It’s About What You Say, Not What You See

Speak It – Part 3

Review

2 Corinthians 4:13 (AMP)

Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had, who wrote in Scripture, "I believed, therefore I spoke." We also believe, therefore we also speak.

Everyone say, "I got it, I got it."

What do you have? We only have if you believe like I do.

Hebrews 11:3 (AMP)

By faith [that is, with an inherent trust and enduring confidence in the power, wisdom and goodness of God] we understand that the worlds (universe, ages) were framed and created [formed, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose] by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

John 14:12 (AMP)

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am going to the Father.

Matthew 21:21 (AMP)

Jesus replied to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have faith [personal trust and confidence in Me] and do not doubt or allow yourself to be drawn in two directions, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen [if God wills it]."

So, man has spoken to the animals, man named woman, Jesus tells us to speak to fig trees, and to mountains.

Proverbs 18:21 (AMP)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.

So, why aren't people walking in the power of God?

1 Kings 17:1 (AMP)

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."

Main Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14

The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-2 (AMP)

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass all around them, and behold, there were very many [human bones] in the open valley; and lo, they were very dry.

Very dry—showing that it was a long time since life had left them, and that the possibility of their living again was far removed.

Ezekiel 37:3 (AMP)

And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

Can these bones live? The question is put to the prophet to emphasize the human impossibility of that which is about to be brought about by Divine omnipotence.

Matthew 19:26 (AMP)

But Jesus looked at them and said, "With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

"You know"—The prophet sees the natural impossibility, yet perceives that there must be some deeper reason for the question. He who had been so often troubled with the sense of impotence and failure, who had heard the people say of him, "Does he not speak parables?"

Ezekiel 3:26-27 (AMP)

And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you cannot talk and you cannot be a man who rebukes the people, for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses [to hear], let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

The Command to Prophesy

Ezekiel 37:4 (AMP)

Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.'"

"Prophesy" is used here in its original sense of "speak on God's behalf"—it doesn't necessarily convey the idea of prediction. God is telling Ezekiel to speak His word over the impossible situation.

Ezekiel 37:5 (AMP)

Thus says the Lord God to these bones, 'Behold, I will make breath enter you so that you may come to life.'

The word for "breath," "wind," and "spirit" in Hebrew is the same word. The real agent in the resuscitation of the bones was to be, not the prophet or the word itself, but Jehovah Himself. The Divine activity aimed at "life"—the breath of life.

Psalm 104:30 (AMP)

You send out Your Spirit, they are created; You renew the face of the ground.

Ezekiel 37:6 (AMP)

I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and I will put breath in you so that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.

The process of revivification is divided into two stages: a preliminary stage that reconstructs the external skeleton, bringing together its different parts and clothing them with sinews, flesh, and skin; and a finishing stage that animates the reconstructed skeleton by putting breath in it. This corresponds to the two stages of man's original creation. The result would be that the resurrected and reanimated bones, like newly made man, would know the Lord.

Genesis 2:7 (AMP)

Then the Lord God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit].

The Power of the Prophetic Word

Ezekiel 37:7-8 (AMP)

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a [thundering] noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on the bones, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.

John 5:28 (AMP)

Do not be surprised at this; for a time is coming when all those who are in the tombs will hear His voice.

1 Corinthians 15:52 (AMP)

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at [the sound of] the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believed in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed].

Genesis 1:24 (AMP)

Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind: livestock, crawling things, and wild animals of the earth according to their kinds"; and it was so [because He had spoken them into creation].

Ezekiel 37:9 (AMP)

Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."'"

Ezekiel 17:21 (NLT)

And all his best warriors will be killed in battle, and those who survive will be scattered to the four winds. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.

Ezekiel 37:10 (AMP)

So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

An exceedingly great army. The bones of the slain on the field of battle, having been brought together, clothed with flesh, and a new life breathed into them, now stand up—not as a mixed multitude, but as an exceedingly great army prepared to take their part in the wars of Jehovah under new and happier conditions.

Don't allow life to condition you to stop trying!

The Vision Explained

Ezekiel 37:11-14 (AMP)

Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is lost. We are completely cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will open your graves and make you come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you [back home] to the land of Israel. Then you will know [with confidence] that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and made you come up out of your graves, My people. I will put My Spirit in you and you will come to life, and I will place you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and fulfilled it," says the Lord.'"

Ezekiel 33:22 (AMP)

Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me in the evening, before the survivor came. And He opened my mouth at the time he came to me in the morning; so my mouth was opened [in readiness] and I was no longer mute.

Adversity was not made to break you—it was made to strengthen you!

Discussion Questions

1. Speaking to impossible situations: Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy to dry bones—a seemingly hopeless situation. What "dry bones" in your life is God asking you to speak His Word over? Why is it often difficult to speak faith when circumstances look dead?
2. The two-stage process: Just as the bones came together before breath entered them, God's work in our lives often happens in stages. Are you in a "reconstruction" phase or a "breath of life" phase? How does understanding this process help you remain patient and faithful?
3. "Can these bones live?" When God asks this question, He's not seeking information—He's testing faith. What seemingly impossible situation has God placed before you where the only right answer is "Lord, You know"? What keeps you from fully trusting His power in that area?
4. Don't stop trying: The message emphasizes that we shouldn't allow life to condition us to stop trying. Where have disappointments or failures caused you to give up speaking God's promises? What would it take for you to start prophesying again over those dead areas?
5. From death to an army: The vision ends with an "exceedingly great army" standing on its feet. How does this picture of transformation encourage you about God's ultimate purpose for the areas of your life that seem dead? What would it look like for God to resurrect your dreams, relationships, or circumstances into something powerful for His kingdom?