“Son of dust,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, to a nation rebelling against me. They and their fathers have kept on sinning against me until this very hour. For they are a hard-hearted, stiff-necked people. But I am sending you to give them my messages—the messages of the Lord God. And whether they listen or not (for remember, they are rebels), they will at least know they have had a prophet among them. “Son of dust, don’t be afraid of them; don’t be frightened even though their threats are sharp and barbed and sting like scorpions. Don’t be dismayed by their dark scowls. For remember, they are rebels! You must give them my messages whether they listen or not” Ezekiel 2:3-7 (TLB)
We have been given the assignment as well to stand up for and speak the truth of the gospel into a rebellious world that spews it hate filled rhetoric. The protests, the persecution, the anger spews against anyone who would dare to speak the truth of God’s words. Yet, God has called each of us who know Him to stand firm while doing so with Grace, Love and Mercy. We must do so boldly; yet, humbly. Not an easy task. Actually, it would be an impossible task were it not for God equipping us with these three keys as He did Ezekiel.
First, He gives us a glimpse of His Glory. Ezekiel was given a glimpse of heaven with the magnificence of all the angels surrounding the throne; and the Glory of Jesus seated upon His throne.
And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, Ezekiel 1:24-28
The same is true of all of us who know Christ. Remember, the day you first came to Christ? When you first saw Him as so precious that you desired Him above all else? As years go by, we sometimes allow the worries of this life to draw us away from seeking and savoring Him for the precious, glorious, loving King and redeemer that He is. For us to stand firm without fear of the enemy we must first be reminded of His Glory and majesty. As you begin to sing Him praises, read His word, and spend time alone with Him; His glory will shine before you and He will transform your heart into that same image of Glory. Wow! Imagine that, one day I will look like Him! Just as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord
Second, God equipped Ezekiel with the Holy Spirit.
And he said to me: “Stand up, son of dust, and I will talk to you.” And the Spirit entered into me as he spoke, and set me on my feet. Ezekiel 2:1-2 (TLB)
Jesus very meticulously spoke of the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) coming to indwell the believer, to be their guide toward truth, their strength, and their memory. We must never underestimate the power of God which indwells every believer. He will guide our hearts and minds to know truth, he will remind us of scriptures, pray for us, and always remind us of the Glory that is the Son-Jesus Christ.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. John 16:13-14
Thirdly, we are given the word of God which we should devour daily. Just as our bodies need food, our spirit needs to be feed from God’s word. I cannot know the words to respond to a rebellious world if I did not study God’s words! I must be filled with the knowledge of His Words to be able to stand firm, strong against those who throw darts against Him with clever deception and twisting of truth.
Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe. Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. Ezekiel 2:9-3:3
At first glance, God’s words seemed to Ezekiel filled with sorrow; yet, as Ezekiel began to feast upon the words they became sweet like honey. The same is often true of us. We read the words and they pierce our hearts because of our own selfish desires of the flesh. We see them at times as impossible, hard or sorrow filled; yet, as we continue to feast we find that God’s words, His laws, and His commands bring peace, joy, and sweetness to our lives.
And so it is for us as it was for Ezekiel. For us to stand filled with strength, fearless to face the rebels, and ready to proclaim the sweet and glorious gospel of Jesus; we must have these three keys.
1. Seek and Savor the Glory of Jesus Christ; lifted high upon His Throne of Grace
2. We must remember the Holy Spirit whom is ever present to guide us
3. We must feast upon the word of God with a ferocious appetite.
[bctt tweet=”God will give you the strength the grace & the words to stand strong when rebels spew hate” username=”effiedarlene”]
[tweetthis]God gives us Grace to Speak truth to a World who do not want to listen[/tweetthis]
[bctt tweet=”Keys 2 Courage R: Seeing Christ’s Glory, being filled with His Spirit & Knowing His Word” username=”effiedarlene”]
photo used by permission: https://unsplash.com/@dilmert
Living Bible (TLB) The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2016
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.