WISDOM FOR LIVING
Hello, how are you doing? Hope all is well.
This are a motivational messages to brighten the day.
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The
animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure
out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quietened down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the ! edge of the well and trotted off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The
trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.
Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest
wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a
step up! Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
After September 11th, one company invited the
remaining members of other companies who had been
decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share
their available office space.
At a morning meeting, the head of security told
stories of why these people were alive ... and all the
stories were just:
The 'L I T T L E' things! .
As you might know, the head of the company survived
that day because his son started kindergarten.
Another fellow was alive because it was
his turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her
alarm clock didn't go off in time.
One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnp ike
because of an auto accident.
One of them missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take
time to change.
One's car wouldn't start.
One went back to answer the telephone.
One had a child that dawdled
and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.
One couldn’t get a taxi.
The one that struck me was the man
who put on a new pair of shoes that morning,
took the various means to get to work
but before he got there, he developed
a blister on his foot.
He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today.
Now when I am
stuck in traffic,
miss an elevator,
turn back to answer a ringing telephone...
all the little things that annoy me.
I think to myself,
this is exactly where
God wants me to be
at this very moment..
Next time your morning seems to be
going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed,
you can't seem to find the car keys,
you hit every traffic light,
don't get mad or frustrated;
God is at work watching over you.
May God continue to bless you
with all those annoying little things
and may you remember their possible purpose.
Pass this on to someone you wish to encourage.
When Your Hut's on Fire....
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.
He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him.
Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?” Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?"
asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are
going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
P.S. You may want to consider passing this on, because you never know who feels as if their hut is on fire today.
Extracted and edited from the internet by,
Rev Dele Kolade (GLODET President)
For further motivation call me on 234 8059426557 / 234 8038565127 or visit my website @ www.delekolade.blogspot.com. You can equally write me Rev Dele Kolade, Global Deliverance Team P.O.Box 1215 Oyo Town Nigeria
Friday, August 10, 2007
EASTER, THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA
EASTER, THE DAWN OF A NEW BEGINNING
The season of Easter is a time of great reflection on the magnanimity, the tenacity and the authority of our faith, a recollection of the demonstration of the divine power over the insurrection of the power of hell. The drama of resurrection is an affirmation of the authenticity of God’s authority over all things. The empty tomb is a clear evidence that God is always in charge.
No matter what you may be passing through, the severity of your situation or the definition of your problems, an encounter with the risen Lord is the answer to all seemingly unsolvable questions your problem may be posing. The Lord says I should tell the following divine truth as you march through the huddles of life:
Matthew 28:1 – “In the end of the Sabbath…” Do you know that the season of silence and inward groaning will come to an end? Every Sabbath has an end. Your period of inactiveness, hibernation and frustration will give way for to divine encounter, demonstration and lifting. There is going to be a release (an order) from heaven for your release. The story of your life will change for the best and the dawn of the era of joy, victory and lifting is already by your door. A new day will come with new “doings”, for God is ending a force from heaven to enforce His counsel in your life.
Matthew 28:2 – “Behold…the angel…rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it.” What the Lord is about to do in your life will be made visibly clear, a manifestation that every one can behold. God is launching you into a strategic realm of tangible manifestation. You are coming under the influence of divine favor and mercy. God’s grace will be seen in you. God is about to do a thing in your life that may not fit into the test tube of reason, actions that human vocabulary may not be able to fathom or define. There will be a shaking off, a rolling back for a going forth and a total destruction of every obstruction to your progress and fulfillment in life. Power will descend on you from the throne of God propelling you into the season of actualization of your dream and divine destiny. God will discharge you from all evil prison of limitation and failure and He will give you a prophetic charge from today to be in charge. From today, nothing can hold you back again from being fulfilled.
Matthew 28:5 – “…Fear not…” What a reassurance that all thing is now settled! The pain is gone so the panic has famused. Instead of being fearful you should be frenetic for all your flagitious enemies are acatalectically silenced for ever. As a child of God you must not be diffident, you must know your position in Christ. The power of resurrection has positioned you in a place of perpetual victory. You must never be afraid again. There are 366 “fear not” in the Bible and they are meant for you each day of the year. It is well with your soul. Be launched into your season of fulfillment and victory from today!
