YOUR DEAD SEA SHALL BECOME A LIVING SEA!

BY PASTOR T. O. BANSO

The Dead Sea is a salt sea in southern Palestine. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth being 1, 292 ft below the Mediterranean sea level. It is a large body of water spreading over 340 square miles in area. It receives water from other rivers but has no outlet. It loses its water mainly through evaporation.

The water in the Dead Sea is salty. Apparently that is why it is referred to in the Old Testament as the Salt Sea.

The first mention of Salt Sea is in Gen 14:3.  “All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea)” (Gen 14:3 NKJV). There is also a reference to it thus in Num 34:3: “Your southern border shall be from the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom; then your southern border shall extend eastward to the end of the Salt Sea” (NKJV).

Verse 12 also refers to the Dead Sea as Salt Sea: “The border shall go down along the Jordan, and it shall end at the Salt Sea” (NKJV).  Deut 3:17, Joshua 3:16, 12:3, 15:2, 5, 12 and Joshua 18:19 all refer to the Dead Sea as the Salt Sea.

Because the Dead Sea is highly salty, the sea is dead – there is no life in it – no fish or any water animal or plant, everything is dead. Even if you put a fish in it, it will die quickly. But in a way, the Dead Sea is a blessing in that it has vast mineral wealth – potash, bromide, salt, gypsum, and magnesium chloride.

Largely, the condition of many people today is like the Dead Sea – a dead life – though they have a great potential­. The home is dead, the marriage is dead, the business is dead – death everywhere even though their lives could be full of material wealth; death though they have amazing potential. But the power of God can cause death to change to life; it can restore life to what is dead. God can bring the dead back to life whether they are dead physically, spiritually, financially, etc. It doesn’t matter whether it is the soul that is dead or marriage, business, career or any other for that matter. God can change death to life.

For three days in the wilderness, the Israelites went without water to drink. That was a painful experience. After three days of no water, they found water, but it was bad – Marah, bitter water. That was certainly not what they expected after three long days of no water. So they started murmuring. That was not the right thing to do considering God’s past interventions on their behalf. But their attitude is not my focus. My focus is that Moses cried to the Lord concerning the water of Marah and He healed the water for the people to drink (Exo 15:22-25)

In 2 Kings 2, Prophet Elisha performed a similar miracle similar. He healed the water of Jericho that was producing death.  The Holy Spirit will do the same in your life. “Then the men of the city said to Elisha, ‘Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.’ And he said, ‘Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.’ So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, ‘Thus says the LORD: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’ So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke” (2 Kings 2:19-22 NKJV). Death stopped; barrenness ceased! By the power of the Holy Spirit, I command the Dead Sea of your life to become a living sea now in Jesus’ name. The anointing, the power of God, will heal your Dead Sea and it shall begin to produce life henceforth in Jesus’ name. Your buried potential shall come alive. The promise you hold shall become a reality.

Lazarus

Lazarus was dead physically but the power of God brought Lazarus back to life after four days of being buried. This happened to the disbelief of Lazarus’ sisters and all present. “Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go’” (John 11:39-44 NKJV). 

Jairus’ daughter

Jairus daughter was also dead, and the power of God brought her back to life; the ruler of the synagogue received her daughter back to life. Mourning turned to celebration in his family. “And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, ‘Talitha, cumi,’ which is translated, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat” (Mark 5:40-43 NKJV) .

Jesus Christ

The power of God brought Jesus back to life after three days and nights in the grave. God has the power to raise the dead back to life. 2 Cor 1:9 says, “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (NKJV). The power of God raised Jesus from the dead despite all the precautions taken by the religious leaders that killed him. The Father has the power to bring the dead back to life. “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will” (John 5:21 NKJV).  And because the Father has power to raise the dead and give life to them, He therefore had no problem raising Jesus back to life. Rom 1:4 says, “And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy SPIRIT” (NLT). 

Tabitha and Euthychus

Tabitha was dead and by the power of God she was raised back to life by the hand of Peter.  “But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive” (Acts 9:40-42 NKJV). The saints and widows there must have been full of joy because of this miracle.

Euthychus was another dead person that the power of God brought back to life. He slept off and fell down from the window in the night while Paul speaking in a meeting. He died immediately but the power of God restored him to life. “And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, ‘Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.’ Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted” (Acts 20:9-12 NKJV).

The same power of God that raised these people I’ve mentioned back to life is also able to bring life to any dead life, dead marriage, dead business, etc. that looks like Dead Sea. And the Bible tells us how the Dead Sea will become a living sea. By the flowing of the living waters, a new river from the presence of God flowing into it.  Zech 14:8 says, “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be” (KJV). The former sea in that Scripture refers to the Dead Sea. See how the New Living Translation renders that verse: “On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously both in summer and in winter” (Zech 14:8 NLT). When the life giving waters flow unto the Dead Sea, the latter shall become a living sea.

Ezek 47 also talks about the healing of the Dead Sea.  It says in verses 7-9 that the river flowing from under the threshold of the Temple eastward entered the Dead Sea and healed the salty waters of the Dead Sea; it made them fresh and pure. What shall be the effect of this healing? “Everything that touches the water of this river will live. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed. Wherever this water flows, everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea, fishing all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim. The shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean!” (Verses 9-11 NLT).

You may be wondering how relevant to your life the issue of the Dead Sea is. Remember that earlier on, I likened the present condition of many people’s lives to that of the Dead Sea where nothing is alive though they could be full of material resources or great potential. By God’s power, such lives will receive life and their potential will receive divine power for fulfillment. How shall this be possible?

The Holy Spirit: The river of living water

In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is the river of living water. John 7:38-39 says, “If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within. (When he said ‘living water,’ he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory)” (NLT).  The operation of the Holy Spirit shall bring life and fresh water into your Dead Sea just as the power of God invaded the valley of dead bones and turned it to a great army of people (Eze 39:1-14).

Your condition may be like the Dead Sea but by the power that is in the name of Jesus, you are healed! All you need to do is to stay open to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and let him turn your life around. His living power shall turn the death in your life to life. “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds, says the LORD” (Jer 30:17 NLT).

Acts 10:38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (NKJV). That same power is still active and alive to heal your own life, your marriage, your children, your business, your career, etc. and it shall be done this hour in Jesus’ name. And when this happens, new things will begin to come out of your life. Your story will change and everyone will see the change. The power of the Holy Spirit will do it. You shall celebrate the goodness and the mercy of God.

TAKE ACTION!

If you’re not born again, you need to make yourself ready for eternity. I urge you to take the following steps:*Admit you’re a sinner and you can’t save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start to attend a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. There you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today. I invite Jesus into my heart today. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.  

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where you will be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I’ll be glad to hear from you. May the Lord be with you.

T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org