"Clearly, God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God's law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God's promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations."* This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. -The Apostle Paul
What is dead (or lifeless) in your life right now?
The promise is received by faith.
More than you can imagine, God wants to create new things out of nothing for you, if you will just believe.
You see, God speaks of the non-existent things as if they already existed, ALL THE TIME (Romans 4:17.) So how much more should we do the same? As I was studying recently, I came across a young prophet named Ezekiel around 593 BC speaking to a community forced from its home, a people who had broken faith with their God. Ezekiel's prophetic career was during a time of great confusion.
As the spokesman for God, Ezekiel had a radically God-centered point of view that found its sharpest expression in 36:22-23 when he spoke a Word from God: "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name. . . . And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name. . . . And the nations will know that I am the Lord."
Ezekiel's message had a purpose: To restore God's glory before the people who had spurned it in view of the entire then known world. He was unrelenting and pleaded with them: "Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live." (18:31-32 - evstudybible.org.)
Later after surveying the disaster and wrong decisions he predicted, God asks Ezekiel a question: "Can these (dry) bones live?" Ezekiel, perplexed and visibly disturbed, responds, "Lord, only you know."
Then God told him to do the unthinkable: "Prophesy to them."
· Prophesy to the judgment that came by your own hands and words
· Prophesy to the skeletons of shame in your closet
· Prophesy to these broken and shattered dreams
· Prophesy to that business or marriage in distress
· Prophesy to what is dead in your life and command it to take shape, form substance and live.
In order to get through the season of your life that is critically ill or dying, you must have outrageous faith. Here are five prayer keys to immediately apply to your crisis and defeat worry:
- PROPHESY to what is dead and command it to live.
You must speak of what is non-existent in that area of your life; to confess or "say what God says" is crucial to your survival. You cannot survive on "your words" alone to sustain yourself because we all fall short, disappoint expectations and are fallible; that's why God gave us His Word; to prophesy or speak over things when the integrity of our word fails us.
- REJOICE over what you have just declared. The Bible instructs us to rejoice over 240 times.
In Duet 12:7 Moses instructed his people to:
- REJOICE in all you put your hand to AND
- REJOICE in all the Lord your God has blessed you.
So my rejoicing is not contingent (predicated) on what I don't have, but instead, on what I currently have. You may say, "Well, Ed, I don't have much."
But have you rejoiced in it?
If you will not rejoice in the little you have, god will not make you ruler over more. God specializes in taking little and making it much.
The Apostle Paul wrote: "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4.)
Whatever you have by faith and "in" your possession, God commands you to rejoice in it.
- PRAY. Whatever you are worried about, you must pray about.
Phil. 4:6 says: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything."
What are you worried or anxious about right now?
Are you praying or complaining about it?
You don't need to worry. April 15th is going to come, your tax bill is coming; your next month's mortgage is on its way, you will have to meet payroll in two weeks; your court date or doctor's test results are coming, so you might as well get there with the right confession.
God changed Abram's name to get the right confession and result into his life. Don't drive to your destination (destiny) with worry in the passenger seat; that will only make the journey miserable. Demand favor on your results with the right confession today.
- COME BOLDLY and tell God what you want.
- THANK HIM for what He has done (Phil 4:6)
Verse 7 concludes by saying: "Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
Peace has prerequisites. Joyce Meyer recently said: "It has been scientifically proven that you believe more of what you hear yourself say than what other people say to you."
That's why the enemy spends so much time trying to infiltrate your thoughts, to get you to convey what you are worrying about through words.
Don't do it.
Today, your faith is not unnecessary. Your promise is not pointless.
You can still win and be God's champion in your home and industry. When we "win" in a certain area, it doesn't always mean we go undefeated in the process. Sometimes we lose; yet defeat does not mark the end of the season or career.
I DECLARE, THESE BONES CAN LIVE. Your marriage can live; your dreams can live; your loved one, business and ministry can live. Prophesy to it again.
