How do I know my Shoe fits?

GOD'S PERFECT FIT;" THOSE SHOES WON'T FIT''

As I grew into my thirties, I realized that I might not be a very fashionable individual, but like several women, I love to own nice, exquisite clothes, bags, and most especially shoes. I only found out I loved fashion wear and styles once I conversed with my sister, and she mentioned it.

One of the distinct ways God spoke to me as a teenager was through dreams. During my early twenties, when I had to make an important relationship choice, the Lord spoke to me through dreams, using worn-out, oversized shoes to highlight the fact that He didn't want that relationship for me. 

There were times I would pick out an old, worn-out shoe, and there were times it would be an oversized or undersized shoe. To me, as long as the shoes looked beautiful on the outside, that was all that mattered. As I dived into the relationship, despite God's "no," I got to see why the Lord had said no.

God says "no" to us in His special way. When the Lord says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9), that's God's own way of saying I know the perfect fit for you"

God doesn't want us to walk around in shoes that come off when we walk or shoes that leave blisters when we move. Shoes aren't just picked for their beauty; good shoes should ensure our comfort, no blisters, and no injuries when worn. The all-seeing God had already flipped the pages of the books written about us, and there are moments He goes out to say, "Beloved, those shoes don't fit."

These shoes could be beyond romantic relationships, friendships, business ideas, business deals, career paths, or locations – as long as they are choices that we have to live with each day. Trust the shoemaker. Trust in me with all of your heart; that is what the Lord is saying to me most times when I say, "But why no, or maybe I could manage."

There are times when God doesn't even tell us the "why" or "yes," and all He gives is the "no," "go," or "yes," and He just says, "Do you trust me?" When He says, "Those shoes don't fit," do you trust Him enough to give Him the wheel? Did He recently say to you, "Those shoes don't fit?" You're letting go of those shoes are you saying, "Lord, I trust you," and just like David, we affirm, "May I not be put to shame" (Psalm 31:17).

Stay Revived!

When will I be restored ?

A Word of Encouragement for Those Waiting on God

I recently spoke with someone who shared that she’s been sowing seeds of kindness and doing good for others but hasn’t seen any return or reward. Often, the blessings we hope for don’t come in the way we expect. That’s why God is a God of signs and wonders—He moves in ways that surprise us.

When I was a child, I used to imagine that the dry bones Ezekiel spoke to in his vision literally stood up and walked to Israel as living people. I thought the bones turned into humans and lived out in the world. Hahaha... I didn’t realize at the time that it was a vision God showed Ezekiel, symbolizing the revival of Israel.

Here’s what Ezekiel 37:10-14 says:

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.

As the year draws to a close, many people feel like things are not going the way they had hoped. They may feel like God is not hearing their prayers or that their situation is hopeless. We might wonder how any breakthrough can come from the dryness and lack we see around us. “Our bones are dry, our hope is gone,” we might say.

But even when we can’t see it, God is still working. He is saying to us that He will breathe life into everything that seems dead or hopeless. He’s declaring that restoration and joy are coming, and in due time, we will smile again. God doesn’t need years to change the story of someone’s life. Just as He restored Israel, He will restore everything we’ve lost this year. We will finish the year in joy and rejoicing.

The Lord is putting His Spirit in us, and we will live triumphantly. He will settle us in our own place of blessing and promise. When that happens, we will know that He is the Sovereign Lord.

God has not forgotten or neglected us. He is always present and ready to give us what we desire. He stands at the door of our hearts, knocking, waiting for us to come to Him. Speak to Him today, and He will answer.

Stay revived!

ITS NOT OVER YET

When I think of the life Ezekiel, I am amazed at how he walked with the Lord, that the Lord told him everything He did and wanted to do per time.

Yesterday, we discussed Ezekiel’s encounter with the dry bones in the valley. And how God commanded him to speak to the bones, and we reflected on how this story relates to us. Today, let’s focus on the process of transformation.

Ezekiel 37:7-9

7. So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.''

There are times when we go through struggles and trying times, and it may feel like we are neglected and forgotten; The Lord is working in the background, unseen. But just because we don’t see it, doesn’t mean nothing is happening. If you’ve been praying for something and haven't see it yet, note that there’s a sound of abundance of rain, and in due time there shall be an outpouring. The Lord God is at work.

Yes, it was a vision but I can just imagine how Ezekiel felt in his spirit when he heard the rattling sound and saw the bones coming together. God was working, even in the presence of the enemy. Ezekiel may have initially felt doubt, seeing how dry and lifeless the bones were, but out of these dry bones, something was happening. God was putting things together to fulfill His plan.

Sometimes, God’s plan for us may involve being in situations that feel uncomfortable. He may reposition us in ways we never expected, but that’s why He is God. He is working something out. Just like God led Ezekiel to a valley of dry, lifeless bones, He may lead us into places that seem hopeless, but that’s where God works—breaking the laws of nature to fulfill His purpose.

Remember how people questioned, “Can anything good come from Bethlehem?” Yet our Messiah came from there. This shows that even the most lifeless and dry things can be restored by the power of God.

Now, after the bones were restored, Ezekiel noticed they still had no breath, no life. The bodies were formed, but there was no movement, no sign of life. God then told Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath, saying, “Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.”

Sometimes, we go through a stillness, a form of pause before life is breathed into us, approaching these situations with God's word is our headway to a breakthrough, But don’t be weary of the enemy’s schemes. Because it shows that God is still cooking something up. Keep praying, keep pressing, because life is coming, those dry bones shall live.

Do not give up. Keep faith and trust in Him.

 You are not alone. He is working it out.

Stay revived!

Do you Trust me?

Why Has Everyone Received Their Miracles Except Me? 

Why has everyone received what they wrote in their prayer expectations for the year other than me? 

Tomorrow will be Friday, and I knew that no matter how late I stayed up, Saturday would come soon. So, I asked the Holy Spirit to wake me up in the night. When I woke up, I prayed and then went back to sleep. This morning, when I stepped out of my house, I wanted to pray and emphasize the prayers I had made. But as I began to pray, the Holy Spirit asked me a question: "Do you trust me?" This question came quietly in my spirit.

As I pondered this question this morning, I was reminded of the Lord's conversation with Ezekiel in The Valley of Bones. Ezekiel 37:1-6 (NIV):

1. The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
2. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, very dry bones.
3. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Sovereign Lord, You alone know."
4. Then He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!'
5. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: 'I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.'
6. 'I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'"

Whenever God wants to perform a wonder or a miracle, He looks for a willing partner. He searches for someone ready to cooperate with Him to bring His will to pass. When God wanted to restore life to the dry bones, He asked Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?" This question was meant to see Ezekiel’s stand and faith. God knew that these bones could come to life by His power alone— it was not within man’s power to do this, but with God, all things are possible. Ezekiel’s answer was perfect: "Sovereign Lord, You alone know."

The Lord wanted to see if Ezekiel trusted His ability to perform the miracle. Whenever God asks a question in the Bible, He already knows the answer. For example, when God asked Adam, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9) and "Where is your brother Abel?" (Genesis 4:9), He wasn’t asking for information. He wanted to see the response of the person being asked.

When God gives us instructions, He doesn't have to look at our strength. He wants us to believe and rely on Him to bring it to pass. When the Lord saw Ezekiel's response, He was eager to make it happen. God gave Ezekiel the exact words to speak to the bones, and when Ezekiel prophesied, the bones came together and were revived.

God is deeply interested in our daily lives, in every detail. 

Are there things in your life that have dried up? 

Are there miracles you're waiting for, and it seems like they’re not coming? These situations are no different from the dry bones Ezekiel encountered in the valley. God is waiting for you to speak. If you don’t speak, He will leave it, but He wants you to speak up and call life into those areas that seem dead, to receive God's light.

When I think about how bones came together and flesh appeared on them, it sends shivers down my spine. 

If God can bring dry bones to life, then what is it that He cannot do? It's not too late to speak life into those situations.

 Son of man, speak up! 

Prophesy to that situation and that sickness. Let it receive the life of God.

Stay revived!