September 19th

Today’s Reading: Ezekiel 47–48

Scripture Focus:
“And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live… for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.”
—Ezekiel 47:9

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Reflection

Family, as we’ve been reading through Ezekiel, have you noticed the thread? God’s people were in captivity, under discipline. It looked like everything was over. But right in the middle of that discipline, God made promises: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezekiel 36:26–27). And again, “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:14).

Even while He was correcting them, He was already planning restoration. He promised judgment on their enemies, but hope and renewal for His people. Then He gave them this vision: the temple restored, the city rebuilt, the land divided again. It’s as if He was saying, “Let’s start over.” That’s the heart of our God—a God of second chances, who never abandons His people.

And then comes the vision of the river in chapter 47. At first, it’s just a trickle. Then ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, until it becomes a river so wide and powerful no one could cross it. Wherever the river flows, life flourishes. Salty waters are healed. Dead places come alive. Fruit grows every month.

Here’s the anchor: God’s people had been disciplined. But He promised them not only restoration, He promised transformation. The river flowing from the temple wasn’t just about water—it was about sanctification. The farther it flowed, the deeper it got. That’s how God works in us. He doesn’t just bring us back home; He makes us holy. He takes us from a trickle to a flood, from ankle-deep to fully carried by His Spirit, until every polluted place in our lives is healed and fruitful.

Jesus confirmed this same truth when He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–38). John explains: “By this He meant the Spirit” (v. 39). The river Ezekiel saw is the very Spirit Jesus pours into us today.

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Lesson for Us

Sanctification is the Spirit’s work of taking us deeper. Some of us settle for staying ankle-deep—safe and in control. But God is calling us to wade further in, until we are fully carried by Him. This is daily surrender: choosing His Word over our feelings, His ways over our habits, His Spirit over our flesh.
•Ankle-deep: I give God my Sundays or a quick prayer, but keep most things under my control.
•Knee-deep: I start obeying Him in some areas, but I still hold back in others.
•Waist-deep: I’m learning to trust Him more, but I resist when it’s uncomfortable.
•Carried by the river: I surrender all—time, words, relationships, struggles—so His Spirit flows freely, cleansing me and producing fruit in my life.

The question is: Where am I standing right now—and am I willing to step in deeper?

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🙏 Application Questions
1.Where in my life am I still standing ankle-deep with God?
2.What “polluted waters” in me need the Spirit’s cleansing flow?
3.How can I let the Spirit’s river overflow through me to bring life and healing to others?

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Prayer

Lord, thank You that You never give up on Your people. Thank You for the river of life, Your Spirit, who flows into me and makes me new. Don’t let me stay ankle-deep. Take me deeper until I’m carried fully by You. Cleanse me, heal me, and make me fruitful so that Your life can flow through me to others. Amen.

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Promises to Hold On To
•“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1–2)
•“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)

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🖊️ Journaling Reminder:
Sit quietly with Jesus. Ask Him, “Lord, how deep am I with You right now? Where are You calling me to step further in?” Write down what He shows you.