Scripture:
Ezekiel 22:30 "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one".
Observation:
Ezekiel continues to rant and rave about he coming destruction for God's people because of their disobedience and worshipping other gods. He compares Israel with a prostitute because they are going after other gods instead of the one who gave them life and everything they needed. In God's discourse about destroying Israel He says that He looked for a person who would live righteously and for someone to stand in the gap in the wall because He truly did not want to destroy Jerusalem. His desire is not to destroy, but when He looks and can't find one person living holy, He has to destroy instead of bless.
Application:
In 2010 I want to be the one standing in the gap in the wall. I want to be the one who is living righteous and stopping the judgment that is coming on America. America has prostituted herself with the gods of this world. Now is the time for God's people to pray, live righteously, and stand in the gap on behalf of our nation. Our government has made some terrible decisions and we deserve punishment, but let's be the ones who are standing in the gap. God doesn't want to bring judgment. He is looking for someone who will stand in the gap in the wall and live righteously.
Prayer:
Lord, I will stand in the gap in the wall. I want to live a life that is pleasing to You. Forgive America for her sins of pride, self-reliance and going after other gods. Forgive us for allowing our children to be murdered in the name of abortion. Forgive us for not living holy and pure lives. When you look at the gap in the wall, I want to be standing there. Help me I pray.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Jeff
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Obedience Brings Life
Scripture:
Ezekiel 20:13 "But the people of Israel rebelled against me, and they refused to obey my decrees there in the wilderness. They wouldn't obey my regulations even though obedience would have given them life".
Observation:
Israel continued to rebel against the Lord and constantly turned back to serving idols and the gods of the surrounding lands. God Almighty desired only one thing, that they would serve and worship him as the one who has set them apart. All he wanted was for them to hold up their end of the covenant. He wanted to see them walk in the blessings of obedience, but they wouldn't serve him faithfully.
Application:
God wants to be first place in our lives. He has given everything, including His own Son, so that we can have relationship with him. He has given us His spirit to guide, convict, lead, and empower us to be able to live a life that is pleasing to him. I believe the Lord is saying to us today that we are like the children of Israel. He desires to bless and prosper us, but we don't want to live the way He prescribes. We must become people who obey our God and have LIFE! Obey and live!
Prayer:
Teach me to obey You when it is easy and when it is hard. Teach me to honor You in all I do and not run after other things that will take me away from the purposes You have called me for. You are my creator, my God, and my friend. Work with me and develop my life that it may bring You glory.
Jeff
Ezekiel 20:13 "But the people of Israel rebelled against me, and they refused to obey my decrees there in the wilderness. They wouldn't obey my regulations even though obedience would have given them life".
Observation:
Israel continued to rebel against the Lord and constantly turned back to serving idols and the gods of the surrounding lands. God Almighty desired only one thing, that they would serve and worship him as the one who has set them apart. All he wanted was for them to hold up their end of the covenant. He wanted to see them walk in the blessings of obedience, but they wouldn't serve him faithfully.
Application:
God wants to be first place in our lives. He has given everything, including His own Son, so that we can have relationship with him. He has given us His spirit to guide, convict, lead, and empower us to be able to live a life that is pleasing to him. I believe the Lord is saying to us today that we are like the children of Israel. He desires to bless and prosper us, but we don't want to live the way He prescribes. We must become people who obey our God and have LIFE! Obey and live!
Prayer:
Teach me to obey You when it is easy and when it is hard. Teach me to honor You in all I do and not run after other things that will take me away from the purposes You have called me for. You are my creator, my God, and my friend. Work with me and develop my life that it may bring You glory.
Jeff
Monday, January 18, 2010
Turn Back and Live
Scripture:
Ezekiel 18:32 "I don't want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!"
Observation:
Ezekiel is prophesying to a rebellious people who had prostituted themselves with other gods. He was bringing a message of judgment to them because they had walked away from the God who had created them and done so many mighty miracles for them. God had done so much for Israel, yet they walked away from Him and served other gods. Ezekiel is telling them that they are going to be destroyed because of their disobedience and in the middle of it you can still hear the voice of the Lord speaking, "I don't want you to die...Turn back and live!" It is never God's desire to punish His people. He would much rather bless, than punish!
