This short prayer will get you into the river of God's life today--right now.

A thief was hanging beside Jesus when they were each hanging on a cross. The thief said, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Jesus answered him, saying unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Lk.23:42,43). Just calling the name of Jesus, accepting Him, can bring you into the river of life, into eternal salvation, in an instant.

Jesus taught that the river of God would not just be in a person, but that the river of God would flow out of a person. He addressed the Jews on one of their religious feast days: "Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (Jn.7:37-39). Jesus taught that believers could drink of Him and receive the Spirit that would be the life of God flowing out of them.

After Jesus died and was resurrected and entered into His glory, He came to His disciples and breathed on them saying, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (Jn.20:22). For the first time ever, a human being was born again. During this same period of time He told the believers to wait at Jerusalem until they "be endued with power from on high" (Lk.24:49) Jesus is telling the believers that they are going to be endued or "clothed upon" with "dunamis" or "miracle working power" (Greek meaning of "power").

Right before Jesus left earth, He told the believers, "But ye shall receive power [dunamis--miraculous power], after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place, and the Holy Spirit came upon the church, the born again believers, for the first time,  "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).

The supernatural power about which Jesus had spoken had now come upon the church. Those who had been baptized into the body of Christ by the Spirit, were now drinking into one Spirit for the supernatural power to be a witness of Jesus to the uttermost parts of the earth. The thirsty, those who come to Jesus and drink, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, will find the fulness of His life and power through the power of the Holy Spirit.  "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1Cor.12:13).

The first church? Once they had been spiritually baptized into one body then baptized by the Holy Spirit, the rest was history. They started evangelizing the known world with healing, miracle-working power.

That same power of God is available to the church, to every believer, today. Jesus called it "the promise of the Father" about which He had taught them saying, " For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:4,5). Now, there is no need to wait for the Holy Spirit to come. He is here for every believer to receive.

If you desire this supernatural power of God's Spirit in your life, it is received just like you receive forgiveness and eternal life. Jesus taught this: "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Lk. 11:10-13).

By hearing the Word of God that this power is available to you, and by asking for the fulness of the Holy Spirit in your life, God is faithful, He will fill you with His Spirit just like He did on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2: 4, and in
Acts 8: 12-17, Acts 10:44-48, and Acts 19: 1-6.

The whole point of the matter is this: Know that God has all only good things for you and that He will not lead you astray or give you bad things , desire everything that God does have for you, and believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This kind of faith pleases Him. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb. 11:6). As you believe on Jesus in this way, you will walk in the fulness of His plan for your life.

In this way, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can enjoy living in the river of God's life in the kingdom of God every day, and you can have the power to be a supernaturally effective witness of Jesus to the world today.