UNSTOP THOSE WELLS

GENESIS 26:1

And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that

was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king

of the Philistines unto Gerar.

GENESIS 26:2

And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into

Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of…

STAY OUT OF EGYPT

In this text, “Egypt”

represents the world

and as many call it, “Plan

B.” Plan B is when one

tries to trust God but

doesn’t really trust God,

so they have a secondary

plan of action. Egypt is a

perpetual trap, and it will

slowly seduce you until

its systems have replaced

God’s system in your life.

GENESIS 26:12

Then Isaac sowed in that

land, and received in the

same year an hundredfold:

and the LORD blessed him.

GENESIS 26:13

And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he

became very great…

GENESIS 26:14

For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and

great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

I love this passage of scriptures because it reveals to us so

many different things. First of all, let’s remember that Isaac

surely remembers about the altar and his dad laying him on it

and how God provided Himself a lamb for the sacrifice. This

would have creased the soul and inhabited the memory of any

young man. If anyone knew about sowing and God bringing the

increase, it was Isaac.

Here’s my list:

1. He ignored the famine and the threat and the elements of

the famine. It just didn’t seem to be a good time to sow.

2. He sowed.

3. He reaped.

4. He reaped one hundredfold (not a hundred percent).

The kingdom of God is not based on the metric system

or any other man-made system of measurement. If you

believe for a hundred percent or even a hundred times

PAGE

PAGE 5

the amount you sowed, then when you receive it

you are done. You have your hundred percent return.

But that is not what God said. The Bible tells us that

he received a hundredfold. A hundredfold means all

sufficiency in all things at all times. And by the way,

this goes beyond money. Hundredfold means all

sufficiency in ALL THINGS.

5. In addition to this wonderful hundredfold return,

we see that God blessed him. Being blessed by God

is one of the greatest things that can happen to a

human being.

6. And the man grew great. The word “great” here is not

in reference to his person or body but how vastly his

life, business, and family has spread.

7. And he went forward. This is what I told my team

and my home church when Michigan was hit so hard

financially a few years ago. We went forward. God

propelled us forward. We never go backward, and

we never stop our forward motion. When Michigan

seemed to be falling, I led our great and courageous

congregation into a major remodel on our sanctuary—

almost a half-million-dollar renovation—CASH!

8. And Isaac grew until he became very great. Growing

is good. Growing great is good. Growing very great is

even better!

9. For he had possession. I believe that part of sowing

is reaping. Many times I voice my gratitude for those

who taught me how to tithe and give.

10. And the Philistines envied him. We should not covet

the sinners or their prosperity or position in life, but

they should be jealous of ours!

GENESIS 26:15

For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the

days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them,

and filled them with earth.

GENESIS 26:16
And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art

much mightier than we.

GENESIS 26:17

And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley

of Gerar, and dwelt there.

GENESIS 26:18

And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had

digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines

had stopped them after the death of

Abraham: and he called their names

after the names by which his

father had called them.

Verse 18 shows us a powerful truth. Isaac and his company

found the wells that his father’s company had dug years

before. Why? Because he knew that in those wells was life

and sustenance of life. No wells—no water. No water—no

life. The lack of that water would bring death.

This is so for all of us. We must go back and find the wells

that our forefathers and mothers dug for us, even though

the Philistines and the filthy, anti-God ways of this world

have filled them in. You notice also here in verse 18 that

Isaac calls the wells the same names that his father had

called them. Far too many times we hear the modernist

people, including modernist preachers, wanting to

rename the wells to fit them or the times. It has been

very disappointing to watch so many young sons and

daughters in the faith take over their parents’ ministries

and churches and then remove their parents from them

(or perhaps remove their parents’ standards, principles,

materials, pictures, and everything else). They just don’t

seem to understand how God works. Thank God we can

learn here the real key to an honorable life. We no longer

need to struggle, trying to draw life from wells filled with

sand. We can learn how to dig out our wells and draw

refreshing, living water!

Instead of trying to come up with new doctrines, new

practices, and a whole new way of doing things, these

young preachers should do what generations before

them have done, and that is to submit to the elders and

quit trying to change all the major doctrines of the New

Testament Church. In fact, this is a word for all of us. We

all need to stop looking for new ways that might totally

replace the old ways. It is important that we not only look

back to Oral Roberts, Kenneth E. Hagin, John Osteen, Billy

Graham, and others, but we can look all the way back to

Peter, James, John, and beyond. They all dug great wells

that brought great healing, deliverance, and salvation to

many people.

Many deceived people say that digging out those old wells

will not work for today. I’ve heard some preachers even

say that the Bible is outdated and doesn’t work for today’s

situations. Nonsense! There is such great value in going

back and digging out the evangelism of Billy Graham, the

healing of Oral Roberts, the faith and integrity of the Word

of God preached by Kenneth E. Hagin, and on goes the list.

