You Need the Spirit // Dead Places: Part 2.
Reading Time: 8 minutes
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
In my previous devotional about Ezekiel 37, God whisks Ezekiel away to a valley of dry bones. God asks Ezekiel if these bones can live, before telling him to prophesy over the bones. As Ezekiel begins to speak the words of God over this situation, the bones begin to rattle, and ligaments, tendons, flesh, and skin begin to form around the bones. They become the healthy bodies they once were. Then God tells Ezekiel to speak breath into them because even though the bodies looked healthy, there is no life. As Ezekiel speaks, breath is brought into the bones and they resurrect from dry bones to thriving people.
I talked about how we need to agree with what God speaks over the dead and dry areas of our lives so He can bring them to life. I touched on the mere miracle that “death” does not mean the same thing to God as it means to us. Now, I want to touch on another aspect here. When Ezekiel speaks to the bodies, they form. The systems are restored: the nervous system begins to fire, the digestive tract begins to ready itself, and the respiratory system is primed for action. They look healthy. They look organized. They look attractive and formatible. Still, the bodies are dead.
Let’s read it together:
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 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.’” 7 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. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Ezekiel 37:4-9
Ezekiel believed enough to trust God on what he did not understand. How could bones lead to life? These bones had been dry, dead, and desolate for decades. You may feel like your marriage is dead. You may feel like your family relationships are dead. You may feel like your future, finances, or friend group is dead. But with God there is a strong forecast for resurrection. The dead business, the dead family, the dead culture, the dead ministry, even the dead church can live when God speaks over it. We just need to trust Him enough to walk in what He says.
Still, I said all that in the last devotional. We have to go deeper.
As Ezekiel claims the word of God enough to speak it, things look good. The body systems take form. I’m sure they had great smiles. I’m sure they had chiseled features and flirtatious physiques. From the outside, they looked put together. They looked well managed and maintained. But at a closer glance, they were still dead. But there is still no life. Jobs may present themselves. Opportunities may come knocking. It's not enough that things just look like they’re turning around for your good, we need some life in the dead places.
So we start with dry bones, then God says to speak and Ezekiel speaks. Things look good, but they weren’t finished. God says something else is needed.
I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 37:6
You may be in a season where things are turning around. You get the job. The toxic situations disperse. You graduate with the degree. You're in the relationship. But those shells of purpose won’t work unless the Spirit of God resides in them. You cannot function—no matter how organized you look—if a greater power is not flowing in you.
The Bible says that we are the branches and Jesus is the vine. We can only produce fruit because of our connection with Him. Now, here comes the blessing. He doesn’t just stop at the body. He adds His Spirit!
I love the context of Ezekiel 37. The Israelite people are stolen from their home and exiled to a foreign place. They are broken, dry, and desolate like these bones. However, God promises He will not only rebuild their walls, reinstate their kingdom, and revive their nation; He promises to transform their hearts and add His Spirit!
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 30 I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.
Ezekiel 36:25-30
I love this passage. Let’s look at the pronouns and direction of the statements. It’s not “you will clean yourselves”. It’s not “you will get yourself out of the dirt and teach yourselves from the mistakes”. It’s not “you will climb out of the hole and learn to win”. It’s “I”. God will do this. He will pour His Spirit and that will give you the ability to move forward.
Israel is dealing with the consequences of its mistakes. They left God, so they left provision and protection. They were dead. Yet, God has decided to restore them. Not because they deserve it, the Bible makes that very clear. This is not because you deserve it. God says it’s because of who He is; because He is God and His name means grace and victory. He says He wants to fight for you so you can win. You left Him, you didn't listen, and you got hurt. Yet, because He is a loving father, He will keep giving back. You turned away, yet because His name means love He has already decided to chase you.
You may make mistakes that lead to brokenness in your life. God is saying that He is the remedy. Jesus is doing the work. Not only will God build you back up when you fall, but He will add His Spirit. It's not you trying on your own. Let me explain that.
Galatians 5 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,” etc. right? Fruit is a natural byproduct of the Spirit of God being in us and working for us. Philippians says the Spirit gives you the desire and the power to do what pleases God. It's not you, it’s Him. Stop stressing. God says “[If you trust Me] I will clean you. I will add My Spirit so that you walk better.” God is empowering you to walk into better. You don’t have to make the same mistakes. You don't have to end up in exile again.
Let’s revisit our main takeaways:
1. We can look good on the outside on our own like these bodies but still be dead. We need the Spirit for real life to be birthed.
Being saved means you will develop more like Christ. Before Heaven, God works to birth actions that are like Him so that we don't have to experience much of Hell on earth. Allowing the Spirit to do its perfect work means you will have a taste of heaven on earth! This Christian life is a walk of the Spirit leading you to grow and be better. You will have peace, joy, and patience. The things you crave will be alleviated because of His Spirit. And it all starts with continual belief. That means that even when you waver, your first instinct is to look back to God.
2. The Spirit produces new action and new life.
You will get better. You will grow from sin. But you are reborn by the Spirit and not your own effort. He is the one who empowers and leads you to follow the will of God. We need to make sure we are connected to God and filled with the Spirit if we want to see new life in us.
So how do we connect? We ask.
The Bible says that if our sinful fathers can give good gifts, how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? If He said your music ministry will blow up, start preparing. If He said your family will be whole, start praising. If He said your passion is from Him, start dreaming. If He said you will succeed, start planning. Ask for it, believing that God’s got you. You don’t have to do this on your own.
This ministry is a faith journey for me. God told me to start it two years ago and it was free for me to run it. Then, more people subscribed and I had to buy new software to accommodate them. Then, God told me to upgrade the website, hire an editor, and upgrade the software to send the messages. Then, it happened again. But God keeps providing and now more than 35,000 texts have been sent out and God continues to sustain a ministry I would not have been able to sustain two years ago. Thank you for continually praying, sharing, and partnering through donations so that we can continue to share the peace and practicality of Jesus efficiently and effectively. You can pledge a continual donation or make a one-time donation through the donate tab or through Cash App ($ThoughtsByPace). I really do appreciate you for the impact you're making.