Your Friend,
Rev Dele Kolade
(President GLODET Mission)
The season of Easter is a time of great reflection on the magnanimity, the tenacity and the authority of our faith, a recollection of the demonstration of the divine power over the insurrection of the power of hell. The drama of resurrection is an affirmation of the authenticity of God’s authority over all things. The empty tomb is a clear evidence that God is always in charge.
No matter what you may be passing through, the severity of your situation or the definition of your problems, an encounter with the risen Lord is the answer to all seemingly unsolvable questions your problem may be posing. The Lord says I should tell the following divine truth as you march through the huddles of life:
Matthew 28:1 – “In the end of the Sabbath…” Do you know that the season of silence and inward groaning will come to an end? Every Sabbath has an end. Your period of inactiveness, hibernation and frustration will give way for to divine encounter, demonstration and lifting. There is going to be a release (an order) from heaven for your release. The story of your life will change for the best and the dawn of the era of joy, victory and lifting is already by your door. A new day will come with new “doings”, for God is ending a force from heaven to enforce His counsel in your life.
Matthew 28:2 – “Behold…the angel…rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it.” What the Lord is about to do in your life will be made visibly clear, a manifestation that every one can behold. God is launching you into a strategic realm of tangible manifestation. You are coming under the influence of divine favor and mercy. God’s grace will be seen in you. God is about to do a thing in your life that may not fit into the test tube of reason, actions that human vocabulary may not be able to fathom or define. There will be a shaking off, a rolling back for a going forth and a total destruction of every obstruction to your progress and fulfillment in life. Power will descend on you from the throne of God propelling you into the season of actualization of your dream and divine destiny. God will discharge you from all evil prison of limitation and failure and He will give you a prophetic charge from today to be in charge. From today, nothing can hold you back again from being fulfilled.
Matthew 28:5 – “…Fear not…” What a reassurance that all thing is now settled! The pain is gone so the panic has famused. Instead of being fearful you should be frenetic for all your flagitious enemies are acatalectically silenced for ever. As a child of God you must not be diffident, you must know your position in Christ. The power of resurrection has positioned you in a place of perpetual victory. You must never be afraid again. There are 366 “fear not” in the Bible and they are meant for you each day of the year. It is well with your soul. Be launched into your season of fulfillment and victory from today!
Your Friend,
Rev Dele Kolade
(President GLODET Mission)
LET THERE BE LIGHT!
LET THERE BE LIGHT! (Gen 1:3)
The beginning of everything is important because it determines the form the thing will take. The Bible strategically began with the book of beginning. The Bible began by telling us how God who has no beginning began everything. When the beginning in Genesis 1 began it met God in existence. The present order of thing we now see began from disorder and chaos. God brought order to the then orderly disorders by ordering all things to fall in there rightful place. The account from verse 2 can be described as recreation account. God brought form to the earth that was without form, filling the forms with new formations by His authoritative information to the precious formless malformations of the cosmos. What came out of the confused cosmos was comely as a result of the divine commands. The presence of God and His words of commands will bring order and form to your confused life now!
Lets give special attention to the first thing God ordered to take immediate form. This again, is another new beginning, so it is important. It is for an important reason that God created the light first. If we agree that from verse 3 is the account of recreation then by inference from verse 1 darkness was there before He said let there be light. Verse two reveal that the earth was without form and darkness was on the face of the deep. By implication, there was the earth and darkness already . Then in verse 2 God said “ Let there be light”. Light is more than just the absence of darkness but the presence of God. Imagine if God created all the beautiful things He made in the dark, how do you think it would have looked like? If God set into your life now and command light to come your life will become beautiful. I decree by Divine order that LET THERE BE LIGHT IN YOUR LIFE NOW!
WRITTEN BY REV DELE KOLADE
The beginning of everything is important because it determines the form the thing will take. The Bible strategically began with the book of beginning. The Bible began by telling us how God who has no beginning began everything. When the beginning in Genesis 1 began it met God in existence. The present order of thing we now see began from disorder and chaos. God brought order to the then orderly disorders by ordering all things to fall in there rightful place. The account from verse 2 can be described as recreation account. God brought form to the earth that was without form, filling the forms with new formations by His authoritative information to the precious formless malformations of the cosmos. What came out of the confused cosmos was comely as a result of the divine commands. The presence of God and His words of commands will bring order and form to your confused life now!
