The Lord God All-Powerful

 Scripture:

“God's name is the Lord, the Lord God All-Powerful.”  ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭12‬:‭5‬ ‭CEV‬

Observation:

This simple scripture I so powerful. Hosea is speaking on the Lord’s behalf to the people of Israel and trying to pull them back to God and away from their sin and idolatry. God speaks through him this simple phrase, “God’s name is the Lord, the Lord God All-Powerful.” Those words say it all.

Application:

If we also serve The Lord God All-Powerful, then we are in good hands and hands that we can trust. He is able to do far more than we can ask think or imagine. I need to live my life like I serve the Lord God All-Powerful and like He has my back There is nothing too difficult for Him. He is able to change everything in our lives in a moment if we simply trust Him. I want to live a life of faith, believing the Lord God All-Powerful is on my side.

Prayer:

Lord God All-Powerful, You are incredible and all-powerful. Help me to live every day like that is true. Eliminate debt from my life. Help me to live an overcoming life. Teach me to walk in faith and not by sight. Enable me to accomplish everything You put me here to do. Show me the way forward and I will follow. Heal my shoulder and heal Cheryl of all infection today. You are the Lord God All-Powerful and I love You.

Your Son,

Jeff

Return to God and Get Rid of Pride

 Scripture:

“I am the Lord, their God, but in all of their troubles their pride keeps them from returning to me.” ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭7‬:‭10‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking here through His prophet Hosea. He tells Israel that He is their God, but even though they are going through troubles, their pride keeps them from returning to Him. Pride stops people from coming to God for help and turning from their own ways to the ways of God.

Application:

God always resists pride and always responds to humility. When we mess up and do what we want to do, we must be willing to humble ourselves and repent and turn from our ways and submit to God’s ways and God’s plan for our lives. We must never think we can do what we want to do and ignore God’s ways and God’s word. He hates our pride and responds to our humility with grace.

Prayer:

Lord, You are worthy of all I have and all I am. You are my Lord and my God. Help me to walk humbly before You all the days of my life. Teach me to honor You in every way. You are the only wise God and I want to follow Your ways. Turn me from leaning on my own wisdom. Forgive me for not seeking You more. I need You in my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Return to God, He Will Bandage Our Wounds

 Scripture:

“Let's return to the Lord. He has torn us to shreds, but he will bandage our wounds and make us well.”‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Hosea cries out to the people, “Let’s return to the Lord.” He knew that things were not well and that God was not pleased. Therefore, he told the people to return to the Lord. He went on to say that the Lord had torn them to shreds, but if they returned, God would bandage their wounds and make them well. He understood that God was their hope.

Application:

When we sense God’s displeasure with our lives, we must run to Him, not away from Him. When we have messed up, we don’t hide from God, but run to Him because He is super faithful and will always received those who come to Him, even after they have messed up. Even when we are the problem, God will bandage our wounds and make us well. God heals, even self-inflicted wounds.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to never run away from You, but to run to You whenever I mess things up. Teach me to humbly submit myself to You, knowing You are the healer who can and will make all things new.Thank You for Your faithfulness to Your people and Your faithfulness to me. You are incredible. Help me to be more like You each day.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Trouble Valley Becomes Hopeful Valley

 Scripture:

“I will return your vineyards, and then Trouble Valley will become Hopeful Valley. You will say “Yes” to me as you did in your youth, when leaving Egypt.”  ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Reading different translations, one can see different interpretations of words. Usually, in this passage, it says the valley of Achor will become hopeful. I never realized Achor meant trouble. In other words, the valley of your trouble can become the valley of your hope. God can turn any situation around and bring hope into troubled valleys.

Application:

There are times when trouble comes. There are good times and bad times, we must remain faithful in the good and in the bad. Our walk with Him can never be based on how good He is taking care of us at the present time. If we remain faithful to the Lord, we can know in our hearts that troubled valleys will turn into hopeful valleys if we just remain faithful. God still turns things around for those who follow Him wholeheartedly.

Prayer:

Father, You are good and Your mercy endures forever. Teach me to have faith in the midst of trouble valley and to know that hopeful valley is coming. Help me to remain positive and trust You when it feels like things are not going the way I think they should. When trouble comes, let me have confidence in You and Your ways that hope is also coming.

