The Magic Is Not In The Faucet

By Joe Keim

March 1, 2012

Thomas Edward Lawrence was born on August 16, 1888, in England. When Lawrence grew to manhood, he joined the British Military and soon became famous for his daring actions in Arabia. During the war, Lawrence formed close friendships with many of the LEADERS of Arabia, and, when the war was over, he brought some of these LEADERS back to England to show his appreciation for their support.

While in England, Lawrence gave them a tour of England; at one point, they even visited the Queen. On the last night of their visit, Lawrence offered to give them anything they wanted to take back to their desert homes. At which point, they led him up to the hotel room, into the bathroom, and pointed to the faucet in the bathtub and said, "We would like to take that faucet with us." Their thinking was that the faucet would provide them with running water in the desert.

What the dessert men didn't realize is that the faucet was superficial. And what I mean by that is: behind the faucet was...plumbing...a hot water heater...a city main that supplied the water...and from the city main went a line to an outside source of water.

The magic is not in the faucet; it's what is behind the faucet that gives the water! The faucet can be 24 carat gold, but if it's not attached to a water supply, it's useless!

In a sense, you and I are just like a faucet; we are totally helpless, powerless, and incapable of accomplishing anything in life. We are nothing more than a heap of dust taken from the earth. Yes, powerless dust! But when these powerless bodies of ours are connected to God, great signs and wonders can be poured out of us and onto the world in which we live in. Jesus said in John 7:38.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

The one who believes in Christ - fully trusts in Him - out of his heart shall pour RIVERS of living water. Water is one of the greatest forces on earth. Water can potentially devour a huge city in a short amount of time; it is that kind of force that Jesus is speaking about.

In the next verse, Jesus tells us what the river of living water represents.

But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.

At the time Jesus was saying these things, the Holy Ghost had not yet been given. But Jesus was clear: In the near future, when I leave for heaven, the Holy Ghost is going to take my place on earth. And when He comes, He will fill you with a gigantic amount of spiritual force, similar to a raging river. All you have to do is open your belly and let Him flow in and through you. He wants us to make ourselves available so He can flow through us--similar to the faucet we all have in our kitchen.

Dear friend, do you believe Him? If you say you do but there is no evidence of the Holy Ghost flowing from your belly, then you have been fooled. Believe is a powerful word!

Those who come to God must believe.

...for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. -Heb11:6

Belief is what saves a person from hell.

... Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. -Acts 16:30-31

You cannot buy the Holy Spirit and His power; it's a gift from God.

In Acts chapter 8, we are told that when the apostles in Jerusalem heard Samaria had opened their hearts to the Word of God, they immediately sent Peter and John down to help them along. Upon the arrival, the apostles started praying and laying hands on the believers, asking that God would give them the Holy Spirit and His power. And the Bible says, as they prayed, the Holy Spirit came upon the Samaritan believers, and they were filled with an immeasurable amount of spiritual force and power from high.

The Bible goes on to say in verses 18-19 that a man by the name of Simon was standing nearby, taking in all that was happening before his eyes. Look what he asks them:

And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. -Acts 8:18-19

Simon also wanted to place his hands on people and watch them receive the Holy Ghost and His power. In fact, he wanted it so bad that he offered the Apostles' money. But look how Peter responds to him in verse 20.

But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

The power--the river of flowing water is a gift from God. All the money in the world is not enough to buy even a small share of it. It's free! Absolutely no strings attached. But remember, it is conditional; you have to believe.

As we think of the word believe, let's consider the faucet again. Every faucet has handles on it. The further you open the handle, the greater the flow of water.

In light of what we just read, consider, for instance, that you have a faucet attached on your kitchen wall. And connected to the faucet is a line of plumbing that leads to a pressure tank in your basement that is holding one thousand pounds of water pressure. The pressure tank is forcing all of one thousand pounds of water against the faucet in the kitchen, but since the handle is in the shut position, nothing is coming out. Let's say, however, that you walk over to the faucet and open the handle just a bit, and all of a sudden the faucet begins to drip. Then you open the valve a bit further, and the water goes from dripping to a small stream. You get the picture! It is up to you how much water you want coming out. Do you want a drip? A steady stream? Or do you want to open the valve all the way up so water gushes out full blast?

That is exactly how the Holy Ghost and His power work within the believer. We are just like the faucet and have been given the right to open and shut ourselves off to the rivers of living water (Holy Spirit). Within each born again believer is a living force of power the size of our universe. It is the same power that spoke the world and creation into existence. It is so powerful that our mind cannot even begin to fathom it. However, it does not make any difference how powerful the force is; if you and I do not have faith and believe it, nothing will happen.

And just in case, you thought this power and might only happened in Bible times, or was meant for the Apostles, let me take you to ...

Acts chapter 2:38-39, where Peter got up and preached his first sermon, and three thousand fell to their knees and cried out to God for salvation. He plainly says:

Then Peter said unto them... ye [too] shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

We may be the generation that is "afar off" since it was nearly 2000 years ago when that promise was made, but I have no doubt in my mind that we were meant to be included in the promise. Just because we are not seeing it does not mean it stopped happening. And if it stopped happening, it's because we stopped believing it.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, God said: "Quench not the Spirit." What He meant is, do not shut the Holy Spirit off. Open your faucets all the way and let Him come through.

• Imagine for a moment what would happen if you stopped worrying what everybody else thinks and you just opened yourself up and let the Holy Spirit come through.
• Imagine for a moment that you put every ounce of your trust into God and His Word (all of it) and stopped trusting in a religious, man-made system.
• Imagine what would happen if you started a community prayer meeting and invited others to come and join you as you cried openly before the Creator, God Almighty to move in our desperate world.
• Just imagine. Go ahead and imagine!

D.L. Moody, one of the greatest preachers who ever lived was once challenged by this statement: "The world has yet to see what God can do with a man who is fully committed to Him."

He did not say, 'a great man,' nor 'a learned man,' nor 'a smart man,' but simply, 'a man.' Why not be that man or woman who lets revival begin in you?

D.L. Moody said, "By the grace of God, I will be that man," and God used him to turn the world upside down for Christ. Through him, God caused thousands to fall to their knees and cry out for salvation in Christ alone. Before his death, D.L. Moody started a college right in the heart of Chicago, and, to this day, tens of thousands of people have been taught and equipped for Christian service. In fact, the Moody Bible School owns more ground than any other organization or business in the city of Chicago. All it took was for one man to believe.

God can use anyone:

• Moses stuttered
• Abraham was too old
• Jeremiah felt incapable
• Paul was a murderer
• Peter denied the Lord
• Jonah ran from God
• Martha was a worry-wart
• Jacob was a liar
• David had an affair
• And He can use you and me!

So let's go ahead and believe! This corrupt world we live in is thirsty for living water. If you have water, open up and let it flow.

I end with a prayer that comes from the deepest part of my heart:

Dear Jesus, We are just like a faucet made out of dust and clay. We have nothing to offer but that which You give us first. Will You fill us until we overflow into the life of our families and out into the neighborhoods and wherever else You place us? In turn, we will bow at Your feet and declare that You are the Creator of the universe and all that it contains. You are our God and our Savior. Everything we have. Everything we know. Everything we are capable of doing. we owe to You. Everything! Amen

-- Joe Keim

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