Lets give special attention to the first thing God ordered to take immediate form. This again, is another new beginning, so it is important. It is for an important reason that God created the light first. If we agree that from verse 3 is the account of recreation then by inference from verse 1 darkness was there before He said let there be light. Verse two reveal that the earth was without form and darkness was on the face of the deep. By implication, there was the earth and darkness already . Then in verse 2 God said “ Let there be light”. Light is more than just the absence of darkness but the presence of God. Imagine if God created all the beautiful things He made in the dark, how do you think it would have looked like? If God set into your life now and command light to come your life will become beautiful. I decree by Divine order that LET THERE BE LIGHT IN YOUR LIFE NOW!
WRITTEN BY REV DELE KOLADE
LOOSE HIM AND LET HIM GO!
LOOSE HIM AND LET HIM GO! (LK:11)
This Lazarus resurrection encounter is only captured by Evangelist Luke. It’s a great demonstration of Jesus’ supremacy over all things and a testimony that as far as God is concern nothing is too late.
The first fascinating thing in this passage is the identity of the man who was sick and who eventually died. Lazarus of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Mary and for that matter the “one Jesus love”. The question I ask myself is How come Jesus friend fell sick? I think in life situation today we ask similar questions when we discover people we think are committed to God going through sufferings and afflictions. You may be wondering also about the reason why you are going through what you are going through. This account from Luke settles the issue, in the Bible, the one Jesus Love was also sick to the point of death.
Another unusual thing is Jesus response to the emergency message sent to him about the sickness of Lazarus. When he was told, he stayed two more days where he was. One would have expected that he will get up and go to Bethany immediately he was told his friend is sick. There are certain things you urgently consulted God about but it seem God is delaying. Every seemingly delay situation in your life may be for a purpose, for every purpose of God is married with the timing of God so that all things may be beautiful in its time.
Lazarus died and he was abandoned to the grave by those who loved him. He became a past tense. Do you know that there are situations where people you cherish now cant offer you any help? There are situations where your wife, husband parents , friends and relatives become completely insignificant. The interesting thing is that this same people may be the reason why you are not serious with God. It’s only Jesus who can go with you anywhere anytime and in any situation. When Jesus got there he was told, don’t go near the grave for he is now smelling bad! Do you know that with all your beauty, riches and connections, one day people will say the same thing to you? About Lazarus situation everyone concluded that it was too late and it was all over.
Whenever Jesus set into any situation he brings about radical changes that will glorify God. Jesus went to the entrance of the grave and the only perfect high priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities cried because of Lazarus despite the fact that he knew Lazarus will live again. Jesus ordered that the stone at the entrance be rolled away. Every stone hindering your breakthrough must give way at the site of Jesus. He cried out to Lazarus to come forth. From every prison of limitation you will come forth! When the death that killed Lazarus heard the voice of Jesus it gave up Lazarus instantly. Every evil power holding you down will give you up to march into your blessings and fulfillment. The man who was dead 4 days got up! I declare that right now you will get up! Jesus ordered that he be loosed and let go! I SAY THE SAME THING TO YOU NOW THAT YOU BE LOOSED AND GO INTO YOUR FULFILMENTS IN THE NAME OF JESUS!
Written by,
Rev Dele Kolade
This Lazarus resurrection encounter is only captured by Evangelist Luke. It’s a great demonstration of Jesus’ supremacy over all things and a testimony that as far as God is concern nothing is too late.
The first fascinating thing in this passage is the identity of the man who was sick and who eventually died. Lazarus of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Mary and for that matter the “one Jesus love”. The question I ask myself is How come Jesus friend fell sick? I think in life situation today we ask similar questions when we discover people we think are committed to God going through sufferings and afflictions. You may be wondering also about the reason why you are going through what you are going through. This account from Luke settles the issue, in the Bible, the one Jesus Love was also sick to the point of death.