Your Son,

Jeff

Use Your Gifts Well

Scripture:

 “Each of you has been blessed with one of God's many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.”   ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Peter tells us here that each of us has been blessed with one of God’s gifts and that we should use them in serving others. He adds, “use your gift well.” God wants us, not only to use our gifts, but to use them well for His purposes. 

Application:

We should never serve God half-heartedly. He is worthy of our very best. When we serve Him and others, we must do it with all our hearts. We should strive to enhance the gifts God has given us and grow them as well so that when He returns He can see all that we have done with the gifts He gave us.

Prayer:

Lord God, You have blessed me with gifts. Help me to use them well and with a right heart. Let my life be used for Your glory and honor. Let me bring Your praise with how I serve You and others. Help me to serve well and use the gifts You have given me well. I one to extend Your kingdom more and more with my life. Open the right doors, close the wrong doors, and let my life count for You.

Yours,

Jeff

Obedience

 Scripture:

“The Lord watches over everyone who obeys him, and he listens to their prayers. But he opposes everyone who does evil.””  ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Peter says here that the Lord watches over those who obey Him and He listens to their prayers. He stands in direct opposition to those who do evil. In other words, if you want God to take care of you and hear your prayers, they must be coupled with obedience to Him. 

Application:

We must be focused on obedience to God at all times. We must read His word and listed for His voice. We must then obey what we hear. That is the simplicity of serving God. When we live for ourselves we will end up in evil and God opposes evil in every way. Therefore, we must seek the Lord and do what He says, plain and simple. There is nothing like living in obedience to the Lord.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, you are worthy of my obedience and my life. You are awesome and there is none like You. Help me to walk in obedience to Your written word as well as Your spoken word. Let me hear Your voice clearly and walk accordingly. Help me to fulfill everything You desire in my life. I am here for Your purposes and not my own. I live for You. Be the center of everything in my life. I am Yours.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Shining in the Last Days

 Scripture:

“Everyone who has been wise will shine as bright as the sky above, and everyone who has led others to please God will shine forever like the stars.”  ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking to Daniel here about the end of days. He tells him about the difficult times that will come in the last days, then tells him, “Everyone who has been wise will shine as bright as the sky above, and everyone who has led other to please God will shine forever like the stars.” Apparently, in these last days, those who are wise and leading others to God will shine in the darkness.

Application:

We should always seek God for wisdom and guidance. We cannot live without Him and His wisdom and empowerment. There is no doubt we are living in the last days, or at least at the beginning of sorrows. Now is the time when God’s people are going to shine. We must give ourselves to wisdom and help others follow Christ, then we will shine in this dark generation.

Prayer:

Father, You are incredible and I love You so much. Teach me to walk with You and not lose step. Help me to keep my eyes on You at all times and to pursue what You want over what I want. Lead me, guide me, protect my family, and help me to lead Your people closer to You. Let my life be lived to bring You glory and honor. 

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Be Brave and Strong

 Scripture:

“The angel touched me a second time and said, “Don't be frightened! God thinks highly of you, and he intends this for your good, so be brave and strong.” At this, I regained my strength and replied, “Please speak! You have already made me feel much better.””  ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭10‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Daniel had some awesome visions and interactions with God and his angels. He saw things that were thousands of years in the future and God revealed to him the things that would happen at the end of time. When the angel interacted with him, he said, “Don’t be frightened! God thinks highly of you, and he intends this for your good, so be brave and strong.” Even though he was a powerful man of God, the angel told him not to fear because God things highly of him.

Application:

We know God thinks highly of us and has blessed us with His grace and mercy, but we usually struggle to receive His love and walk in it. As the angel told Daniel to be brave and strong, we can be brave and strong because the same God that spoke to Daniel, still speaks to us. I want to seek God more and walk in His awesome revelations. I long to encounter the Lord as Daniel and Ezekiel did.

Prayer:

Father, I offer You my life. Speak to me. Show me things to come. Let me understand the times and seasons I am living in. Show me the future and how to prepare Your people for it. Teach me Your word and reveal truth to me daily. Let me walk in step with Your Spirit and help me to live life well as Your child.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

When God Shows Himself to the World

 Scripture:

“He rescues people and sets them free by working great miracles. Daniel's God has rescued him from the power of the lions.”” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭6‬:‭27‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

King Darius was tricked into making Daniel spend the night in a den of lions by some jealous advisors. He didn’t want to do it, but they used his own decree against him. When he went to the lion’s den the next morning, he found Daniel untouched by the lions and told his people what the Lord had done for Daniel. He also told them they were to worship Him as God.

Application:

God can show Himself strong to kings and rulers, no matter how bad we think they are. He can demonstrate His power and cause them to turn if He wants to. The ungodly king here was describing Daniel’s God by saying, “He rescues people and sets them free by working great miracles. Daniel’s God has rescued him from the power of the lions.” May God work so strongly in our lives that the world around us sees His goodness and decides to serve Him.

Prayer:

Father, live big in and through my life. Teach me to walk with You at higher and higher levels. I want to know You and to see Your power demonstrated in such a way that it cannot be denied by rulers, authorities, or anyone else. Show Yourself to the leadership of my country.

Your Son,

Jeff

Gifts of the Spirit at Governmental Levels

 Scripture:

“The king said, “Now I know that your God is above all other gods and kings, because he gave you the power to explain this mystery.””  ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭2‬:‭47‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Daniel was first and foremost a man of God. He was also exiled to Babylon and serving their king as a wise man. He was elevated because of the favor of God on his life to a place where he could prophesy to the king and explain the king’s dreams to him. God had him in the right place at the right time for the king to see God’s incredible power and wisdom.

Application:

Sometimes we feel like the gifts of the Spirit are only for church settings, but here is a beautiful passage where God gave Daniel the dream and the interpretation for the king to save lives. God used a person to speak to a king on matters only the king would know about. God speaks to kings and he speaks through people. I need to avail myself more and more to the Lord to be used in the gifts outside of the church walls and where people need to know that God is real.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I offer myself to You for Your purposes. Speak to our government officials and leaders. Let Spirit-filled people have answers nobody else has to demonstrate Your glory to our governmental leaders. Use me to operate in Your gifts in church and outside church to extend Your kingdom farther and farther. 

Your Son,

Jeff

Endurance by Testing our Faith

 Scripture:

“You know you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.”  ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

James says here that we need to learn to endure by having our faith tested. When our faith isn’t tested, we are not learning to endure. He completes his thought by saying we become completely mature by learning to endure everything. 

Application:

Enduring something implies that the something you are enduring is not fun or easy. Endurance is going through things that last too long. In this case, it is having our faith tested over the long time and in difficult situations. Sometimes we teach faith like the way out of suffering, sometimes faith is the way THROUGH suffering. You can’t learn endurance without becoming like Christ, who endured the cross for our sakes.

Prayer:

Father, let me have a good perspective of endurance. Help me to live life well and be faithful in good times and in bad times. Teach me to walk the faith walk with endurance and therefore become more mature every day. Strengthen my faith when endurance is needed.

Your Forever,

Jeff

The Blessings of Obedience

 Scripture:

“Only priests who are descendants of Zadok will receive a share of this sacred land, because they remained faithful to me when the Levites and the rest of the Israelites started sinning.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭48‬:‭11‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, God is showing His people which parcels of land each tribe would get as they came back into Israel. This one verse speaks of the descendants of Zadok receiving a share of sacred land “because they remained faithful to me when the Levites and the rest of the Israelites started sinning.” They were blessed above all else because they didn’t start sinning when everyone else did. They remained faithful to the Lord and the Lord blessed them for it. 

Application:

I want obedience to God to he the hallmark of my life. I want to please the Lord by doing what He tells me to do. I want to walk in His blessing because I chose to obey when others were falling away. I thoroughly believe that obedience brings blessing and I want to demonstrate it with my life. I desire to live a life that God can trust and God can bless.

Prayer:

Father, help me to serve You well in my generation. Help me to live like Zadok and his descendants. Empower me to live a life that bring You honor and that obeys You at all levels. Teach me to walk with You and to spread Your goodness around the world. Show me everyday how to live and empower me to follow You well.

Your Son,

Jeff

Don’t Leave the Same Way You Came

 Scripture:

“When my people come to worship me during any festival, they must always leave by the opposite gate from which they came: Those who come in the north gate must leave by the south gate, and those who come in the south gate must leave by the north gate.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭46‬:‭9‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Ezekiel was given a unique command from the Lord concerning worship at His temple. He said that during any festival, the people who come to worship must come in to worship, must leave on the opposite side. If they came in the north gate, they need to leave the South Gate, etc. it doesn’t give us any further clarity on this or any purpose we can see.

Application:

There are some practical reasons, like traffic flow, that this may be about. It could be so that people have to go through the entirety of the space in order to leave the opposite side of the temple. In the church world when I was young, we always heard, “you won’t leave here like you came in Jesus name.” I was reminded of that when I read this today. It could be a spiritual reminder that after meeting with God, you can’t go back the same direction you were going before. Paul said, “letting go of what is behind and pressing on to what is ahead in the upward call of Christ Jesus.” Maybe we should leave church in a different direction than when we came.

Prayer:

Father, let every encounter with you leave me changed, transformed, and going a new direction. Help me to never walk out of Your presence the same way I went in, but to move from glory to glory and from faith to faith. Teach me  how to forget the former things and walk into the new things You have for me daily.

Your Son,

Jeff

Bowing - The Only Response to God’s Glory

 Scripture:

“Then the man took me through the north gate to the front of the temple. I saw that the brightness of the Lord's glory had filled the temple, and I immediately bowed with my face to the ground.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭44‬:‭4‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Ezekiel, in this passage, was taken to the temple of the Lord, and he saw the brightness of the Lord’s glory had filled the temple. His response to the Lord’s glory was to immediately bow to the ground in worship. He was in awe of the presence of God and his actions showed it.

Application:

When we truly encounter the strong presence of the Lord, there is only one action that comes to mind, we must bow before the Lord God Almighty. He is awesome, and His glory demands our respect, honor, and submission. When we get a glimpse of the awesomeness of God’s glory, worship will always follow. Humility and bowing is the only response to God. Pride has no place when God’s glory is revealed.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty. Help me to honor You with my life. Let me never take Your presence and Your touch for granted. Thank You for walking with me. Help me to walk humbly before You all the days of my life and let me live in Your presence forever. I long to see Your glory. I long for Your presence in my life. Teach me to walk worthy and pour out Your Spirit in my life. 

I’m Yours,

Jeff

The Lord Watches Over His Temple

 Scripture:

“a wooden altar. It was one and a half meters high and one meter square, and its corners, its base, and its sides were made of wood. The man said, “This is a reminder that the Lord is constantly watching over his temple.””  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭41‬:‭22‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Ezekiel saw this temple and was told to measure it. He recorded the measurements precisely and described the temple thoroughly. At the end his vision he described an altar just outside the holy place and said of it, “This is a reminder that the Lord is constantly watching over his temple.” The altar was put there to remind people that God was watching over them in that place. 

Application:

In the New Testament, we are the temple and this verse reminds us that as God’s temple, He is always watching over us. He never sleeps nor slumbers. God is always watching over His children. We can have confidence that God is always watching, protecting, guiding, leading, He is always trustworthy and we can rely on Him. This text is the reminder that God watches over his temple and He watches over His people.

Prayer:

Father God, my protector. My rock. My deliverer. You are my everything. Help me to trust that You are watching over my life at all times. Thank You for all You have done for me through the years. Thank You for always watching over me and keeping me safe. Thanks for healing me over and over. You are amazing and I love You Father.

Your Son,

Jeff

When God Blesses Us in Spite of Us

 Scripture:

“so tell the Israelites that I am saying: You have disgraced my holy name among the nations where you now live. So you don't deserve what I'm going to do for you. I will lead you home to bring honor to my name and to show foreign nations that I am holy. Then they will know that I am the Lord God. I have spoken.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Israel and Judah at this time were in exile and under God’s punishment for not honoring Him and worshiping other gods. He tells them that they have disgraced His name and they don’t deserve grace and mercy, but that in restoring them, the foreign nations would see that He is holy and they will know He is the Lord God. God was going to use Israel to demonstrate His goodness to the foreign nations around them so they could see His goodness.

Application:

God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. He is higher and sees things differently. Sometimes we think we deserve God’s blessing and that’s why He blesses us. He may bless us in spite of us, so that unbelievers will see His goodness. Sometimes His blessing has nothing to do with us or our goodness, but so that others may believe.

Prayer:

God, I don’t want to be blessed in spite of my weaknesses. I want to be blessed because I serve You with my whole heart. I don’t want You to prosper me in my wrong doing, but because I lived life Your way. Help me to follow You closely and to walk in Your ways. I do long for Your blessing, but for the right reasons.

Your Son,

Jeff

The Purpose of Punishment

 Scripture:

“When I'm through punishing Egypt, you will know that I am the Lord.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭30‬:‭19‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The more I read the Old Testament, the more I realize that, no matter what God does, blessing or cursing a nation or a people, it is always so that, “you will know that I am the Lord.” God wants to be honored as king of all kings. He wants to be acknowledged as the king of the universe and the most powerful God. He desires a people who will worship Him.

Application:

I am seeing more and more that God desires a people who will fear Him, obey Him, and worship Him. When that happens, He will bless them incredibly so that those around them can see that He is the Lord. When we make our lives about Him, we will walk in His blessing and favor. When we fear Him, obey Him, and worship Him, we don’t have to fear others or fear the future. We can live the abundant life.

Prayer:

Father, You are awesome, holy, righteous, and mighty. You are majestic and powerful! You are my everything and I want my life to honor You, worship You, and fear You. Help me to live in such a way that love for God and fear of God work together to make my life sold out to You. I want to be completely Yours. Take my life as an offering and let it be used for Your glory.

Yours,

Jeff

Even in Weakness, He Will Make You Strong

 Scripture:

“Ezekiel, when Egypt is defeated, I will make the people of Israel strong, and I will give you the power to speak to them. Then they will know that I, the Lord, have done these things.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭29‬:‭21‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Most of the book of Ezekiel is God talking about destroying Israel because of their disobedience. He also judges the surrounding nations, but says He will use the other  nations to bring judgment on Jerusalem. In the midst of all of the judgment speech, here is god saying, “I will make the people of Israel strong, and I will give you the power to speak to them.” 

Application:

Even when we feel far from God and that He isn’t happy with us, you can count on the fact that if you will humble yourself before Him and repent, He will turn things around for your good. You may go through some difficult times, but God will bring you out every time if you remain faithful to Him. Even Ezekiel, who prophesied all the destruction, is told that he will be given the power to speak again after being shunned and hated by the people for his bold prophecies.

Prayer:

Father, Your heart is always to bless Your people. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for moving me and caring for me so much. Thank You for turning every bad situation around for something good as I continue to follow You. Help me to hear Your clearly and walk up rightly. Teach me to hide your words in my heart. Teach me to follow You completely and to fulfill Your purposes. 

Your Son Forever,

Jeff

When Obedience Hurts

 Scripture:

““Ezekiel, son of man, I will suddenly take the life of the person you love most. But I don't want you to complain or cry. Mourn in silence and don't show that you are grieving. Don't remove your turban or take off your sandals; don't cover your face to show your sorrow, or eat the food that mourners eat.”” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭24‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

God asked some extremely difficult things of Ezekiel. His sermon illustration were real life illustrations, using his own life. In this instance, God killed Ezekiel’s wife and told him not to cry or mourn because it was an illustration of what was coming and how Israel was to handle the loss. God asked Ezekiel an incredibly hard thing, and then told him not to mourn about it., but to use it as a message to Israel.

Application:

Sometimes in life, God will ask difficult things of us. Sometimes He will ask us to do things that make no sense to us, are dangerous, or very difficult. The bottom line is, sometimes obedience hurts. Sometimes we have to go through some things that are not easy. We can’t run from God during those seasons, but run to Him because on the other end of obedience is always blessing. 

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, help me to always say yes to You. Help me to walk in obedience, even when obedience hurts and makes no sense. Teach me to suffer with Christ as well as reign with Him. Teach me like Paul to be content in all things because my contentment is not found in my surroundings but in Christ. You are my all in all.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

The Message of Jeremiah

 Scripture:

“You will be humiliated in the eyes of other nations. Then you will know that I, the Lord God, have done these things.”  Ezekiel‬ ‭22‬:‭16‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

As I read through Jeremiah once again, it jumps out to me that God continually speaks through the prophet  explaining how He was going to destroy His people so that they would realize what they were doing and turn to Him. God took credit for some terrible things. He said He would humiliate His people because of their sins, then people who know He had done these things. 

Application;

Sometimes God uses nations as examples of walking with Him. God raises up and tears down nations and leaders. He is always working in and through nations. He blesses nations that honor Him and He allows trouble for the nations that won’t honor Him. The message of Jeremiah, and the message to us is, turn back to God and He will hear you and restore You, but you must repent and turn to Him with all your heart.

