Be The Stream
Be The Stream: A 5-Day Devotional Guide
Based on the sermon by Pastor Michelle
Day 1: You Were Made To Carry More Than You Know
Reading: John 7:37-39
Devotional:
Jesus did not whisper his invitation. He stood and spoke with a loud voice, calling anyone who was thirsty to come and drink. But the invitation does not end with receiving. The promise is that rivers, not drops, not trickles, but rivers of living water would flow from within the one who believes. You were not designed to simply accumulate spiritual experiences. You were designed to carry something that moves. Consider today what you have received from the Lord. His comfort in your hardest season. His peace in your most anxious moment. His strength when you had none of your own. That is not yours to hold alone. Someone downstream is waiting on what God placed inside of you.
Reflection: What has God given you that you have been holding rather than releasing?
Practical Application: Identify one person in your life who may need encouragement today. Send a message, make a call, or simply show up. Let the water move.
Day 2: The River Does Not Stay At The Temple
Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-9
Devotional:
In Ezekiel's vision, water began at the temple, just a trickle at first. But as it moved outward, it grew deeper. Ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep, until it became a river too deep to cross. And everywhere that river flowed, life followed. Dead places became alive. Salty waters became fresh. This is the picture of what God desires to do through his people. The gathering, the worship, the prayer, the word, all of it is the source. But its full purpose is revealed when it leaves the building and enters the ordinary spaces of your daily life. Your workplace. Your neighborhood. Your family dinner table. Your Uber ride home.
Reflection: Where does your faith stay contained, and where does it actually flow outward?
Practical Application: This week, intentionally bring the presence of God into one space outside of church. Pray before a meeting. Speak a kind word in a difficult environment. Be the stream.
Day 3: Guard What God Has Placed In You
Reading: Proverbs 4:20-23
Devotional:
Proverbs 4:23 makes clear that the condition of the heart determines what flows out of a life. A stream that accumulates debris over time does not stop flowing all at once. It slows. It clouds. It becomes obstructed gradually, one branch, one fallen leaf, one season of neglect at a time. Many believers do not walk away from God in a single dramatic moment. They simply stop tending to what God placed within them. Prayer becomes less frequent. The word receives less attention. Wounds go unaddressed. Weariness is ignored. But the river is still there. It may not be dried up. It may simply be blocked. Honest examination before the Lord is the beginning of restoration.
Reflection: What has entered your stream over time that has slowed the flow of God's life through you?
Practical Application: Set aside fifteen minutes today for honest, quiet prayer. Ask the Lord to reveal anything that has accumulated in your inner life that needs to be removed. Write down what surfaces and bring it before him without shame.
Day 4: Fan The Flame That Is Already There
Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Devotional:
Paul's instruction to Timothy was not to search for something new. It was to tend to what was already present. Fan it. Stir it up. The gift was already there, placed by God, confirmed by the laying on of hands. But gifts, like fire, require attention. They require fuel. They require air. They require someone willing to kneel down and tend to them. Perhaps you are in a season where you feel spiritually dry or distant from the version of yourself that once burned brightly for the Lord. This passage reminds you that God has not revoked what he placed in you. He is calling you back to tend to it. Not with striving, but with surrender.
Reflection: What spiritual gifts or callings has God placed in you that have gone untended in this season?
Practical Application: Return to one spiritual rhythm that once kept you grounded. Early morning prayer. A consistent Scripture reading plan. A worship playlist during your commute. Choose one and commit to it for the remainder of this week.
Day 5: Think On These Things And Go Out Free
Reading: Philippians 4:6-8
Devotional:
Philippians 4:8 provides a direct instruction for what the mind should dwell on: what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. This is not wishful thinking. It is a deliberate, disciplined redirection of the mind toward the character and promises of God. Negative thoughts are often automatic. The flesh agrees with them quickly. But the word of God is more powerful than any default pattern of thinking. As Pastor Michelle declared, thoughts trigger feelings, and feelings trigger behaviors. What you consistently think on will eventually shape how you live. The same living water that flows from within you is meant to refresh your own mind as well. You are not just a carrier of hope for others. You are also a recipient of it.
Reflection: What recurring thought pattern has been shaping your decisions and emotions in a direction that does not align with God's word?
Practical Application: Write out Philippians 4:8 and place it somewhere visible. Each time a negative or fear-based thought arises today, read the verse aloud. Let your ears hear your own voice declare what is true. The stream begins in the mind.
These devotionals are based on the sermon "Be The Stream" delivered at Come To The Well Church. Access additional resources and devotionals at cometothewell.cc/blog.
