Words from the Lord: "Rise above the atmosphere, and not go under!"

The Lord says:

"Do not allow yourself to be bound under the atmosphere of lifelessness and hopelessness around you. Receive My life and My strength to rise above all these atmospheres. For My Spirit is life, and I have called you to rule and reign with Me!" 

With these words from the Lord, let's go to the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel in Hebrew is 'Yechezqel'. It literally means 'God strengthens' or 'God gives strength'. This word 'Yechezqel' comes from two words: 'Chazaq' meaning 'to be strong' or 'to strengthen'; and 'El' meaning 'God'. 

Ezekiel 37:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.' 

Ezekiel 37:4-6 (NKJV) says, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord."'"

This is what prophet Ezekiel saw, heard, and therefore did as he was commanded. The word 'prophesy' here is 'naba' in Hebrew. In the context of these verses, it is 'to speak by the inspiration (of the Spirit of God)'. In other words, when the Lord speaks, you speak accordingly. 

Even though these verses are for the people of Israel who're feeling dry, cut off, and hopeless at that time, the Lord is saying this to you as well. 

Wherever you are and whatever situation you may be facing at the moment, the Spirit of the Lord is putting His Spirit upon you, and you shall see what's 'dry' or 'dead' in your life be revived and renewed. 

Is there any area in your life that seems 'dead' and 'dry', hopeless and lifeless? Give that area to the Lord. Surrender that area to the Lord. Let Him breathe life into it. It may be your health, your career, your ministry, your family, or in any area of your life that you need a fresh wind and renewal. Let His Spirit fill what's dead and what's dry in your life! 

This is a key moment to speak life, strength, and hope into your life, your family, and your situation. I'm praying right now for the Spirit of the Lord to bring life and set you free from every form of hopelessness and helplessness! 

Indeed He has the power to resurrect and restore! Just do not limit your mind how He's going to do it. Let your mind be set free to see that He is above natural, and He knows how to make things happen for you! 

What's your part? Your part is to rise above, and not go under! Rise above the atmosphere, and not go under the atmosphere! 

Right now, the Lord is giving you the strength to rise above, to rule and reign together with Him, and to speak life into your situation. Receive by faith!

Prayer:

"O Lord God, let there be a release of Your Spirit and Your life upon Your people right now. Set them free from what has bound them. Set them free from what has limited them. There is freedom in the spiritual atmosphere right now. Freedom from the lies and the grasp of the enemy. We receive this freedom from You. We receive new hope from You. We receive life into our situation. We prophesy strength. We prophesy life. We prophesy revival. We prophesy restoration. In Jesus' name. Amen!"

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Your burden has been lifted!

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) says, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." 

In Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV), Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 

In the context of these verses here, 'yoke' speaks of 'heaviness and burdens that exhaust you'. A yoke is a wooden equipment placed over the shoulders of oxen to pull a heavy load or to do labor work (for example, plowing the grounds). 

So, when Jesus says, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light", He is contrasting your heaviness with His rest. The word 'easy' in 'My yoke is easy' here is 'chrestos' in Greek. It means 'gentle, kind, gracious'. So, exchange your heaviness and burden with His gentleness. 

In farming, a younger ox is often yoked beside an older master ox. The older ox would carry much of the weight. This speaks of you walking with Jesus your Master, relying on Him and not relying on your own striving to carry all your burdens in life. 

So beloved, whatever your struggle may be at the moment, let Him carry it for you. You don't have to carry it all. You will never have to walk alone, because He is walking beside you. Do not be afraid. 

Jesus also says in John 14:27 (NKJV), "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." 

Humans, imperfect as they are, may sometimes cause hurt to you or disappoint you. They may be leaders. They may be friends. They may be even family members. Maybe no one seems to understand you. But today Jesus wants you to know that He understands. He sees it all. He knows what you are going through. So, do not be afraid or be anxious. 

You can rest in His love and embrace, knowing that He will bring you through. He knows how to take over. Take heart. Whatever your situation may be, there's nothing that God cannot do for you. Let Him carry it. 