Prayer:

Father, turn the United States around. Work in this nation Lord. We have repented for years and humbled ourselves as Your body. The nation continues to go astray farther and farther, yet there is a righteous remnant. Work through Your remnant to bring revival and awakening back to this country. Turn the hearts of this nation back to You Lord.

Yours,

Jeff

God Desires to Bless, but We Must Obey

 Scripture:

“When I bring you home from the places where you are now scattered, I will be pleased with you, just as I am pleased with the smell of the smoke from your sacrifices. Every nation on earth will see that I am holy,” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭20‬:‭41‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

God does this through his prophets in the Old Testament. He will declare the terrible punishment that is coming and how displeased He is with His people. He will tell them they are going to be conquered, but then He always turns it around and says, “I will be pleased with you…Every nation on earth will see that I am holy.” His heart is always to bless, but He needs His people to walk in obedience so He can bless them.

Application:

God’s desire is to bless His children, but He needs them to walk in obedience so He can do that. When we walk in obedience, He blesses our lives. When we walk in disobedience, there will always be struggles. God desires to show the nations His blessings, but He needs us to walk in obedience to His word. Like a true father, He doesn’t enjoy disciplining His children, but will do it so we will grow and turn to Him with all our hearts later.

Prayer:

Father, help me to respond to You every time You speak to me. I want to know Your word and Your heart better and better as I age. I long to know You more and more. Teach me to walk with You in the secret place. Help me to live a life that pleases You in every way. I want to walk in Your blessings, not your discipline. 

Your Son,

Jeff

No Idols

 Scripture:

“Now, Ezekiel, tell everyone in Israel: I am the Lord God. Stop worshiping those idols I hate so much and come back to me.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking here to Ezekiel about the condition of the people of Israel. He declares over and over before and after this passage how unfaithful Israel had been and how punishment was coming to them. In this particular passage God tells them to stop worshiping those idols He hates so much and come back to Him. In other words, you can’t serve God and idols.

Application:

God despises idolatry. He hates when His people worship, lift up, or follow, other gods, possessions, or anything else. He wants His people to live their lives dependent on Him and Him alone. In our lives today, we tend to look to ourselves, our money, our achievements, etc. and they become idols because we listen to them, seek for them, and pursue them rather than seeking and pursuing God Almighty. We need to purse God a love every other thing.

Prayer:

Lord, I don’t want to live with any idols in my life. I don’t want anything to be a close second to my relationship with You. Show me areas that I allow things into my life that You don’t want. Help me to hear Your voice clearly and respond when You speak. I am Yours and Yours alone. Let my life reflect Your glory and let it bring others to You.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Don’t Misrepresent the Lord

 Scripture:

“Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the prophets of Israel who say they speak in my name, but who preach messages that come from their own imagination. Tell them it's time to hear my message.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭13‬:‭2‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

God speaks here to Ezekiel and tells him to condemn the prophets of Israel who preach messages from their own imagination. Ezekiel was sent to call out the false prophets who were speaking on God’s behalf but misrepresenting Him. God doesn’t like it when people say they are speaking for Him, but speaking what they want instead of what He wants. 

Application:

We, as ministers, need to be cautious when delivering the Word of the Lord. We need to make sure we are speaking out of the will of God and not out of our own flesh. We must seek the Lord and speak what He desires instead of what we think will bring people in the door. I need to be willing to lose people in order to speak what God wants spoken.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, let my life bring You honor and praise. Help me to hear Your voice and convey Your message. Teach me to listen before I speak and to communicate what You want, how You want. Teach me to be effective at communicating Your message to Your people. You are the best and I want to represent You well.

Your Son,

Jeff

Four Faces We Need

 Scripture:

“Each of the winged creatures had four faces: the face of a bull, the face of a human, the face of a lion, and the face of an eagle.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The winged creatures in Ezekiel’s vision had the faces of a bull, a human, a lion, and an eagle. These faces reappear in the book of Revelation. History calls them the tetramorph. Ancient artists have painted these as well. Many scholars refer to the Gospels the same way; as the same from creatures. It is a beautiful way of looking at God.

Application:

As a follower of Christ, we are suppose to follow His example and live as He lived. We can summarize how He lived with these creatures. The bull is a humble worker, a servant. The human shows us Christ came to earth to relate to man. We should never be too proud to lower ourselves and serve others. The lion speaks of strength and confidence. We should be as courageous as a lion. The eagle is a majestic animal with incredible vision. We should be people who understand our position of royalty and have vision to lead God’s people.

