EZEKIEL 3:8

Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. [NKJV]

Strong Face and Tough Forehead as Helmet for a Minister of Grace


There are animals that match each other by face against face, and do battle by locking horns against the opponent's horns. To them, the hardness of their foreheads, strength of their faces and toughness of their horns, determine the strength of the rest of their entire bodies, and the rankings of seniority, victory and power among them.

In the Bible verse above, God made Ezekiel's face strong against the faces of the people he was sent to preach, and made Ezekiel's forehead tough against their foreheads. But God did not make Ezekiel's heart hard against their hardened hearts.

This meant, God's equipping of Ezekiel against the hardness of the people's heart was not by making Ezekiel's heart hard too, but by making Ezekiel's forehead and face hard against their own. So Ezekiel was to confront those hard hearted people by possessing hard and tough face and forehead, but with gentle and soft heart.

In life, there are people that make others hardened by how they treated or cheated them; and thus, making things hard because people are hard and difficult. But I urge you, let only your face and forehead but tough enough, but do not harden your heart even when facing wicked and hard hearted people. Keep your heart with all diligence as delicate and soft, for out of it are the issues of life.

So your hard face and forehead help you overcome tough times and tough people but with a soft and harmless heart as dove. For mercy, compassion, virtues, understanding and grace, dwell in a soft heart.

For me to preach to sinners, my face and forehead have to be strong and hard against their own for the sake of telling them the truth boldly, but my heart must remain soft and harmless to them for the sake of doing so in love and grace towards them. Hence, "Grace and Truth" or "Truth Spoken in Love," not condemnation of the sinners.








EZEKIEL 3:9

Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.” [NKJV]

I will make your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or dismayed at their presence, even though they are a rebellious house.” [BSB]

Toughness or Stoneness for Ministry


The Lord did not make His Messenger's forehead to be as hard as the rebellious people, but rather as hard as flint or diamond beyond the hardness or toughness of the rebellious and hard people. Don't expect to find it easy from their reactions when they are rebellious, stubborn and hard hearted, lest you compromise.

"Hard as flint" is a phrase used to describe someone or something that is extremely tough or resilient. It suggests a level of unyielding determination and strength.

"Toughness" or "Resilience" is needed in delivering our Ministry and Messages in a crooked world full of adultery and perverse generations. The Lord said, since the days of John the Baptist the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the Violent takes it by force. But I add, that even beyond the days of John the Baptist the ministry of heaven suffered rebellion and the Resilient ministered it by force without the victory of fear of men.

In the Bible verse above, God clarified both the extent and expectancy of making Ezekiel's forehead Tough or Hard:

*1* The Extent — Hard as flint, tough as Diamond

*2* The Expectancy — To not fear them, neither be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their presence/looks/appearance, even though they are rebellious.

I have seen ram with smaller horns being not afraid of the face of a man while a cow with bigger horns than those of a ram was afraid and feared. Hence better to be "Ram" than be "Cow-ard" when you are given horns or foreheads as hard as flint or diamond.

Diamond is not afraid of men falling on it, because they would be the ones broken and not the Diamond Stone. Even much more than these, the Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of man, better than Ezekiel in being the Toughest Stone in Ministry. As it is written,

[Luke 20:17‭-‬18 NKJV] — Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone’? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

The name "Peter" or "Cephas" means "Stone," but the toughness of the stone meant was not indicated in the name but will be determined in the toughness, resilience, boldness and endurance, in true ministering of the Living Word of God. Some do not bear the name Peter, but they are more Peter than some who are called Peter. Don't be a Peter when Peter was a Coward and even denying the Lord Jesus Christ before a little girl. Rather be a Peter when Peter was the boldest and toughest in ministering the grace and gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ amid rebellious people.

[2 Timothy 1:7-8] — "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not you therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be you partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;"