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When I went to the Iowa conference with Wanda Alger, she spoke on Ezekiel’s life and how he became the known prophet that everyone knows as the prophet who spoke to the dry bones, Ezekiel 37. Sword to Scepter Conference session 1 - YouTube
But we tend to skim over the other parts where he suffered. I know, that isn’t sexy information, but just take a look at what he went through to get to the powerful moment in authority:
1.
Ezekiel’s job
was to warn the Jews about God’s impending destruction and call them back to
God;
2.
God asked him
to eat a scroll of mourning to lament God’s heart for intercession;
3.
He was to tie
himself with ropes in his own home and not be able to speak until the Lord
allowed him;
4.
Ezekiel was
asked to lay on his right side for 390 days then on his left side for 40 days
to symbolize Israel’s years of rebellion;
5.
Then in
chapter 5, he was supposed to shave his head and beard;
6.
After all of
this, he was to tell the people death and destruction was coming;
7.
Chapter 12 he
is to pack his belongs and hand dig through the wall to demonstrate what would
happen to his brethren in captivity;
8.
In chapter
24, the big blow; God tells Ezekiel that He was going to take his wife and he
was to not mourn. This was to be a sign to Israel to show them what would
happen to Jerusalem; and
9.
Eventually he
speaks to the valley of dry bones in the famous chapter 37!
This is an example of what obedience looks
like and Ezekiel had a track record with God (just like our dreams. That is why it is important to write them down). Ezekiel had
totally died to self by becoming obedient to God. When a follower of Christ
does this act, it becomes very powerful in the Spirit. Ezekiel gained authority
because the Lord trusted him due to his track record of doing some pretty crazy
things.
Can you imagine coming home to find your husband
is tied up in the kitchen? And he can’t explain why because he isn’t allowed
to speak! I mean, hello? Pauses* “um, hun, um whatcha doing? Why are you just
sitting there tied up and why are you NOT talking to me?” Talk about cold
shoulder, right? This wife must have been a very understanding wife, wow!
Matthew 16:24-28 NKJV [Take Up the Cross and
Follow Me] Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses
his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains
the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange
for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His
angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say
to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the
Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
This is exactly what Ezekiel did, huh? He
denied himself by not going to the Lord and complaining, “but God, seriously,
you want me to tell my brethren that there will be impending destruction upon Israel
when they already don’t like me, and now they will really NOT like me from this
word?” No, instead Ezekiel followed what God said and didn’t worry about his
own feelings. He let God take control of the situation by putting his own
feelings aside.
I had to do the same, I have to humble myself before Him, lay it down before His feet and be honest with Him. "God, I am scared to get back online. What if they don't accept me because of my past? What if it hurts again?" He reminded me of the track record we have together, my dreams. He pointed me to a few dreams where He was speaking truth and love to me. He was showing me that He was protecting me by giving me a vision of a bundle of rods going into the ground.
I had received a word from Lord that same weekend and He said, "You are a Pioneer". I wanted to look up the definition because I wasn't sure exactly what that meant. Pioneer means one that goes before to remove obstructions or prepare the way for another working in intrenchments. Intrenchments mean a ditch and sometimes signifies fascines covered with earth to cover men from enemy's fire. The word fascines means a bundle of rods bound at both ends and in the middle used in raising batteries, filling in ditches and strengthening ramparts. Sometimes they are dipped in tar and used to set fire to the enemy's lodgments or other works.
God also reminded me of a dream where a massive tar truck was backing up into me. So what He is telling me is that I am to pioneer into the enemies ditches, remove obstructions and prepare a way for others all the while He will cover me and the ladies with me from the enemies fire with His Rod dipped in tar and use the fire to destroy the attacks!
Ezekiel put God first and above all things, he trusted Him and he obeyed Him. When I began my journey I had a very difficult time not wanting to do things my way. I struggled with being told what to do because then that would mean, I am wrong and I’ve been wrong this whole time. That hurts. I would have private conversations with the Lord just crying because everything I wanted to go my way wasn’t and it was showing people my vulnerability. I didn’t want them to see that I was vulnerable. Then I learned that playing it off with joking or being goofy, wasn’t getting me anywhere either because I was sidestepping the heart of the issue: humility.
The process of denying to self is an ongoing process
and everyone’s journey can be at different paces. Jenny may have a journey of
denying herself for 10 years. Sam may have her denial journey for 2 months. It
all depends on you and Jesus. I struggled and still do at times but it isn’t Mount
Everest. Verse 25, “For whoever desires
to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find
it.” I don’t want to save my own self by continuing to fight with Him being filled
with fear because of who I was. 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power (courage) and of love (compassion) and of a sound mind (self-control)." Instead I want to carry my cross – my testimony for His sake – and follow Him. This is why I have started this blog, podcast, and put my picture in my bio.
Joyful Home Welcomes You!
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