I’m so glad you are here and ready to dive in. I pray you are equipped, strengthened, and encouraged each month as we dive into all types of topics, questions, and issues. Each LTTD will include discussion questions at the end to prompt you to dive deeper, journal, ponder, and give you the option to read the letters in a group setting or just a gathering of your girlfriends and discuss the questions together.
Recently, I preached a message titled “It’s time to dig the wells!". This message reflected a word the Holy Spirit spoke to me earlier this year. At the time, I felt overwhelmed, juggling all the responsibilities of church, work, relationships, children, and marriage. I felt I was running a million miles but always letting someone down. I was cramming meetings back to back and was drowning in an ocean with people handing me tasks, ministries, people, and the list went on. A situation happened where I took multiple hits in a short amount of time; some people did some things that were very hurtful and unexpected. The truth is, this is going to happen, especially to those who are reading this and who are in ministry, and we need to live with enough margin to handle the blows with grace. I prayed through tears for God to take away the responsibility of all He had called me to do. I couldn’t do it, and heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say – “No”.
“What? What do you mean no.”
“You need to dig some wells.”
“Dig some wells? What in the world does that mean?”
“Wells that flow with living water, living water that is me, deep cries out to deep, dive deeper, and the wells you dig will sustain you for all I have called you to do.”
The concept of digging wells resonates with the idea of cultivating a deep and sustaining connection with God, akin to tapping into a life-giving water source. It speaks to the importance of spiritual nourishment and the need to prioritize one's relationship with God amidst the challenges and busyness of life.
I was quickly transported back to one of the most LIFE-transforming trips I’ve been on. On a trip to Northern Uganda, I learned very quickly how integral a well is to life. A well is central to life in every village. Every village has to be built around a life source, which is a well. If the well dries up - the WHOLE VILLAGE MOVES. OTHERWISE THEY WILL DIE.
In biblical times, wells had a similar level of significance.
Whole cities were built according to where wells were. If the well dried up, the entire city shut down, and people migrated. The people needed it. The shepherds needed it. The sheep required it. Livelihood depended on it.
I want to show you a scripture in Genesis 26. To set the scene for you, there was a famine in the land and Isaac had an encounter with God. God told him to stay. The reference to Genesis 26 and Isaac's obedience despite the famine in the land is a powerful illustration of trusting God's guidance even in seemingly difficult circumstances. This beautiful bible story encourages us to stay where God has placed us, even if it goes against conventional wisdom, because God sees the bigger picture and knows what is best for our lives. For some of you, this is your word from God. He’s told you to stay somewhere, which makes no sense, but if He says stay, you stay! He knows what is coming and what's about to end and that's why you need to be obedient and stay somewhere even if your flesh is trying to chase comfort.
Isaac stayed and God blessed him.
Genesis 26:18 “Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.”
There are some wells you dug in the past that time, unanswered prayer, and disappointment with God may have covered up. TODAY, GOD IS TELLING YOU "It’s time to reopen the wells".
19 “Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a fresh water well there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek,[c] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.” (Just because God told you to do it and you’re being obedient doesn’t mean there won’t be opposition) 22 “He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[e] saying, “Now the Lord has given us room, and we will flourish in the land.” (HE DUG IT)
23 “From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
25 “Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.” His servants dug a well after they saw him do it in verse 22. YOU DO IT FIRST, THEN YOUR FAMILY AND EVERYONE CONNECTED TO YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT TOO. WATCH YOUR CHILDREN LEARN HOW TO DIG WELLS BECAUSE YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT IN YOUR OWN LIFE.
(SKIP DOWN TO VERSE 32)
32 “That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah,[f] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.”
There are seasons when we drink from wells that others have dug, but if God is going to move you to where He wants you to go... you are going to have to learn to dig your own wells. God's design is not that you keep drinking from others' wells. Kathryn Kuhlman had arguably the most successful healing ministry in the 1970s and early '80s, but after her passing, it was found that few of her staff had any devotional life – they all depended on her. In a vibrant church, people can feed off the corporate anointing and can be prone to relying on that instead of digging their wells.
