Come Back to God

 Scripture:

“So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice, and always depend on him.” ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭12‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Hosea cries out to God’s people for them to come back to God and to follow His ways. He tells them to act with love and justice, which are the characteristics of God. He then tells them to always depend on Him. In other words, Hosea tells Israel to get right with God and serve Him only and serve Him well.

Application:

Whenever Israel strayed away from God, He always longed for them to repent so He could bless them. He always drew them back to Him in every way possible before giving them over. When we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we must be willing to repent quickly and come back into right relationship with God Almighty. We must not only believe, but also walk in love and justice.

Prayer:

Father, I want my life to be lived according to Your ways. Show me Your truth and help me to walk in it every day of my life. I long for Your presence. I long for Your touch. I love You and want to represent You well in my generation. Teach me Your way and convict me when I mess up. 

Your Son,

Jeff

Honor the Prophet

 Scripture:

“The prophet is a watchman over Israel for my God, yet traps are laid for him wherever he goes. He faces hostility even in the house of God.” ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Hosea is crying out over the sins of Israel and he is declaring punishment for God’s people because they have rejected His ways. In describing them, he says that they lay traps for the prophets and bring hostility against prophets even in the house of God. Societies can get to the place where they will not only refuse to listen to the prophetic voice of God, but will be hostile toward it.

Application:

We live in a day when these things are happening once again in our nation. We have walked away from God’s ways and have done whatever we wanted. Today, a true prophet is not honored. They are rejected because they don’t say what the culture and society want them to say. We must honor the prophetic word and humble ourselves before God as a nation. We desperately need to hear the prophetic voice once again in the Unites States of America.

Prayer:

Father, I ask You to work in my nation and in the world as a whole. We need You and Your ways once again. Let people humble themselves before You and let Your word go forth in every nation. Help me to walk in truth and not be deceived by the times we live in. Show me Your word and help me to follow You closely at all times.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Know God and Demonstrate Love

 Scripture:

“I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”‭‭ Hosea‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking through Hosea what He wants Israel and Judah to know. They had been prostituting their walk with Him and worshiping other gods. He was telling them He wanted them to show love, not sacrifices. He said He wants them to know Him more than He wants burnt offerings. God’s desire is for His people to know Him and walk with Him more than follow the rules.

Application:

God is more interested in our love for Him and knowing Him than He is with sacrifices and rules and regulations. Jesus was a rule breaker, but a lover of His Father. We need to realize that God is more impressed with how we love than He is with our discipline. We need to make our lives more about knowing God and showing love than about obeying all the rules. God wants our hearts.

Prayer:

Father, make me real. Teach me to worship You in Spirit and in truth. Show me how to love You well and to know You more intimately. I want to walk with You and to know You at a deeper level. Show me Your ways and Your desires. Teach me Your truths and let my life bring Your praise.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Face Down Worship

 Scripture:

“Then the man brought me through the north gateway to the front of the Temple. I looked and saw that the glory of the Lord filled the Temple of the Lord, and I fell face down on the ground.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭44‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Ezekiel had many encounters with God. He always feel on his face when in the presence of God. Usually an angel would stand him back up, but his reaction was always to go face down before the Lord. He knew how to respond to the glory of the Lord.

Application:

We must learn how to react to the glorious presence of the Lord. When we encounter Him, our reactions should be face down worship. It seems like this is the reaction throughout the Bible. Face down worship is where I want to be. I love to worship the Lord and be in His presence, face down on the floor. There is something very special about that act of humility toward God.

Prayer:

Father, I want more and more encounters with You. Teach me to react with face down worship when I sense Your presence. I want to worship and serve You well and with the utmost respect for Your presence. Move in our midst here in Argentina. Come Holy Spirit and work in and through our team.

Completely Yours,

Jeff

Last Days Preparation

 Scripture:

“When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see.”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭39‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God speaks here about bringing Israel home after a long period of time and restoring them. This is a continuation of the valley of dry bones and the word concerning Gog. In our generation, we have witnessed the coming home of Israel to its homeland. We have witnessed God working on behalf of His people Israel in special ways. Truly Israel is blessed by God. One day, all nations will see its glory. Until then, there will be fighting.

