AMEN: Firing Your Words At Heaven's Target - Steve Parrish

AMEN, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express agreement with what is said. But, AMEN is much so much more than that…

AMEN Is:

  • My Declaration: I Agree With What God Says.

  • My Expectation: I Anticipate His Word Will Come To Pass.

  • My Participation: I Will Do My Part So He Can Do His.

Ezekiel 37:1,4-7 (ESV) 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; it was full of bones. Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, 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.” Ezekiel 37:7 (ESV) So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied…

Mountains are the highest places on earth. In the Bible, they are symbolic of strength, accomplishment and victory. They are iconic places where God met with man, as was the case for Moses on Mt. Sanai or Elijah on Mount Carmel. Mount Zion is symbolic of God’s dwelling place with His chosen people, Israel, and specifically the location of the temple in Jerusalem.

  • Psalm 48:1–3 (ESV) Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.

One of the iconic New Testament mountains was the Mount of Transfiguration

  • Matthew 17:1–3 (ESV) And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

Valleys are the low places on earth. In the Bible, they are symbolic of waiting, difficulty, battle and even death. These are times and places where God is often seen as absent.

  • Psalm 23:4 (ESV) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me

One of the most iconic Bible Valleys was The Valley of Hinnom:

  • During the reign of King Ahaz - (2 Chronicles 28, 33) the valley was used by Baal worshipers to offer their children in their furnaces to their god Molech.

  • During the time of Jeremiah - (Jeremiah 7, 19) referred to the valley as "The Valley of Slaughter."

  • During reign of King Josiah - (2 Kings 23:10) proclaimed "defiled" and no one was allowed to use it for any purpose.

  • During ministry of Jesus - valley evolved into a garbage dump. Trash was burned around the clock, as well as the bodies of dead animals, criminal corpses. It was a well-known hangout for lepers and the sick. There was continual smoke, stench, maggots and flies. At night, dogs could be heard fighting over the trash. Eleven out of twelve times that Jesus talked about HELL, He used the Greek word "GAHENNA." "GAHENNA" comes from the Old Testament word, "HINNOM" which was a valley south of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 37:1–2 (ESV) 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; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.

  • hand of the Lord was on Him

  • brought into the middle of a valley

  • by the Spirit of the Lord

  • not just a valley, it was full of bones, many bones! Dry bones!

Ezekiel 37:3 (ESV) And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

  • you can end up in a Valley filled with many dry bones as a result of:

    • life happens

    • the enemies attack

    • your own actions – ignorance, stupidity, foolish, sin, rebellion

    • the leading of the Holy Spirit

  • However you got there, the question now is “Can these bones live?”

  • The answer: YES

Ezekiel 37:4 (ESV) Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

  • At this moment we often make several mistakes with our lips

    • murmur, grumble

      • Exodus 15:23–24 (ESV) When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

      • Exodus 16:8 (ESV) And Moses said… Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”

    • become victims: place blame, unforgiving, bitter, excuses, fear-filled verbiage, negative

    • wear it as your identity: everything in life becomes about this

    • become coroners – time and cause of death –faithless

  • None of those mistakes brings about God’s desire – LIFE!!!

  • You have to understand, words create our lives, our atmospheres

    • we live in them

    • those around us live in

    • the Holy Spirit has to live in - Ephesians 4:29–32 (ESV) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

  • Your atmosphere is the incubator for the future

  • What should you do? Prophesy over the bones…

    • The bones are real, don’t act like they are not

    • Prophesy: declare out loud for you/others/heaven/hell to HEAR!

    • Prophesy is not a suggestion; it is a declaration.

    • It is authoritative: Heaven has called you to prophesy! God could come down and do it, but he’s sent you!

    • Prophesy: what God says – general things from the Word, things that you sense, things God has revealed

Ezekiel 37:5–6 (ESV) 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.”

  • There is and order and timing - You don’t get skin before you get flesh. You don’t stand to walk around before tendons are attached.

  • The Word gets the ball rolling

  • It’s important to understand that you might have work to do

    • “were just believing God for our finances

    • “were just believing God for our marriage

    • “were just believing God for our health

    • great, but what are you doing?

  • Prophesy again, and again, and again!

  • Valleys created by Hell will fight back!!! Prophetic warfare – bind and loose. Pray in the Spirit!!!!

Of course, the prophesy is fulfilled, and the outcome is an amazing army!

Holy Spirit, Transform Our Words!

  • AMEN is a lifestyle of prophesying. It’s not going to come easily or quickly.

  • taming the tongue is nearly impossible - James 3:6–8 (ESV) And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

  • but it is a reality of the Holy Spirit - Joel 2:28–29 (ESV) “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…

AMEN, Communion, ProphecySteve ParrishSteve ParrishComment