Speak Up! | Sunday Worship Experience | Dr. Kristopher K. DarDar, Sr.

Devotional

Day 1: Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel stood in a sun-scorched valley, bones crunching underfoot. God’s hand gripped him as he surveyed the wreckage—countless skeletons bleached white, rattling in the wind. The Lord asked, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel didn’t argue or despair. He surrendered: “You know.” Even in death, he trusted God’s voice over the desolation. [06:01]

This scene mirrors moments when God’s presence leads us into barren places. The valley wasn’t punishment—it was preparation. Dry bones symbolize dead identities, forgotten dreams, and buried hopes. Jesus still walks valleys with us, asking us to see beyond what’s withered.

Many of us hide our valleys, pretending strength while ignoring God’s question. But resurrection starts when we admit, “I don’t know—but You do.” What dry place have you avoided naming, fearing it’s beyond redemption?

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’”
(Ezekiel 37:1-3, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one “valley” in your life where He’s calling you to trust His presence.

Challenge: Write down one area of dryness (a relationship, dream, or habit) you’ve avoided confronting.

Day 2: Prophesy to the Bones

God told Ezekiel to speak to the bones. Not complain about them, analyze them, or mourn them—speak to them. “Hear the word of the LORD,” Ezekiel declared. As he obeyed, sinews knit bone to bone. What was scattered became structured, yet lifeless. The miracle began not with feeling, but with faithful speech. [12:55]

Jesus modeled this: He thanked God for Lazarus’ resurrection before seeing it. Our words don’t create power—they channel God’s. When we declare His promises over dead places, we partner with His repair.

What broken situation have you stopped speaking to? Your marriage? Health? Purpose? Like Ezekiel, name the dry thing and command it to hear God. What phrase of defeat do you need to replace with “Thus says the Lord” today?

“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. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’”
(Ezekiel 37:4-6, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one negative statement you’ve repeated about yourself or others. Replace it aloud with a Scripture promise.

Challenge: Text/Call someone today to speak a specific blessing over their “dry bone” situation.

Day 3: Flesh Without Breath

The bones became bodies—muscled, skinned, upright—but breathless. Ezekiel saw form without function, bodies without breath. Many live like this: marriages intact but loveless, careers stable but purposeless, faith routine but lifeless. Structure satisfies temporarily, but only breath brings animation. [07:44]

Jesus warned the Pharisees about cleaning tombs while harboring death inside. God cares less about appearances than His Spirit’s flow. What “put-together” area of your life actually lacks His vitality?

You might excel at work yet feel empty. Serve tirelessly yet grow numb. Where have you settled for order over God’s fire?

“So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them.”
(Ezekiel 37:7-8, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for areas He’s structured in your life, then ask Him to breathe fresh purpose into them.

Challenge: Identify one “lifeless” routine (prayer, work, service) and alter it today to prioritize God’s presence.

Day 4: Calling the Four Winds

God told Ezekiel to prophesy again—this time to the breath. The Hebrew ruah means wind, spirit, breath. Ezekiel didn’t beg; he commanded: “Come, O breath!” The corpses stirred, rising as a vast army. Resurrection required both human obedience and divine breath. [40:45]

Jesus breathed on His disciples, saying, “Receive the Spirit.” We partner with God not just by doing, but by inviting His ruah into our efforts. Programs can’t revive a church. Advice can’t heal a marriage. Only His breath transforms.

What situation have you structured through effort but not surrendered to His Spirit?

“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.”
(Ezekiel 37:9-10, ESV)

Prayer: Pray aloud over one “lifeless” area: “Come, Breath of God—breathe here.”

Challenge: Set a 5-minute timer tonight to sit silently, inhaling deeply as you pray for the Spirit’s breath.

Day 5: The God Who Hovers

The ruah hovered over chaos in Genesis 1. It hovered again in Ezekiel’s valley. God’s Spirit still hovers over your dead places, waiting for your invitation. He won’t override your voice. Revival begins when you declare, “Breathe here!” [54:24]

Jesus said, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” Not “think about it” or “wish for it”—ask. The same power that raised armies from dust waits for your partnership.

What have you resigned to death that God still calls “sleeping”? Will you risk inviting Him into it today?

