"The Spirit Of Elijah" Part 6 "Trivial Pursuit"

1 Kings 16:30-33  Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. NKJV

This week I want of look at the origins of witchcraft.   Jezebel was able to prognosticate one phrase and caused Elijah to run for his life.  We looked at the lie that Elijah had held unto and believed and ultimately caused him to miss his ultimate destiny.    If we can identify why all of Gods people went astray, we can find God’s remedy and begin to see why the Spirit of Elijah is going to proceed the second coming of the Lord and prepare the way! 

First, when Ahab became king, he thought it was a trivial thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam.  Jeroboam set up alters to sacrifice and worship other gods.  Trivial is a key word here that we need to take a closer look at.  The word actually means no big deal or a light thing.  God says it is a big deal and very important so let’s see what His Word says.

Deut 30:15-19  "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.  NKJV

This indeed is the key to what God blesses and what He does not.  The first promise of the "No Compromise" is life!  You may live!  Second:  Multiply!  No matter how you look at it, this is a promise of prosperity! Third: God will bless you in the land you go in to possess!  This means God will be with us with victory over all of our enemies as well as dominion over the land we will possess!

Here comes the “But”:  But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them,  I announce to you today that you shall surly perish;  you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over Jordan to possess.   The first thing that happens when your heart turns away is “You do not hear.”  I understand there may some reading this that will say this is Old Testament and we are in the New Testament.  So let’s look at a New Testament scripture that will reveal this about hearing.

John 8:47 He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." NKJV 

Not being able to hear Him is a good indication that you are not of Him.  There are many who say they know Him but their heart is far from Him.   Repent and forsake whatever it is that you have been following and Return to God.   Here is another very clear portion in scripture about hearing.

John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. NKJV

If you are saying you can’t hear God, it’s because you are away from Him and it is time to return to your first Love.  If you have never heard God, then ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you and He will.  The Way into His presence is with Thanksgiving in your heart and you enter His courts with praise. However if you continue down the path of being drawn away from Him and begin to serve other gods , your life will be cut short and you may not fulfill His ultimate destiny for your life. 

Ahab, because of this compromise and considering it to be no big deal or trivial, did more to provoke the Lord to anger then any king that proceeded him.   This compromise is what led to him to marry Jezebel and her reign of terror over Gods people.  The weak compromising character of Ahab will allow a Jezebel to be enthroned. Weak leadership will always lead to destruction and bondage of God’s people.
  

2 Cor 6:14-18  Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." 17 Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." 18 'I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty."  NKJV

Ahab married Jezebel.  He went outside of his own people and married Jezebel whose people were worshipping and serving the Baal gods.  This scripture from the New Testament, confirms why this is absolutely wrong before God.  If we heed God and his Word we won’t end up in the ditch.  I’ve met many Christians over the years, who have married unbelievers and ended up in constant struggle with their mate, because in most of the cases the unbeliever was the dominate one in the relationship.  They would compromise the true and living God to appease the unbelieving spouse.  If you are in this situation now, I pray that you become courage’s and begin to no longer compromise God but stand up and stand on the principles laid out in the Word of God.  This is not a go ahead for you to not walk in Love, but an understanding that God is Love and His Word is not to be compromised.  This in itself may win the unbeliever over but one things for sure, compromise never will!  The way of the world is compromise, and in order for anyone to be truly set free, is Truth.  Jesus is that Truth and He is the only way of salvation and deliverance.  If your reading this and you are dating an unbeliever now, don’t be deceived, God’s Word here is an understanding and a warning to you not to be unequally yoked to unbelievers.  If you compromise Gods word to begin with you will find yourself compromising it over and over to have peace in your house.

Now let me not address an issue on a corporate scale that has gained some traction in the Christian church.  This would be the marriage of Christianity and Islam.  The term for this movement is called Christlam.   This in fact comes in direct confrontation of Jesus being the only Way to salvation.  This false doctrine is now being adhered to by over 60 churches in America and some of these are mega churches!  This is a very serious error but always has its roots in compromise of what God has already said.
 

