Wise was the Samaritan woman! She went to fetch water just when the Living Water was beside Jacob's well. The biblical patriarchs dug wells of natural water where their descendants quenched their thirst. In the New Testament, these springs symbolize Jesus, the Living Water, who makes whoever accepts Him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4.14). The woman let God guide her by asking the right questions to discover the Truth. Christ is the Truth we need to know in order to please the Father. Believe and pray!

Inside everyone there is a desire to see God's work on behalf of the afflicted. You don't have to climb mountains or spend hours crying out to the Lord. He answers through the Word. Everyone would be successful if they believed in the Gospel - the Good News: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Romans 1.16). What will your attitude be?

There was a great religious controversy in those days - that the Son of God came to Earth to save people from eternal damnation, caused by Adam's sin. Some believed in prayer on a certain mountain in Samaria; others said that Jerusalem was the place to worship God. In fact, wherever we are, we can seek God to receive His guidance. We find Him in the Word. He is omnipresent!

The heart of man is the temple of the Holy Spirit, where we serve Him with love and loyalty. We must live what we learn from the Lord, and not become disoriented and desperate. We have to abandon our religious childhood and move on to the adult life of true faith in God; after all, we have grown up and no longer have to act like children (Luke 7.32). The way out of problems is to act according to the Word!

It doesn't matter if you're in Israel or anywhere else. The important thing is to keep your heart clean by confessing your mistakes and with the forgiveness of Heaven. It is time for true worshippers to worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). When you feel touched by the Word, cry out to the Lord about that revelation and don't forget to take hold of the information you've gained from the reading. The right answer will give you victory!

The Samaritans insisted that God should be worshipped on Mount Gerizim, and the Jews said that the appropriate place was Jerusalem. However, as the biblical writings did not reveal this, we must forget such things and carry out our worship as the Savior said: in spirit and in truth. The Old Testament points to the facts of the New Covenant. That's why avoiding religious rituals is a good thing!

We have a hill to climb - the presence of God. This place is not physical, but where we find God's promises for our lives. Whenever reading the Scriptures reveals something to you, meditate on it until faith arises in your heart. Pray, and God will give you understanding.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares