Kristi Burchfiel

In Reading Ezekiel chapter 16, it can really be summarized by the statement: we are a mess, God has rescued us and bestowed upon us his blessing, and we are still disobedient to God. As Ezekiel was being shared this information I’m sure he could think of several instances of opportunities where he heard and saw the people of Israel doing things they should not be doing. Even with all the wonderful things that God had given them and blessed them with, they still turned their back on him and ran after other gods and other idols. As a result, God was going to judge them and hold them accountable…

Are we useful or useless? In Ezekiel chapter 15 God goes on to share with Ezekiel that the people of Jerusalem have become as useless as trying to use a vine as firewood. Because we want to be useful in everything we do, this can be very difficult for us to hear. No one likes to be told that they are useless. However, if we are truthful with ourselves, and obedient to what God says determines our usefulness, then we have to admit that if we are not following God, we are not as useful as we could be. In fact, we’re not useful at all. We must go back…

What is in our hearts? In Ezekiel chapter 14 God makes an incredible statement to Ezekiel. Inverse 3, he says these men have set up Idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Then God asks an amazing question: should he be consulted by them at all? What is in our hearts? As God makes this statement, we can see that what we have in our hearts is of the utmost importance. For if we have Idols or stumbling blocks in our hearts, they hinder our relationship with God. Not only hinder, they actually block our ability to come before God.…

Are there falso prophets in your life? Are you one of them? Ezekiel chapter 13 speaks about false prophets. First it deals with the men who are false prophets and second it deals with women who are false prophets. As I read through the list and understand better about what it means to be a false prophet and then judgment that’s waiting for those, I find myself struck by verse 6. In it I see how a false prophet is understanding lie and sharing a lie. However, it’s a lie that they desperately want to be true. So, they share the lie as much as possible hoping it will become…

Your baggage defines you. In Ezekiel chapter 12, God tells Ezekiel to get his baggage ready as if he was ab exile and to prepare to act like one as a warning to the people that this was going to be their future if they didn’t repent. The people would know who and what he was to represent by the baggage that he carried around. If we are running from God, if we are avoiding Him or not talking to Him, we are also carrying baggage and others will know and recognize that baggage. Is our life serving as an example of what to do, or are we like Ezekiel…

As I was reading Ezekiel chapter 10, I was struck with what a sad, depressing chapter this is. How sad that the people of Israel had come to the place where they were so caught up in their sin that God removed his glory from among the. God left. God cannot be together with sin. God is a holy and righteous God. He provides mercy through Jesus Christ for those who will accept it, but when people reject the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ, they should not expect to remain in the presence of the glory of God. Where are we at? Do we acknowledge the glory of God…

In Ezekiel chapter 9, we see God’s judgment carried out. Ezekiel stands before God and watches as God sends His executioners out among the people. But, even in the midst of the judgment there is grace. God sends one who is to mark and thus spare anyone who is grieved by the sins of Israel. Are we grieved by the sins around us? Do we come to God begging Him to do something about the lack of respect for God that we see in our world today? God will hold people accountable for their sin and unless they repent and reject the sin, they will fall. As we turn to…

God continues to show Ezekiel the sins and abominations of Israel. In Ezekiel chapter 8, we see the sins growing more and more with each successive vision. In the bery last verse of the chapter, verse 18, God says that He has had enough. God is holy and we are to come humbly before the living, holy God. When these people failed to acknowledge God or to repent, God explained that enough was enough. What is the point that God will have to reach with us before we will turn to Him? Will we see Him working to get our attention and respond in humility and repentance or reject Him…

As Ezekiel continues hearing the word of the Lord, God reveals to him the extent and the magnitude of the destruction and judgement that is coming up on the people. The people have taken everything that God has given them and they have turned it into something that has been profaned. The beauty which God created, they have distorted in their sin. We need to recognize the impact that our sin has on our own life the lives of others around us and also on the world in which we live. God, the Creator, created this world and said it was good and beautiful and yet our sin has distorted…