Ahab compromised and married Jezebel and brought idolatry to the whole nation of Israel!  Now lets look at the connection of compromise which leads to Idolatry.  Whenever you decide that what God says is trivial you are already in compromise and heading down the slippery slope. This indeed is the origin of Idolatry.   Let’s look at another passage of scripture that will give us a clearer picture.

1 Sam 15:20-23  And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal."  22 So Samuel said:  "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,  And to heed than the fat of rams.  23 For rebellion is as the sin of  itchcraft,And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king."  NKJV

Saul was told by the Word of the Lord to destroy all of the Amalekites, including the king and not bring anything back with them that the Amalekites possessed.   So let’s look at that scripture for a clear understanding.

1 Sam 15:1-3  Samuel also said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"  NKJV

The instruction was very straight forward.  Now let’s look at Saul’s justification of the compromise that led to him being rejected by the Lord as king. 

First Saul said he had obeyed the voice of the Lord.  Is this true? No, because in the very next statement he says he brought back Agag, who was king of Amalek.   “Do not spare them” is absolute clarity.   So why did Saul think that this gave him an exception to spare the king?  That is a good question, and can be answered with clarity in the following scripture.

1 Sam 15:7-9  And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

He was unwilling to destroy him.  He was also unwilling to destroy the best of all the spoil.  "Unwilling" is a key word here, because this is where deception starts.  Why was he unwilling?  Because, he placed a value on them according to his understanding and disregarded God's clear instruction.  I can almost hear the justification coming out of his mouth now!  Let’s see how he does justify the compromise.

1 Sam 15:13-15  Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord."   14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"   15 And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."  NKJV

So what was His justification for bringing the best of everything back?  “To sacrifice to the Lord!”   He turned it into a religious reason!   This lie has been used over and over to justify disobedience to the Lord.  It is the same lie that started in the garden when Eve decided that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good for food.  This was the justification to eat from a tree that God had told them no.  What part of “Don’t eat” did she did not understand?  It is always about bending and compromising what God said.  This indeed is where idolatry starts.  When we raise our understanding higher than God’s Word ,our understanding becomes a god to us and this is Idolatry.   What about his justification for bringing the king of the Amalekites back?  It does not really indicate in this scripture.  But Saul liked to look good and loved to be seen and accepted as somebody important.  This particular frame of mind becomes clearer in the rest of his life and especially the way he responded to David.  Now let’s look to see how Samuel confronts this error and sin in Saul.

1 Sam 15:22-23   So Samuel said: "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king."  NKJV 

Samuel deals directly with the compromise and justification of bringing back the best of the spoil to use in religious sacrifice to the Lord.  Is doing religious things more important than obeying Him?  The answer is obviously no.  This should be as clear to us in this day and age as well.  We are required to obey the Word of the Lord.   This scripture makes a direct connection between rebellion and witchcraft. So let’s break this down.
 

Rebellion: OT:4805  meriy (mer-ee'); from OT:4784; bitterness, i.e. (figuratively) rebellion; concretely, bitter, or rebellious: KJV - bitter, (most) rebel (-lion, -lious). OT:4784  marah (maw-raw'); a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) bitter (or unpleasant); (figuratively) to rebel (or resist; causatively, to provoke): KJV - bitter, change, be disobedient, disobey, grievously, provocation, provoke (-ing), (be) rebel (against, -lious).

Notice here in this Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance definition of Hebrew words that rebellion has the word bitter in it which is one of the bedrock foundations of the definition.   What is bitter?   It is heaviness, discontented, chafed and angry.    It goes deeper than that and these are unresolved issues that are deep down.

 If you find yourself justifying disobedience to Gods clear word, you may want to search your heart and see if there are unresolved issues of bitterness buried deep inside.
  

Since Samuel connects rebellion to witchcraft, let’s define it and this may shed a little more light on compromise which leads to rebellion.
 

