Let The River Run | Charlotte Gambill
Sunday, March 1
In this powerful message based on the life-giving river in Ezekiel 47, Charlotte Gambill urges believers to trade old wineskins for new ones, dive fully into the flow of the Holy Spirit rather than staying ankle-deep and leave the swamps of resistance behind. It’s time to get all in, lean in, trust Him completely, and let the river of living water bring resurrection, healing, and fresh life to every dry area of your world.
Key Verses
Amos 9:13-15; Like 5:36-37; Galatians 5:25; Proverbs 3:5-6; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Isaiah 43:19
Puntos clave
- God is speeding things up. When God’s speed comes in, it may not fit your process. But God is asking you to do it His way instead. You can’t receive the new things of God until you get rid of old behavior that needs to be changed.
- Trust the Lord. God is inviting you to lean not on your own understanding but to trust in Him. When you trust God and lean in, what used to overwhelm you will have to get out of your way!
- Revival water is flowing. Don’t settle for a cup of God’s presence when He is offering you a flood. God doesn’t want you to be hydrated, but saturated. Instead of getting ankle, knee, or waist-deep, get all the way in, and let God’s presence flow into every area of your life.
- Surrender to God. If there’s no surrender, God won’t send the flow of His presence. If you take the flow you receive in a service and take it to the swamp of social media or the wrong people, it won’t have the same effect.
Introducción
Today we’re going to explore the message “Let The River Run” by Charlotte Gambill.
In this teaching, she unpacks the powerful vision in the Book of Ezekiel, where water flows from beneath the Temple altar. As the water moves away from the Temple, it grows deeper—first ankle-deep, then knee-deep, then waist-deep. Eventually, it becomes a river too deep to cross without swimming. The river continues flowing until it reaches the Dead Sea, transforming its salty water into fresh water. Only the marshes remain salty because they are stagnant and cut off from the flow.
Pastor Charlotte uses this image as a picture of our spiritual journey with God. It’s natural to want to stay in the shallow water—close enough to drink and be refreshed, but still in control. Yet God invites us into something deeper. He calls us not just to wade in, but to swim—to be fully immersed in His love and grace.
She challenges us to move from an attitude of hydration (taking in just enough to get by) to one of saturation (being completely surrounded and transformed). This requires letting go of old mindsets and our desire to control outcomes. As we release those things, we become ready to step into the new opportunities God is bringing—into our lives, our church, and our world.
This week we will dig into:
- Levels of the River: From Ankles to Swimming
- Where the River Flows: Life, Healing & No Swamps
LET’S START THE DISCUSSION:
What stood out to you in this past Sunday’s message?
How deep are you in your walk with the Lord? Ankle, knee, waist, or swimming?(explain your answer)
Control vs. Surrender
Charlotte Gamble shared the example of her exercise time on the treadmill. She stated she was willing to do it but not interested in the gradual incline or the increase in speed that accompanied the automatic mode. She wanted to do her workout... her way—as most of us would. She also explained her lack of understanding of the use of a ski boot. She expected her mobility while wearing the boot to be similar to that in her tennis shoes.
It is so easy to become accustomed to doing things the way we always have—and why not, if it works? At times we joke about going about our day on autopilot: we get up to take care of morning duties, head to work (typically using the same route each day), fulfill our work responsibilities, and head home to close the day as normal.
Moving beyond normal is essential for all people; otherwise, we can become stagnant, depressed, and unfulfilled.
In Luke 5:37-38, Jesus said, “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” NIV
Pastor Gambill warned us about the dangers of becoming complacent in our service and worship of the Lord. We need to be saturated with gratitude for His blessings, willing to share His word with whomever crosses our path. We should be happy to spend time in service to others and enjoy fellowship with our brothers and sisters at church and in Bible study.
Autopilot will not work for today’s Christian. We need to press the incline button and work harder for our Lord. Scripture tells us that God will spit lukewarm Christians from His mouth. The old man and his ways must die; the new man must keep the commands of our God. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Do it. Live it. And share it.
- Are you a knee-deep Christian or perhaps a waist high Christian, how can you step out to raise your saturation level?