He understands that there are times you are so tired of it all. But no matter what, never let anyone or anything steal your peace. One thing for sure, He will never turn you away. So, surrender your future to the Lord. Surrender your career to the Lord. Surrender your family's situation to the Lord. Surrender all your struggles to the Lord. And yes, that includes your worries, your anxieties, your heaviness, your burdens, or whatever difficult situation you may be facing at the moment. You will find rest in His presence. 

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Words from the Lord: "Your future is not bleak, but bright!"

The Lord says: 

"When many people say what's ahead is bleak, I'm saying what's ahead for you is bright and well taken care of. Exciting times are ahead! But you've got to believe and receive by faith, in spite of what others say. When one season ends, a new season begins. Don't linger in the former, even former glory, but look ahead to Me. For I'm doing a new thing in your life. Let your spiritual eyes be opened to see the new that I have for you." 

The Lord says further:

"Sing a new song to Me therefore. For I'm giving you a new vision, a fresh anointing, and a fresh new grace for what's ahead of you. Put off the old, and put on the new that I'm giving to you. Forgive what's past, and embrace the new that I'm giving to you. For I have many more things that I want to show you and do in your life. I will give you visions and dreams. I will give you fresh revelations. I will give you a new hope. I will give you a new purpose. I will show you My glory." 

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV) says, 'Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.' 

The Lord also says: 

"Let My Spirit work in you to renew you. Let My Spirit open your spiritual eyes and enlighten your spiritual eyes, so that you can see all the things, the new things, that I am doing in your life and about to do in your life." 

It's so important to know your time and season. Not according to man's eyes, but according to God's eyes. You can seek the Lord for His 'specifics' and timing for you. You can seek the Lord for His blueprints for you. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can. 

Different people different. Different people may have different 'specifics' and timing in God's eyes. But one thing for sure is the Lord your God will never leave you hanging! He will never leave you without help, and you will never be out of God's sight and God's care!

One interesting example is the Levites and the priests those days in the Old Testament. Numbers 8:24-26 (NKJV) says, 'This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting; and at the age of fifty years, they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more. They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work...' 

These Levites and priests were supposed to enter 'retirement' at age fifty. Of course, this may not make sense to many people in our generation, as age fifty may be too early for 'retirement', especially with higher life expectancy in our modern era. Many people (including ministers of God) are still just as active in their profession beyond fifty. But here, I just want you to imagine the Levites and the priests at that time, and as they reach their 'retirement' age of fifty. It's definitely an ending of one season and the beginning of a new season for them. 

Question: Did their usefulness also end by that age? Absolutely not! It's just a change in the nature of how they serve the Lord!

Why did the Lord instruct the Levites and the priests to cease heavy labor at age fifty?

These are some of the reasons:

1. Heavy manual labor. At that time, the work of the Levites involved setting up, taking down, and carrying many heavy parts of the tabernacle. As for the priests, they would need lots of strength in slaughtering and skinning animals for the sacrifice.

2. Prevention of injury and desecration. Intense physical work increases the risk of fatigue-related accidents. Also, mishandling or dropping holy objects could result in breaking ritual laws or cause ceremonial uncleanness. 

3. Prevention of health hazard and sensory limits. Detailed tasks (e.g., inspecting skin diseases from close range) became more difficult as their natural senses and eyesight deteriorate with age.

But that doesn't mean it's the end of their life of serving God and moving into a boring life! They didn't stop serving God. They moved into, for example, offering counseling, advice, or wisdom to the younger ones.

It's the same with any profession. For example, sportsmen. They cannot keep on and on. But that doesn't mean it's the end. They can move into a new season. I'm not saying it's easy for them, especially after being in the 'limelight' and having lots of fans applauding them in their younger days. But it's definitely not the end. They can move into, for example, coaching, advisory work, commentating, etc. There are so many things they can do. 

Beloved of God, whatever your age, rejoice and be glad, because the Lord your God is about to do new and exciting things in your life! Never limit what He can do in your life, going forward. He can do many things that you have not imagined yet. Good things, of course!

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