For His Holy Name's Sake...not yours

(This study is based upon Ezekiel 36 and 37.)

Have you ever thought that you, your spouse, or your children had committed some sin(s) that would cause God to refrain from blessing your family? While it is true that the consequences of our lives most often reflect the sum total of the decisions we have made, this doesn't mean there is no hope for a fresh, new start, with Christ... no matter how broken the road of life may seem.
The Lord wants to restore the joy of our salvation!

The only requirements are...
That we repent from our wrong doings. (Repent means 'to change'.)
Then, we place all of our hope in the promises of God's Word.

Like Abraham, we are seen as righteous in the Lord's eyes WHEN WE BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL DO WHAT HE SAYS HE WILL DO - not because we deserve it, but because He is faithful!

Like many of you, my life has had certain twists and turns resulting from poor choices made by either me or my spouse. Then again... some of my life's pitfalls were simply the result of pro-longed situations and circumstances that I had no control over. I too, was once in a place where doubt and unbelief threatened my heart with lies that better days would never come. As fear chanted, "Doom, gloom, and despair", it would have been easy to rationalize God disqualifying me (or our family) from any sort of deliverance. The enemy of my soul would certainly want me to think we were unsuited for any sort of future blessings from God.

Praise the Lord for His mercy and grace! Praise God for second chances! Praise Him for His promises!

I'm thinking of an 'aha' moment with the Lord from Ezekiel 36:22. It is here that God's Word refreshed my soul - once wearied from what seemed to be a never ending fiery trial - giving me hope for a bright future:

"Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went."

Hallelujah! God wants to sanctify us in the eyes of the world (the heathen) as we confess our wrong doing, repent, and then trust Him for divine protection from shame and defeat. His Word declares He will sprinkle 'clean water' upon us, making us clean from all of our filthiness (Ezekiel 36:25). He says He will do this for His name's sake and not because we deserve it. To me, that's refreshingly GOOD NEWS. That's news that I can completely put my hope and faith in.

Has someone wronged you in such a way that bitterness and oppression have 'dirtied' the very core of your soul? Maybe you or your spouse have made poor choices, resulting in consequences that have put you into a 'dirty' deep ditch; one so deep that it seams there is no way you'll ever be able to recover. Or, perhaps someone in your family (you, your spouse, or your child) just became born-again after a long history of sinful 'and dirty' behavior; now, you are having a hard time believing that God wants to restore the physical realm in addition to the spiritual realm.

Though you want to believe for God's best, the enemy of your soul threatens to lock you into the curse by saying...

"You've gone too far. God may allow you into heaven, but He'll never allow you to live in the blessings of this present life. You are dirty - forever marked with a curse."

The devil is a LIAR!

God says He'll not only give those who cry out to Him (those with sincere remorse over their sinful behavior) a new heart and new desires, but He will also restore their lives - not because they deserve it, but for His name's sake! God will take you from a life of desolation to a life that flourishes like the garden of Eden (Ezekiel 36:35)!

Be encouraged today knowing that God wants to take the dry bones of your life - the most hopeless and dead dream you may have - and breathe life back into it (Ezekiel 37:5). He wants to raise you up with life abundantly and joy unspeakable.

Like Ezekiel, 'I' prophesy to YOUR dry bones...

"God will put His spirit in you and you shall live! You will have peace in your own land and you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of despair and hopelessness. Only trust Him with a cleansed heart of FAITH... faith that believes God's Word... and faith that trusts in God's love."

My friend, the Lord loves you, your spouse, and your children! He has good plans for you. There is always a bright future for those who place their faith in the Word of the Lord; for He is good and His mercy endures forever.

Life is never hopeless with Christ Jesus. He is our hope. He is our peace. He is our future.

If you are a child of the King, He will deliver you - for His names sake... not yours. Trust Him today and praise Him in advance for His goodness.

"And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord." - Ezekiel 37:13-14



In Christ,
Deborah Ross

Deborah Ross Ministries
Strengthening Families & Encouraging Women
www.DeborahRossMinistries.org