Application:
Our God is a God of love, grace, forgiveness and much patience. We must walk in the knowledge of His love and demonstrate our love for Him more each day. His heart for us is always to bless and prosper us, but He also cannot tolerate sin. When you feel like you are on God's operating table and He is chastising you, realize He would much rather you turn and live. Let's always be quick to "turn back and live".
Prayer:
Lord, I want to please You with my life. I want everything I do to bring You glory. You are my rock, my fortress, my deliverer and my salvation! You are my everything. Help me to live a life that pleases You. When I mess up, help me to see Your love and forgiveness. Thank You for speaking to me today.
I love You,
Jeff
Ezekiel 18:32 "I don't want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!"
Observation:
Ezekiel is prophesying to a rebellious people who had prostituted themselves with other gods. He was bringing a message of judgment to them because they had walked away from the God who had created them and done so many mighty miracles for them. God had done so much for Israel, yet they walked away from Him and served other gods. Ezekiel is telling them that they are going to be destroyed because of their disobedience and in the middle of it you can still hear the voice of the Lord speaking, "I don't want you to die...Turn back and live!" It is never God's desire to punish His people. He would much rather bless, than punish!
Application:
Our God is a God of love, grace, forgiveness and much patience. We must walk in the knowledge of His love and demonstrate our love for Him more each day. His heart for us is always to bless and prosper us, but He also cannot tolerate sin. When you feel like you are on God's operating table and He is chastising you, realize He would much rather you turn and live. Let's always be quick to "turn back and live".
Prayer:
Lord, I want to please You with my life. I want everything I do to bring You glory. You are my rock, my fortress, my deliverer and my salvation! You are my everything. Help me to live a life that pleases You. When I mess up, help me to see Your love and forgiveness. Thank You for speaking to me today.
I love You,
Jeff
Saturday, January 16, 2010
When God Says Something, Believe It!
Scripture:
Ezekiel 12:22-23 "Son of Man, You've heard the proverb they quote in Israel: 'Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.' Tell the people, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.' Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: 'The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!'"
Observation:
Throughout the Old Testament we continually read how angry God gets when He is not taken seriously. When God speaks, something is going to happen. Because God is eternal, time is unlimited with Him. His timing is not always our timing. When He says it, it will happen, just maybe not when we think it should. In this passage, the people were saying how the prophecies were not coming to pass and even made up a saying about it. God finally steps on and say, here is a new saying for you: "The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled".
Application:
Never give up on God! Whenever you think the word he gave you will never happen, hold on a little longer, your breakthrough is coming. If He said it, it will happen. Don't give up on your prophetic word. In God's timing, it will come!
Prayer:
Lord, teach us to remain faithful when things are not going the way we want them to and we are not seeing Your word fulfilled in our timing. Teach us to walk humbly before You and trust You fully and completely. I need You and have been struggling with not seeing the results I know You told me would come. Teach me to wait.
Jeff
Ezekiel 12:22-23 "Son of Man, You've heard the proverb they quote in Israel: 'Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.' Tell the people, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.' Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: 'The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!'"
Observation:
Throughout the Old Testament we continually read how angry God gets when He is not taken seriously. When God speaks, something is going to happen. Because God is eternal, time is unlimited with Him. His timing is not always our timing. When He says it, it will happen, just maybe not when we think it should. In this passage, the people were saying how the prophecies were not coming to pass and even made up a saying about it. God finally steps on and say, here is a new saying for you: "The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled".
Application:
Never give up on God! Whenever you think the word he gave you will never happen, hold on a little longer, your breakthrough is coming. If He said it, it will happen. Don't give up on your prophetic word. In God's timing, it will come!
Prayer:
Lord, teach us to remain faithful when things are not going the way we want them to and we are not seeing Your word fulfilled in our timing. Teach us to walk humbly before You and trust You fully and completely. I need You and have been struggling with not seeing the results I know You told me would come. Teach me to wait.