Another unusual thing is Jesus response to the emergency message sent to him about the sickness of Lazarus. When he was told, he stayed two more days where he was. One would have expected that he will get up and go to Bethany immediately he was told his friend is sick. There are certain things you urgently consulted God about but it seem God is delaying. Every seemingly delay situation in your life may be for a purpose, for every purpose of God is married with the timing of God so that all things may be beautiful in its time.
Lazarus died and he was abandoned to the grave by those who loved him. He became a past tense. Do you know that there are situations where people you cherish now cant offer you any help? There are situations where your wife, husband parents , friends and relatives become completely insignificant. The interesting thing is that this same people may be the reason why you are not serious with God. It’s only Jesus who can go with you anywhere anytime and in any situation. When Jesus got there he was told, don’t go near the grave for he is now smelling bad! Do you know that with all your beauty, riches and connections, one day people will say the same thing to you? About Lazarus situation everyone concluded that it was too late and it was all over.
Whenever Jesus set into any situation he brings about radical changes that will glorify God. Jesus went to the entrance of the grave and the only perfect high priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities cried because of Lazarus despite the fact that he knew Lazarus will live again. Jesus ordered that the stone at the entrance be rolled away. Every stone hindering your breakthrough must give way at the site of Jesus. He cried out to Lazarus to come forth. From every prison of limitation you will come forth! When the death that killed Lazarus heard the voice of Jesus it gave up Lazarus instantly. Every evil power holding you down will give you up to march into your blessings and fulfillment. The man who was dead 4 days got up! I declare that right now you will get up! Jesus ordered that he be loosed and let go! I SAY THE SAME THING TO YOU NOW THAT YOU BE LOOSED AND GO INTO YOUR FULFILMENTS IN THE NAME OF JESUS!
Written by,
Rev Dele Kolade
A VAST ARMY, AN EXEGESIS OF EZEKIEL 37
A VAST ARMY, AN EXEGESIS OF EZEKIEL CHAPTER 37
Introduction – Ezekiel, the priest prophet in this chapter had a dramatic encounter with God, a record of which we want to carefully examine in the light of our contemporary situation. The chapter can be described as a prophetic excursion that reaffirm the fact that with God nothing is impossible and that there is not right off or hopeless situation. As we wait on God for a radical revival, lets be guided by the prophetic, panoramic principles set forth in this great chapter.
Discover to Recover – Vs 1 “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord….” The prophetic restoration in this chapter of the Bible began with a revelation and the is the first principle to experiencing revival or a positive change in life. If a situation will change, the change will start with a new vision. Revelation precedes liberation and restoration. God gave Ezekiel a prophetic projection of the divine intension for the house of Israel. In life, if you don’t discover you can not recover. A true and holistic discovery must begin with epistemological humility, an admission of the fact that what you know is far less than what you don’t know. This vision shown to Ezekiel, I belief must be beyond his human imagination. There are so many things you don’t know about what you are going through unless God reveal them to you. As human being, you are limited to the existential realities around you but God can unveil the metaphysical truth that are beyond you to you. There are things you don’t know and you know that you don’t know them, but greater ignorance is in things you don’t know and you don’t even know that you don’t know them. You need a connection and prophetic excursion with the Holy Spirit like Ezekiel to be able to have a broader and clearer perspective of life. May the hand of the Lord rest on you today to take you beyond yourself.
From the Familiar to the Unfamiliar – Vs 1 “ …and carried me out…and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones.” There is no bigger obstacle to having revival or experiencing positive change than the problem of ‘sameness’ or indifference. Exposure brings expansion, so a man this is not positively exposed is caged. When you are exposed you will begin to appreciate new things but a man who have nothing new to appreciate will eventually depreciate. You must pray for a release from the cOcoon of indifference you are into. Get familiar with the godly unfamiliar. The emphasis here is the ‘carried out’ of the prophet. Note the word ‘out’, it has a sense of beyond and newness. Ezekiel was taken from where he was to a new place he never dreamt of. God is intending to take you out of somewhere and set you down in a new setting. For your prophetic change to be translated to real testimony, you need a corresponding transition from where you are to where you ought to be.
