Ezekiel Ministry – Devotions

“But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths.” Ezekiel 33:6 As I look at what is happening in our world today, I feel that unless we return to God we are doomed. My personal devotions are in Jeremiah. What we see in Jeremiah and all the minor prophets is how God spoke to the nation of Israel. If we read and study these books, God will show us what is happening in America. To me reading these books is like reading the newspaper  every morning. These books tell us what will happen to us unless we turn to God, not just any god, but the true God of the Bible. God is trying to speak to us today but we are not listening.  “From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out. But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors.” (Jeremiah 7:25-26) If we are a true disciple of Jesus Christ, we cannot sit back and allow our nation to fall. We must warn others of what is coming.  If we continue to reject God and what He is telling us, it is our responsibility to shout out the warning.

“And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.” Luke 24:46-47 Forgiveness of sin only comes by repentance. Only by repentance are we living in the victory of the Cross. Jesus was very clear on this matter. All through the Gospels we see Jesus talk about repentance.  “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.” (Matthew 12:41) We even see in the story of the prodigal son that he repented and returned to his father’s house. Repenting means experiencing a change of mind and heart that now sees God as true and beautiful and worthy of all our praise and obedience. Repentance is an inner change. When we are changed inwardly, we see an outward change in our life. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, we must be born again and repent of our sins. Then turn from our sin and follow Jesus. The demand to repent is based on the gracious offer that is present to forgive, and on the gracious warning that someday those who refuse the offer will perish in God’s judgement.

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”2 Corinthians 7:10 “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” John 16:8 “Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.” The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life. “Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, […]

Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:31-32 Repentance is the key to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Repentance is the key to revival. Repentance is the key to the peace of God that passes all understanding. Yes, repentance is not easy. It is not something that we want to do, but it is God’s only way to walk with Him. “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. (Psalm 51:17) What is repentance? Charles Spurgeon writes: “Repentance is a discovery of the evil of sin, mourning that we have committed it, a resolution to forsake it. It is, in fact, a change of mind of a very deep and practical character, which makes the man love what once he hated, and hate what once he loved.” In my life repentance was the change that I needed. After my repentance I wanted nothing to do with the sin in my life. God worked a miracle in my life. God showed me what I needed to change in my life. My changes were not me trying to follow the rules of man, but the commands of God. I wanted to return to God’s way not my way. “O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?” (Jeremiah 4:14) This is God’s message to our nation and to us. We must repent and turn to God and He will heal our lives and our nation.

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8 In 1981 God saved my soul and came to live in my heart. After coming to Jesus I could not get enough of the Bible and books about revival. I fell in love with not only Jesus, but God’s Word. God’s entire Word, the Old and New Testament. My heroes were Leonard Ravenhill, David Wilkerson, Charles Finney and any the true men of God that preached revival. Then of all things God called me to the ministry. My preaching in the early days was how much we need revival, not just revival, but a time of complete renewal of the old path.  “Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jeremiah 6:16) I finished Bible College and came to the conclusion that I was not called to be a preacher but to be a writer. My first writings were a call for revival, but as the years rolled on my writing became milder and milder. As I got older I felt that I could not fight the battle. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.” (2 Corinthians 10:3) I was trying to fight in the flesh and I know that this is a spiritual battle we fight. There is a new spirituality taking over not just in our culture, but in our churches. It is as Paul says another Gospel. We must fight against this new spirituality. I must repent […]

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” Luke 15:4 God will not send anybody to hell. God loved us so much that He does not want anyone to go to hell, but you have a choice. God will not take away your freewill. God wants people to follow Him that loves Him and wants to keep all of His commandments. I became a disciple of Jesus Christ because God was pursuing me. God wanted me to choose Him as one of His children. He wanted to adopt me into His family. The problem was I was doing my own thing and I wanted to keep doing my own thing. “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) God loved us before we were in our mother’s womb. He knew all about us before we were born. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) Jesus stands at the door and knocks. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) This is the key to being a disciple of Jesus Christ; we must open the door and let Him in. We have a choice, we can let Him in our life or we can continue to live our life as part […]

  “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19) The authority to enforce Christ’s victory over Satan was delegated to the Church. This gives us the authority to bind Satan in the name of Jesus Christ. The enforcement of Calvary’s victory was placed in the hands of the Church, Christ’s corporate Body on earth. The Body with hands and feet is the vehicle which carries out the commands of the Head. If the Body fails to respond, the will of the Father becomes a dead letter. The fact that Satan seems to be having his way is no reflection upon the genuineness of Christ’s victory over Satan on the Cross. It means that the enforcement agency has failed. If we understand and accept that this victory took place on Calvary, we have the power over Satan. This power only comes through submission to God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Our greatest weapon against Satan is prayer. The crucial factor in getting answer to prayer is not primarily spiritual superiority, but simply the boldness, courage and faith to pray regardless of our sense of unworthiness. “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 Now that we know the […]

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:14-18) Satan is now destroyed – not annihilated, but destroyed.  All of the legal claims he had upon earth and man, through Adam’s Fall, are now completely cancelled; since the cross, he has absolutely no right at all upon anyone or anything. It means that all the power which he exercises now, he exercises solely by deception and bluff. This is the basis for Jesus’ statement in Luke 10:18, “And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” If this is true, then why does it seem that Satan is still running things? Why does it look like everything is still in his control? Many of us have had our doubts as to whether Calvary was really a victory or a defeat. The answer is this: Legally, Calvary was Satan’s complete defeat. All of his claims were cancelled when he sent Jesus to the cross […]

“As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Romans 3:9-12 If he was not perfectly human, he would not be qualified to enter into the legal battle. If he was not divine, he could not live a perfect life. Everything depended on these two factors. Being completely human and living a perfect life.  No one that is part of the human race can live a perfect life. “What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage?  Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. When Jesus Christ came, a man among men is when the battle between Jesus and Satan began. Jesus was the only rightful Heir to the throne of dominion of earth. This warfare continued for thirty-three years. All Satan needed to find in Jesus was one flaw and he would win the battle. This battle lasted up to the Cross of Calvary. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Satan was still fighting Jesus so that He would disobey God and Satan would win. Jesus triumphed when He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)  Satan’s objective was to have Jesus rebel against the will of God and therefore, transfer His allegiance to Satan. When at last Jesus bowed His head and died without once failing in His submission to God, Satan was defeated in the conflict. In his desperate effort to compel Jesus to rebel against His Father, Satan killed an innocent man. […]

 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) To know the Total Truth we need to know the whole story. So many times we are not told the rest of the story. In order to understand what happened at Calvary, we must understand first what happened at the Fall in the Garden of Eden. Man was originally made for authority. He was created and fashioned for dominion. When God made Adam, he was given rulership of the earth, kingship of life, and the control and mastery of its forces. The granting of authority and dominion over the earth was a bona fide grant. God gave the dominion of the entire earth to man. It was his to do with as he should decide to do. God did not give the earth to man with strings attached. What man did with that dominion and authority was his own responsibility. When man, at the time of the Fall, transferred his allegiance from God to Satan, he also transferred his dominion. Since the rulership of this earth was a true gift from God to man, man had the legal right to do with that dominion what he chose. Because it was given to man, the rulership of this world was no longer under God’s direct control, for He gave it to man. And then it was not man’s, for he gave it to Satan. Satan became the legal and actual ruler of […]