"No one can convince you that fire burns more than someone who has been burned and carries the scars. And no one can speak of the love, healing, and the restoring Power of Jesus more convincingly than someone who has experienced Him for themselves" - Sidu Gapara

How Do I PROCEED After Restoration.

In 2019, I was invited to the Women & Men on the Move Conference in Tucson, Arizona. The theme “Get your house in order,” was drawn from Haggai 1:3–4: 

Haggai 1: 3-4 (NIV)

3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 

4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?

In the weeks leading up to the conference, I connected with the visionary Pastor Tina through a long-time close friend and kingdom Sister, Mrs E. From our very first conversation, Pastor Tina and I connected instantly. We spoke and laughed and shared the word as though we had met in person. Everything about this conference became a testimony; from my flight ticket to the conference itself.  

During the conference, Pastor Tina asked me to minister in prayer, one afternoon before lunch. To best describe myself; I was nervous, Overwhelmed, Unsure. Standing there in this room full of my beautiful sisters from across America and beyond, I DOUBTED I HAD ANYTHING TO SAY, or even how to pray here! I quietly whispered: “Holy Spirit, take over.” And He did. Almost as if a light bulb went on, I remembered, the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. I felt it come alive in my spirit. Not something I had prepared, not something I had rehearsed, but something revealed. After what felt like hours in prayer, the declaration echoed; It’s time to Leave the Bucket at the well!

When the conference ended, heading home, I thought that would be it. I felt a great sense that, that was one of the key reasons for this trip. So;

• Assignment complete.
• Obedience fulfilled.

But sitting at the airport waiting to board my flight home, I felt an overwhelming urge to write what I had ministered. What I thought would be a sermon for another day… became a chapter. Then another. And another. By the time I landed back in England, I knew: This was the beginning of a book. 

THE POWER OF AN ENCOUNTER

The Samaritan woman went to the well with an agenda. A simple one. She went for water. But that day… she encountered Jesus. And everything changed. She met a man who:

• Knew her past
• Saw her pain
• Spoke into her future

He offered her something she had never known before: 

• Living water.
• A life that would never leave her thirsty again.

And then something extraordinary happened!

Scripture says:

(John 4:28)

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town…”

She left the bucket.

THE BUCKET

That bucket was never just a bucket. It represented:

• Her routine
• Her survival
• Her shame
• Her painful past
• Every failed relationship
• Every whispered conversation about her.
• Every label placed on her life.

She carried it all to the well too. But in one encounter—just one—Jesus changed everything. She didn’t just receive water.

She received:

• Revelation
• Identity
• Purpose
• And she made a decision… She left the very thing she came for.

A SHIFT IN AGENDA

She came with her agenda. But she left aligned with God’s agenda. Because when you truly encounter Jesus:

• Your priorities change.
• What once mattered…no longer matters the same way.
• What once defined you…loses its power.

She left her bucket. And she ran into the city. It teaches me that at the point of encountering Jesus, not only do we not remain the same, but more than that, we must become who we are meant to be. 

FROM HIDING TO PROCLAIMING

The same woman who came to the well alone, isolated and ashamed…Now runs into the very same city crowds that once rejected her; saying:

“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did…”

• She didn’t wait for permission.
• She didn’t wait for validation.
• She didn’t wait until she “felt ready.”
• She had encountered Jesus. And that was enough.

FULLY PERSUADED

There is something powerful about being fully persuaded.

She was no longer concerned about:

•  Her past
• People’s opinions
• Their judgment

Because when you are convinced about who Jesus is—you stop negotiating with your past. The currency becomes who Jesus says you are!

LOVE THAT TRANSFORMS

Scripture tells us:

(Lamentations 3:22–23)

“His mercies are new every morning.” 

(Psalm 136:1)

“His steadfast love endures forever.” 

• This is not ordinary love.
• This is transforming love.

A love that:

• Heals
• Restores
• Delivers
• Redefines

You cannot truly encounter it and remain the same. That love took a broken woman…And turned her into a messenger. Turned her into a message!

WHO AM I?

