{"id":12979,"date":"2013-07-15T01:00:52","date_gmt":"2013-07-15T05:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=12979"},"modified":"2013-07-14T22:44:40","modified_gmt":"2013-07-15T02:44:40","slug":"i-am-chapter-2-day-1-the-great-i-am-in-the-book-of-ezekiel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/07\/15\/i-am-chapter-2-day-1-the-great-i-am-in-the-book-of-ezekiel\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI AM\u201d Chapter 2 \u2013 Day 1: The Great I AM in the Book of Ezekiel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever watched someone worship and wonder, \u201cHow do they do that?\u201d\u00a0<\/span> <\/strong>I have.\u00a0 I think I have \u201cworship envy.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe it was my upbringing in a conservative church environment, maybe I care too much what people think, maybe I have never totally surrendered myself to worship.\u00a0 The reality probably lies somewhere in between.<\/p>\n

As I read the Book of Ezekiel, I found myself in awe again of someone so sold out for God that he was willing to do whatever<\/em><\/strong> to get God\u2019s message across.\u00a0 Ezekiel was \u201cAll In.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If God said lay in the street on your left side for 390 days and then on your right side for 40 days…Ezekiel did it (to teach a history lesson).\u00a0 If God said shave your head and divide your hair into three piles to explain a prophecy…Ezekiel did it.\u00a0 If God asked Ezekiel to NOT mourn the passing of his beloved wife as an example to the Jews\u2026he managed to do it.<\/p>\n

God said, \u201cTeach\u201d<\/span> and Ezekiel had the responsibility to teach the captive Jews discipline to follow their God.\u00a0 Discipline doesn\u2019t always have a positive feel to it, so I looked it up for us.<\/p>\n

Discipline<\/strong><\/p>\n

1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Training to insure proper behavior; <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the practice or methods of teaching and enforcing acceptable patterns of behavior.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Training that corrects, molds or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Israelites found themselves in captivity\u2026again.\u00a0 Sometimes we think God isn\u2019t paying attention to our lives when times get hard.\u00a0 I think it is just the opposite.\u00a0 Those hard times are to drive us toward Him.\u00a0 How do<\/strong> people survive without God?<\/em>\u00a0 We were created to need Him.\u00a0 If we leave Him out then we deny a very important part of ourselves.<\/p>\n

God sent Ezekiel to help the Jews adjust to their captivity.\u00a0 He gave them hope to carry on and a way to return to a right relationship with God.\u00a0 \u201cGod never forgets those who are faithful to Him<\/i><\/b>\u201d (pg 25). \u00a0 He won\u2019t forget you<\/span> either<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Do YOU know Ezekiel\u2019s God?\u00a0 Ezekiel 16:62 says,<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I will establish my covenant with you, and YOU shall know that I AM<\/span> the LORD.”<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

God\u2019s promise to establish His covenant was for anyone who would obey Him and follow His commands.\u00a0 That\u2019s what the name LORD<\/em> means.<\/p>\n

As we see in Ezekiel\u2019s story, there is not one sedate and reverent way to worship God.\u00a0 Neither is there always craziness associated with worship of the LORD.\u00a0 Worship happens as we seek His face.\u00a0 As we offer our lives to Him, He chooses how to express His love to us.\u00a0 Give your life to the ONE TRUE GOD and be part of the<\/span><\/i><\/b> Body of Christ.<\/p>\n

If you search for the I AM, you will<\/span><\/b> find Him…He wants<\/em> to be found.<\/b><\/p>\n