Read the Bible in a Year (02SEP19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, September 2’s Bible reading is Ezekiel 13-15.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, September 3’s Bible reading is Ezekiel 16-17. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

EZEKIEL MOMENT – (02SEP19) “Then this message came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies…This is what the Sovereign Lord says: What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!’  ^‘…these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins. They have done nothing to repair the breaks in the walls…They have not helped it to stand firm in battle on the day of the Lord. Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions.’ They say, ‘This message is from the Lord,’ even though the Lord never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies! Can your visions be anything but false if you claim, ‘This message is from the Lord,’ when I have not even spoken to you?’” (Ezekiel 13:1-7). There were a lot of false prophets and prophetesses in the land of Israel who were giving false visions, dreams, and words they claimed to be from the Lord. They spoke of peace and prosperity for Jerusalem when the true message from the Lord to His messengers were words of judgment and repentance. Instead of them leading the people back to Him, they fed the people what they wanted to hear. They acted as if God was supposed to honor their prophecies even though they were false. The Lord, however, was not going to honor their divinations, but He was going to judge them as well as the ones who consulted with them for advice instead of taking counsel from His true prophets.

God is NOT obligated to fulfill a word that did NOT come from Him. Prophets who claim to get a message from the Lord and have NOT been in the Lord’s presence to receive a Word are nothing more than independent contractors. For example, most companies have people who are permanently on staff and work for the best interest of the company.  Sometimes company supervisors and government agencies find it beneficial to hire independent contractors to perform a job that is outside their realm of expertise or will make it easier on its productivity. The independent contractors do not receive the same benefits as a permanent worker nor are they kept abreast with company matters outside of their job description. They are free to work for whomever they please with no obligation to the company once they have fulfilled their contractual obligations unless there is a non-competition clause in the contract. Similarly, there are false leaders in the five-fold ministry who prophesy with no contractual relationship with God.

These men and women do so to fulfill their own need for greed and are independent of being in fellowship with the Lord. Unfortunately, this causes great harm to the body of Christ. They prophesy lies out of their own heads. They work independently of God with no thought to the harm they are doing to His kingdom. You may wonder who is the one hiring these independent contractors. Sadly, it is the sleeping, compromised church and God is allowing it because of the hardness of their hearts. Many churches, who have left their first Love and have wondered after the ways of the enemy, have become the synagogues of Satan. “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you” (Revelation 3:9).

God is going to punish the false prophets, prophetesses, teachers and leaders for their ways, but not only them, He is also going to punish those who consulted with them. “And if a prophet is deceived into giving a message, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet. I will lift my fist against such prophets and cut them off from the community of Israel. False prophets and those who seek their guidance will all be punished for their sins” (Ezekiel 14:9-10). Churches, who support, promote, and endorse these Charlatans in the pulpits, will also receive judgment from the Lord because they allowed themselves to be deceived instead of praying to the Lord for a discerning Spirit. Something to ponder…. 

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (02SEP19) “Son of man, suppose the people of a country were to sin against me, and I lifted my fist to crush them, cutting off their food supply and sending a famine to destroy both people and animals. Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, says the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 14:13-14). God was tired of the sin that His people were committing against Him. They loved what they were doing, and God was going to repay all that they had done. The Lord was letting Ezekiel know that there was no one who would be able to intercede on their behalf. He had told Jeremiah to stop praying for them because He would not listen. The Lord was reemphasizing a similar message with Ezekiel to let Him know that once His judgments begin, even the servants of His, who had been faithful to Him, would not be able to minimalize what was coming to the wicked nation who defied Him. The Lord had had enough with the sins of His people and nothing or no one would prevent His wrath from being poured out.

Why had the Lord come to this point where He would not relent on His judgments? It was because the people rejected Him even when He gave them an olive branch time and time again. He gave them time to repent but they refused to humble themselves. As a result of their rebellion, the Lord was going to cut off their food, send famine, kill them by the sword and wild beasts, and those who escaped would be hunted down. Israel experienced judgment like they had never experienced before, and sadly, the judgments we are seeing now will increase across the world as we draw closer to the Lord’s return. Something to ponder….

EZEKIEL MOMENT – (02SEP19) “And this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Jerusalem are like grapevines growing among the trees of the forest. Since they are useless, I have thrown them on the fire to be burned. And I will see to it that if they escape from one fire, they will fall into another. When I turn against them, you will know that I am the Lord”   (Ezekiel 15:6-7). Israel was God’s chosen vine whom He wanted to bless. They were to be an example of His goodness to the nations far and wide because one day, the Gentile nations would be included as being Abraham’s heirs if they accepted Him. Israel, unfortunately, was a wicked and corrupt nation. They were like a useless vine that had been burned but its wood was of no more use; therefore, God was going to render them useless because He could not use a nation who refused to honor Him.

We must all ask ourselves if we are vessels that the Lord is able to use. It’s not about money, fame, economic status, or position in society, but the Lord wants to use those who are willing to be used by Him. He desires that His people have a fire burning on the inside of them to do His will and not just want His hand. Anyone who has no desire to be used by God is useless to God. Will you allow the Lord to use you in any capacity? If you do not know what your purpose is, ask the Lord and allow for Him to show you His will for your life. He is the only One who knows the plans that He has for you. Something to ponder….