Prayer:

Father, You are awesome and I love You so much. Help me to live a tetramorph type of life. Enable me to serve and lead with dignity and royalty. Help me to always walk in authority and have vision for God’s house. Teach me Your ways and help me to be more like You each day.

Your Son,

Jeff

Treat Others Well

 Scripture:

“Even your king and his officials will lose hope and cry in despair. Your hands will tremble with fear. I will punish you for your sins and treat you the same way you have treated others. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭7‬:‭27‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The past several chapters have been God speaking to Israel and Judah about the terrible destruction He has planned for them because of their disobedience to Him and His Word. In this passage, the Lord says that He will punish them for their sins and treat them the same way they have treated others. He say, “then you will know that I am the Lord.”

Application:

One of God’s ways of punishment is that He allows to happen to us what we have done to others. We say things like, “What comes around goes around”, or, “you reap what you sow.” Even in the New Testament, Jesus says things like “as you forgive others, I will forgive you.” How we treat others is really important to God and He will treat us like we treat those around us. When we treat others well, God will treat us well.

Prayer:

Father, You are worthy of all honor, praise, dominion, power, might and strength. Take my life and use it for Your glory. Help me to love people well. Enable me to treat others as I want to be treated by You. Help me to love like You love. You are love and I want Your love to flow through me. Teach me to live a life that pleases You and brings honor to Your name.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Obedience to the Calling

 Scripture:

“Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will know that a prophet has come to them.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Ezekiel’s calling from the Lord was not very positive. He was called to speak to a country that was in rebellion and God was telling him that they probably wouldn’t listen to them, but at least they will know God sent a prophet to them. From the beginning he realized he wouldn’t have a big following.

Application:

God doesn’t always call us to “great” things in the world’s eyes. Sometimes our calling is to obey God, when He doesn’t have an agenda that we would be proud of. Sometimes God will call you to do little things instead of big things. We always equate obedience with big thing. Sometime obedience is doing the little things that God needs us to do. Maybe our obedience is better seen when He asks us to do things that will make us unpopular instead of popular.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk in obedience when that feels good and when it doesn’t. Teach me to be faithful when its a big event and when it is one person. Help me to be faithful whether I am seeing the results I would like to see or not. I want to keep my eyes on obedience, without worrying about effectiveness as much.

Yours,

Jeff

Try to Live at Peace with Everyone

 Scripture:

“Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don't, you will never see the Lord.”  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The author of Hebrews tells us here that we should try to live at peace with everyone and to live a clean life. Basically he is saying that we shouldn’t be trouble makers or live lives that cause people to distrust us. 

Application:

Living at peace with everyone is not an easy task. Some people are hard to live with and want to point out every problem around us. We are told not to focus on those things, but to live a clean, and pure life. In other words, we should live a life that people don’t have to question whether we are true servants of Jesus or not. We are to be a peaceful people, not argumentative or unruly.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to be a peacemaker. Help me to live a quiet and peaceful life where I can point people to You. I need You more every day. As the world is more and more at odds with each other, help me to live from a place of peace and to walk in Your Spirit at all times. I want to serve You well and live how You want me to live in this difficult age.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Hope and Trust

 Scripture:

“We must hold tightly to the hope we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us.”  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭23‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The author of Hebrews tells us here that we have to hold tightly to the hope we say we have because we can trust the one who made the agreement with us. We have hope in Christ, not because of who we are, but because of who He is.

Application:

Our part of this is to hold tightly onto our hope. God’s part is to do what He promised He would do. We have an agreement sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ. He made the covenant, agreement, and He will be faithful to it. Our job is to hang on to hope, while He works the process. Our second job is to trust the one who made the agreement. Hope and trust work hand in hand. If I trust someone, I can put some hope in the future because I know they will do what they say. Our hope is not in flesh and blood, but in the righteous blood of Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Father, You are worthy of everything in my life. You laid down Your Son for me. You allowed Your Son to be pierced and shed His blood so I could have a better agreement or covenant. Thank You for loving me. Help me to trust You more every day. Help me to hold tightly onto my hope in Christ and His work. Help me to never fear or lack trust that You will do what You say You will do. Teach me to be a man of faith.

Yours Forever,

Jeff