At the beginning of chapter 47 of the book of Ezekiel, he describes his vision of a river flowing from the temple. The bible says that the prophet was taken to the entrance of the temple, and a man who looked like bronze walked with him with a measuring rod, heading towards the river. When entering the waters, the man measured its depth, and behold, they reached his ankles, a little further ahead he measured again and the waters reached his knees. Walking further, he measured the waters and they reached waist height. The prophet continued walking until the waters were so deep that they could only be crossed by swimming with lifeguard training.  

Ezekiel's vision makes us understand that there is always a deeper place in the Spirit that we can go; and this is a journey to be taken as a couple, we cannot go alone. The prophet is led to the waters by the angel sent by God, and we likewise need to be led by the Spirit. Without direction, we will surely stop halfway, we need to be led. It takes relationship and intimacy to walk side by side with the Holy Spirit, and then ask Him to go deeper. The four levels of water show us that it is our decision to stay where we are, or to go to a deeper place. We won't be forced to make commitments, we won't be forced to walk another five hundred measures, it's our choice to follow or not. 

There comes a time when we can no longer settle for being at ankle, knee or waist height. 

Being in the shallows is certainly the most comfortable position, but it won't give us the fullness of what we're looking for. It's certainly easier to stay here, where we still have some control over our surroundings. Where yet, if we feel it necessary, we can easily run to the sidelines and take back control of our lives. We need to understand that it is not enough to enter the river, it is not enough to leave the bank, it is necessary to leave the shallows. Many of us have committed parts of our lives to God. We deliver one area while retaining the other, we take it a step further, but never deliver it all at once. But one thing is a fact: you will only see the supernatural of God the moment you decide to go deeper. Going deeper is understanding that we are going to enter a position of total dependence on God. Without a ground under our feet to give us security, firmness and stability,

It is necessary for you to stand up and say: Enough! No more shallow water, I want to dive deeper! No more to the ankles, no more to the knees, no more to the waist. I WANT TO HAVE TO SWIM! 

Boldly stand up and ask the Lord: Father, I want to go so deep into your presence, that my feet will no longer reach the ground. Our prayer should be: Lord, take my hand and lead me to a deeper place. There is always a place in Christ that you have never been to, and it must be your greatest desire to want to go there. Your wish should be: I want to see. I want to play. I want to go further, deeper, higher in revelation of who Christ is. 

Personally, I want one day I can't even remember what it's like to be in the shallows. It is no longer a time for complacency, it is no longer a time for staying in comfortable positions. Comfort suffocates purpose. It's time for water to swim away. It's deep water time. It is a time of real intimacy, of deep communion, of intense prayer. Get up and be the one who doesn't conform being in water that hits your ankles, knees or waist. Those who truly seek the Lord with all their heart will always want to go deeper with the American Lifeguard Training USA.