The Samaritan woman was privileged to an immediate transition and manifestation; from broken to healed to stepping out into her new reality. For many of us, the process can take years. Granted, we are the drivers of how long this can take, but it can take time none-the-less. In that time, we may even begin to doubt the possibility of our restoration.  

There is a question we must all answer: Who am I?

Jesus asked His disciples:

Matthew 16:13,

“Who do men say that I am?”

In His question and response, it is very clear that Jesus was not confused about His identity. But we often are, and the devil takes advantage of that. 

When you don’t know who you are—you will believe anything people say about you. You may even make your life decisions based on those perceptions. This seems to be very true about the Samaritan woman. 

She was known by:

• Her past
• Her failures
• Her experiences

But Jesus showed her something greater.

• He revealed:
• Her potential
• §Her capacity
• Her true identity

And everything changed!

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

What you believe about yourself matters. Because it will determine:

• How you live
• What you pursue
• What you avoid

Genesis 1:27 says:

“God created mankind in His own image.”

That means you were created with:

• Purpose
• Value
• Identity

But life has a way of distorting that truth. You begin to believe:

• “I’m not enough”
• “I always fail”
• “This is just who I am”

No. That is not truth. That is conditioning and it must be broken.

WHAT IF THIS FAILS?

Fear of failure has stopped many destinies. We think:

• What if this doesn’t work?
• What if I fail again?
• What will people say?

But Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in :

(John 4:10)

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.”

There is a knowing of Him that restores and gives life. The kind that has the ability to destroy fear. Because fear will:

• Keep ideas hidden
• Silence your voice
• Stop you from stepping out

But faith will say:

Try again. Step out. Trust God.

FEAR OF JUDGMENT

I have understood and heard many times that the Samaritan woman understood judgment. She came to the well at noon—alone. She did not gather with her sisters at the well. I can imagine that level of isolation and loneliness. When it possibly seems too late to fix the mess you seem to have made of your life. Knowing the conversations that were taking place concerning her. The piercing fingers pointing in her direction and the loud whispers. 

I get teary eyed when I picture that—that’s where Jesus met there.

• Not in the crowd.
• Not in perfection.
• But in her isolation.

I imagine her living her life wondering how long this would all last, if there was an end to her shame and pain. I have always said that, in order to for me to fully appreciate what all these women in the Bible wen through, I don’t just read the passage in the scripture, I stop and imagine deeply, what the woman may have felt, or though. All the other facts between the lines of the scriptures. 

That is why, her encounter of Jesus, feels like a VICTORY! One she did not have to work hard for. Love did that on her behalf. The reality of her liberty and victory is notable when She went back to the same place of her rejection. Not hiding - But declaring.

Because when God heals you, and you know you are set free you—you stop living for people’s approval.

John 8: 36

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed

IDENTIFYING and BREAKING LIMITATIONS

Fear and judgment are tools that keep us small. They convince us:

• To stay silent
• To stay hidden
• To stay comfortable

But purpose requires courage. It drives us to overcome limitations. But first, we have to be intentional about thinking about these limitations, identifying them, and then dealing with them. Sometimes it takes the help of others to aid that process. For someone it may be this article, for another it may be a little help form a Sister, a message preached or a scripture we find in our study journey. I am finding out that, the responses to al we go through is found in pockets of information. Our responsibility is, to get out of the house with the bucket in hand, and go to the well for water.  

You may argue that the Samaritan woman broke Cultural barriers, but you would have to see that Jesus drove that dialogue, because she had come to the well. Through this engagement, she overcame; Personal limitations, Self judgment and much more.

Because she stepped out—We are still talking about her today.

THE CALL TO YOUR NEXT LEVEL

There comes a moment in every life…When you must decide: Will I hold onto my bucket… or will I leave it behind?  You cannot carry that and step into purpose at the same time.

The Samaritan woman came to the well for water, with a Bucket full of her past mistakes, her fears and all the limitations her life had placed in front of her. Giving into the voice of Jesus, she finally—LIVED.

LET’S MAKE IT PERSONAL

If you could leave your bucket today—

• What would that look like?
• What would you Let go of?
• What would you Walk away from?
• What would you Step into, HOW would you PROCEED!?