Application:

We must realize we are living in the last days prophesied about thousands of years ago. We have witnessed Ezekiel 37 and are preparing for Ezekiel 38-39. The time of the return of Christ to rule and reign is coming upon us quickly. We must work for the Lord while there is time. The day is coming when we cannot work anymore. Now is not the time to be selfish, but to live for God’s purposes.

Prayer:

Father, use me in these last days for Your glory. Work with me and through me for Your purposes to be established. Thank You for choosing me and calling me. It is a pleasure to serve You and Your kingdom. Help me to keep my eyes on eternity and bring as many to Christ as possible before He comes again. Move in Argentina this week as we have come to establish Your Kingdom here in greater measure.

Yours,

Jeff

Israel in Prophecy

 Scripture:

“I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭37‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬

Observation:

In this passage, Israel was nothing but dry bones that were very dry and with no life in them. God said He would resurrect them and breathe life into them again. This passage was fulfilled when Israel became a nation again in 1948. This morning’s passages are so clear that in a distant time, today, God would restore Israel. In chapter 38 it talks about Gog coming down and invading them. This could happen any day in our world right now.

Application:

We must be ready for the fulfillment of all things. God said Israel would be scattered and dead, but that He would restore her. I also see in these passages a new Temple being rebuilt. Now is the time to work on God’s behalf and do what we must do for His kingdom. Time is short and things are heating up for the coming of our Lord. We must remain ready at all times. Until He comes again, I want to be about my father’s business.

Prayer:

Father, pour out Your Spirit here in Argentina as we have come to proclaim Your Good News. Heal the sick, deliver the oppressed and let many turn to Christ. Work with us this week as we continue to give our all for Your purposes. Flow through us and revive this nation for Your glory.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Hated Now, Respected Later

 Scripture:

““And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive, and then, Ezekiel, your words will be respected. Then they will know that I am the Lord.””  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭29‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Ezekiel had been prophesying terrible things for Israel, Judah, and all the surrounding nations. I’m sure everyone hated Ezekiel for his words from the Lord, they were almost never good. He faithfully obeyed the Lord, no matter how unpopular he became. Now, Israel has revived and the world is looking to the words of Ezekiel to see what is next and respecting his prophetic words. 

Application:

Sometimes God gives us hard things to do. We must remain faithful to complete the assignments He gives us, whether people like what we have to say or not. Real fruit is determined much later. The words that are not accepted now, will be proven true later, and everyone will respect your words. Our job is to be faithful, whether people want to hear or not, and leave the results in God’s hands.

Prayer:

Father, help me not to live by sight, but by faith. Let me accomplish Your will with my life. Teach me Your ways and let me accurately teach Your word. Let me always fear You over fearing any person. Let me finish my days strong and faithful to all You have commissioned me to do.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

We Are His Temple

 Scripture:

“and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judah will be slaughtered by the sword.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭24‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God was trying to wake up Israel and told them He was going to destroy them if they didn’t turn back to Him. In this passage, I see God saying He will defile His Temple, the source of their security and pride and the place their hearts delight. The Temple, in their day, was the place that housed the presence of God Almighty. The Temple gave them peace and safety. Similarly, the presence of God, which now resides in us, bring us peace, safety, and security.

Application:

The Israelites felt that everything was going to be okay when they saw the Temple. Today, God’s presence within us should give us comfort and confidence that everything is going to be okay. God no longer lives in a man made temple, but in the hearts of His people. We must remember that when things get difficult. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore, there is nothing to fear.

Prayer:

Father, You are good and Your mercy endures forever. Your presence is heaven to me. Let me always know and walk in Your presence. Teach me to function in this world with Your presence around me and in me. I long for You and want You to lead me, guide me, and direct my steps. I am Yours. 

Yours,

Jeff

Then You Will Know

 Scripture:

“You will be fully repaid for all your prostitution—your worship of idols. Yes, you will suffer the full penalty. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭23‬:‭49‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God had been prophesying about Israel and Judah continuously through Jeremiah and now Ezekiel. He was telling them that judgment was coming for their sins. God spoke through the prophets about the judgment coming if His people didn’t repent. He told them He would do terrible things to them, but then always ends with, “then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.” God longs for His people to know Him as Sovereign Lord.