Witchcraft: OT:7081  qecem (keh'-sem); from OT:7080; a lot: also divination (including its fee), oracle: KJV - (reward of) divination, divine sentence, witchcraft.  OT:7080   qacam (kaw-sam'); a primitive root; properly, to distribute, i.e. determine by lot or magical scroll; by implication, to divine: KJV - divine (-r, -ation), prudent, soothsayer, use [divination].

There is a lot to this but I will try to break this down and keep it as simple as possible.  First: It starts with a departing from God and his word.  This is the foundation of rebellion.  God’s Word is the authority.  This is where a false spirit can try to deceive us in doubting the authority of the Word of God.   Witchcraft is the practice of some other means to determine direction.  Let’s break down some of the words that are used in the definition of witchcraft to see if we can get a clearer picture.

Divination: OT:5172  nachash (naw-khash'); a primitive root; properly, to hiss, i.e. whisper a (magic) spell; generally, to prognosticate: KJV -  certainly, divine, enchanter, (use) enchantment, learn by experience, indeed, diligently observe.

The primary word used in this definition is to prognosticate.  This word means to interpret of foretell by the use of symptoms or signs.   Now we are the people of God, so first and foremost we must adhere to the already established Word of God and not compromise.  We as God’s people can hear the voice of God.  Jesus said in the 10^th chapter of John “His sheep hear His voice and the voice of a stranger they will not follow.”

  Many people can’t wait to read their horoscopes everyday to see what is prognosticated about their life using astrological signs.   Also some will visit a fortune teller or call a physic hotline to again find out what is prognosticated about their future.

Another subtle trap that many Christians have fallen into is more faith in the medical field’s ability, then the finished work of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.   If the Doctor looks at your medical condition and says you only have a month to live, this would  be a prognostication on the length of your life.  This is not to discredit the medical field, but the Word of God says by Christ stripes you were healed.  So at this point you will be confronted with "Who's" report are you going to believe?  What the Doctor said? Or God's already established Word?

Matt 8:16-17   When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses."  NKJV

I will continue to look closer at the connection between rebellion, witchcraft and idolatry in my next blog.  But this week I want to sum up and focus on the beginning of the error that leads down this path and that is: "Compromise".  Never consider what God has clearly instructed to be "Trivial"  He means what he says!  When we lean or rely on something besides or instead of God and His Word for whatever reason or justification, we are already heading down the slippery slope of deception, error and sin.  God’s Word is the authority that we are to be governed by and when we don’t believe or obey it we have already taken the bait of deception.   I will have much more to say about witchcraft,rebellion, idolatry and compromise in this blog as we continue this series “The Spirit Of Elijah”  next time!

"The Spirit Of Elijah" Part 5 "There is Always A Remnant!"

1 Kings 19:1-3  And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." 3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. NKJV

This week I want to look at Elijah a little closer.  After all that was accomplished, it says he ran for his life!   So let’s do a quick review of the facts and identify an issue that caused him to ultimately not finish all that he was destined to do.   First he meets Obadiah on the road to Mount Carmel and this is what he told Elijah to his face:

1 Kings 18:13-14  Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred men of the Lord's prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? NKJV 

  

Obadiah hid 100 prophets and fed them and kept them alive.  This is an established fact.   Elijah doesn’t respond to Obadiah, but it is clear that it was spoken to him by Obadiah.  This is where things get a little interesting. Watch what Elijah says to all the people who are gathered on Mount Carmel:

1 Kings 18:22-23 Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.  NKJV

Is this true?  No, because Obadiah just told him that wasn't the case.   Now there are only a few possibilities. He did not hear Obadiah, or he did not believe him.  Or he didn’t want the word to get out there were more prophets in the land in case Jezebel found out.   In any case, there is no doubt that some kind of deception is involved.  We without a shadow of a doubt know that there were at least 100 more prophets of the Lord and Elijah was not alone.   Did God still use Elijah in a powerful way? Yes!  We must always remember that just because He uses us in powerful way, does not mean we are perfect and do no wrong.  We can see all the way through the Bible, major issues in men & women of God.  God will use you in spite of the flaws and use whatever is necessary to correct those flaws over time.  He will get around to everything that is not true in us bring us to the day of decision. This is why Jesus died and we must remember that any thing that happens is because of His righteousness and not ours.  But He does discipline all who he loves.  You might be getting away with something now, but sooner or later He will discipline us.  I've learned many times over the years I can be wrong.  In almost every case I thought I was right and God was in agreement.  The enemy gets it's authority from those things in our thinking that are wrong.  Once we come to Truth in that area is when we will truly be set free! So draw close to God and let Him search you like a candle in your inward parts and see if there is any wicked way in you.

 

This can be a very serious issue in any one of us, because we can get weary, or prideful in what the Lord has called us to do and end up not finishing our destiny because of believing a lie.   I can tell you from personal experience and talking to many others who have been in ministry over the past 30 years that this is a very common deception. In Elijah’s case he believed that he was the only one left.   If you really believe something, even though it’s a lie, you may not be able to hear the truth, even if it is standing in front of you.   Now let’s look at a new testament scripture that will shed light on this and bring into focus what was really going on.

Rom 11:1-6 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 "Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"?  4 But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."  5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.  NKJV  

God is trying to reconcile Israel to himself and Elijah is pleading against Israel.   Elijah’s words to God were contrary to established facts that Elijah himself had helped to establish.  Let me point out the obvious here. God has a remnant, because he has a plan and it is rooted in love.  He does not desire for any of us to be lost or in bondage.  He will keep as many people as it takes to establish His true purpose, which is restoration. 

There is a revealed clue in this passage of scripture as to why Elijah believed this lie.   He was pleading against Israel.   Why?   That indeed is a good question that unfortunately we need to ask ourselves.   God wants to reconcile the world to Him and we are hiding in the caves.  We have been saved for a reason and how easy it is to forget what we have been called to do.  Part of our commission is preach the Gospel of the kingdom to the lost.  Have we decided that these people who live in the world are not worth it?  Or they don’t deserve it?   It is time for all of us to do a “Truth” check.   Are we pleading with God for reconciliation and restoration of the people to Him?  Or are we pleading with God to destroy them?    In order to cover up the truth for whatever reason, we are going to have to believe some kind of lie to convince ourselves and have some kind of justification.  I know this sounds hard, but it is a very common deception.  How many of you reading this have thought you were the only one left?  Or the only one that see’s?   Gods response to Elijah was:

"I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

There is always a remnant that God raises up because His plan in not to lose any!  He wants’ to reconcile the world to Himself and that was His plan from the beginning!    So it’s time to come out of the caves and get on with our destiny!  

Prov 18:1  A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;  He rages against all wise judgment.  NKJV

Isolation is a very good clue that there is a deception.  It starts with a single person believing they are the only ones and so they hide out.  This also can be something that spreads to a whole group. “We are the only ones that have the truth or were the only ones that are left.   This indeed is where the term “Cult” comes from.  Cult is the base word for culture.  We must look to the word of God as the final authority as truth. God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son to die on a cross and purchase back with his own blood restoration to himself.  The key here is that He so loved the world!  He has a plan of reconciliation and restoration and we are a part of that plan. 

1 John 4:17-19 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.  NKJV

Let’s look at the rest of the established facts.

1 Kings 18:30-31 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name." NKJV

This is an established fact that Elijah rebuilt the Alter of the Lord that was broken.   He reminded them and himself that Israel was their name.  Israel means: They shall rule as God.  Elijah was reestablishing the one and true living God’s rule in which they would rule with him!  This is a restoration and reconciliation story!  This is the plan of God and that never changes.  When God sent Jonah to Nineveh, it was for reconciliation.  They repented!  The message may be hard and be a pronouncement of judgement, but it is the plan of God to reconcile.  Jonah indeed was mad that they repented and God had to speak to his bad attitude.