“And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”
(Ezekiel 37:14, ESV)

Prayer: Write a one-sentence invitation to the Holy Spirit, naming a specific area needing life.

Challenge: Share your written invitation with a trusted believer, asking them to pray it with you this week.

Sermon Summary

Ezekiel sets the scene with the hand of the Lord resting on him and yet placing him right in the middle of a valley. The valley stands crowded with very dry bones, a field of broken and dead identities. In Israel’s imagination, bones carry the self, not just structure but personhood, so the text confronts the loss of who God’s people are. God asks the piercing question, Can these bones live, and Ezekiel answers with a humble, Lord, you know. God then orders speech. Prophesy to these bones. Say, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

The valley exposes more than external trauma. It exposes the inward transcript. The tongue has been talking, telling a long story of can’t, never, too late, too much, too little. Genesis already shows how God works. God said, and it was. Image bearers carry derivative creative power in their mouths, so the text calls for guarded speech, watch what you say, because a life often looks like what the tongue has been rehearsing.

God’s command locates the content of this speech. Prophesy does not repeat feelings. Prophesy says what God wants said. The word of the Lord must displace the old scripts. When Ezekiel obeys, a noise rises, a rattling, chaos that tries to scare faith silent. But the chaos is reassembly, not ruin. Bones find bone. Sinew laces structure. Skin covers form. It looks right, but it cannot breathe. The text diagnoses many lives, marriages, ministries, even minds that are structured and photogenic, yet empty of animation.

So God sends Ezekiel a second time. Prophesy to the breath. Call the ruah from the four winds. The same ruah that hovered in the beginning, the same breath that God breathed into Adam’s nostrils, now waits. The Spirit often hovers until someone speaks. God in mercy will not bulldoze the door. He honors invitation. Therapy is good. Wisdom and plans are good. These prophesy to the bones and give structure. But prayer speaks to the breath. Prayer invites the Spirit who alone makes structure live.

The chapter presses a practical divide. Speaking out defends boundaries, advocates, names truth. Needed. Speaking up addresses God. Some things are not on any ballot. No purchase can buy rest, peace of mind, or a living soul. The Spirit is not waiting on information. He already knows. He is waiting on invitation. When the church opens its mouth with God’s word to the bones and with faith to the breath, the dead self rises, stands, and becomes an exceeding great army.

Key Takeaways

1. Words carry creative authority Speech either builds or buries identity. Genesis frames reality as spoken into being, and Ezekiel leans into that same current. The tongue must stop repeating old verdicts and start announcing God’s script. Prophesy is not hype, it is alignment with what God intends to do. [13:20]
2. Valleys can be Spirit-led assignments The hand of the Lord can be on a person and still set that person in a valley. Presence does not guarantee detours around hard places, it guarantees company within them. The valley often becomes the classroom where identity is restored and speech is retrained. [19:31]
3. Prophecy replaces self-condemning scripts The command is not “vent to the bones” but “hear the word of the Lord.” Prophesy speaks God’s will over dead places, not recycled fear or fatigue. The mouth becomes an instrument of resurrection when it says what God has said, even before any evidence shows up. [33:30]
4. Chaos signals reassembly, not failure Obedience often sets off noise. The rattling does not mean retreat, it marks pieces finding their place. Keep speaking when the sound surges, because God is joining what has been scattered and the enemy wants the noise to mute the voice that called it together. [38:32]
5. Structure still needs the Spirit’s breath Bones, sinew, and skin make a shape, but only ruah makes a life. Therapy, plans, and effort can build strong frames, yet prayer invites the breath that animates the whole. God is not waiting on information but invitation, and breath enters where faith speaks up. [40:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:27] - Winning communication series
[04:57] - Ezekiel 37 read aloud
[06:18] - Dry bones in the valley
[07:44] - Structure without breath
[09:08] - Trauma and self-talk
[12:55] - Creative power of words
[22:46] - Bones as identity
[32:12] - Speak up and prophesy
[37:04] - Chaos and the rattling
[40:27] - Ruah breath and animation
[42:52] - Invitation that moves God
[45:11] - Therapy builds bones, prayer breathes
[50:35] - Speaking up vs speaking out
[55:13] - Altar call and invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Ezekiel 37:1-10 (ESV)
1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 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.” 10 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.

