I recently read the book, IF, by Mark Batterson. In the book he asks “If money was not an issue and you knew you could not fail, what you be doing?” My immediate response was I would spend hours and hours in His Word, studying and sharing what I learn. The author then prompts this response “What if I started living it, even if?
So today, while doing my Bible Study homework for the Armor of God Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer, I read her reference to Ezekiel 36:24-32. I know that we are not to read things into the Bible that aren’t meant to be, such as, in this passage Ezekiel is talking about the restoration of Israel and not to me personally. However, the Bible is timeless. It is also how God speaks to you and me.
The amazing thing about this whole process is being obedient to what God has placed in my heart. To do that I need to……WRITE IT DOWN. So, I wrote out the passage in the margin of my study guide. As I wrote it out the Holy Spirit gave me the following revelations about how this passage applies to me!
v24) God rescued me from a life of sin, hurt, anguish fear and strife. He brought me to a place to call my own.
v25) He saved me, washed away my sins and changed my focus to worship Him alone.
v26) He changed my heart (work in progress) by showing me His love. He changed the inner me and broke down the wall I had around my heart of stone. He is giving me the heart of Jesus, one day at a time.
v27) He gave me the Holy Spirit to guide me in His ways and on His path.
v28) I will live in the places he gives me. He is my God and I am His daughter!
v29) He will save me (forgive me) when I confess my sin. He provides for me in abundance even when things look bad all around me.
v30) He will increase the fruit of the Spirit. I will have an increase of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
v31) I will remember my old self and know that I have sinned. I will remember my sin to use as my testimony of the results of a life going down my own path instead of His path.
v32) God changed me, saved me, rescued me, and blesses me in great abundance in ways above any I can think or imagine……But I must realize…..IT’S NOT ABOUT ME!
It’s about HIM, about HIS work in me for the benefit of others so that they can have it too!
Praise the LORD. He blesses my heart of stone every day! I can feel the mortar cracking 🙂
Ezekiel 36:24-32 (NIV)
24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 30 I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. 32 I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!
A Heart After Him 