by Pastor Cecil | Apr 23, 2013 | Ezekiel
Ezekiel 11:19-20
Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
Recently we have witnessed the heartless acts of terrorists who thought nothing of setting off blasts that killed and maimed innocent men, women and children. Following the tragic events we heard many ask how anyone could be so callous and cruel to do such an evil thing. The answer is that sin in the heart of a human being leads them to do the unthinkable.
It would be easy to become disheartened at these evil events. There are many who seem to feel that things are hopeless. That is what the enemy of our souls would like for us to think. If we were to look at things from a human point of view, it would give room for discouragement. But if we look at things spiritually we can see that these are all signs of the soon coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to welcome His church into our great reunion in the air.
For some of us it is clear that the rapture of the church may occur at any time. Praise God and even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. But it is a reality that the faithful believers have been looking for His return since he rose to be with His Father. The rapture has not occurred, but millions have been ushered into His presence the moment their eyes closed in death.
We need to take heart! Our focus of attention must never be upon the horrors perpetrated by the evil one, but on the Lord. Remember this: JESUS WINS! Never forget that dear heart. JESUS WINS. When you are disheartened and discouraged, take heart . . . JESUS WINS!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 12, 2013 | Ezekiel
Ezekiel 47:9
Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh, so where the river flows everything will live.
The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Fed by the Jordan River and other streams, the Dead Sea has no outlet but evaporates rapidly in the desert heat, leaving heavy, caustic, mineral-laden water behind. Fish that flow in with the fresh water instantly perish. People enjoy floating effortlessly on the surface, but must immediately and thoroughly rinse away the corrosives. Mounds of salt line the shores of the Dead Sea, and a nearby pillar is named for Lot’s wife.
Recently, the Lord has impressed upon me the principles of Ezekiel 47—which we may now receive by faith and later witness by sight when Jesus returns. He promised springs of living water to the woman at the well, and to the celebrants in the temple, and “By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive” (John 7:39a).
Each of us is surrounded by Dead Sea people, and—if we are honest—we recognize that we ourselves are much more briny than the fresh flowing water that gives life. This is no way to serve in these last days. Yet we have a better hope that comes by faith. The Lord on His throne is ready to answer even one person’s humble, earnest, faith-filled prayer for revival.
“Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing” (Ezekiel 47:12).
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 21, 2012 | Ezekiel
Ezekiel 22:18
Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver.
I was talking to a friend today and mentioned the word clinkers. He was not sure what the word meant and I realized that in our modern world there are many who have never had to deal with clinkers. Please allow me to share with you what the word means. Those who have had (or who still may have) coal furnaces know that as the coal burns it forms a stone-like residue that needs to be removed on a regular basis.
My parents had one such furnace and I can still remember my daily chore of using long tongs that were designed for the specific task of grasping clinkers and moving them to a receptacle. It was hot and smelly work and you needed to get the job done quickly. After the clinkers had cooled they had to be taken outside for disposal. I seem to recall that we used some of them on the unpaved alley.
When I read the word dross in today’s Scripture, I picture those clinkers from the furnace. It is clear the Lord is not happy when His people allow sinful behavior to form clinkers. God wants us to become precious metal that becomes more valuable to Him as the clinkers or dross is removed.
Right now is a good time for us to evaluate the questionable things in our lives that stand in the way of us being the Christians the Lord wants us to be. As we are honest in our evaluation, we need to reach in with the tongs of the Holy Spirit and get rid of any and everything that keeps us from being the pure and precious metal that will shine for Christ.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 13, 2012 | Daily-E-Votionals, Ezekiel
Ezekiel 3:18
When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
This morning I had an appointment to have lab work done before my annual physical later on this week. When I had traveled a few blocks I noticed a warning light on the console. I was unfamiliar with this warning symbol so I had to stop the car and check the owner’s manual. (I actually do read those things once in a while).
I was surprised to see that it was a warning to indicate that I needed to check the air in my tires. As I walked around the car and looked at each tire, they all seemed to have enough air pressure. I wondered if the warning indicator was wrong.
The store where I had purchased the tires gives free checks, so I drove by and asked the mechanic to check them. The first thing he did was to check the manual to see what the recommended pressure was for this model. As I watched him check and adjust pressure for each tire, the warning light remained on. It was not until he filled the last tire that it went out. I am now free from the dreaded warning light!
God sends warning lights into our life. I will not even attempt to list the various types of warning lights He may use, but His owner’s manual is His precious Word. If we check it carefully we will find the source of our problem as well as the solution. Are there warning lights in your life?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 11, 2010 | Ezekiel
Ezekiel 33:8
“When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.”
The following is from a dear friend. Enjoy!
A few years ago I met a young man, Robert, who had just arrived in Olympia to go to a vocational college. He was from Reno, Nevada, and had never been to the Northwest. My family lived in the beautiful green countryside of South Puget Sound, Washington, at that time. One of my sons was about Robert’s age and invited Robert to go mountain bike riding on some of the many trails we had in the surrounding woods.
We had an extra bicycle, so Robert happily followed my son through the winding trails for about an hour. It was a hot day and a great day for a cool ride in the woods. During the ride, the two passed through patches of stinging nettles that grew alongside the trails. Each time they came near a patch of the nettles, my son, who was leading the way, yelled back to Robert, “Watch out for the nettles!”
Robert was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and when they returned about an hour later, he was feverishly scratching both of his arms that were covered with little red swollen bumps. Seeing Robert in his discomfort, my son teased, “I warned you about those nettles.” Robert innocently replied, “What are nettles?” My son hung his head down in shame when he realized his error.My son had warned Robert each time about the approaching stinging nettles, but Robert had no clue what he was talking about. There are no such plants where Robert was from and he had never heard of them before. After coming into contact with a Stinging Nettle it can take a few minutes before your skin becomes irritated, so poor Robert had no idea that the tall soft green leaves he had been brushing up against would eventually become pretty annoying.
As believers we sometimes forget that not everyone has an understanding of what God has revealed to us. We are given a new set of eyes when we are born in Christ, and as God leads us in understanding Him more, our spiritual eyes grow stronger. Let us remember those around us who we hope to give a good witness to — and also for those with young spiritual eyes so that they can clearly understand what the message is.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 29, 2009 | Ezekiel
Ezekiel 34:26
“I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”
It is impossible to share the depths of my feelings experienced over the past two days. Never in all of my years of ministry have I been so overwhelmed by love and appreciation. I know I certainly do not deserve it, but it has been refreshing.
When I sent out Tuesday’s E-Votional titled “Live Daily!”, I honestly was not feeling downhearted or in any way slighted. But as I re-read the sentence, “I wonder how many people take the time to read them and if it is a waste of time,” I can see how it might appear that I was depressed.
Actually I was trying to get across the idea that the impact we have on others is not our responsibility, but God’s. One of our readers really hit it on the head: “A friend of mine was asking one day “Where is my fruit?” I told her that we don’t always see the fruit. Recently she explained that God has showed to her that she need not look for fruit and that he was the fruit inspector; she was the one who plants seeds and helps to water other lives.”
Wow! That says it all! I just want to thank all of you who wrote to share your love and appreciation. May God’s richest blessings shower down upon you and give you peace.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
