Each of us is formed from the dust of the earth, a humbling reminder of our origin and our ultimate return to God. Our bodies are temporary vessels, animated by the breath and spirit that God gives, and one day, the dust will return to the earth while our spirit returns to the One who gave it. This truth calls us to recognize our dependence on God and the fleeting nature of our flesh, urging us to seek what is eternal rather than what is temporary. [02:12]
Ecclesiastes 12:7 (ESV)
"and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."
Reflection: In what ways does remembering your origin and destiny as “dust” change how you approach your daily priorities and relationships today?
Our greatest battle is not with the devil or the world, but with our own flesh—the desires and weaknesses that constantly war against the spirit within us. Even Jesus, in His humanity, wrestled with the will of the flesh, and throughout Scripture, men and women struggled to deny their own desires. Yet, we are called to overcome the pull of the flesh by walking in the Spirit, learning to say “no” to ourselves so that we can say “yes” to God’s purposes. [13:03]
Romans 8:8 (ESV)
"Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
Reflection: What is one specific area where your flesh resists God’s will, and how can you intentionally choose the Spirit over the flesh in that area today?
We often crave control, but true spiritual life comes when we surrender our need to manage everything and let God take the lead. When we release our grip and trust Him, even in situations that feel uncertain or frightening, we discover that God’s power and presence are more than enough to carry us through. Letting go is not easy, but it is the pathway to experiencing the fullness of God’s Spirit and His peace in our lives. [21:12]
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Reflection: Where are you holding tightly to control in your life, and what would it look like to practically surrender that area to God today?
Just as God breathed life into the dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision, He desires to fill us with His Spirit, transforming our lifelessness into vibrant spiritual life. It is not enough to be merely formed or to go through the motions; we need the breath—the wind—of God to animate us, empower us, and make us ready for the battles ahead. When the Spirit moves, what was dead comes alive, and we become the people God intended us to be. [30:20]
Ezekiel 37:9-10 (ESV)
"Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.' So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army."
Reflection: What “dry bones” in your life need the breath of God today, and how can you invite His Spirit to bring new life to those places?
To truly follow Christ, we must daily deny ourselves, take up our cross, and allow the Spirit to lead us. This means surrendering our will, our desires, and our comfort, choosing instead to let God’s Spirit sweep through our lives and remove what is carnal or fleshly. Only by living in the Spirit can we experience the overcoming, victorious life God has promised, and be ready for the day when our spirit returns to Him. [36:31]
Galatians 5:16 (ESV)
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."
Reflection: What is one practical step you can take today to deny your flesh and intentionally walk in the Spirit?
From the very beginning, God created humanity with a unique purpose, forming us from the dust of the earth and breathing His own Spirit into us. While all of creation is marvelous, nothing compares to the intricacy and wonder of mankind, made to walk and talk with God. Yet, from Adam and Eve onward, humanity has struggled with the flesh—our “dust”—which constantly wars against the Spirit. Our greatest battles are not with the devil or the world, but with our own fleshly desires and need for control. We often blame others or circumstances, but the real struggle is within ourselves, as even Jesus wrestled with His flesh in the garden before the cross.
God’s plan has always been to move us out of the dust and into the wind—out of mere existence in the flesh and into life in the Spirit. The flesh profits nothing; it is the Spirit that gives life. Throughout scripture, we see that simply being formed from dust is not enough. Like the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel, bodies can be assembled, but without the breath—the wind—of God, there is no true life or power. God desires to fill us with His Spirit, to empower us to overcome the flesh, to live victoriously, and to be ready for the battles of life.
Letting go of control and surrendering to God is difficult for us. We like to be in charge, but true transformation comes when we allow God’s Spirit to move in us, to sweep out the dust, and to fill us with His presence. The light of God reveals the dust in our lives—the carnal attitudes, the unspiritual actions—and calls us to a deeper cleansing. We are not meant to live by the flesh, but to be led by the Spirit, to let the wind of God blow through us, bringing life, power, and readiness for His purposes.