Jeff
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Visions of God
Scripture:
Ezekiel 1:1 "On July 31st if my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar river in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God".
Observation:
God knew the condition of the people of Judah who were in exile and He knew the condition of Ezekiel. He knew He had to shake Ezekiel up a little bit to get him to speak to God's people. He allowed Ezekiel to see things that very few have ever seen. He saw the glory of the Lord, the cherubim and seraphim, he saw the four headed creatures, etc. God showed Ezekiel many things to confirm His word to him and to help him speak to a wicked and perverse generation. A revelation of God will give you the strength to confront any obstacle and do whatever it takes to accomplish His will. When you have seen Him in all of his glory, your life will be forever changed.
Application:
I am not a person who runs around seeking signs and wonders. I believe they should follow me! Anyway, I am a person who wants to have personal encounters with my God. Every time God has revealed Himself to me in my life, I have received strength for what is ahead. Every time I have had a personal encounter with Him, I have been radically changed. I long to be where Ezekiel was, in the presence of God. I want God to speak to me like He did to Ezekiel. I want to have the Spirit of God come on me like He did Ezekiel. I want to know my God more each day.
Prayer:
Lord, show me Your glory! I want to see visions of You like Ezekiel did. I want to encounter You and hear Your voice clearer. During this 21 day fast, I want to experience Your presence more than ever before. The world we live in is dark and getting darker, I need Your presence. I want to see visions of my God and walk with Him. I want the Spirit of God to come upon me like it did Ezekiel. I want to speak on Your behalf. I love You Lord. Show me Your glory! I want to know You deeper.
Your Son,
Jeff
Ezekiel 1:1 "On July 31st if my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar river in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God".
Observation:
God knew the condition of the people of Judah who were in exile and He knew the condition of Ezekiel. He knew He had to shake Ezekiel up a little bit to get him to speak to God's people. He allowed Ezekiel to see things that very few have ever seen. He saw the glory of the Lord, the cherubim and seraphim, he saw the four headed creatures, etc. God showed Ezekiel many things to confirm His word to him and to help him speak to a wicked and perverse generation. A revelation of God will give you the strength to confront any obstacle and do whatever it takes to accomplish His will. When you have seen Him in all of his glory, your life will be forever changed.
Application:
I am not a person who runs around seeking signs and wonders. I believe they should follow me! Anyway, I am a person who wants to have personal encounters with my God. Every time God has revealed Himself to me in my life, I have received strength for what is ahead. Every time I have had a personal encounter with Him, I have been radically changed. I long to be where Ezekiel was, in the presence of God. I want God to speak to me like He did to Ezekiel. I want to have the Spirit of God come on me like He did Ezekiel. I want to know my God more each day.
Prayer:
Lord, show me Your glory! I want to see visions of You like Ezekiel did. I want to encounter You and hear Your voice clearer. During this 21 day fast, I want to experience Your presence more than ever before. The world we live in is dark and getting darker, I need Your presence. I want to see visions of my God and walk with Him. I want the Spirit of God to come upon me like it did Ezekiel. I want to speak on Your behalf. I love You Lord. Show me Your glory! I want to know You deeper.
Your Son,
Jeff
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Same Forever
Scripture:
Lamentations 5:19 "But Lord, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation".
Observation:
Lamentations is a lament of God punishing Israel for it's disobedience. They are wailing in the streets, there is no money, no food and they are destitute. Everyone has given up on God, yet the prophet speaks us in all his lamenting and says, "you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation". The prophet was able to see history as a pattern and knew that when Israel had repented, that He would turn His heart back toward them and rescue them from their problems. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! We must learn to have confidence in who He is instead of being run over by our own feelings.
Application:
Knowing that God is the same forever and never changes should give us confidence and hope for a better future. We need to be people who are not controlled by our emotions or feelings, rather we need to be controlled by faith in our hearts. We have a God that never changes! He will do what He says He will do, yet we must walk by faith and not feelings. When things are not looking as good as you would like them to, realize this is only a test and will not last forever. If God is the same from generation to generation, then we can look at history and realize that He will take care of His people. Trust Him more each day, because He does not change. Seek Him and you will find Him when you seek for Him with all of your heart.