Levels of the River: From Ankles to Swimming
Scripture Reflection: Ezekiel 47:3–6
“As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river.” NIV
Seeing the Depths of Commitment
When God asks, “...have you seen this?” in verse six, it appears He is pointing out to Ezekiel—and to us—the significance of the increasing depth. There is a difference in the levels of commitment, illustrated by the rising waters.
The Illusion of Shallow Commitment
Often, we may venture ankle-deep or knee-deep into the waters, thinking we are making a significant commitment. We might say, “Look at me, God, I am getting wet for You!” However, if we are the ones with the measuring stick, evaluating our own commitment, we may believe we have gone deep enough, not recognizing there is a far greater depth—one that goes beyond what seems reasonable to us. God does not measure by human standards of reasonableness. His call is simply, “follow Me”—a call to full commitment.
The river described in Ezekiel is deep, and God invites us to swim in deep waters—waters of His word, His will, His wisdom, His plans that flow from His throne which speak to us both collectively and individually. Remaining in the shallows—ankle or knee-deep—means we can easily step back, stay dry, appear presentable, and maintain our independence. But God seeks those willing to let go of their own plans, schedules, and ideas, ready to embrace His purpose regardless of the cost or uncertainty.
God’s Example of Full Commitment
Full commitment is the very nature of our God. Father God gave His all and gave His best when He sent His Son Jesus to die for us on the cross. Jesus gave His all; he was obedient to death. Holy Spirit, the very power that raised Jesus from the dead has committed to live in us and intercede for us; always. We can trust Him - dive in!!
- If you were to assess your current level of commitment, would you say it is ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, or are you fully immersed and swimming in the living, changing river? If you find yourself only partially committed, what steps can you take to dive in completely?
- Could you abandon your one-year or five-year plan if Jesus revealed a different path? Would you need all the details before taking that first step, or would you go in faith? What would be the most challenging part of changing direction for you?
- Have you ever thought you were involved in what God was doing in the world, only to discover later that God was moving elsewhere and you missed it? If so, what do you think caused you to miss it?
Where the River Flows: Life, Healing & No Swamps
Ezekiel gives us a powerful picture of the river of God: a river flowing from the sanctuary, moving outward, bringing life everywhere it goes:
Ezekiel 47:9-10 “Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets.” NIV
There is something powerful about that promise: everything will live.
Not some things. Not the easy things. Not just what already looks healthy. Everything. If the river can reach it, resurrection is possible.
But then comes a sobering line: “The swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt.” Ezekiel 47:11
The river has power, but the swamps and marshes remain unchanged. Why? Because swamps do not flow. They do not release. They do not surrender. When something enters a swamp, it doesn’t rise. It sinks.
Going further: “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12
The picture is clear: salt water is made fresh, fish multiply, fruit trees flourish month after month, and healing flows from their leaves. Life follows the river. The river from the sanctuary represents God’s presence flowing outward—not contained or hoarded.
In our lives, flow equals surrender.
Conclusión
Let’s hold onto the promise of Book of Ezekiel 47:9
“Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows… so where the river flows everything will live.”
This is our assurance: wherever God leads, He brings life. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life, and only He can make what is barren flourish again. When His river flows, it restores, renews, and revives.
Because of that promise, we must not settle for mere hydration—taking in just enough of God to get by—when He is inviting us into saturation, a life fully immersed in His presence and power.
As we move forward, let’s ask ourselves: Are we content to stand on the shore? Are we lingering in shallow water? Or are we ready to trust Him completely and step into the deep river He is calling us into?
Llamada a la acción:
Do an honest evaluation of where you are in your walk with the Lord,
Make a personal commitment to the Lord to look for opportunities to grow your walk to the next level or, if you are swimming, not to get lured into the swamp of indifference or complacency.
Use your Bible, to seek God’s direction for you,
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and give you discernment to see opportunities to grow and step into whatever God is doing in your life,
Journal the things that God is doing in your life and how you responded to them.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us the gift grace through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Thank you for the call that you have placed on our lives to be able to not only follow You but to immerse ourselves in You. Forgive us for the times that we have failed to go deep out of fear or times when we have grown stagnant out of indifference to Your call on our lives. Empower us, by Your Holy Spirit to boldly accept the opportunities You give us and to faithfully walk them out to the glory of Your holy name. In the Name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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