Ultimately, what will return to God is not our flesh, but our spirit. If we do not have the Spirit of Christ in us, we will miss out on the life He offers. Denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and surrendering our will is never easy, but it is the only way to move from dust to wind, from death to life, from self to Spirit. God is calling us to step out of the dust and into the wind of His Spirit, to let Him have control, and to truly live.
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Ecclesiastes 12:7 (ESV) — > "and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."
2. Genesis 2:7 (ESV)
> "then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature."
3. Ezekiel 37:4-10 (ESV)
> "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... So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.'"
God always had a plan. He's had a plan ever since. Amen. And it's still the plan today. There's always a plan to get out of the flesh and to get spiritual. In words, let God rule. Oh, that's hard for us. It's hard to let God rule. [00:15:18] (24 seconds) #GodsPlanAlways
When you let go and let God do what God wants. There's something that takes place. That gets you to somewhere. To a place in God. That you're not in control. Amen. But it doesn't matter. Because God's got it all in His hand. He's got it under control. [00:21:14] (18 seconds) #LetGoLetGod
I don't know what the disciples thought that day when they were there on the day of Pentecost. And the mighty rushing wind came. And it, can I say it this way? And it blew their dust out. It got rid of the flesh. And gave them something spiritual. Amen. When God poured His Spirit out upon them. Like Joel prophesied about. God put His Spirit inside of them. And they received the Holy Ghost. And began to speak in tongues. As the Spirit gave the utterance. Amen. That wind of God. [00:21:33] (37 seconds) #PentecostPower
It's real interesting to me. That if you're in a dark house. You can't see the dust. It's only when there's revelation. There's light. That you can see the dust floating. This is really gross. But it fits right here. I was at a person's house one time. And they asked me. They said. Do you want some coffee? And I said no I don't. And I love coffee. But you know what I could see? I could see all this dog and cat hair floating. I said no. I don't want no coffee. It'll get in it. When the light reveals. That's when we know. Come on somebody. When the light reveals that there's dust in our lives. That we're just we're just fleshly. We're we're carnal. Can I say it that way? We're not doing what we're supposed to be doing spiritually. Amen. When when we're saying things that are not spiritual. When we're when we're doing. Doing things that are not spiritual. That's all that dust is in us. And we need a good sweeping. We need a good cleaning. We need some wind to come and blow the dust out of us. Come on somebody. We got to get to that point if we're going to be saved. Come out of the dust and get into the wind. [00:23:36] (89 seconds) #LightRevealsDust
Just being formed is not enough. And then, my brain, when I was thinking about that, my brain went to what God told Jeremiah. Jeremiah, I formed you in the belly of your mama. That wasn't enough. It wasn't enough until Jeremiah had fire, had spirit, had—it's not enough just to be fleshly. Come on, somebody. It's not enough. The flesh, it's not enough. We gotta have spirit. We gotta have some wind. [00:29:08] (49 seconds) #SpiritNotJustFlesh
I came to tell somebody, you need some wind in your life so that you can be ready for battle. Amen. We've been in the flesh too long. Amen. We've been living by the flesh too long. We've been depending on this flesh way too long. And God is standing here and he said, hey, I wish you'd depend on me a bit. I wish you'd call on my name today. I wish you'd give me some glory so I can show up in your situation. [00:30:29] (45 seconds) #WindForBattle
I know we're going to live until we die. I get that. But we've got to have God. We've got to have that wind come and blow in our lives and push the stuff out of our life. We need life, and we need spirit, which is life. Amen. See, the spirit is what's going to return to God one of these days. [00:33:27] (29 seconds) #SpiritIsLife
We sing those songs because if we want to be right with God, we have to give up our will and it to Him. Amen. It's never, it's never fun. It's never fun to deny oneself. It's just not fun. [00:34:56] (29 seconds) #DenyYourself
We've got to get out of the dust. Get into the room. Get into the wind. The wind of God. The spirit of God. We've got to, we've got to be led by the spirit. We've got to follow after the spirit. On and on the scripture goes. Let God do what God wants to do in our life. Amen. [00:36:17] (26 seconds) #LedByTheSpirit
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