Rivers of Living Water: 127 Day Journey to Soul Refreshment

By Peggy S. Hood

Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture said, rivers of living water will flow from within him. John 7:38

To be a disciple means to be disciplined. Rivers of Living of Water is a tool that God will use to get you to step into the water as your first step of obedience to being a disciplined follower of Jesus.

Rivers of Living Water is 127 days of consistent reading of Gods Word and talking to our Heavenly Father, which can result in your loving life and seeing good days (1 Peter 3:10) In the midst of loving life and good days, you will become refreshment to those who also need that flow of life giving water into their lives. You can begin to bring glory to God as He created you to do.

Heavenly Father, for everyone who picks this book up and reads it, will You refresh their very souls. For those who walk in darkness, please open their eyes that they may see the light of Your great love and deliver them from the dominion of darkness. Heavenly Father please lead each of them to that place where the river will flow into them and flow out of them. That each of them will become refreshers of the souls of others. In the mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 16, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449734466

Peggy S. Hood

Peggy Hood has faithfully served in new start churches in Camden, Rock Hill, York, Columbia, and Blythewood, South Carolina for over thirty-five years.  Peggy and her husband, Tally, have led many Bible studies from their home in Blythewood, South Carolina.  Presently, Peggy and Tally are leaders in Village Church.   She has one son, Paul; he and his wife Alice love and serve God in their church.  Tally has a son, Robbie, who loves God and is also involved in his church.  Peggy has a love for cooking and flowers, but most of all loves being a wife.   Peggy knows that God has sent Jesus to rescue her from the bondage of sin, guilt, and shame and He has adopted her into His royal family.  As daughter of the Most High God, Peggy is an ordinary woman who believes that God can do extraordinary things through those who trust Him.

Book preview

Day 1 ~ Who Is God?

In 1976, I began to question my life. I began to think about a God I did not know. Who was He? I began asking my friends how they felt about God. I began to think of my life, how empty I felt, and how empty the things I was doing made me feel. The only thing that drove me at that time in my life was looking for the next party. When I began to try to create a party for myself in the middle of the week, I knew that I had a problem. I had no peace, and I could not find peace in anything.

While I was trying to figure out who God was to me and to my friends, God began to show me in ways I did not expect.

My sister, Linda, is my oldest sister. I have three sisters and one brother. Linda kept inviting me to go to a revival with her. She would not give up on me. I kept finding excuses until I ran out. Finally I gave in and told her I would go with her to this tent revival, thinking that maybe then she would leave me alone.

I went—and wow! My life has never been the same. I did not know at the time what hit me, but I definitely encountered something that set me in a tailspin.

The evangelist who was preaching at this tent revival spotted me. (More on the Tent revival for Day 2) I was sitting in the back few rows of a very large tent. He pulled me to the middle of the aisle and proceeded to ask me questions about my life. Do you know Jesus as your Savior?

No, I replied.

Are you ready? he asked.

No, I said. At that time, I was afraid of what he might do to me if I said yes.

He then said, I am going to pray for you that you will never be the same. He laid his sweaty hand on my head and began to pray for me. I did not even know at the time that what he was doing was praying. I had never had anyone pray for me that I knew.

Now, let me tell you a little of my background. The only encounter with church that I remember was sporadic. As a child, my family went on Easter. I do remember going to some very small, full-spirited churches with my oldest sister, as I would spend a lot of weekends with her. The Bible was never read in my home, and I never heard any mention of Jesus. I did walk to a church near our neighborhood when I was eleven just to get a candy bar at a GA meeting. (GA is a Baptist group called Girls in Action.)

SCRIPTURES TO READ: Romans 5:8, Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 1:15, John 10:16, 1 John 2:17, Revelation 22:17, Romans 1:29-32.

Pray for family members today. Father, I pray for you to begin to woo and court my (mother, father, sister, brother, etc.) to Yourself today. Please show them that you love them with a love they have never felt before. Cause their hearts to want to know who You are and stir within them a need for You. Help them to know that You are the only source of peace in their lives. Continue to burden my heart to want to pray them into your kingdom. In the name of Jesus I ask, amen.

