The series of Know Right Well ~episode 2

Thanks for stopping by to check out the second episode of Know Right Well. You can find the previous episode here. Join me now to read more of………

The pre-eminence

The city in Samaria that Jesus came to was called Sychar. {Sychar was land that had been bestowed to Joseph by his father Jacob, his birthright.} A birthright has to do with position and inheritance and although Joseph was second in line to assume this right, his father chose to bestow this inheritance to him. Joseph assuming the position meant that he would inherit the leadership and authority of his family or at least that was the plan. Jacobs gift of this land that the well dwelled upon was part of a bigger purpose, just as the promises of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The greatness that Jacob saw in his son was only a small measure compared to what God saw in him and of great measure for what he designed for him to do.

This well, where Jesus and the Samaritan woman encounter is called Jacob’s well. Imagine that! Jesus progressed during his long journey and stops and rest where it is not considered just an ordinary place or just a piece of parcel but the well was counted as a holy syndication. Can you note this seemingly purposeful intent? It is a great thing to progress toward something and be amenable with the assignment you are given. How amenable are you with the assignment God has placed on your life? Are you willing? Do you find it a struggle to cooperate with the purpose he wants to fulfill in you? Here Jesus is resting at a place that was passed down to Jacob in which was given from the covenant God made with Abraham. It is so awakening to see how the promises of God always manifests into a greater hope from objective to reason. The preliminary to this objective indicated that Jesus’ goal was to spread the news of the gospel and the reason was so that all could receive everlasting life. Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. {There is significance in this sixth hour because in scripture text it was also of the sixth hour where Jesus at the time was mocked and scrutinized, look, your king, and then was handed over for crucifixion.}

It can be assumed that during the sixth hour, {which would have been 12 noon} it was during the high heat of the day. You can gather from scripture text that the Samaritan woman drew her water from the well after the early morning time as to avoid the other women and their criticisms about her many husbands. So this Samaritan woman suffered during the high heat of the day just to have peace and to avoid false pretenses of kindness as she went about her day to day accomplishing tasks, which was to draw water from the well. How many times have you suffered through something just so you could avoid confusion and have peace? How many times have you sustained peace but only from suffering on the inside, silently? You perhaps could have managed it a different way. You perhaps could’ve just went along with the crowd but would that way cause you to harbor resentment or cause you to feel defeated? Did you instead choose to walk a different path? A path of long-suffering. It takes courage to endure long-suffering, it takes grace. And I believe that when you choose to endure long-suffering that’s how you work toward your peace. The wonderful thing about it, is that God acknowledges those who carry on in faith thru long-suffering. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given us. Romans 5:3 ESV I believe the Samaritan woman chose to not be put to shame by those looking down on her. I believe that instead she walked alone on a road in hope for salvation, in hope for her peace.

Acting on your spiritual authority

Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. {For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.} This denotation is so relevant as it pertains to discipleship and respect of authority. Although what Jesus is asking is not an expectation to receive physical water, I believe the demand was symbolic in his authority for who he is and the authority of his objective. Jesus gave an order for the woman to act on his authority, demand by saying Give, but in the same way as Christian believers we have the same birthright to act on spiritual authority and give spiritual order and commands. In this way, Jesus was showing this Samaritan woman that having the spirit of God gives you the right to ask, so she had a right to make a spiritual demand too if she only knew the gift of God, and who it was saying it to her. As a child of God you also have the right to ask for what you desire, for what you need, for what you hope for. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Acting on spiritual authority takes recognizing the power you have within you. Once you recognize what’s on the inside of you, no longer do you want to remain the same. You want to be more, you want to become knowledgable and that desire allows you to live knowing your worth is good, it allows you to speak boldly, live boldly but also know when to choose humility. It allows you to cast out devils but also know when to pray for self-deliverance. It allows you to demand financial increase but also know how to express thanks in the contentment of what God has blessed you with. It allows you to preach the word but also know that you are not above reproach. It allows you to teach the word but also be willing to be taught. It takes being part of the true and living water to understand this so that you can not only use spiritual authority but in use of that authority you also begin to see results. You begin to see that there are two sides but ultimately only one choice.

I’ve seen people portray the use of spiritual authority in the wrong way. They chose to force the spirit instead of allowing the spirit to use them, to lead. Allow the holy spirit to create the anointing in your life and with what you do. Don’t force the anointing, that’s powerless, it’s meaningless, it renders no purpose. You can’t force the spirit of God to do the cause you want him to do. Even if you are getting results that way, those are carnal results and won’t last long to uphold greater things. Forcing the anointing, quenches the anointing. Don’t allow your well to run dry by walking in a spiritual boundary you are still being prepared for.

The Samaritan woman didn’t just pick-up a bucket and take two steps to the well. She prepared for the journey with each step that she made. With her strength in the long hot journey, she traveled, knowing that she would only bring back a portion of the water in which she sought out to get. But one day, one day she went to that well with an empty bucket, an empty soul. That which was purposed for something, destined to do, made for a specific use happened to be worn, torn down, and stretched thin. However, on this particular day, as the Samaritan woman journeyed empty and worn down, she didn’t realize what would happen. That day would be her last day, that instead of going back with a portion of water half-full, she would go back with a bucket of water overflowing, full, restored, and equipped to never run dry.

I believe in the end the Samaritan woman not only recognized the spiritual authority that was standing in front of her but she became part of it, having that same power. She acted with that power by spreading the news and having others come along to meet Christ. Acting on spiritual authority doesn’t mean that you are always the one that has to lead. Jesus appointed disciples to go out into the world. He delegated his authority for what needed to be done, for what he no longer could do in earthly measure. It is the power of God that gives you the authority, the authority alone doesn’t give you the power. Unfortunately, there are those that use authority in the wrong way. However, even still, that is no match for the hand of God. I believe the authority that Jesus wants us to have results in having his power and with his might to do his will and reap abundant blessings. It’s not to travel day to day unpleased and dissatisfied, but to wake up each day joyfully coming and going, knowing that because of everlasting life you have a greater hope to look forward to and through the power that is vested in you it will demand winning outcomes.

Photo reference: Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich