I was sitting here this morning writing out a Bible verse. In the middle of the verse I was thinking about one specific mistake I made in my past. I was beating myself up, thinking how I could even manage that life and lifestyle when I copied the words, “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you them.” Isaiah 42:9. I was torn up. I wondered how this body could deserve Life in God. How does this body, one that was dead in sin, transform?

Then the Holy Spirit put on my heart to read about Ezekiel. Here this guy was in the middle of a valley full of bones from dead bodies. Wouldn’t you be scared? Standing in the middle of death! I can’t imagine the smells and horror that the valley exhibited. Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy over the dry bones, in the valley of dry bones, three times:

The first time, in Ezekiel 37:4-6, God told him to say: “‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones; Behold I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” God told the dry bones to come together, and they did.

The second time, in Ezekiel 37:9, God told him: “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, 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.’” God told the dry bones to breathe the breath of God, and they did.

The third time, in Ezekiel 37:12-14, God told him: “‘Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.’” God told the dry bones to live, and they did.

Dry Bones, Breathing, and How to Live

God doesn’t send us into the battle to lose our lives, we are required to go into battle because we have already lost our life. We go into battle now because we have Life. Wait… didn’t I contradict myself? I know you may be questioning this odd statement. How can we go to battle because we lost our life and have Life?

Our old life and selfish selves need to die Romans 6:6. We have to accept salvation through the death of God’s son, Jesus Christ Romans 10:9-10. God tells our dry bones to come together and move. We must allow God to shape our bones in His image and not cling to our old, dry bones Isaiah 64:8. God tells our dry bones to breathe the breath of God, we do this through the Holy Spirit John 16:13-15. The Holy Spirit will guide us and connect us deeply to our Father. We cannot go into battle unless we are whole and have Life. We find ourselves full, whole, and full of Life because of God. He is Life.

Dry Bones to Battle

Our dry bones have been brought to life to tell His story, for His cause, for His holy fight. I cannot keep holding onto my dry bones and allowing my previous death to hold me back from Life in Him. We aren’t brought to life to live comfortably. Every day is a battle. We can approach the battle because of who He is and what He has done for us. We can love our enemies John 13:34-35 because we have the Spirit of the Living God in us! We can evangelize. We can do exactly what Ezekiel did and call out to our family, friends, and neighbors to come alive in Him!

We can do this because of the new life He has given us Psalm 105:1! We can face the challenges and trials of this world, because we know what God has done and what He has brought us through Matthew 17:20. I challenge you as I would any of my friends. Have you accepted the gift of Life? Have you left your dry bones behind? Are you breathing the breath of God? Are you going into daily battles because you have Life? Are you calling out to dry bones? Whatever you have to do.. go, friend. God is on your side. You aren’t a pile of dry bones.