The Site – It will interest you to know that there is no way you can fully understand a situation if you don’t understand its attendant connection with its location. There is a connection between where you are and who you are. The description of the blessed man in Psalm one centers first on where he does not walk, stand, or sit all describing location. You can not fully understand a situation when you do not first investigate the location. The first recorded question God ever asked man borders on location – ‘Adam where are you’. The setting of this vision is as important as the situation described in the revelation that ensued. It was a ‘valley’ setting. This, I must say does not surprise me because after all God created the place before He created the people. I think David will have to be consulted to better understand the significance of being in a VALLEY. David, in Psalm 23 recounts his valley experience. I must also say that the situation at hand in Ezekiel vision is superlatively different from that of David in Psalm 23. David walked through the valley but the bones in Ezekiel’s account describes those who could not walk through it. What David experienced or saw was a shadow of death but what Ezekiel saw was REAL DEATH and not a shadow. All the same David has helped us to discover that valley is a picture of danger and evil and this was where God led Ezekiel the prophet into. Where are you now? May be in the valley, but wait, all hope is not lost for there is hope even for the obituary.
The Situation – Vs 2 “…there were very many in the open valley; and lo, they were very dry.” The emphasis here is on the population of those involved and the propensity of the problem at hand. Can you imagine seeing in a dream very many human dried bones, I guess you will simply force to wake up from such a dream. What Ezekiel saw was terribly ugly and from the human point of view HOPELESSNESS IN CAPITAL LETTERS. The valley was full of decayed, disintegrated, and widely dispersed human bones. When human dead body is left unburied in the open, the site of it must be terrible. The prophet was given a full picture of the valley by making him to move all around the place. There is a need for a clear understanding of what is going on before a solution can be sort for. A problem you do not understand well you can not deal well with. Someone said ‘Jesus is the answer’ , and someone asked him ‘what is the question?’ The issue is that we seem to have many answers when we do not even understand the questions. Ezekiel had a clear picture of the situation. May the Lord open your eyes to understand the situation you are in, and may He empower you to deal with it with His anointing.
The Question – Vs 3 “…Can these bones live?....” What a multi million Dollars’ question? The Immortal was asking the mortal if the rotten, stinking, disintegrated and widely dispersed human bones could come back to life. Ezekiel, I believe, was still grappling with the shock of the site when the unexpected question came. The question was too much for the prophet and his response was simply an expression of epistemological humility. Ezekiel’s response that only God knows is a recognition of God’s sovereignty and omnipotence. You need to allow God to take the lead and show the way.
The Solution – If you allow God to show the way you will see tremendous and great results. We need to observe the process of the recovery and restoration in this passage.
Divine – Human Collaboration – We must not loose the sight of the fact that Ezekiel was divinely assigned a role in the process of the recovery. He was the mouth piece of God who was doing the commanding. In this project of your total emancipation and full restoration you have an active role to play. God has anointed you to take charge and to do exploit in life.
Divine backing – You must be aware than you are not going in your own strength or ability, there must be a divine decree backing you. Going all out without God will spell a doom but following divine order will bring victory and testimony. Ezekiel was acting on specific divine instructions. He was not speaking his own words, but that which he received from God. You need a specific, divinely directed word and mandate from God on what you are currently going through. No one can decrease what God decrees.
The shakings, trembling, and rattling – At the voice of the anointed man of God, there was an aggressive demonstration and reactions on the scattered bones. Sometimes when God set into our situation, there may be the initial shakings, trembling and the rattling. The shaking is for your making. It is a response to the order of restoration and not a signal of destruction. You need to differentiate the shakings engineered by God from the tearing organized by the devil.
Bone to its bone – The concept of ‘fitly joined together’ captured in Eph 4:16 can best be appreciated in the wonders of human skeleton. God brought bone to its bone in the process of restoration in this passage. Can you imagine if the bones were wrongly fitted, the site would have been very ugly. Many of us need a re- ordering of our lives because bones are not to the right bones in our lives. Some are suffering from what I call orderly disorder and they need an urgent reordering of their lives.