Day 2 ~ My Heart Was Stirred

I told you yesterday that I would share more about what the tent revival was like. I went to a big tent in Camden, South Carolina. There were probably seventy-five to 100 people. Everyone seemed to be having a personal party—a party like I had never experienced before. I was a little freaked out, and frankly, I was fearful. We usually are fearful of things we have never seen, heard, experienced before. The people were running around, shouting, falling on the ground, singing, and jumping. I just observed, hoping that no one would bother me. Of course, you know that did not happen.

After the evangelist prayed for me, I went back to my seat beside my sister. I don’t remember anything else that happened after that.

We left the tent revival, and my sister took me home. My life really did take a turn. I did not sleep that night. I kept waking up crying in the middle of the night. I thought I was going to die, and I knew that I would go to hell. I think I must have learned or heard this in my youth, because I sure was scared. I think now that the fear I had was definitely an emotion that God used to draw me to Himself.

The next day, I called Dale, my middle sister, to tell her what had happened and ask her to help me understand what I had witnessed. Dale lived in Columbia. She and her husband, Mack, had recently made some major changes in their lives. They were going to church and were living very differently than they had been. I had seen a peace in them that was curious to me. I wanted very much to be like Dale.

I told Dale about the experience the night before and what the evangelist had prayed for me. I think I made the comment to her that I thought he had cast a spell on me. She went on to explain what he meant about me never being the same. She then asked me to go to church with her the next Sunday. Wow—what a long week that was.

I had several visitors come to my door during the course of that week, inviting me to come to church. One man said, I don’t know why I am here at your house, but I just need to invite you to church. I thought all this stuff going on in my life was strange and bizarre. I can’t wait till tomorrow to tell you what came next in my life. Don’t read ahead; read the Scriptures listed, and pray today.

SCRIPTURES TO READ: Acts 8:17, Acts 10:19-20, Isaiah 62:12, John 10, Matthew 18:11.

Prayer: Father, You are my deliverer. You are my fortress, my strength, my shield, and my everlasting Father. You alone are worthy of my praise. I love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I worship You. I bow my heart before You in humility and thanksgiving for what You have done for me. I will praise You and thank You all of my days. You are Holy and righteous. You are my redeemer—my King! In the name of Jesus, I pray, amen.

Day 3 ~ He Saved Me

Sunday morning finally came. Dale picked up me and my son, Paul, to take us to church in Columbia. Paul had never been to church before; he was four years old. I had nothing to wear but a dress I had just worn to the Carolina Cup. It was not really an appropriate dress for church, but I did not know any better. When we got to church, we went to Sunday school first. The people in the class were talking about Christ’s return, which added to my fear of God’s wrath. We got through that and then went to the worship service. We were meeting in a house; the Sunday school was upstairs, and the worship was downstairs. A pretty young girl was sitting at the piano, singing and playing. She was singing a medley of The Old Rugged Cross and The Cross Made the Difference. These were appropriate songs for what I was about to experience.

I began to weep uncontrollably. My sister asked me if I would like her to pray with me. I said yes. At this point, I was so ready for relief that I would do anything to get the burden of guilt and shame off me. She took me to the little altar at the front, and we knelt down to pray. I really don’t remember anything she prayed. She then asked the pastor to talk with me. He knelt down, and all I remember is repeating a prayer after him. He then asked me to stand before the people and tell them what I had just done. Well, I did not know. All I knew was that I already felt like a different person.

I was crying, snot was dripping, there was no Kleenex in sight, and he wanted me to tell these people what I had done. He had to tell me what to say. I said, I have been Savior. See, I did not know what I did; that is really what I said. Maybe they did not hear me say that—I hope. Anyway, I was a new creature for sure. My new life began. I was lost; Jesus found me. I was blind; now I can see. I really did experience what it means to be born again. I was no longer the old Peggy, born to Rosine and Cleveland Croft. I became a child of the King! I was raised to newness of life! I came out of the miry clay and set my feet on the solid rock.

Again, I encourage you not to read ahead. Read your Scriptures and spend some time talking with your heavenly Father.

SCRIPTURES TO READ: Acts 8:17, Psalm 40:2-5, John 1:12, Isaiah 43:1, Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 11:20, Acts 22:16.

