Shake off the dry bones

As I woke this morning (5/8/2015), a phrase was running through my mind, “Shake off the dry bones.” I wasn’t sure what that meant, but as I searched through Bible verses with “dry” and “bones” in it, Ezekiel 37:2 popped out at me, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. 

Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.

Of course, the very dry bones meant that these bodies had been there for a while. There was no flesh, sinew or anything left on them. They were as dead as dead can be. So I’m thinking, “Okay, God. There’s something important about this phrase. What is it?” So, I read the entire section of Ezekiel 37 “The Dry Bones Live”. 

God told Ezekiel to “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So, Ezekiel does, and the bones stand up, getting their sinew and flesh, but they aren’t breathing. God told him to prophesy again. 

Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

So now, we have a living breathing army who was once dead come back to life again. You have to remember, this was a vision that God had given Ezekiel about Israel as a nation. God was causing Israel to rise again, and He was reestablishing the army. 

What got me was the next few verses, God’s explanation of what the vision was about.  

Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”

If we take this and put it into context into today’s time, God is telling us that He will take our old, dry bones and renew them, giving us hope again! If we listen to His words, have faith, and stay strong, He will breathe life back into our dry bones, giving us hope once again!

See, Christians are beginning to get weary. The enemy is fighting us hard, but God says to shake off the old bones! Shake off the weariness and have hope! He will see us through, and He’s going to make sure that we’re set up in the place of our inheritance (His promises). We're an army, and He's breathed life back into us!

Don’t lose hope. Don’t let the dry bones overtake you. Shake them off, and live in faith, knowing that God is going to put us back where we belong. He is going to help us and see us through the difficult times to get us to the good times.

 

God Will Not Forsake You. (There's Nothing Wrong With Being Single)

With Valentine's Day just a few short (or painfully long) days away, it's easy for people to get caught up in the romance of the holiday. If you're single, it's easy to want to take cupid's arrow and throw it back at him. There's one thing I know to be true, though. At times, being single isn't easy, and it's even harder when it feels like everyone around you is happy and in love.

Sometimes, being single is a choice, and even though I'm currently choosing to be single right now (not actively seeking a boyfriend), it's still hard to be alone. What's harder, though, is when people make singleness out to be a disease, or they don't think about what they're saying when they bring up couples in church, etc. and basically forgetting that it hurts those of us single by choice or widowed or divorced to think that, "We don't have anyone to hold hands with and pray or worship with." People don't think about the fact that singling out couples hurts some of who aren't part of a couple.

It's also our job, as the single person, to not let it hurt us. We need to learn to lean on The One who loves us so much more than any human can. It's important for us to remember that there's nothing wrong with being single. 

I'll repeat that.

There's absolutely NOTHING WRONG with being single. 

To understand what I'm about to say, I have to set up the setting. I live with two couples, my mom and dad and my sister and brother-in-law. I have five nieces and nephews, and we all live in one house while my sister and her family work on building a new place to live. The reason I still live here is because I HATE being alone. I can't stand being by myself. I tried living alone, and I despised it. So, I moved back home while I get my life situated. But, even in a house full of people, when I hate being alone, I still feel lonely.

There's a difference between being alone and being lonely, I believe, because as humans we definitely crave companionship from someone who loves us unconditionally.

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in feeling like no one ever sees me, understands me, or even loves me. Sometimes I think that I'll be alone my whole life, but that's not true. In the midst of my pain, God spoke these words to me, "I will not forsake you." 

Keeping that in mind, I tried to remember that although it's, at time, lonely to be single, just imagine what would happen if we took things into our own hands and didn't wait on God to send the right person into our lives. That could be a disastrous situation, so I've come to accept the fact that it's my job to wait on God to send the right person to me, that we'll meet in our God-ordained time.  Personally, I'm not even going to date until God says to.

But, the thing is, you can't make out being married as being better than being single. Singleness is just as much a calling as being married is. There is so much that we can do for the Lord as a single that married people can't do. I'm tired of hearing people talk about being single like it's the plague.

Even the apostle Paul said, "But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am." (1 Corinthians 7:8) If you read the entire chapter, you'll see that he's talking about being single. It's not a commandment of God; it's a suggestion from a man who lived for God.

Why is it good to remain single according to Paul?

You're free from care. (1 Corinthians 7:32-33)

If you're married, you're more concerned with your husband or wife and making them happy instead of focusing on God. Paul wanted everyone to be free from distractions to serve the Lord.

Am I saying that if you're married you can't serve the Lord? Of course not. I'm telling you that Paul thought it was more beneficial to be single, without the distractions of trying to please a husband or wife and focusing on them instead of the Lord. 