Prayer:
You are amazing! You never change! I can rely on You to always react the right way, to make the right decisions and do the right things. On this earth, we have human relationships that cause us to doubt people. They let us down, disappoint us and hurt us. Therefore, we find it difficult to trust. Lord, let Your people trust You again with our lives. I want to walk with You deeper every day. I want Your will for my life and my family every day. Let me walk in the confidence and hope that You will always see us through when we remain faithful to You.
I Love You Lord,
Jeff
Lamentations 5:19 "But Lord, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation".
Observation:
Lamentations is a lament of God punishing Israel for it's disobedience. They are wailing in the streets, there is no money, no food and they are destitute. Everyone has given up on God, yet the prophet speaks us in all his lamenting and says, "you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation". The prophet was able to see history as a pattern and knew that when Israel had repented, that He would turn His heart back toward them and rescue them from their problems. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! We must learn to have confidence in who He is instead of being run over by our own feelings.
Application:
Knowing that God is the same forever and never changes should give us confidence and hope for a better future. We need to be people who are not controlled by our emotions or feelings, rather we need to be controlled by faith in our hearts. We have a God that never changes! He will do what He says He will do, yet we must walk by faith and not feelings. When things are not looking as good as you would like them to, realize this is only a test and will not last forever. If God is the same from generation to generation, then we can look at history and realize that He will take care of His people. Trust Him more each day, because He does not change. Seek Him and you will find Him when you seek for Him with all of your heart.
Prayer:
You are amazing! You never change! I can rely on You to always react the right way, to make the right decisions and do the right things. On this earth, we have human relationships that cause us to doubt people. They let us down, disappoint us and hurt us. Therefore, we find it difficult to trust. Lord, let Your people trust You again with our lives. I want to walk with You deeper every day. I want Your will for my life and my family every day. Let me walk in the confidence and hope that You will always see us through when we remain faithful to You.
I Love You Lord,
Jeff
Monday, January 11, 2010
Worth the Wait
Scripture:
Lamentations 3:25 "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him".
Observation:
Lamentations is not a fun book to read. It is a continual lamenting about the condition of Israel, God's people. They messed up and He punished them. In the first three chapters there is little if anything positive mentioned, but here in the middle of raving about how terrible things are is a verse that gives hope. It tells us that the Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. This is a reminder that God always honors patience.
Application:
I think patience is the hardest thing most believers struggle with. We live in a society of instant everything and this has caused us to struggle even more with patience. Here is one more verse that confirms how much God appreciates patience. When we refuse to take things into our own hands, God is always faithful to defend us. When we wait on Him patiently, He always rewards us. God is good to those who are willing to wait on Him. He is seldom early, but never late, so wait on the Lord patiently and He will be good to you. You have that promise!
Prayer:
Lord, show me the importance of learning to wait on You. It seems to come up much in my Daily Wash recently. I believe You are speaking to me. Help me not to push things through when I want them to happen, but to wait on You. You are my source and provider! You will take care of me! I Love you more every day!
Jeff
Lamentations 3:25 "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him".
Observation:
Lamentations is not a fun book to read. It is a continual lamenting about the condition of Israel, God's people. They messed up and He punished them. In the first three chapters there is little if anything positive mentioned, but here in the middle of raving about how terrible things are is a verse that gives hope. It tells us that the Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. This is a reminder that God always honors patience.
Application:
I think patience is the hardest thing most believers struggle with. We live in a society of instant everything and this has caused us to struggle even more with patience. Here is one more verse that confirms how much God appreciates patience. When we refuse to take things into our own hands, God is always faithful to defend us. When we wait on Him patiently, He always rewards us. God is good to those who are willing to wait on Him. He is seldom early, but never late, so wait on the Lord patiently and He will be good to you. You have that promise!
Prayer:
Lord, show me the importance of learning to wait on You. It seems to come up much in my Daily Wash recently. I believe You are speaking to me. Help me not to push things through when I want them to happen, but to wait on You. You are my source and provider! You will take care of me! I Love you more every day!
Jeff
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