PRAYER TO PRAY: Heavenly Father, remind me today of what You have done for me. Help me to remember from where You brought me. Keep my memory fresh about how great a love You have bestowed upon me, that while I was yet a sinner, Jesus died for me. Thank You for Your great love, and thank You for the things You have yet to do in and through my life. Show me today who I can pray for, who I can invite to church, and who I can encourage with Your love. Let me be a light in the darkness today to draw someone to You, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 4 ~ A New Beginning

I went home from church that day, excited and unsure about my future. I wanted to tell everybody and yet I was afraid to tell anybody. I went home to a husband that I had been married to for 2 years. He must have thought an alien had come into his home and life that day. Our usual routine was to smoke a joint on most days. He was sitting with one of our friends doing just that as I walked in. He offered the joint to me and I said no. He then asked me this question, knowing I had been to church, you haven’t gone and gotten religion have you? My answer to that was well, yes I have. Still not sure what that meant for me.

The next few weeks were bitter and sweet. I had a new love in my life and I had a husband who did not know what to say to me, and I did not know what to say to him. Finally the ice broke and he told me that he did not know if I would still love him. What a relief to me for him to say that, because I thought he would no longer love me. I was truly a new wife. I told him that before I did not know how to love him, but now I knew because God who is love is now a part of my life.

Monday morning, the day after was a new day! A new life! A new me! Who am I? What has happened to me? Why does everything and everybody seem so different to me? What happened to the turmoil I felt before yesterday? I had all these questions. I did not know who to ask or where to go or how I was supposed to act or what next.

Dale gave me a white, King James Version Bible. It was nice and pretty. She always did like white things that looked nice and clean. She is a perfect picture of cleanliness, so pretty and a pure heart. Someone else, not sure who it was, also gave me a Living Bible. Well I do believe it had the breath of God in it. Every question, every fear, every doubt, every thought, every need I had; I found the answer in that book. It was and still is today, thankfully, my source I run to. It is God’s living breathing Word to me and of course you too. Really, any question I had was answered almost immediately as I would open that Bible. I don’t know if the flop open is a biblical standard. But every time I would flop open to a page, there it would be, God’s answer to me. I have since grown a little from that way of reading the bible, but there are times when I do still do that. God does answer us in His word, but sometimes we have to diligently seek Him!

SCRIPTURES TO READ: 11 Corinthians 5:17, Titus 3:3-8, Ezekiel 11:19, John 3, Ephesians 2:1, Psalm 51:7.

PRAYER TO PRAY: Heavenly Father, You are a wonderful God, You know the hearts of man and You are able to change a heart in a moment. Help me to believe today that You can save those around me that I pray for and that nothing is impossible with You. Teach me today the things You want me to know and help me to help others. Show me in Your word great things I have never seen before. Open the eyes of my heart and give me understanding as I read from Your promises. I love You, and worship You, I adore You and I Bless Your Holy Name, In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Day 5 ~ My Bible

I kept that Bible close to my hands and lap for a long time. I carried it everywhere I went, as if it were my new baby. I was a baby; I guess God’s Word was my milk. I think this might be like a new love relationship. You can’t stop thinking about that person. You eat, sleep, drink, even dream about them. That was it! I had a new love in my life. I had just fallen in love with someone, that someone was Jesus. How could I love someone who I had never seen or heard or known? I don’t know, but I did. So I guess my Bibles became the link to getting to know this person who had literally set my heart and my head spinning. I wanted to know Him! I still, thankfully want to KNOW Him! I was so simple in my faith; I believed what I read on those pages. I thought that it was written just for me! Now I know it was, but it is also written to you. It is God’s love letter to us. Have you ever gotten a love letter from someone? You read it over and over, you save it, and you treasure it. I was just reading through some of Tally’s first cards and letters to me when we were dating and first got married, his words to me made me feel so loved and treasured. That is what we are to God, His treasured possessions. His love to us is greater than any earthly love we could ever experience. But, we will never know how great, how deep, or how wide His love is for us unless we spend time with Him. Do that today, seek Him afresh and anew today, fall in love with Him through the pages of His love letter. Talk to Him about what concerns you, ask Him questions, I love to do that, I can almost hear His voice speaking to me when I ask questions, He loves to answer us. His word will come alive to you as you diligently seek Him.

For the first time in my life, I felt the forgiveness of the guilt and shame for all the things I had done. I felt like I was lighter, maybe