Bible Study

Dry Bones and the Power to Make Them Live Again (the Power of Words)

Monday, August 29, 2016

Have you ever sat in church and thought, "wow, this service was meant for me"?  I have.  In fact, yesterday's service was just that.  It spoke to my heart and mind and made me realize something.  Before I get into that, though, I should share a little background.

If you follow my personal Facebook account, you may have caught my first ever Facebook Live video.  In it, I was admittedly nervous, but I made a couple statements that I'd like to reiterate in print.  This last week brought my current state into sharp focus.  I'm not happy with my career anymore.  I do not feel connected with a purpose, only with struggle and stress.  For months I have been adding the descriptor "right now" at the end of certain negative statements, but the truth is, I'm not sure that my current situation is all that temporary.  When I look into the future, I don't clearly see a purpose-driven career in my currently held position.  I see stress and long hours and a career that keeps me from other passions.  

I don't like the picture.

I've been using my job as an excuse not to pursue the things that thrill (and also scare) me.  I'm too busy.  I have no time.  I have learned something in the personal development I've been reading over the last several  weeks months.  I have learned that a person always makes time for priorities.  I've also come to realize that the priorities I say I have are different from the priorities that I live out.

Have you ever felt that way?  Have you ever come to the same place?  Why is that?

I'd like to return to yesterday's sermon as a possible explanation.  The text we examined was Ezekiel 37:1-14.  If you are unfamiliar with the text, it contains the story of the prophet in a valley of dry, old bones.  He walked among them and saw them as devoid of life.  Ultimately, God brought them back together and breathed life into the bodies.  What once was a dry, empty valley was now teeming with an army of strong, virile soldiers.

What's interesting about this passage, though, is that it's not just another story about another miracle.  There's a deeper meaning hidden in the text, one that I never really caught until our pastor brought it to light yesterday morning.  God didn't just bring the bones to life; He told Ezekiel to speak life into the bones.  Then, He instructed Ezekiel to speak breath into those same bodies.

Did you catch the importance there?

God told Ezekiel to SPEAK life over the much-needed army for the downtrodden Israelites.  That's important.  Why?  Because Ezekiel's words became his truth.  Think about that for just a minute.  What can that possibly mean for us?  It simply means this:  our thoughts and our words shape and become our truth.  I'm going to say it one more time, with feeling.

What you think and what you say become your truth. [Tweet This].


How does that apply to living out different priorities from what you want or what you say?  For me, at least, it has everything to do with the concept of self-sabotage via my thoughts.  I may say one thing, but I often catch myself thinking - and subsequently doing - another.  My truth has been shaped by the things I say.  I have become proof positive that my thoughts impact my life.  Can you relate?Here's the thing: knowing that my thoughts become truth means it's time to make them work for me.  I have a list of new affirmations I will say out loud every day until they become my thoughts.  Then, I will continue until they become my truth - I will have life in my dry valley again!.  Will you join me?

As an FYI, I will be employing this strategy with my next accountability group to begin September 5 (next Monday!).  Interested?  Fill out the form below, and let's chat.  (By the way, I apologize if you have filled out a form previously; there was a self-inflicted glitch that prevented me from getting those submissions.  It's fixed now!)

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