Some say this is not relevant for today, but I think what they

really mean to say is that it’s not downgraded to fit the filth

and immaturity of a deteriorating society. But what could

be more relevant to a filthy, disgusting society than a moral

Jesus? What could be more relevant to a drug-and-alcoholbound society than a deliverer called Jesus?
What could be

more relevant to a generation that has lost its way than the

guidance that comes from the Word of God?

THE ENEMY HAS FILLED YOUR WELLS

The world has worked extremely hard to fill our wells with

sand so we cannot draw the life-giving source out of each

of these wonderful wells of life. These wells of life were

meant to bring us joy and peace. They were meant to bring

us dominion and deliverance. They were meant to bring us

guidance and healing, for us and for our family. The world,

the flesh, and the devil have worked overtime to kick sand in

our wells in an effort to destroy them as a source of life. Many

Christians live no differently than their neighbors and the

sinners, though they have met my Christ. This must change.

The Philistines don’t accidentally fill your wells with sand.

They do it on purpose. It is their modus operandi. If you run

with Philistines and fellowship with Philistines, plan on your

wells being filled or muddied by Philistines. If you listen to the

world, all the anti-Christ people will definitely fill your well.

You will struggle through life and wonder why the Lord is not

blessing you.

THEY DUG OUT THE WELLS

No one will dig out your wells for you. You have to do it. For

example, one of the greatest wells of life is the Word of God,

the written Word of God, the Bible. Your well may be filled

with philosophy or psychology. It may be filled with heresy or

error or maybe the world’s pollutants or contaminants. If so,

you will have to clean out that well. If you don’t, you will get

less and less from your Bible, and you will slowly lay it down.

The death cycle will begin.

HERE’S HOW IT’S DONE…

To get the river to flow again:

1. Recognize that your wells are clogged.

2. Recognize that the enemy has done this.

3. Deal with the enemy.

4. Deal with yourself. Did the enemy use you to help

cause this?

5. Deal with people. Did the enemy use others to help

cause this?

6. Dig out those wells (fasting, prayer, praise, and time at

the altar).

7. Build up your hedges (block the “avenue of approach”).

8. Enjoy the living water once again.

If the Word of God is the well that is filled with sand, here

is how you can dig out that well. Once you address the list

above, start digging. Start reading your Bible more. Start

memorizing verses again. Start attending church more often,

where the Word of God is preached. Start paying even more

attention to the Word when it is being preached. Let more

of your conversations be centered around the Bible verses.

As you do these things, you will dig out the well, and life will

flow again.
Here is my list of 18 wells of life that are found in the

Scriptures. Each one was originally supplied by God and

dug by our forefathers. There is no need for modernists to

create new wells, thinking that God didn’t supply enough

to sustain people in this time and this generation. If you

and I dig out these wells, we will live the high life and the

life of dominion that God intended us to live. My list is not

exhaustive, and there are many more scriptures that can be

added to each point.

1. THE WORD OF GOD

PROVERBS 4:20-27

PSALM 119:105

The written Word of God was given to us as a powerful well

of life. It is healing to our flesh, and it washes our mind and

our thinking. When it is preached, it brings faith. This faith

is what overcomes the world. It is a light unto our path.

16 Benefits of God’s Word

1. 2 Timothy 3:16 The Word is profitable

2. 1 Peter 1:23 Born again

3. James 1:21 Save souls, renew mind

4. 1 Peter 2:2 Growth

5. 2 Peter 1:4 Partaker of divine nature

6. Acts 20:32 Build you up

7. John 8:31-32 Set you free

8. Ephesians 5:26 Sanctify you

9. Romans 10:17 Faith

10. Jeremiah 23:29 Hammer adversaries to pieces

11. John 15:7 Guarantees answered prayer

12. Psalm 107:20 Healing

13. Matthew 8:16 Cast out demons

14. Mark 16:20 Signs and wonders

15. Acts 19:20 Prevails

16. Proverbs 6:20-22 Lead, keep, talk to you

2. THE HOLY SPIRIT

ACTS 1:8

JUDE 1:20

1. 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 Gifts of the Spirit

2. Galatians 5:22-23 Fruit of the Spirit

3. Jude 1:20 Praying in tongues

4. Romans 8:14 Guidance

5. 1 Corinthians 2:4 Revelation and demonstrations

We will need to be led by the Spirit of God at a greater

level than ever before. Life is no longer simple, and it is

filled with filth and great danger. We will also need the

power of God to overcome the evil of the day and to be

a great witness. While many say we do not need the Holy

Spirit and won’t allow Him in their church services, we are

believing for a great manifestation. The Holy Spirit was

given to us by Father God to be a deep well of living waters.

3. THE HOUSE OF GOD

PSALM 92:13-14

LUKE 4:16

Why Go to Church?