Observation Questions

In Ezekiel 37:3, God asks Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” How does Ezekiel respond, and what does this reveal about his posture toward God’s power?
What happens physically to the bones after Ezekiel first prophesies (vv. 7-8)? What is still missing even after they are reassembled?
The sermon mentions that “bones” in Israel’s imagination represented identity. What specific phrases in the passage suggest God is restoring more than just physical bodies?
The Hebrew word ruah (breath/spirit) appears multiple times in this passage. What actions does ruah perform in verses 5, 6, 9, and 10?

Interpretation Questions

Why might God have chosen a valley—a place of dryness and death—as the setting for this vision of restoration? How does this contrast with typical expectations of where God works?
The sermon states, “Your words have creative power” [12:55]. How does Ezekiel’s obedience to prophesy mirror the creative power of God’s words in Genesis 1?
The bones are described as “very dry” (v. 2). What does this detail symbolize about the state of Israel’s identity or hope, and how does it parallel modern struggles with “dead” areas of life?
The passage shows two phases: bones forming bodies (structure) and breath bringing life (animation). Why might God require both, and what does this imply about the limits of human effort versus divine intervention?

Application Questions

The sermon warns against rehearsing “old scripts” like “I can’t” or “It’s too late” [33:30]. What negative phrases do you often speak over yourself, your relationships, or your purpose? How could you replace them with God’s promises this week?
Valleys are described as “Spirit-led assignments” where identity is restored [19:31]. What “valley” are you in right now, and how might God be using it to retrain your speech or dependence on Him?
The sermon contrasts “speaking out” (advocating, setting boundaries) and “speaking up” (prayer inviting the Spirit) [50:35]. Where in your life do you need to shift from only taking practical steps (therapy, plans) to actively inviting God’s breath through prayer?
Chaos and “rattling” often follow obedience [38:32]. Describe a time when stepping out in faith caused disruption. How did you respond, and what would you do differently now?
The text says structure without breath is lifeless. Are there areas where your life, work, or relationships look “put together” but feel empty? What would it look like to ask God for ruah in those places?
The sermon emphasizes that the Spirit “waits on invitation, not information” [54:09]. What specific situation in your life needs an invitation for God to move, and how will you intentionally speak that invitation this week?

Sermon Clips

67s

“Okay. Now this is what I wanna know from you. Do you want a structured life, or do you want a living life? Do you want animation in your marriage again? You know what I'm talking about? That feeling. See, structure will look the part, but it can't feel nothing. You hear what I'm saying? Y'all can look pretty like y'all got it all together. Y'all take good Facebook pictures. Oh, beautiful. Beautiful. But y'all just as dead as you wanna be. Because only you know what's going on at your house. Preacher, how do I how do I get it going again? Therapy, that's good. Therapy is prophesying to the bones.”

36s

“And I I ain't got time to play with you. But he says, the bones started coming together. And then after the structure, the sinew, that's the ligaments. Alright? Y'all see that? Then he says after this, the ligaments, the covering the skin. I wish I had time to break all that down to you. I don't have time. But he says, everything started coming here. Somebody say it's coming together. Somebody say it's coming together. And this is the moment that most of us shut up because we're satisfied when it comes together.”

52s

“I have discovered that God would give you some stuff that you can't talk to nobody about. I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's because you're ashamed. I don't know if it's because it's too embarrassing. I don't know if it's because you don't have the words. I don't know what it is. But God will sometimes give you something in your life that you don't even want to share with your wife, your husband, your children, whatever it is, because God will give you some things. He says, that's reserved for me and you. And we're gonna fight till the end. We're gonna wrestle all night long, and you gotta tell God, God, I won't let you loose until you bless my soul. And God is saying, that's what I need you to do. Start talking to me.”

56s

“So let me tell you something. And what I mean by that is is hope. Don't lose your hope and just start talking because the spirit is hovering. And all he's waiting on, he's not waiting on information. He's waiting on invitation. Alright. That was the sermon right there. One more time because some of y'all acting slow. I said he's not waiting on information. He already knows. He knows. Somebody holler. He knows. He's not waiting on information. He's just waiting on so I wanna know, is there anybody in the room that's gonna invite him in? Anybody in the room gonna invite him in? Okay. It's prayer time. This right here is the most serious part right here.”

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