How The Holy Spirit Can Lead You as He Led Ezekiel
Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you as He led Ezekiel by learning from this fine Biblical example of leadership. The Holy Spirit directed Ezekiel to take on a difficult ministry of speaking to an obstinate and hard hearted audience. His example teaches us to trust, obey and follow the Lord fully by the Spirit’s empowering regardless of how unlikely it is that you will enjoy success in the eyes of people.
Illustration:Wherever they went, they profaned My holy name. –Ezekiel 36:20
Companies that compete for consumer dollars know the importance of protecting their name and reputation. Shoddy quality or poor service can cause profits to plummet.
While on a trip, I saw a car rental company experience a customer-service disaster. When people arrived at the rental counter to pick up their keys, they faced long lines, discourteous staff, and inconvenient conditions. Their reaction was predictable: frustration and anger. I doubt that many of those customers would ever rent cars from that company again. The agency’s name had become an object of mockery.
This reminds me of how Israel’s behavior brought disrepute to God’s name. Because they had lived like their pagan neighbors, the Lord scattered them among the nations. The unbelieving world laughed at both Israel and the name of her God.
Let’s bring this situation up-to-date. As Christians, we bear the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. What does the world think of Him by what they see in us? Bringing honor to His name is more important than a great corporation living up to its name. Our lives really have only one purpose–to reflect our Lord. We must guard against doing anything that will cause others to profane His holy name. –MRDII
When others get to know you, will they want to know Christ? (Our Daily Bread)
1. The Holy Spirit led Ezekiel to stand for God. Everyone eventually has to stand for something and the Holy Spirit helped to raise Ezekiel up as a prophet. The Lord said to Ezekiel, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you. As he spoke, the Spirt came into me and raised me to my feet and I heard him speaking to me." (Ezek. 2:1,2) Ask the Lord to help you be responsive to the Spirit’s specific calling for your particular ministry speciality without any hesitations.
2. The Holy Spirit directed Ezekiel to take on a difficult ministry of speaking to an obstinate and hard hearted audience. The Lord said, "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn." (Ezek. 2:3) Ask the Lord to help you to obey the Spirit’s directives regardless of how unlikely it is that you will enjoy success.
Illustration: Americans are getting warned to death. Manufacturers are growing increasingly wary of being sued when their products are misused, so they are attaching warning labels to hundreds of items.
For example, a Batman outfit bears this caveat: "Parents, please exercise caution--For Play Only. Mask and cape are not protective; cape does not enable user to fly."
So many warnings appear on items sold in our stores, say the experts, that they’ve lost their effectiveness.
While these kinds of warnings may fall on deaf ears, the Bible points out the importance of heeding God’s warnings. Ezekiel’s words in chapter 3 make it clear that a warning is vital not only for the person receiving it but also for the person giving it (vv.16-21).
God’s words must be taken seriously. "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit," we are told (Eph. 4:30). "Abstain from every form of evil," we are reminded (1 Th. 5:22). Jesus warned against adultery and lust (Mt. 5:27-28) and against judging others self-righteously (Mt. 7:1-5).
The Lord who made us knows how we should live. He longs to protect us from danger. Let’s make sure we take all of His warnings seriously. --JDB
The devil is subtle, deceptive, and sly;
He cleverly tricks us to swallow his lie,
But his cunning methods we’re sure to discern
By making God’s warnings our daily concern. --DJD
God’s warnings are to protect us, not to punish us. (Our Daily Bread)
3. The Holy Spirit led Ezekiel through the Sovereign voice of God which did not seem to make sense at the time. The Lord said, "Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’" Whether they listen or fail to listen - for they are a rebellious house - they will know that a prophet has been among them." (Ezek. 2:4-6) Ask the Lord to help you to trust and obey the Sovereign will of God regardless of the probable outcomes
4. The Holy Spirit bolstered Ezekiel sense of purpose, courage and power with His prescient teaching. The Lord said, "And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house." (Ezek. 2:6) Ask the Lord to bolster your sense of purpose, courage and power knowing that you will most likely face many criticisms and attacks on your leadership.
5. The Holy Spirit warned Ezekiel against conforming to the morally lax attitudes of the people around him. The Lord said, "Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you." (Ezek. 2:8) Ask the Lord to give you the heart, mind and stomach to submit to the Lord’s moral standards rather than those of the people around you.
6. The Holy Spirit sent Ezekiel to his own people to use his insider status, identification and familiarity with the culture to maximize his credibility. The Lord said, "You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel." (Ezek. 3:6,7) Ask the Lord to help you to guide insiders to communities, work places and age groups that will be able to use their credibility to enhance the persuasive elements of the truth.
7. The Holy Spirit gave Ezekiel an uncompromising mind, will and set of emotions. The Lord said, "I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint." (Ezek. 3:8) Ask the Lord to give you an unstoppable commitment to God’s ministries & plans.
8. The Holy Spirit lifted up Ezekiel to hear the multitude of choruses of praises to God so he would not think he was alone. The Bible says, "Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound - May the glory of the Lord be praised in his dwelling place!" (Ezek. 3:12) Ask the Lord to help you join the huge chorus in singing praises to God whenever you are about to engage in ministry.
9. The Holy Spirit led Ezekiel even though the prophet expressed bitterness and anger. The Bible says, "The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me." (Ezek. 3:14) Ask the Lord to help you overcome your own feelings of bitterness, anger and resentment so that you do not live with eternal regrets for your disobedience.
10. The Holy Spirit gave Ezekiel specific words of warning to speak to the unrepentant. The Lord said, "Give them warnings from me, ‘When I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself." (Ezek. 3:17-19) Ask the Lord to help you to persuade your people to evangelize those who are lost in their sins, in order to spare themselves eternal accountability before God.
11. The Holy Spirit directed Ezekiel to the specific places, people and occasions where he was to do his ministry. The Lord said, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River and I fell face down." (Ezek. 3:22,23) Ask the Lord to give you specific directions about the best places, people and occasions where you can minister. Trust the Lord to allow you to be reassured by His presence, power and enabling hand.
