notice the words 'walks', 'stands', and 'sits' in Psalm 1:1? These are verbs, i.e. 'words used to describe an action'. You see? The above verbs speak of the choices you need to make, for example, to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly.

People of God, choose not the way of the ungodly, but choose to delight in the Word of God instead! And that's how you shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither, and whatever you do shall prosper!

The Lord spoke these words recently:
"Do not look at the 'parched and dry lands', but look to Me and trust in Me, for I am the Source of the rivers of water in your lives."

What does 'parched and dry lands' mean here? The Scripture says in 2 Peter 3:6-7 (New Life Version), 'Long ago the earth was covered with water and it was destroyed. But the heaven we see now and the earth we live on now have been kept by His word. They will be kept until they are to be destroyed by fire. They will be kept until the day men stand before God and sinners will be destroyed'. Going by the verses here, the world we live in isn't going to get any better, and we all know it. But in spite of this, there is hope, and this hope only comes when we look to God and trust in God!

Indeed, this is an even more crucial time to keep looking to the Lord and keep trusting in His Word, no matter what happens to this earth, and no matter how 'parched and dry' this world has become, both spiritually and physically. Those who keep looking to Him and keep trusting in His Word are blessed ('esher') people!

There is another Hebrew word for 'blessed', and this word is 'barak'. You can find this word in Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV) that says, 'Blessed ('barak') is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious (worried) in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit'.

The word 'blessed' (or 'barak' in Hebrew) here can mean 'benefit, abundance, honor'. The word 'honor' here is very interesting, and you can say that 'to be blessed is to see God honoring you and God honoring whatever you put your hands to do'! So, not only do you have the 'benefits' and 'abundance' of every good thing that He wants to give you, the Lord also knows how to honor you, and that is, when you put your trust and hope in Him!

The expression 'will not fear when heat comes' (or 'will not see when heat comes' in KJV) means you who put your trust and hope in the Lord will not be affected by the heat ('parched and dry times' on earth), and you will still be yielding fruit (and your leaf will still be green), no matter what happens around you. That, my friend, is the state of being blessed of the Lord!

I end this article with Psalm 34:8-10 (NKJV) that says, 'Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want (lack) to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing'.

Like a tree planted by the rivers

Psalm 1:3 (NKJV): He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

Notice the word 'rivers' here. It's plural, which means more than one river. In John 7:37-38 (referring to the Holy Spirit), again notice the word 'rivers' of living water flowing out from you as you drink from Him.

Now, if 'rivers' refer to the Holy Spirit, then 'tree' refers to you as a believer. Psalm 1:1-2 says "Blessed is the man (i.e. believer)... whose delight is in the law of the Lord." The law here is none other than the Aleph Tav, the Alpha and the Omega, i.e. Jesus Christ Himself who has fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17). He is the Word of God (John 1:1). So, this is also the time to meditate on the Word of God. Word and Spirit. Spirit and Word. These are keys. That's when Psalm 1:1-2 says in Him, you are blessed! Like a tree planted by the rivers of water! That's who you are!

As you are being planted, know that there'll surely be fruit. It means you can expect fruit. Any gardener will tell you that fruit comes forth easily (& effortlessly) when there's a right condition for the plant. So, you don't have to force 'it' out! You don't have to try hard and strive to 'make it happen'! Because He is the One who makes 'it' grow! In short, His 'rivers' bring you to your fruitfulness! His 'rivers' lead and guide you to your fruitfulness in all that you do!

This is a time to get near the river and drink. This is a time to allow Him to plant, and for some, replant you.

Different tree bears different fruit. Each kind of fruit has its own uniqueness and use. So, this is also the year you'll find (discover) your originality. Whatever tree you are meant to be (or destined to be), that'll be the fruit you'll bear! You know what it means? He wants you to grow in the calling and giftings He has given you, and not try to be someone else. He, the Planter, is here to help you. Rest in Him, and let Him do His work in you this year.

Let's now go to the Hebrew word for 'planted'. It is pronounced 'shathal' in Hebrew, which can also mean 'transplanted'. To transplant is to remove a growing plant with its roots, and replant it elsewhere, and in this case, by the river! Have you been far from the 'rivers' in the past months? Never mind about those months. Past is past. What matters is now, and it's never too late for Him to 'replant' you again.

Interestingly, this word 'shathal' (planted) is also where the word 'shathiyah' comes from, meaning 'to drink or to absorb'. Another meaning of the word 'shathiyah' is 'banquet'. Psalm 23:5 says the Lord prepares a table (or banquet) spread out before you, and your cup runs over. Wow! Overflowing of His living waters! Do you believe this is what the year's going to be for you? In fact, everything you ever needed can be found in His 'rivers'! In them, you find revelation, blessing, healing, restoration, abundance, anointing, and the list goes on. Hence the plurality of the word 'rivers'.

And the best part is His 'rivers' will never dry up or be exhausted, because He is unlimited. See Ezekiel 47:3-5. And where it flows, there'll be healing (Ezekiel 47:8). Where it flows, there'll be resurrection and life (Ezekiel 47:9). Where it flows, there'll also be harvest and abundance (Ezekiel 47:10). Praise God! Ezekiel 47:12 then says, "Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary (i.e. throne of God). Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine."

Notice 'fruit' (for food) here speaks of your blessing, and 'leaves' (for medicine) here speaks of your healing. Blessing and healing! In Him, you have all the blessing and healing you needed! Not just that, you shall bear fruit every month in a year, not just a few months in a year. Let's now cross-refer to Revelation 22:1-2. It says 'bearing 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.' See? Each fruit in each month, 12 months in a year! He wants you blessed not just a few months in a year, but every month in a year! It means every month this year, you'll have more than enough, and every month this year, you should be in good health. Believing, you'll receive. Amen! '12' also speaks of 'divine power'. It means you'll bear fruit not by your own power, but by His power working in you! Praise God! I know this verse talks about the New Jerusalem, but the truth is what happens in heaven can be reflected in you even right now on earth! The Bible says His kingdom come, His will be done (in your life) on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Revelation 22:3 then says "there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it..." Jesus has carried them all when He died for you on the cross. And today, you can receive His blessing (fruit for food) and healing (leaves for medicine) freely. No more curse and reproach. All carried away! So, go ahead! The river is here, and it's for you to drink and receive! Drink (& keep drinking) from Him, and all that you do this year shall prosper (Psalm 1:3). Amen!