Food for thought.- The Price to be a Prophet!

Happy New Year everyone!

Food for thought:

Many want to be a prophet, many even claim to be a prophet but just in the first few chapters of the book of Ezekiel, look at what has happened to Ezekiel.

Yes the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, yes he had wonderful visions of the Lord but at the same time he was taken into captivity and remained there his whole life.
I have noticed that many modern day Christians quote Romans 8:28 as if in the end all the bad circumstances go away and everything is better then before.

If you study the context it is not about the circumstances being better.....
it is about God making you better....
making you more Christ-like and sometimes you will not even know the good God worked it out for until you get to Heaven.
Kind of like Ezekiel.
Also do not forget before he even started God told Ezekiel that when he warned the people they would not listen but God still held Ezekiel accountable.

Are you ready to be in life-long captivity?
To go where you least desire?
To have a ministry in which it feels like nobody wants you?
Even though you do your best to share God's warnings and his love?
If your answer is: "YES" to all of those questions then maybe you are ready to go through more intense refining fires then most Christians.

Become a student of Ezekiel, Jeremiah, the Apostle Paul and most of all become a student of Jesus Christ and follow Him.
Then maybe in a few decades you will be ready to be a "PROPHET" who will go beyond your local church, to have influence beyond most Pastors and most Evangelists. It might be less then a few decades depending on the intensity of your trials and your willingness.
But remember there is a big price to pay.
Sometimes for years.
Moses had formal training in the Pharaoah's best schools for 40 years, Then he had training from God that included patience, solitude and humility in the wilderness for another 40 years.
Finally at age 80 God had Moses ready for the last third of Moses life, the last 40 years as the people's leader and God's mouthpiece.
Are you willing to go through intense fires and yet be unnoticed until God says it is time.?
This is the price of a prophet!


Dear Heavenly Father,
Have your way and your will in each of our lifes.
Whatever you are calling myself and each reader to become by your Holy Spirit make us willing, help us to be willing to pay the price of whatever your will is for our life.
We ask this in the Name of Jesus.
Amen!

Lesson 6

Their have 5 previous lessons but previously I was labeling them only as
"Ezekiel OverView,"
or "Part 2 of Chapter 1",
or " More Comments on Chapter 1" etc.
I now realize to keep track of where we are it is best if I also number the Lessons,
starting with this Lesson so this Lesson on Ezekiel is Lesson 6.


Lesson 6
Part 2 of Chapter 2
Originally from
Pastor Bill's Newsletter
and retrieved from our
Back Issues Newsletter archives.

Ezekiel Chapter 2:3-10
3 And he said unto me,
Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel,
to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted.
I do send thee unto them;
and thou shalt say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord GOD.
5 And they, whether they will hear,
or whether they will forbear,
(for they are a rebellious house,)
yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
6 And thou, son of man,
be not afraid of them,
neither be afraid of their words,
though briers and thorns be with thee,
and thou dost dwell among scorpions:
be not afraid of their words,
nor be dismayed at their looks,
though they be a rebellious house.
7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them,
whether they will hear,
or whether they will forbear:
for they are most rebellious.
8 But thou, son of man,
hear what I say unto thee;
Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house:
open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

To review you might want to read our earlier posts.

As was stated in previous lessons;
The Holy Spirit entered Ezekiel to give him the strength to stand in God's awesome, mighty, Holy Presence.

The Holy Spirit will be helping Ezekiel to live up to his name "strength of God". Even in Ezekiel's initial calling which begins here in Ezekiel chapter 2 and continues into chapter 3.

Rebellious is a theme in verses 2 through 8 of how the people of Israel are at this time and yet that is Ezekiel's commission to go preach to them anyway.

Rebellious nation, rebelled, transgressed, impudent children, stiffhearted, most rebellious, rebellious house are God's description of Israel at that time.
WOW! Most of us would be tempted to say to God;
"but why go because they will not listen and receive anything spiritual?".
Yet this is Ezekiel's commission to go to rebellious Israel and preach and prophesy.

When God calls us, and HE calls every believer to be a witness, God is not asking us to decide if they are too rebellious and closed to hear the Gospel of the Cross of Jesus Christ that is the message of Jesus death for all sin for forgiveness and of His Resurrection.
God is just asking us to live a witness, walk a witness and be ready to speak our witness to all who we possibly can. To be open to those opportunities of sharing about Jesus.
If you and I do that then those around us will know a follower of Jesus, a CHRISTian, a Christ-like person has been in their presence.

That is like what God said to Ezekiel in verse 5,
whether they listen or not;
"yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them".
Now you can see why Ezekiel needs the strength of God from the Holy Spirit!


Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you that there are records of Holy men who lived for you in difficult times. Please help us to be bold through the power of your Holy Spirit to be a witness for our Saviour, your son, Jesus Christ.
Help us to live so others will know that their was a woman of God or a man of God among them!
If some feel they are not there yet, I know sometimes I feel that way, help them and all of us to humbly grow into a life in which we find our fulfilment through you and that others will see Jesus Christ in us because of the working of the Holy Ghost in and through our lifes.
Father, we thank you for hearing our prayer.
We ask all of this In the Name of Jesus
AMEN!