I think we single ladies and gentlemen would be better off focusing our time on the Lord right now than worrying about finding a mate.

It's important to remember that God has a plan for each of us, and everything happens in His time, not ours. So, why should we worry about being single when the God with a plan has each of us in His hands? He has ordained each step of our life, and He will continuing doing so until we step into what He has for us.

I just want the single men and women out there who are lonely to know that the God of the universe is watching over them and protecting them. He wants them to know that He'll never leave them nor forsake them. (Hebrews 13:5)

God should always be our first love, our first leader, and our Father. He is a friend who "sticketh closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24) He loves us; He cares for us; and gives us our hearts' desires. I'm not alone, and neither are you.

God loves you, and He will never leave you nor forsake you.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

The Former and Latter Rain WILL Come Down Because It's Harvest Time!

I've started a new Facebook page for this blog, and I share tidbits of insights into things God has shown me and more. Well, a few days ago, this is the Word God gave me, and I've been seeing a lot of confirmation regarding this prophecy.

God is restoring DOUBLE what the enemy has stolen! He said, "Restoration for 2015!" Stand on that, receive that, and be free.

How awesome, right? I'm definitely standing on that promise!

Since God works in mysterious ways, I was reading through my Bible a few days before this. I came across a Bible verse, quite by "accident." Joel 2:23 (NKJV)

Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully,
And He will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.

And if you stop here, it would be awesome enough, but it gets even better as it continues.

²⁴ The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. ²⁵ “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
²⁶ You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;

So what does it all mean? That's exactly what I asked myself. If you look at it in face value, it just seems like God is talking about sending the rain because they needed a harvest, food. But, when you break it down, it really means a lot more, something deeper. Sit tight as we explore what God's prophecy above has to do with the rain verses I'll be showing you.

First, we need to define the former and the latter rain.

The former rain comes in the fall, between October and December. It was to "prepare the seed-bed and assist germination." (MacArthur NKJV Study Bible pg. 1272)

Now, let's talk about the actual Hebrew meaning. Former rain is Mowreh (mo-reh') in Hebrew. It is a masculine noun meaning, "early rain" or "teacher." (Strong's Hebrew Dictionary)

We see how the former rain fits the verse, but how does "teacher" fit into this? Here's the MSG version of our first verse in Joel.

He’s giving you a teacher
    to train you how to live right—
Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words
    to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.

The " former rain" has a double meaning. It's quite literally the first rain, but it's also a teacher. We need to understand how the rain works to get the harvest, restoration, and blessings coming to us via the former and the latter rains. God is teaching us how to nourish our souls in preparation for the harvest to come.

Let's now turn our focus on defining the "latter rain." According to MacArthur, "the latter rain came in Mar.-May to provide ample moisture for the grain and fruit to be rich and full." (NKJV Study Bible pg. 1272)

The Hebrew word for latter rain is Malqowsh (mal-koshe'). It means, "latter rain, spring rain" - "the March and April rains which mature the crops of Palestine." But, the word Laqash (law-kash') - it's origin - means "to glean, gather, take the aftermath, take everything." (Strong's Hebrew Dictionary)

Now, let's focus in the former rain and the latter rain coming in the first month. Did you catch that? God will provide BOTH rains in ONE month.

So, both the former and latter rains will be coming in ONE month. And when these rains come down together, the "threshing floors shall be full...and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil." The harvest will be so big that storehouses can't hold it all.

According to MacArthur, "Moisture from heaven invariably accomplishes its intended purpose in helping meet human physical needs. The Word of God will likewise produce its intended results in fulfilling God's spiritual purposes..." (NKJV Study Bible pg. 1041)

But, it has to be the right time for us to get this harvest. Leviticus 26:4 shows us that the rain has to come in its right season.

then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

 MacArthur says that, "If the rains did not come at the right times, the people experience crop failure and famine." (NKJV Study Bible pg 190)

I thoroughly believe that the right time is now. God has said that He's restoring what the enemy has stolen from us in 2015, and the rains are falling this month!  "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust..." The locusts can't eat our crops anymore. He has no authority over them because its our inheritance! 

When God sends His rain, and we reap a harvest from it, that is our inheritance. 

Psalm 68:9 NKJV says:
You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,
Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
When it was weary.

In this heavy rain, God was confirming His promise to see the "inheritance" through. God has told us that He's restoring everything that the enemy, the locusts, has stolen, eaten, and this is our year to get our harvest, to get our inheritance back.

Amazing, right? Our Inheritance is coming back to us! The devil can't have it anymore, and we're getting a DOUBLE PORTION back.

But, we must remember this one important fact from the verses above. We have to "praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you...." 