Application:

God wants us to know He is Lord over all. He is the all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere at once, God! He longs for His people to walk with Him in covenant and to bless them, but walking with God is all about obedience. When we walk in obedience, we are blessed. When we do our own thing, God is not honored. Better to know Him as Savior now than to know Him as judge later. He doesn’t have to do anything else to make Himself known to us. We know, and therefore, we must live accordingly.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, Sovereign Lord, let my life bring You glory and honor. Teach me to listen and respond now instead of having to be taught later. I don’t want You to have to do anything to show me You are Lord. You are Lord, and I want to serve You well. 

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Repentance and Realignment

 Scripture:

“Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭18‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God is crying out here to Israel telling them to put their rebellion away and find a new heart and a new spirit. His reason, He doesn’t want them to die. He wants them to turn back and live. God disciplines like a good father, He hates to do it, but He will do it if necessary. His goal is our blessing, but we have to align with Him ways to receive His blessing.

Application:

When we mess up, we simply have to turn back, or repent, and live. God loves it when His people admit their sins, and turn away from them. When we realize there is anything in our lives that displeases the Lord, we need to be quick to repent and turn to God. He longs for us to make things right because He longs to bless us. He just can’t until we are doing things His way according to His covenant.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are awesome and powerful! You are majestic and glorious! You are everything to me. Be with me today. Walk with me and talk with me today. Empower me to flow with You on our trip to Argentina. Speak through me. Work through me. I give myself to You completely today. Be glorified in my life. Eliminate anything that pulls me away from You. 

Forever Yours,

Jeff

God Always Reaffirms His Covenant

 Scripture:

“And I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭16‬:‭62‬-‭63‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Ezekiel had been prophesying death and destruction to Israel and Judah for their many sins. In this passage we see a turning from punishment back to blessing. God told them He would reaffirm His covenant with them, they will repent and be full of shame, and He will forgive them. God’s heart is always for restoration.

Application:

Even when God allows us to go through terrible things because of our mistakes, He is always looking forward to our return to Him. He waits for us to cry out to Him. He longs for us to depended on Him and trust Him. He has to let us go through things to teach us, but His heart is always on restoration. We must learn to be the same. If God’s heart is always for restoration, our heart should be as well.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are high and lifted up and Your glory is incredible! I love You and worship You today. Teach me Your ways and help me to live according to them. Help me to always seek restoration when people mess up. Help me to always see the day of renewal and blessings instead of just what is happening at the current moment. 

Your Son,

Jeff 

False Prophecy

 Scripture:

“Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions. They say, ‘This message is from the Lord,’ even though the Lord never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies!” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭13‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Ezekiel is full of words against the prophets who are not prophesying accurately. In this passage, he says that prophets were saying, ‘This message is from the Lord,” even though God never sent them. He goes on to say that they even expect God to fulfill their prophesies. The rest of the chapter speaks of God’s judgment on those who claim to prophesy, but don’t really have a word from God.

Application:

It is dangerous to prophesy out of our own spirit. When we speak prophetically, we must seek the Lord and deliver what He wants us to speak, whether good or bad. Sometimes God has blessings for people and announces it through a prophetic word. Sometimes God has judgment coming and needs to tell the people their sins so they will repent and turn to Him. We must be ready to deliver both types of words and not just the positive ones.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to know Your voice clearly and accurately. I want to prophesy with laser focus and my words to be directly from You. You only back up what You speak. Let me speak Your words, and Your words only. Teach me to hear clearly and prophesy accurately because I want to represent You well, whether what I have to say is popular or not. 

Your Son,

Jeff

Provoking God’s Anger

 Scripture:

““Have you seen this, son of man?” he asked. “Is it nothing to the people of Judah that they commit these detestable sins, leading the whole nation into violence, thumbing their noses at me, and provoking my anger?” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking to Ezekiel in this passage about the sins of the people of Judah. God asks Ezekiel if it was nothing for His people to be walking away from Him and worshiping other gods. God says they were provoking His anger through the worship of other gods. I see hear how deeply the Lord loves us and wants us committed to Him and Him alone. He is a jealous God and doesn’t want to share His people with any other gods.

Application:

We need to see out sins and mess ups how God sees them. When we walk away from Him and His ways, He sees it as us provoking Him, thumbing our noses at I’m and committing detestable sins. God hates sin and disobedience and we must live our lives with this in mind. We love to talk about the love of God, but we are to also have a healthy fear of God.

