Ez.47 :1, Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. 2 He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side. 3 When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. 4 Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. 5 Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded. 6 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me back to the bank of the river. 7 Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 Then he said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh. 9 It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 10 And it will come about that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”
A few things to notice here. First, there’s the Lords invitation to swim in the river of the Holy Spirit. He wants us to go farther until we are in over our heads. When we operate primarily out of our heads, we are still trying to control everything. This has been particularly true about the church in the west; and is the reason why the Western church has been historically the most powerless expression of the church on the earth. When you’re swimming in the torrents of The Holy Spirit, then He, as Lord, is the one in control, not our intellect and understanding. It’s not that we become mindless, but He controls our thinking instead of our reason, and fears being in control of the way we think. When you’re in over your head, swimming in the river, your mind and heart is living by Heavens report, and not Earth’s report of what’s real, and what to expect. Verses 7-12, describe the kind of anointing and impact we carry and release, when moving in the torrents of the Holy Spirit.
It’s important that we recognize the divine sequence in these verses if we are going to end up in the river. Every time there was a measurement and the water went farther, it also went deeper. In other words, to go farther, the man with the measuring instrument had to go deeper. This is something the Lord told me a few years ago while in Africa praying for people. As I watched amazing miracles in front of my eyes, I asked the Lord to take me even farther into the anointing that would destroy the works of the devil in the lives of people who were suffering from the enemies oppression. He told me that if I wanted to go farther I would have to go deeper into his presence, living a life of accelerated intimacy with him. Also notice, to go deeper means you go lower. Jesus said, “If you keep my Commandments you will abide in my love.” To go deeper is a glorious diving, and dying. The words humility, surrender, and obedience will become you’re traveling companions into the depths of the river.