Praise is a very important key to receiving the blessings that God has given, or is giving, us. Praise opens many doors to God, and it closes the doors of the enemy. It stops the enemy from stealing your harvest, and it stops him from making you feel like you don't deserve what God obviously wants you to have.

So get in agreement with the Word today. The former and the latter rains have fallen, and it's time that we received our inheritance, the harvest. It's time we received the restoration of DOUBLE what the enemy has stolen. Let God be your teacher and show you exactly how to receive your inheritance. Remember that praise is key.

Realizing Who You Are in Christ

I know that I haven't posted here in a while, and I hope you'll forgive me.  It feels like life has gotten in the way, but to be honest, I was running from this project of mine. It started as a way for me to blog and connect with you in a way to help you understand the meaning of peace and refreshing.

See, God gave me the idea for a short devotional book based on the posts on this blog.  I didn't want to write because it's something that's completely new for me.  How can I write about something with authority and hope that it stikes a cord with someone?  But see, it's not my job to connect with someone about their life.  My job is to write what God tells me to because HE KNOWS how to connect with that someone.  So, I've had to learn a valuable lesson, and I have to blog and finish my book.  THAT is my job.

If you've stuck with me this far, I commend you.  It's been an amazing and eye-opening journey for me, and I hope that it has for you as well.

So, let's get on to what this post will be about today.  Realizing who you are in Christ.

Who are we?  How do we see ourselves?  I guarantee that the way you see yourself now is much different than the way God sees us.

Let me show you.  If I were to describe myself, I'd probably tell you that I'm overweight, have adult acne that drives me insane, and I have frizzy hair that I cannot tame.  What image does that strike with you?  Definitely not one that puts off a GOOD image of me, right?  In all honesty, I am overweight, and I do deal with adult acne, but my face isn't covered with it.  I'm not ugly because of my weight, and although my hair is frizzy, I love my brunette curls.  I am not an ugly woman, and please do not take that conceitedly.  Let me tell you why I say that about myself.  God said I was beautiful.

He did.  He told me that I was beautiful because I was HIS DAUGHTER!!  I am a daughter of Christ, and as His daughter, I walk in His authority.  I'm a princess.  (He told me that too.)  I walk with authority, and a princess doesn't walk with her shoulders slumped and letting the world's views of what she looks like bring her down.  No.  Just because she doesn't fit the standards of the world's view of true beauty doesn't mean she isn't beautiful.  God told her she's beautiful so she walks with that affirmation in her heart.

See, we shouldn't care what the world thinks about us.  I don't.  I know that God says I'm beautiful, so I listen to Him. He's told me that I'm His princess, so I walk with that authority.  God told me that He is preparing my future, so I walk knowing that My God is taking care of me.  What else do I need?  I certainly don't need the lies of the devil and this world to bring me down and make me think that God's worth isn't something.  I'm holding out for God's promises, and I'm not looking back.

Sunday evening at church, I overheard a young girl of ten or eleven talking about her weight.  She said that she was fat for her age.  I called her over and said, "Honey, listen to me.  I don't want to hear you talking about yourself like that.  You certainly aren't fat, and you are a beautiful young woman.  So please, don't call yourself that because if you say it enough, you'll start believing it."

I know this from experience.  I called myself fat from the very first day that I heard others say that I was, and although I am overweight, I kept that "fat" attitude stuck in my head, never believing I was pretty enough or good enough for anyone else.  What I didn't know or want to believe was that it didn't matter. Who needs negative people in their lives?  Certainly not me!  I've cut ties with people who can't see me for my true worth which is God's Child.  They don't need a place in my life, and they don't need a place in yours either.

I encourage you today, look in the mirror and say, "I'm a beautiful Child of God and just because the world says I'm ugly doesn't mean it's true!  That's a lie out of the pit of hell, and I refuse to believe a lie of the devil!  I AM BEAUTIFUL!"

God has laid it on my heart to share my story with y'all.  That's just part of it, and I'm sure a more detailed version will come later.  I haven't written it out, and I'm kind of scared to.  I don't like dealing with that emotional side, but I've put some of that emotion into an upcoming Christian novel titled, Entertaining Angels.

I know I don't discuss my writing career on here much because this isn't what this blog is for, but Entertaining Angels was written for the sole purpose of teaching young women their true worth and beauty.  When it's finally released (which I hope will be in March), I'll announce it here as well.

Until then, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.emeraldbarnes.us to stay up to date with my writing career and follow ebarnes23.wordpress.com.

I hope you realize just how beautiful you are, brothers and sisters in Christ, and if you have a story to share, please share in the comments or through my email.  If you have questions about finding your true worth, I'll help as much as I can.  You can reach me at emerald_barnes (at) yahoo (dot) com

Much love and God Bless!
xoxo