Sinew, flesh, and skin – As wonderful as the human skeleton is, without flesh it may be very frightening. The beauty of life is better seen through the addition of flesh and skin to the human body. You need the sinew, flesh and skin in your life. You need the beauty of the Lord in your life for you to attract success and breakthrough.
Breath/Spirit – The peak of the dramatic, prophetic, spirito-surgical operation at this valley was the coming of the Spirit upon the fresh but lifeless bodies. No matter how fresh and well looking dead body may be, it is still as useless as rotten bone. What some of us need is the coming of the Spirit of God into our lives. It is one thing to be existing and another to be living, just as being well is not the same as well being. You must not just be existing, you must start living and fulfilling your destiny in Christ. You can only do this by the power of the Spirit. You can not stand up unless you are filled up by the Spirit of God. What a great thing to discover that the once scattered, shattered, useless dried bones are now ‘A VAST AND EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY’!
Written by
Rev. Dele Kolade
GLODET MISSION
P.O.Box 1215, Oyo, Nigeria
www.delekolade.blogspot.com
e-mail - kolade2002@yahoo.com
Introduction – Ezekiel, the priest prophet in this chapter had a dramatic encounter with God, a record of which we want to carefully examine in the light of our contemporary situation. The chapter can be described as a prophetic excursion that reaffirm the fact that with God nothing is impossible and that there is not right off or hopeless situation. As we wait on God for a radical revival, lets be guided by the prophetic, panoramic principles set forth in this great chapter.
Discover to Recover – Vs 1 “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord….” The prophetic restoration in this chapter of the Bible began with a revelation and the is the first principle to experiencing revival or a positive change in life. If a situation will change, the change will start with a new vision. Revelation precedes liberation and restoration. God gave Ezekiel a prophetic projection of the divine intension for the house of Israel. In life, if you don’t discover you can not recover. A true and holistic discovery must begin with epistemological humility, an admission of the fact that what you know is far less than what you don’t know. This vision shown to Ezekiel, I belief must be beyond his human imagination. There are so many things you don’t know about what you are going through unless God reveal them to you. As human being, you are limited to the existential realities around you but God can unveil the metaphysical truth that are beyond you to you. There are things you don’t know and you know that you don’t know them, but greater ignorance is in things you don’t know and you don’t even know that you don’t know them. You need a connection and prophetic excursion with the Holy Spirit like Ezekiel to be able to have a broader and clearer perspective of life. May the hand of the Lord rest on you today to take you beyond yourself.
From the Familiar to the Unfamiliar – Vs 1 “ …and carried me out…and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones.” There is no bigger obstacle to having revival or experiencing positive change than the problem of ‘sameness’ or indifference. Exposure brings expansion, so a man this is not positively exposed is caged. When you are exposed you will begin to appreciate new things but a man who have nothing new to appreciate will eventually depreciate. You must pray for a release from the cOcoon of indifference you are into. Get familiar with the godly unfamiliar. The emphasis here is the ‘carried out’ of the prophet. Note the word ‘out’, it has a sense of beyond and newness. Ezekiel was taken from where he was to a new place he never dreamt of. God is intending to take you out of somewhere and set you down in a new setting. For your prophetic change to be translated to real testimony, you need a corresponding transition from where you are to where you ought to be.
The Site – It will interest you to know that there is no way you can fully understand a situation if you don’t understand its attendant connection with its location. There is a connection between where you are and who you are. The description of the blessed man in Psalm one centers first on where he does not walk, stand, or sit all describing location. You can not fully understand a situation when you do not first investigate the location. The first recorded question God ever asked man borders on location – ‘Adam where are you’. The setting of this vision is as important as the situation described in the revelation that ensued. It was a ‘valley’ setting. This, I must say does not surprise me because after all God created the place before He created the people. I think David will have to be consulted to better understand the significance of being in a VALLEY. David, in Psalm 23 recounts his valley experience. I must also say that the situation at hand in Ezekiel vision is superlatively different from that of David in Psalm 23. David walked through the valley but the bones in Ezekiel’s account describes those who could not walk through it. What David experienced or saw was a shadow of death but what Ezekiel saw was REAL DEATH and not a shadow. All the same David has helped us to discover that valley is a picture of danger and evil and this was where God led Ezekiel the prophet into. Where are you now? May be in the valley, but wait, all hope is not lost for there is hope even for the obituary.
