I choose to dive every day, because I don’t want to just stay on the surface and, even though I’m afraid of drowning, I know that the One who leads me won’t let that happen.
“ And that man went out to the east, having a measuring line in his hand; and he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the waters, waters to my toes with the Lifeguard class near me.
And he measured another thousand cubits, and led me through the waters, waters up to my knees; and again he measured a thousand, and made me pass through the waters that gave me by the loins.
And he measured another thousand, and it was a river, which I could not cross, because the waters were deep, waters that had to be crossed by swimming, a river through which you could not cross ”. (Ezekiel 47:3-5).
This is a really fascinating passage that prophetically shows us how God wants to bring us to the original plan. According to the description that God through Ezekiel, by this vision, we can understand that the life of the servant of God is lived in 4 different ways or what we call 4 levels:
1. SURFACE ANKLE
Imagine a person who only wants to wet his feet just to cool off, only shoes and socks are removed, and that’s enough. It’s like an adult who enters a shallow children’s pool. There are people who live life at this level, superficial, they remain at the level of “salvation”, that is, one day they accepted Christ in their heart, but nothing more, they receive the freshness of water, but nothing more.
2. KNEES
Now the water level reaches a new dimension, you can walk but not run. He represents the type of Christian who conforms to meet “religiously” every week, Sunday after Sunday of the congregation, their knowledge is also on the level of salvation, adding that they hear preaching every week but do not have a deep Christian life. , he get wet in the water, but nothing else, not willing to go deeper.
3. Waist
Represents effort. 3/4 of the body is in the water, it doesn’t go deeper out of fear, not knowing what it will be like. Feels that something might go wrong and “drown”. Some at the pool or beach like to swim at this level.
4. Completely submerged
There is nothing else but the Lord, contact with land, dry land, circumstances or things that give security are far away. now everything is a matter of depending on the Lord. It is the place where you are surrounded by water, where you have to put into practice the knowledge and communion with God. The condition placed by the Lord for us is swimming.
RIVER MARGIN
What is the purpose of going to the other bank?
The other side. The regions beyond the opposite bank. God sets us a goal to reach the opposite shore, this goal only reaches those who swim Spirit, that is, walk towards the goal, removing fears, accepting challenges and, at the same time enjoying all the benefits it brings us, the life in the Spirit.
I do not say that I have already obtained it, or that I am already perfect, but I go on to see if I can also achieve that for which I was also taken by Christ Jesus.
RIVERS
The river represents life in the Spirit.
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him. He said this about the Spirit whom those who believed in him were going to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:38,39).
WATER
The living waters are flowing.
“but whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water flowing into eternal life.” (John 4:14).
Today, we have to make decisions. In life with God starting from Christ, we have at least 4 levels to walk on the way back to the original project, let’s see:1. Level of the natural
In Genesis 1.29 we see that God placed everything at the disposal of man, so that he would be kept full on earth, he would need nothing. Be it food, precious metal, precious stones, nothing would be withheld from him, the earth had an obligation to give him.
When we enter the path and accept Jesus as our savior, we then live on the natural level, which is the level where divine creation keeps us, for example, Peter when he took a coin from a fish’s mouth:
“But, in order not to scandalize them, go to the sea and cast the hook. Take the first fish you catch, open its mouth, and you’ll find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them to pay my tax and yours.” (Matthew 17:27).
First Level: The first level we can see in verse 3 where Ezekiel says that that man took him to a stream and in this stream the man measured half a kilometer in front of him and made him walk and when he arrived the waters hit his ankles and it is here that we found our first level.
The foot is one of the most sensitive parts of the body we have, that’s why God once said “take your sandals off your feet”, because we can’t be sensitive to God’s voice if we have something that is blocking our sensitivity, so I I realize that at that moment when that man took Ezekiel to that stretch of the river where the waters hit his ankles, the first lesson I learn is that first we need to wash our feet, which many times have stepped in the wrong places, filled with dust and from the mud of sin.
2. Level of faith
Living the level of faith is in fact accepting and not wavering about the divine character, understanding by the word our rights. The level of faith allows us to enter into prayer standing before the heavenly court and use the word as our book of laws, of the constitution of the kingdom and claiming our rights and living the duties, let’s see:
“Having finished saying all this to the people, Jesus entered Capernaum. There he lay sick, near death, the servant of a centurion, whom his lord held dear.
He heard about Jesus and sent some religious leaders of the Jews to him, asking him to go and heal his servant.
Coming to Jesus, they begged him insistently: ‘This man deserves you to do this to him, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.’
Jesus went with them. He was already near the house when the centurion sent friends to say to Jesus: ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you under my roof. That’s why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, and with soldiers under my command. I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another: Come, and he comes. I say to my servant: Do this, and he does.’
Hearing this, Jesus marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said. ‘I tell you that not even in Israel have I found such faith.’
Then the men who had been sent returned home and found the servant restored.” (Luke 7:1-10).
Second Level: The second level of intimacy with God. We can see in verse 4 where that man who was leading Ezekiel. Takes him half a kilometer further, and when he gets there. Ezekiel realizes that the waters were no longer up to his ankles but yes, now they were up to your knees. And here’s the second lesson I learn. The knee is part of our body that we find sustenance if they weaken our whole body comes to the ground.
3. Level of anointing
At this level God and you start to work together. It is God working through you. Let’s see:
“Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When everyone denied it, Peter said, “Teacher, the crowd is crowding you and pressing you.”
But Jesus said, “Someone has touched me; I know that power has gone out of me.
Third Level: And now the third level of intimacy. With God that we also find in verse 4 but part “b”. We see when Ezekiel says that that man didn’t stop there but took him half. A kilometer more and this time the waters didn’t give more in the knees, but rather in your waist. And here I see a cue that will later take us to the 4th level. Whoever arrived here is very close to changing levels.
4. Level of Glory
At this moment you are on the highest level, since glory is God Himself. Contrary to what we think, glory is not power, nor anointing. But the very being of God, the divine person himself. Walking on this level is walking “full”, “full” of God’s presence in a complete and unreserved surrender. Operating at this level actually means taking a step back and letting God himself do it. At that moment we no longer need to release words for something to happen, there is no longer any worry. There is no need to “sweat”, nor to force, but you enter the level of rest while. God’s own presence, God himself works freely.
Fourth Level: And now finally the fourth level we can see. In the last verses especially the 5th where Ezekiel reports. That that man advanced with him another half kilometer. But now he couldn’t walk anymore he had to dive, because the waters covered him. And now I say that man was Jesus. And he wants to lead you and me on all these levels, but he doesn’t force us. One thing that Ezekiel did was that at no time did he go against that man. All the while, even without knowing what awaited him ahead, he trusted that man to continue.
