#SweetDreams

Last night was different. A good different. Now, don't get me wrong, I love hearing my husband preach every week but another thing I love is hearing my family preach. My bro-in-law spoke last night and challenged everyone big time. And it couldn't have come at a better time. Here was the bottom line from last night as a follow up to last week: We let others label us incorrectly because we haven't labeled God correctly. After all, we are made in His image.

If we distort God's image, we distort our image. 

The "bad things" that we do in life are not our issue. The drinking, the bullying, the cussing...it's what's on the inside that is the issue. We drink because we have a heart issue. We bully people because we have a heart issue, we cuss because we have a heart issue.

People who pick on other people don't do it because they hate them. They do it because they hate themselves.

We hear "God is good" but we see differently. We can never understand how good God is until we understand how bad we are.

God isn't intimidated by your questions, fears, doubts, or struggles. He's not that small. When you're honest, it opens the door for healing.

The hand of the Lord was on 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. 2 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. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of theLord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] 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.

9 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, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 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. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 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 37:1-11

Ezekiel's eyes were closed because of his doubt that God would not come through. He acted in faith despite his fear. God is the ONLY one who can raise us from death to LIFE!