1. Hebrews 10:25 The Bible says to, “and so much

the more…”

2. Luke 4:16 Jesus did (as was “His” custom)

3. Isaiah 2:1-3 It’s our Heavenly Father’s house

4. Psalm 42:4 Leading the procession

5. 2 Kings 22:8 The Word of the Lord is there

6. Zechariah 14:17 No worship—no rain

7. Malachi 3:10 To present the tithe

8. Numbers 11:17 Leadership anointing is there

9. Matthew 21:13 To pray and be prayed for

10. Acts 13:1-3 Direct, public guidance from God

11. 1 Corinthians 14:26 Gifts and demonstrations

of the Spirit

12. Habakkuk 2:2 Rallying place for believers

13. John 20:24-26 “Doubting Thomas”

(missed one service!)

14. Psalm 48:1-3 It’s beautiful for “your” situations

PAGE 11

4. THE MAN & WOMAN OF GOD

HEBREWS 13:17

1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-13

Your pastor is a well of life. God loves

you so much that He appointed

someone over you to look after you

spiritually and to feed you and grow

you up (Eph. 4:11-14). The devil will

do anything to separate you from your

pastor. He is very threatened by the

potential of this relationship, so he

wants this well filled with sand.

You must fight to keep this well dug

out and the life flowing to you. Never

let anything come between you and

your pastor. “So then faith cometh by

hearing, and hearing by the word of

God” (Rom. 10:17). “How then shall

they call on him in whom they have

not believed? and how shall they

believe in him of whom they have

not heard? and how shall they hear

without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14).

5. DIVINE HEALTH

3 JOHN 2

1 PETER 2:24

• Bodily healing

• Mental health

• Peace of mind

Divine health is every man’s goal. No

one wants to be sick, diseased, or

living in pain. Divine healing is great!

Thank God for it. Living in divine

health and never needing healing

is the goal. Healing in the atonement

is one of the greatest blessings to

mankind. It is a wonderful and exciting

well of living water.

6. THE MARRIAGE COVENANT

& FAMILY

ECCLESIASTES 4:9-12

Holy matrimony was designed to be a

great well of life. Marriage is beautiful

and designed by God for a man and

a woman to become one flesh. It is

supposed to be a perfect union of

love, to lift up one another, to hold

each other, and to dwell together in

great peace and fulfillment. If the

enemy has filled this well with sand,

dig it out and keep it dug out. Every

marriage is to be a threefold cord—

husband, wife, and Jesus Christ.

7. HOUSEHOLD

JOSHUA 24:15

PSALM 112:3

PSALM 91:10

• Fortress

• Dwelling

• Family

The household was designed by

God to be a well of life, a place of

refreshing and recuperation from the

daily wear and tear of life, a place of

family and wholesome relationships.

We must keep all strife out of our

homes, as well as all unforgiveness

and hurt. We should never have to put

on the armor of God at home. Keep all

filth out of your house.

8. DIVINE SUPPLY—ECONOMY

PROVERBS 8:21

PROVERBS 3:9-10

PHILIPPIANS 4:19
• Food

• Finances

The devil wants you to live like the

beast of the field. Whatever your paw

can fetch is what you eat. In other

words, whatever you can get in the

power of your own strength is what

you get. But the Lord meant supply to

be His blessing to us. The Scriptures

say He will give you the power to

get wealth, He takes delight in the

prosperity of His servants, and He

wishes above all things that we would

prosper and be in health, even as our

soul prospers.

9. EYES OPENED—REVELATION

EPHESIANS 1:18

LUKE 24:31-32

• Enlightenment

• Understanding

• Illumination

As we learn in Luke 24:32, the disciples

were reminiscing about when Jesus

had opened their understanding to

the Scriptures. There is nothing like

it! I am reminded of the account of

the prophet of God and his helper.

The prophet asked God to open his

servant’s eyes that he would see what

the prophet was seeing (2 Kings 6:15-

17). Amazing prayer! Amazing answer.

God did it! And when He did, the

servant could see into the spirit realm

and saw angels all around them. It is

great to be spiritual and to understand

the truths of God’s kingdom.

10. YOUR MINISTRY

2 CORINTHIANS 5:18

1 CORINTHIANS 16:15

• The call of God

• Your place in the Body

• Soul winning

We are all called to the ministry of

reconciliation. We all are to do the

work of the evangelist. We are either

in the fivefold ministry, or we are in

the ministry of helps. But no one is

without a call and a ministry. I have

always seen in the Scriptures that

every believer is called as severely as

their pastor. This is the beauty of our

Christ and the strength of the Church.

There is a great power in knowing

your place in the body of Christ and

realizing what your call and gifting is.

We should teach early believers that

this is the first thing on their agenda

after getting the worldliness out of

their system.

