Ezekiel 3:4-11. God tells Ezekiel to get up and go to the exiled House of Israel and tell them everything that God tells him. God points out that he is not sending Ezekiel to a foreign land where they will not understand his language, but to his own people. But God does acknowledge that they are a stiff-necked, stubborn people and they will most likely not listen to Ezekiel. Ezekiel is not to be concerned about this, because God has made Ezekiel's face "hard against them." Ezekiel is to hear and accept all the words that God says to him and then say them to the people whether they listen or not.

I had this reading before in Don't Let the Haters Drag You Down. Sometimes when I get a duplicate reading, I choose another passage, but other times I feel like God is saying I didn't fully get what I was supposed to get out of a reading or he needs to remind me of something in these words. I feel like the latter is true today.

God is speaking to me, I am absolutely sure of it. It has been a lot of work learning to discern his voice from the devil's (because he interrupts God and tries to lead me astray), and to discern when a message is meant for me only, or for me to tell others right away, or for me to wait, and tell others when God prompts me. It was all very confusing at first, but has become more and more clear to me. It is simply amazing!

I am not being sent out like Ezekiel was, exactly. God is not putting words into my mouth or ears, he is, instead, showing me things, giving me messages, putting people and events in my life that teach me things, especially in connection with the things that he has shown me in dreams, messages, and insights. It all fits together like a giant puzzle of which I am only working on the smallest corner. I do not see the big picture, I cannot, I am not meant to, and that is fine,. But I am meant to see the pattern and picture that being revealed to me. Once I see it, I often want to tell others right away. That is often the devil playing on my pride - I want to be known as the first to have seen this. That is usually not what God is asking me to do. The picture and pattern are for me to see and share  with those God puts in my path at the time he wants me to speak. I am not to go out, like Ezekiel, and tell the whole world. Not yet, at least. (Although there are certain times that I am to tell people right away - that is a different feeling and I am still working on discerning that.)

I find that the thinking, writing, and waiting brings me to the point when God makes it very obvious to me what I am to do with his word. In the Precious Blood Prayer for the Reign of Glory on Earth, Jesus tells us to live the life of our consecration now and we will learn much from him - we will know when, who, and what to do. That is exactly right, I find. We must abide close to him and he will show us the way in these perilous times.