The Situation – Vs 2 “…there were very many in the open valley; and lo, they were very dry.” The emphasis here is on the population of those involved and the propensity of the problem at hand. Can you imagine seeing in a dream very many human dried bones, I guess you will simply force to wake up from such a dream. What Ezekiel saw was terribly ugly and from the human point of view HOPELESSNESS IN CAPITAL LETTERS. The valley was full of decayed, disintegrated, and widely dispersed human bones. When human dead body is left unburied in the open, the site of it must be terrible. The prophet was given a full picture of the valley by making him to move all around the place. There is a need for a clear understanding of what is going on before a solution can be sort for. A problem you do not understand well you can not deal well with. Someone said ‘Jesus is the answer’ , and someone asked him ‘what is the question?’ The issue is that we seem to have many answers when we do not even understand the questions. Ezekiel had a clear picture of the situation. May the Lord open your eyes to understand the situation you are in, and may He empower you to deal with it with His anointing.
The Question – Vs 3 “…Can these bones live?....” What a multi million Dollars’ question? The Immortal was asking the mortal if the rotten, stinking, disintegrated and widely dispersed human bones could come back to life. Ezekiel, I believe, was still grappling with the shock of the site when the unexpected question came. The question was too much for the prophet and his response was simply an expression of epistemological humility. Ezekiel’s response that only God knows is a recognition of God’s sovereignty and omnipotence. You need to allow God to take the lead and show the way.
The Solution – If you allow God to show the way you will see tremendous and great results. We need to observe the process of the recovery and restoration in this passage.
Divine – Human Collaboration – We must not loose the sight of the fact that Ezekiel was divinely assigned a role in the process of the recovery. He was the mouth piece of God who was doing the commanding. In this project of your total emancipation and full restoration you have an active role to play. God has anointed you to take charge and to do exploit in life.
Divine backing – You must be aware than you are not going in your own strength or ability, there must be a divine decree backing you. Going all out without God will spell a doom but following divine order will bring victory and testimony. Ezekiel was acting on specific divine instructions. He was not speaking his own words, but that which he received from God. You need a specific, divinely directed word and mandate from God on what you are currently going through. No one can decrease what God decrees.
The shakings, trembling, and rattling – At the voice of the anointed man of God, there was an aggressive demonstration and reactions on the scattered bones. Sometimes when God set into our situation, there may be the initial shakings, trembling and the rattling. The shaking is for your making. It is a response to the order of restoration and not a signal of destruction. You need to differentiate the shakings engineered by God from the tearing organized by the devil.
Bone to its bone – The concept of ‘fitly joined together’ captured in Eph 4:16 can best be appreciated in the wonders of human skeleton. God brought bone to its bone in the process of restoration in this passage. Can you imagine if the bones were wrongly fitted, the site would have been very ugly. Many of us need a re- ordering of our lives because bones are not to the right bones in our lives. Some are suffering from what I call orderly disorder and they need an urgent reordering of their lives.
Sinew, flesh, and skin – As wonderful as the human skeleton is, without flesh it may be very frightening. The beauty of life is better seen through the addition of flesh and skin to the human body. You need the sinew, flesh and skin in your life. You need the beauty of the Lord in your life for you to attract success and breakthrough.
Breath/Spirit – The peak of the dramatic, prophetic, spirito-surgical operation at this valley was the coming of the Spirit upon the fresh but lifeless bodies. No matter how fresh and well looking dead body may be, it is still as useless as rotten bone. What some of us need is the coming of the Spirit of God into our lives. It is one thing to be existing and another to be living, just as being well is not the same as well being. You must not just be existing, you must start living and fulfilling your destiny in Christ. You can only do this by the power of the Spirit. You can not stand up unless you are filled up by the Spirit of God. What a great thing to discover that the once scattered, shattered, useless dried bones are now ‘A VAST AND EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY’!
Written by
Rev. Dele Kolade
GLODET MISSION
P.O.Box 1215, Oyo, Nigeria
www.delekolade.blogspot.com
e-mail - kolade2002@yahoo.com
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