Dry Bones and Prophecies

¹¹Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Eze. 37, NIV.

The end of every year represents many things to different people. One constant across each person is that we use the end of the year to take stock of what has happened (achievements, failures, disappointments, opportunities etc.) during the year and plan for the New Year. 2020 has been a year like no other for billions of people and when taking stock of 2020, it is easy to see all the dry bones Ezekiel saw when he was in the Valley of the Dry Bones.

⁴Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Eze. 37, NIV.

But as we take stock, I want us to prophecy into every dry bone (loss, disappointments, failures, sickness, barrenness etc.) in our lives. The bible says we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony (Rev. 12:11). So I urge you to trust in God’s immutable word and prophecy into every dry bone. There is no dry bone too great for God that He would need backup to overcome. God has never and will never lose a fight. As Pastor Joel Osteen always says “God has not brought you this far to leave you. Just because you don’t see a way doesn’t mean God doesn’t have a way. Right now, God is working behind the scenes in your life. You wouldn’t be alive if He didn’t have something amazing in front of you”.

¹²Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

¹³Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

¹⁴I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” Eze. 37, NIV

As we enter 2021, the charge is simple: trust God, have no fear, believe in His word and speak to every dry bone in your life. It will come to pass! His promises are yes and amen (II Cor. 1:20)! 2021 will be your greatest year yet and just as the Lord told Ezekiel, your hope will be restored in Jesus name. Your time is coming! Happy New Year!!!

 

P.S. Take time out to listen to the testimonies from the last Lakewood Church Sunday Service of the year (Start from 1:10:47)

Enjoy this song by Tauren Wells- Famous For

Photo Cred: YouVersion Bible App

A Christmas Miracle

Like the song goes in Home Alone 2, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Among the many holidays that exist around the world, the Christmas Holiday tends to come with a little extra on the top that makes it stand out from the rest. And why shouldn’t it? It marks the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of this world! His birth was a miracle in every sense of the word. Starting from a one-of-a-kind conception (Luke 1:26-38) to a one-of-a-kind delivery (Luke 2:1-7) that was marked with a heavenly choir! After the many prophecies about the birth of a King whose reign will never end (Is. 9:6-7), it was only right that there would be fanfare around His birth. This birth marked the first ever Christmas Miracle known to man.

The year 2020 has been a year with more lows than highs for a lot of people but despite the topsy-turvy nature of the year, it has also been filled with miracles! In the history of medicine, the Covid-19 vaccine is the fastest developed vaccine the world has ever had. In second place is the mumps vaccine that was developed in 4 years. The development of a vaccine within the space of one year is a miracle in and of itself! On a personal note, my Christmas Miracle is the fact that as someone that lives in a developing country that has almost no public health infrastructure, it has indeed been a miracle that till date, none of my family members have been infected by this virus. Also, many babies were born this year to people in my circle and to His glory, they are all doing well. Finally, after almost 3 – 4 months of dealing with De Quervain's tenosynovitis, I have been fully healed. When I think about these things, I am grateful to God for my Christmas Miracle and I know more are on the way.

2020 has been tough, yes I know. But you know something else? Your Christmas Miracle has arrived! The charge I leave with you is simple: Keep the Faith! (just like Mary and Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) did). And when it manifests, remember to give God thanks.

I’d love to hear about your Christmas Miracle, please share them via the comments section.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone and remember, Jesus is the reason for the season.

 

P.S. I live you with these Declarations for Everyday Living

Photo Cred: Santa

Be Strong....Keep the Faith!

 

Editor’s Note

Final month of the year 2020. As we close out the year, it seemed appropriate that I brought back one of my old posts (initially titled ‘Candy Crush’) that I wrote for a friend’s blog with a few edits. As I thought of the ideal article to brush off the cobwebs that had gathered on my blog, I stumbled on this. Considering the year many have had, it is easy to say “Cancel 2020!” but do you know that even in the midst of a crisis, there are blessings and like Pst. Joel always says: “your setback is a setup for your comeback”. So take a few minutes to read and be encouraged to hold the faith no matter the obstacle. Vitoria e certa, meaning Victory is Certain!

 

Welcome to a new week people! Thank God for being faithful to His word (Is. 40:8). There are times we get inspiration from God from the weirdest things. Well so it proved while playing Candy Crush. Being the OG that I am, I’ve always been prejudiced to people that play the game and dismissed it as a waste of time, till I downloaded it and played it. I’m still an OG! While playing the game, I began to understand the addiction behind the game. When you look beyond the surface, it’s a game that teaches you about faith. Strange right? Well the essence of the game is for you to crush the candy. It seems simple until you begin to encounter obstacles that are designed to make you give up! As I developed my interest in the game, I began to learn about faith. About not giving up no matter the obstacle. About holding on till the end because victory awaits those who do not give up!

“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” II Chronicles 15:7 NKJV.

In order not to give up, you need to be a person of faith. Knowing that regardless of the circumstance, we will be victorious but until the manifestation of what we’re praying for, you must hold on. You must be strong (Joshua 1:9). You must faith till the end (2 Tim. 4:7). Remember, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).

As we go into this new week, the charge is simple, be strong and live a life of faith (Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38). Regardless of the circumstance, declare that you are an overcomer! Search God’s word for a promise concerning your situation, meditate on it and remind Him of His promise to you. The bible says that His promises are yes and amen (2 Cor.1:20) and He is faithful to His word. Vitoria e certa!

Stay blessed!

 

P.S. Listen to this awesome song by Travis Greene titled ‘While I’m Waiting’: https://youtu.be/bNVC_dLVDkQ

Photo cred: Faith