Prayer:

Father, let my life bring You honor. Help me to live in such a way that You are pleased. When I get off going my own direction, put me back of course. Teach me to follow Your ways and to know Your heart. Let my life be lived for Your glory. I want to live a life You are pleased with and that You bless.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Then You Will Know

Scripture:

“The king and the prince will stand helpless, weeping in despair, and the people’s hands will tremble with fear. I will bring on them the evil they have done to others, and they will receive the punishment they so richly deserve. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭7‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

Observation:

The entire chapters of today’s reading were filled with God declaring judgment and pain and suffering on His people Israel. Over and over He declares judgment on them, then declares, “Then they will know that I am the Lord.” He is basically saying, “I don’t want to do this, but since you are going your own way and doing your own thing, I will let you but it won’t end well. His desire would be that they would simply serve Him and trust Him and know that He is the Lord, then none of this would need to happen.

Application:

God simply wants His people to do what they know they should be doing. He wants a people who listen. To His decrees and live according to His laws. His desire is to bless His people, but we must act like His people and live His way. There is nothing to fear when we are serving God completely and with our full hearts. It is when we don’t acknowledge Him and live to serve Him that things start going crazy. The answer is quick and complete obedience. 

Prayer:

Father, I hear Your heart in this and many other passages. You heart is found repeated over and over, “then they will know that I am the Lord.” I know You are Lord. Help me to serve You well. Work in my life, my family, my church, and my region. Use my life for Your glory and let my life bring Your honor and praise. May You never have to say, “then you will know I am the Lord.”

Speak What God is Saying

 Scripture:

“You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won’t listen, for they are completely rebellious!”  ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

When God called Ezekiel, God’s people were in captivity due to their unfaithfulness to the Lord. God wanted to bless them, but they wouldn’t obey Him. In His commission to Ezekiel, God tells him that he must give them messages from the Lord, but that won’t listen. The Lord then tells him that he must deliver the messages whether they listen to not, because they were not going to listen. He was called to deliver messages from God that nobody was going to listen to.

Application:

We all enjoy a pat on the back and to be told that we preached a good message. We like to preach and teach things that make people feel good. Ezekiel was told to deliver messages nobody was going to adhere to. God gave him a backbone of steel so he would continue, but he had to be obedient to God and not please man. We need to have that level of respect for the Lord. We need to deliver the messages He gives us, whether others think it is right or not.

Prayer:

Father, You are worthy of it all. You are great and glorious. I love You with all my heart. Help me to follow You well and to deliver whatever messages You put in my heart. Let my heart be Your heart and let my mouth be Your mouth. Teach me to fear You over any man or woman. Let me be a faithful messenger, delivering Your word to whoever You place in front of me. Bless our upcoming trip and let multitudes come to Jesus.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Hospitality

 Scripture:

“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The author of Hebrews tells us here that we need to show hospitality to strangers because sometimes we are entertaining angels and don’t know about it. We must be cautious with how we treat strangers. We should not be quick to judge from a distance when we don’t know people. We need to love and treat every person we meet with true hospitality and love, with no thought about whether they might be an angel or not. 

Application:

Treating people with hospitality is very important in our lives. We should live lives that make everyone feel welcomed and loved around us. We should treat strangers well and should do it from a right heart. People see Jesus in us through our actions and how we treat others. May we set a good example for people to see the risen Christ, working through our lives. 

Prayer:

Father, help me to practice hospitality well. Help me to never treat people in a wrong way, but to treat each person with dignity and respect. I want to make You look good in and through my life. I want my interactions with people to exemplify Christ. I want my hospitality to be at the highest levels. I want to serve You well in my generation.

Yours Always,

Jeff

Great Reward

 Scripture:

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The author of Hebrews tells us not to throw away our confident trust (faith) in the Lord. He continues by saying that faith brings a great reward to us. It appears from here that there are different levels of reward in the Kingdom of God. Great reward is what I’m after.

Application:

We can’t lose heart and give up on God at any point. He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly apogee what we can ask, think, or imagine. Our job is to remain walking in faith. When we do, there is a great reward coming. We don’t serve God to get rewards, but the reality is that there is a reward system in heaven and I want a full and great reward when I see Jesus face to face. 

Prayer:

Lord God, I want to walk by faith and not by sight. Teach me to obey You at all times. Show me the way forward each and every day. I am Yours and I ask You to lead me daily by Your Spirit. Show me how to receive that great reward when I see You. I long to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Yours Forever,

Jeff