"If someone were to write a book, telling hurting couples what to do to reignite their love as it was at the beginning of their marriage, how long would the line be to buy the book? God has written a manual called the Bible." - - - - -
DEAD MARRIAGE - COME TO LIFE! -
Scripture to Read - Ezekiel 37
"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" Ezekiel 37:1-6
Is your marriage dead in the eyes of your spouse? Do all your friends and loved ones see you hurting so badly that they want you to get on with your life? What has the Lord been speaking to your heart? Yes, in those darkest hours of your life when you feel like you cannot cry anymore. Your heart is hurting so badly that it feels like it is going to explode and you have had thoughts that you wished you were dead. What is God speaking to your heart? I know that God is speaking one special message to you that you may not believe right now. "I love you. I will never leave or forsake you. Turn to Me for your hope. Nothing is too hard for Me. I can restore your dead marriage."
Bob and I went to lunch with a stander visiting from out-of-state. He shared how devastated he was in the beginning when his wife told him that she did not trust or love him anymore. She wanted a divorce. But God, moved day by day showing this stander even in the worse days of his life, God was directing his steps. Now later, the Lord has given him a pastor who is discipling him and he plans to go to Bible College to become a teacher of the Word of God. Have his circumstances changed? No, but God has given him so many specific scriptures, messages and promises that he has chosen to believe in God's power, trust Him, walk in faith, and choose to fight the enemy who is trying to steal, kill and destroy his marriage. What a testimony this couple will have serving the Lord.
One specific scripture that the Lord gave him was in Ezekiel 37. Have you read that passage recently? I pray that you will read Ezekiel Chapters 36 and 37 tonight for your devotions. You will be blessed. The Lord gave me this same scripture to me 20+ years ago. God spoke to my heart and said, "Your husband and the courts say your marriage is dead, but I am going to breathe new life into it."
By the power of the Spirit of God, Ezekiel sees in a vision a valley full of dry bones. The bones represent "The whole house of Israel." The vision was given to assure the exiles who were in captivity that they would be restored by God's power in spite of their hopeless circumstances. God instructed Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones. The vision was to give them hope and encouragement in spite of their present circumstances. Ezekiel was revealing to the Israelites that they would be raised to back to life and be able to go back to their promised land. They would, also, have a spiritual restoration to faith.
Today ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart as you read this chapter in the Bible. You may want to read this as an allegory to your marriage. Allow the Holy Spirit to breathe on you faith, hope, trust and God's resurrection power to bring back life to things that appear to be dead! Your Lord God wants to show the world His mighty power for God to get all the glory, honor and praise when your marriage is raised back to life again.
"So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army." Ezekiel 37:7-10
Your marriage, just like approximately 50 percent of all marriages around the world are dried up, hopeless, with no life or love in the marriages. Couples are play acting, trying to survive and many consider their marriage dead and hopeless.
If someone were to write a book, telling every hurting couple what to do to reignite their love as it was at the beginning of their marriage, how long would the line be to buy the book? Jesus Christ is the answer! God has written a manual called the Bible. The church is the Critical Care unit for all hearts to be resurrected, healed, reignited and filled with unconditional love for each other.
Do you believe in God's awesome mighty power? How big is your God? Does everyone say to you, "Your marriage is dead, get over it, and move on?" Your marriage may appear to be dead right now. I had a big flashing "D" on my forehead saying it was dead! But God! That is right, "But, God!" said, "Trust Me. Have faith! Don't give up. I will restore your marriage. I will breathe new life back into your marriage in spite of ALL your circumstances! Believe in me!" PTL! I made a choice that day and chose to believe and waited on my Lord even when it seemed impossible. The Holy Spirit can breathe in new life into your marriage, regardless of the condition of it today. Your Lord God wants to show His mighty power to you and everyone!
"Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'" Ezekiel 37:12-14
Friday starts the beginning of a holiday weekend. May you and I start praying that the Holy Spirit will move and speak to thousands of prodigals around the world to come to their senses and surrender their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. Right now prodigal spouses are slaves to their sinful lifestyle, but suddenly the Lord will call their name and they will be set free. Pray for your spouse's heart to be softened, their will to surrender to God's way and be obedient to the Holy Spirit's wooing.
You may not know what day your spouse is coming home, as we do not know when our Lord Jesus Christ is coming back for His Bride, but we are to be ready! But know for certain, that the Lord Jesus Christ has paid the price by shedding His Blood for your spouse to be set free from all the bondages and addictions to sin. This weekend pray in agreement with thousands of other standers that the Holy Spirit will breathe new life into dead marriages and new life into all spouses who are living in sin! May God have a mighty harvest this holiday weekend!
"...I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God." Ezekiel 37:21-24
The Bomb: 08/05 H moves out: 06/2006 H moves back: 01/07 & Out again: 01/07 H moves back: 03/08 & Out again: 04/08 H moves back: 05/09 & Out again: 07/09 Divorced 08-12 Kids: 22, 20, 19