Day 1: You Were Made To Carry More Than You Know
Reading: John 7:37-39
Devotional:
Jesus did not whisper his invitation. He stood and spoke with a loud voice, calling anyone who was thirsty to come and drink. But the invitation does not end with receiving. The promise is that rivers, not drops, not trickles, but rivers of living water would flow from within the one who believes. You were not designed to simply accumulate spiritual experiences. You were designed to carry something that moves. Consider today what you have received from the Lord. His comfort in your hardest season. His peace in your most anxious moment. His strength when you had none of your own. That is not yours to hold alone. Someone downstream is waiting on what God placed inside of you.
Reflection: What has God given you that you have been holding rather than releasing?
Practical Application: Identify one person in your life who may need encouragement today. Send a message, make a call, or simply show up. Let the water move.
Day 2: The River Does Not Stay At The Temple
Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-9
Devotional:
In Ezekiel's vision, water began at the temple, just a trickle at first. But as it moved outward, it grew deeper. Ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep, until it became a river too deep to cross. And everywhere that river flowed, life followed. Dead places became alive. Salty waters became fresh. This is the picture of what God desires to do through his people. The gathering, the worship, the prayer, the word, all of it is the source. But its full purpose is revealed when it leaves the building and enters the ordinary spaces of your daily life. Your workplace. Your neighborhood. Your family dinner table. Your Uber ride home.
Reflection: Where does your faith stay contained, and where does it actually flow outward?
Practical Application: This week, intentionally bring the presence of God into one space outside of church. Pray before a meeting. Speak a kind word in a difficult environment. Be the stream.
Day 3: Guard What God Has Placed In You
Reading: Proverbs 4:20-23
Devotional:
Proverbs 4:23 makes clear that the condition of the heart determines what flows out of a life. A stream that accumulates debris over time does not stop flowing all at once. It slows. It clouds. It becomes obstructed gradually, one branch, one fallen leaf, one season of neglect at a time. Many believers do not walk away from God in a single dramatic moment. They simply stop tending to what God placed within them. Prayer becomes less frequent. The word receives less attention. Wounds go unaddressed. Weariness is ignored. But the river is still there. It may not be dried up. It may simply be blocked. Honest examination before the Lord is the beginning of restoration.
Reflection: What has entered your stream over time that has slowed the flow of God's life through you?
Practical Application: Set aside fifteen minutes today for honest, quiet prayer. Ask the Lord to reveal anything that has accumulated in your inner life that needs to be removed. Write down what surfaces and bring it before him without shame.
Day 4: Fan The Flame That Is Already There
Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Devotional:
Paul's instruction to Timothy was not to search for something new. It was to tend to what was already present. Fan it. Stir it up. The gift was already there, placed by God, confirmed by the laying on of hands. But gifts, like fire, require attention. They require fuel. They require air. They require someone willing to kneel down and tend to them. Perhaps you are in a season where you feel spiritually dry or distant from the version of yourself that once burned brightly for the Lord. This passage reminds you that God has not revoked what he placed in you. He is calling you back to tend to it. Not with striving, but with surrender.
Reflection: What spiritual gifts or callings has God placed in you that have gone untended in this season?
Practical Application: Return to one spiritual rhythm that once kept you grounded. Early morning prayer. A consistent Scripture reading plan. A worship playlist during your commute. Choose one and commit to it for the remainder of this week.
Day 5: Think On These Things And Go Out Free
Reading: Philippians 4:6-8
Devotional:
Philippians 4:8 provides a direct instruction for what the mind should dwell on: what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. This is not wishful thinking. It is a deliberate, disciplined redirection of the mind toward the character and promises of God. Negative thoughts are often automatic. The flesh agrees with them quickly. But the word of God is more powerful than any default pattern of thinking. As Pastor Michelle declared, thoughts trigger feelings, and feelings trigger behaviors. What you consistently think on will eventually shape how you live. The same living water that flows from within you is meant to refresh your own mind as well. You are not just a carrier of hope for others. You are also a recipient of it.
Reflection: What recurring thought pattern has been shaping your decisions and emotions in a direction that does not align with God's word?
Practical Application: Write out Philippians 4:8 and place it somewhere visible. Each time a negative or fear-based thought arises today, read the verse aloud. Let your ears hear your own voice declare what is true. The stream begins in the mind.
These devotionals are based on the sermon "Be The Stream" delivered at Come To The Well Church. Access additional resources and devotionals at cometothewell.cc/blog.
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