God's Breath

12-15-2010

God’s Breath by Boyd Bailey


“This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” Ezekiel 37:5

Without Christ we are dead in our sins, but in Christ we come alive. He breathes life into our souls. Sin is a drag on life—Christ is fuel for life. Sin is a wall between God and man—Christ is a bridge between God and man. Sin bleaches the bones of life and causes them to become brittle and lifeless—Christ is vitamin D for the bones of life and causes them to become robust and resilient. Sin crushes us—Christ builds us up.

Sin kills—Christ makes us alive. Sin takes—Christ gives. Sin destroys—Christ creates. Jesus is the antithesis to sin. What sin is, He is not. Sin is bad news—the gospel is good news. A family without the foundation of God is like a ship without a rudder. There is no moral compass to keep you moving in the right direction. The reefs of sin are subtle and promise to rip the hull of your home from its foundation. You are responsible as the spiritual leader to navigate your family around these perilous pitfalls. Lead them to follow the Lord.

The breath of God is sweet, pleasant and life giving. He knows when you feel claustrophobic by the stale air of sin. Jesus is 100% pure oxygen, like the uncontaminated air of a hyperbaric chamber, let Him breath on you. Anger may have an asthmatic hold on your relationships. If they are choking, receive the Lord’s inhaler of forgiveness and love.

“But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding” (Job 32:8).

If you are deep into extramarital sex your air tank of love has been replaced with lust. Thus, exchange your lust to God’s unconditional love before your spiritual lungs explode. You have violated the sacred trust of marriage. Only the breath of God can build back that trust. Pray with your spouse and ask Him to breathe life into your marriage. “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:9).

Let God breathe life into your work, your kids, your finances, your relationships, your health and your future. Pray the old hymn, “Holy Spirit breathe on me, Until my heart is clean; Let sunshine fill its inmost part, With not a cloud between. Breathe on me, breathe on me, Holy Spirit, breathe on me; Take thou my heart, cleanse every part, Holy Spirit breathe on me.” Inhale the fresh breath of heaven and exhale the stale air of sin.

“Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22).

Do I daily inhale God’s breath of faith for my soul and exhale doubt and fear?

Related Readings: Genesis 2:7; Job 33:4; Isaiah 42:5-6; Acts 17:25; 2 Timothy 3:16