DRY BONES
Ezekiel 37: 1-14
Have you ever felt as if you were empty, like nothing was inside? Its like the confidence in God that you once had, that joy, that peace, and comfort are all like faint memories & have been washed away "suddenly". You don't feel powerful against the enemy anymore and it seems as if there is a 3 mile distance in between you and God. Well I've been there many times & you are not alone. After talking to one of my sisters in Christ, I was given Ezekiel 37: 1-14 to read. This passage is talking about the "dry bones" inside of us. It blessed me, so I wanted to share it & bless you!
When you are "dry", the spirit of the Lord (Holy Spirit) doesn't live inside of you. When bones are dry, they are very brittle and are prone to "break" at anytime, thus being useless. Only when they are "nourished" will they function properly.
So, how did we become "dry" in the first place?
1. We are DEHYDRATED (not praying, not fasting, not seeking God, being disobedient, lazy, etc.) All of the nutrients needed to stay hydrated (full of life, joy, peace, etc.) have left. We aren't taking enough of the "right" things in.
2. Our sin "cuts us off" from the source of life (God).
We can't expect to walk around joyful & full of power all of the time or prosper in all the right areas if we aren't consistently acknowledging God and being fed spiritually. Just as in any relationship, in order to learn more about that person & to see how you both can improve each other's life, we too have to do the same with God. We must seek his face each and everyday, living righteously and obeying the commandments that he has set before us. When we leave God, then we leave our joy, peace, comfort, prosperity, strength, etc. It is vital that we stay "hydrated" and continue to do what the Word of God tells us to do.
Walking around doing what we want to do, when we want to do it, and only acknowledging God when we are in tough situations will not cut it. We can't just open our Bibles and come to church on Sundays and Wednesdays expecting to experience God's ultimate plan for us. It takes effort on our parts to read, study, pray, & do good deeds "outside" of the church in order to grow even more spiritually. Because we "popcorn" with God, we purposely leave room to become spiritually dead, dull, lifeless....DRY.
To be quenched from dryness (re hydrated), we have to (Ezekiel 37: 4-10):
1. First REALIZE that we are in fact dry. Admitting that we are empty inside gives God even more room to work on our behalf. Confess your sins and honestly admit to God where you have fallen short.
2. HEAR the Word of God speaking to us. In order to properly "hear" God, we have to get rid of those things and people that are hindering our growth. For example, if you've been watching too much t.v., seeking others for advice first instead of God's direction, or have been listening to more R&B lately than you have Gospel, we leave room for the enemy to creep in, thus helping to take over our thoughts/actions. When we "hear" God speaking to us, we must listen & be doers of his Word.
3. RECEIVE "life" from the Holy Spirit. We receive life through obedience. Once we realize & admit that we are dry, remove the very things/people that are causing us to be dry, and obey the spirit of the Lord, we can then begin to get spiritually nourished again.
When the adrenaline begins rushing (holy spirit starts moving) & that STRENGTH/POWER we once had rises again, we will be forces not to be reckoned with (Revelation 11:11). God will do just as he said, but its up to us whether we are "thirsty" enough for LIFE! If we are in the dust, we must wake up & shout for joy (Isaiah 26:19). We were created to praise God, in spite of what we go through. Its all in our praise! Only God can renew, refresh, & restore us. You don't have to be dry forever. If there is emptiness somewhere, then that means you may have some "dry bones" that are dead inside of you. Wake them up by receiving & obeying God's word! Only then will we have enough life to continue on. With that, we will neve be thirsty again....
I have to seriously chew on this right here. I'm talking about printing it out, breaking it down, and dissecting it for my consumption. You have no idea how on time this word is and I'm so thankful that you posted it.
ReplyDeleteMy issue isn't necessarily that I've stopped praying or fasting, it's because I got hit with a lot and have been dealing with them for the past few years: namely, losing my job and the three months I just went through with my mom and her lung transplant. Both of those things were heavy loads and I don't think I gave myself time to recover from them. As a result, I drifted. That's when my prayer life stopped, when I got weak, when I became distant from God, and haven't felt the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within me for quite some time.
In any case, thank you for this because I really need to deal with this. The Holy Spirit, oddly enough, just gave this next sentiment to me: Being out of fellowship with God (dry bones) is just as critical as being depressed or having any other ailment in the body.
Sorry I'm taking up all this space but this is something serious going on with me right now. Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate.
Audrey, you don't have to thank me for a thing. What I posted was surely for ME because I was experiencing a drought like no other. God certainly knows what to do, when to do it, and who to do it for. Though you've gone through those situations, the awesome part about it all is that God knew everything you'd experience before you did. As a result, he carried you through.
ReplyDeleteWhen we get in those "dry" places, it is ultimately left up to us whether we choose to stay there or get refreshed. I believe all people go through that phase in their life, but depending on how they choose to deal with it determines their attitude about it. I really used to be hard on myself when I got "dry" because I thought that I was "beyond" my dry days. I had to realize that even the strong needs help, so with God I'm learning to accept and learn from my experiences.
Aud, be encouraged. The saying, "Just a little talk with Jesus will make it alright" is so true. Sometimes I want to bop myself upside the head because after I've talked with God, I feel much better. Alot of what I go through can be avoided if I just ask myself the question...What Would Jesus Do? Those WWJD bracelets certainly were not maid for nothing....lol!
But God is an awesome God & you will get through everything you've experienced. Take some time for yourself to look over the things you've gone through. Draw nigh unto God for strength and restoration. He's doing a *new* thing with you, so everything you're feeling now will not be in vain!!!