11. RELATIONSHIPS & FRIENDSHIPS

1 CORINTHIANS 15:33

PROVERBS 12:26 NKJV

I have always gained great strength

from my spiritual friends and the

relationships with my fathers and

mothers in the faith. I have always

gained great strength from my

armorbearers and the local church

family who have helped me preach

this gospel, as well as the many

partners I have around the world.

PAGE 12

However, I have also noticed that

many people make covenants with

demonic people and worldly people.

It seems to bring them down. It seems

to weaken them tremendously. We

must guard whom we allow into our

lives, especially our private lives and

our covenant relationships.

12. PSALM 91 PROTECTION & SAFETY

PSALM 91:1-16

Since I first read Psalm 91, I have

totally believed that it is also for today.

God cares about our protection and

our safety. This is one of the great

wells of life. It was meant to bring

refreshing, security, and stability into

our everyday lives. I close every church

service in the Midland Church with a

Psalm 91 confession over my church

family. It is amazing how many people

have testified of how God has rescued

them from great danger and crisis by

this spiritual principle. We must not go

around and just break hedges and live

with demons, but if we live according

to the instructions found in the written

Word of God, He will protect us.

13. WORSHIP & PRAISE

PSALM 95:6

ZECHARIAH 14:17

Every true believer knows the great

refreshing value of this well that runs

so deep. God made it so. If this well

has been filled with sand, dig it out

immediately. If you are listening to

music that is ungodly, sensual, and

devilish, you need to get rid of it

immediately. If you come to church

and only listen and watch but do not

ever truly enter in, you need to dig

this well out immediately. Not only is

there a great anointing on worship and

praise to heal and strengthen, but it

also peels off the calluses and the hard

shell of the world and gets our heart

ready for the entry of the wonderful

Word of God. This is another reason

why it’s best to not be late for church

services and miss part of this great

watering of the soul.

14. TITHING

HEBREWS 7:1-9

MALACHI 3:8-12

Tithing is New Testament. Tithing is

also found in the Old Testament. Jesus

said to tithe in Matthew 23. Abraham

tithed before Moses was ever born

and before any law was ever given.

The God of the tithe wants to show

up on your own behalf and rebuke the

devourer. The devourer is not always

just the devil himself. Sometimes

it’s the terrorist. Sometimes it’s the

drunk driver. Sometimes it’s cancer or

some other disease. We can rebuke

these things in the name of Jesus,

but we don’t carry quite the same

clout as God Himself. If you have been

confused about tithing, or someone

has taught you incorrectly, you need

to learn immediately. Dig out this well

as fast as you possibly can. God meant

tithing to be a great gate opener to the

floodgates of Heaven. Tithing is not a

taxation—it is a high honor.

15. SOWING & REAPING

GALATIANS 6:8

LUKE 6:38

I have told our home church many

times how grateful I am that my

fathers in the faith taught me how

to be a giver and a receiver. When I

learned that giving was the grace of

God and a beautiful spiritual principle

given to each believer to change our

tomorrows so they are not like our

yesterdays, it changed my life. The

Bible talks about evil being out into

our future, lurking and waiting for us,

but it says to give a portion to seven

and also to eight. I learned there is a

great relationship between our giving

to God and how evil can or cannot

deal with us. What about sowing

to yourself? That means you kept

it. If you sow to God, you reap life;

but if you sow to yourself, it breeds

corruption.

16. PRAYER LIFE

JEREMIAH 29:13

Everything is caused or adjusted

by prayer. The Bible is clear about

God answering our prayers. Almost

everyone wants an answer to prayer,

but more and more I see that people

don’t take the time to pray. It is

extremely hard to have a relationship

with God if you never have any private

time or conversation with Him. Perhaps

this is one of the wells you need to dig

out and get the living water and the life

factor flowing again in your life.

17. MEDITATION

PSALM 1:1-3

Meditation requires separation from all

activities and interruptions of life. Even

noise pollution must be dealt with.

Meditation is the process by which we

digest truth. If we learn to meditate in

the Word of God, day and night, we will

be those who are blessed. When you

meditate on God’s Word, you take time

to think about how certain verses fit

your life. You also can do soul-searching

to try to discover why you’re feeling the

way you’re feeling or thinking the way

you’re thinking. It is a powerful lifestyle.

18. THE ALTARS OF GOD

1 CORINTHIANS 9:13

The altars of God are extremely

important in our life. Many people

get born again at the altar. They get

rededicated at the altar. They get

married at the altar. They dedicate

their babies at the altar. If you go

home before us, we will do your

funeral at the altar of God. I encourage

every pastor everywhere to open the

altars. There is nothing so powerful as

an old-fashioned altar call, with people

coming forward and weeping before

God, turning their life over to God, and

walking away free. Perhaps it has been

a season since you met God at the

altar. This may be one of the wells you

must dig out. n

PAGE