When my mum died at 37 years old, my dad, who had already lost my older sister Andrea just before her 2nd birthday, received his revelation from God that brought him peace as to why and how that happened, BUT I couldn’t survive off his well, I had to dig that well in my grief for myself. My dads well of revelation could not sustain my questions and my anger. I had to dig my well of wrestling with the word of God, with the things of God, with the pondering and questions around unanswered prayer and loss, with the heart cry to know God's heart above my questions. I had to dig my well to hear God's voice—my revelation of God to me. I could not live off the secondhand revelation of my father; I could not live off his water.
Your kids will, at some point, have to quit drinking the water from the wells you provide, and they will have to dig their wells. We need to wean our children on to God; I cannot be Jesus for them; I can guide them to Jesus. I cannot be the Holy Spirit for them.
So, how do we dig our wells? BIG DOORS SWING ON LITTLE HINGES. I want to challenge you with something straightforward for those beginning on this journey… 15 minutes in the morning – 5 minutes of worship, 5 minutes of the word, and 5 minutes in prayer. Change your morning alarm to a worship song. Let that be the first thing your mind, spirit, and ears hear in the morning; open His Word! This is a daily discipline that will sustain you for years to come. Some of you will be in a season where this is easy. You’re probably thinking - I already spend an hour with God every morning! But for some of you; you wake with babies already in your bed, tired, and with a days worth of tasks that need to be finished before you can even get yourself ready and out the door for work. But you, my friends, are not too busy to pray. You are too busy not to pray. This will be your secret weapon; your sustenance in the desert that connects you to rivers flowing with living water. As you think of 2024, if you want things to be different, you need to do something different.
There are some daily habits that, as you start 2024, will make all the difference. Time in His Word every day. Time in prayer every day. Time worshiping every day! Turn the radio off on your drive to work, put worship music on, and sing at the top of your lungs! If you are at home, YOU set the tone; YOU are the thermostat; teach your kids how to worship.
The wells you dig in your life will be the difference between life and death; between purpose fulfilled or your purpose dying.
DIG WELLS THROUGH YOUR WORSHIP
DIG WELLS THROUGH HIS WORD
DIG WELLS THROUGH PRAYER, AND YOU WILL HEAR HIS WHISPERS
DEEP WELLS WILL UNLOCK THE WONDER OF GOD
Less social media, less Hulu, less Netflix, less TikTok. MORE INTENTIONAL TIME WITH JESUS.
Some of you are weary, some of you are feeling mundane, some of you have lost your purpose, some of you are waiting for a breakthrough, some of you just want reassurance that you’re on the right track, and some of you know God has called you to more. It all starts with digging deeper wells in our lives. Often, we are waiting on God, but HE is actually waiting on us. Instead of building a theology around why something didn't happen, dig some wells and pursue with new passion and faith what GOD has for you. Remember, Deep calls out to Deep; He is waiting to spend time with you!
Deep calls unto deep, in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. Psalm 42:7
"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." John 7:38
Discussion questions for you to journal yourself or to discuss in a group setting.
1. What is the thing that stops me from spending time with God?
2. What can I do differently to dig some wells in my life to connect me more deeply with the heart of God?
3. What is the one question I would ask God if He and I were having coffee? (And ask Him this one question in your prayer time; I promise He will answer you at some point! Through His word, His whispers, or a divine connection He places in your world).
4. What do you want to look different in your life at the end of 2024?
Now set up some accountability with a friend or the girls you are discussing these questions in your group with.
Lastly, the sessions from our 2023 DGHTRS conference are available to purchase online, but I wanted to gift you the opening session as a gift for subscribing to Letters to the DGHTRS. Here is the session of this message from the DGHTRS conference – I pray it blesses you.
Much LOVE!
Remember you are a DGHTR, a JESUS CHASER, A PIONEER, a BRIDGE BUILDER, and a LEGACY LEAVER.