Jonah 3:5-10 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. NKJV

Jonah 4:1-4  But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, "Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, One who relents from doing harm. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!"  4 Then the Lord said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"  NKJV 

Jonah 4:10-11 But the Lord said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left — and much livestock?"  NKJV

God’s plan is to save, deliver and reconcile.  However repentance will be required.  What is repentance?  To come into agreement with God and His Word.   To turn away from what we’ve been following and to follow Him!  He has to be first place in our lives.   And He always has a remnant!   You are not the only one left!   

Now let’s get back to Elijah, and continue to look at established facts. 

1 Kings 18:38-39  Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!"  NKJV  

Now not only is the alter rebuilt, but the people now know who the true and living God is and they turn to him!  In fact they are excited about it!

1 Kings 18:40  And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.  NKJV

Elijah  now has all the people helping him as he tells them to seize all of the prophets of Baal  and Elijah executes all of the them at the Brook Kishon.

1 Kings 18:41-43 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." NKJV

Notice how even Ahab the king is listening and believing!  He obeys the word of Elijah!  The drought is about to end!

1 Kings 18:44-46  Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.  NKJV

The drought is now over and the alter has been rebuilt, God answers by fire!, the people are now on the right path and are helping Elijah, Ahab the king is believing!  These are the established facts!

1 Kings 19:1-4   And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." 3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" NKJV

What happened between chapters 18 &19?  Jezebel sends one message to Elijah and he runs away afraid for his life!  One prognostication by Jezebel and  Elijah is running for his life.  This is where believing a lie instead of the Truth will open the door for the enemy to control you and cause your to fear.  Perfect love cast out fear!.   God loves you and has a plan.  If God be for you, who can be against you!  You are not alone, He is  in you!   And he has a remnant to deal with Jezebel or or any other enemy!   Don’t ever believe the lie or entertain a lie that you think everything depends on you!  God always has a remnant and a plan!  His plan is always reconciliation to himself.  Now lets look at the rest of the story!

1 Kings 19:9-10 9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 So he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life." NKJV

What are you doing here Elijah?  That was the question God asked him.  Elijah was now totally way off course in his destiny!   How did he answer the question?  He answered as if everything that had just been accomplished had never happened!  He answered as if he had been transported back in time to before he had arrived at Mt Carmel.   Whenever you believe a lie, you will have to return to the place it started and come to truth that will set you free.  This is a very powerful truth.  If we think we’re the only one that God has to accomplish His purposes, or the only one with the Truth, we are already deceived and mixing up a recipe for disaster!   It’s time to come out of the cave and come into the Truth that will set you free!  God has a remnant and we must join them to accomplish all that God has!  You are not the only one left!  You are not alone!  God always has a remnant!  We will look at the influence of Jezebel in my next blog.

"The Spirit Of Elijah" Part 4 "Let It Rain!"

1 Kings 18:41-46 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. NKJV

After the false gods are dealt with and the false prophets of Baal and Asherah. It’s time to call for the rain.

Not only was there a drought in the land for food and water, but there was a drought in the land for the water of the Word. This drought in the natural is a prophetic picture of the lack of the revelation of the Word of God in the land! The God who answers by fire, will demonstrate to the people who were faltering between two opinions, the one and only true living God. But in order to grow up and mature, there is going to have to be the watering of the Word of God!

Zech 10:1-2 Ask the Lord for rain In the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone. 2 For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies,And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd. NKJV

The Latter rain comes just before the harvest. We are living at the time of the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever seen. We are going to see the best and the worst of times at the same time. Like Elijah we are going to have to call for the rain. In Zechariah, we are to ask the Lord for rain in time of latter rain. It says that when we do, the Lord will make flashing clouds. Because it was so dry in the land it is going to take a persistant determination to end the drought. Look what Elijah tells Ahab: “Go up and eat and drink because ther is the sound of the abundance of rain.” Now looking at this in the natural, was there a sound of the abundance of rain? The answer would have to be no, because if you read just a little bit farther in that passage, Elijah asked his servant if he see’s rain coming and he returns from the sea and tells Elijah, he see’s nothing. But look what Ahab the king does. He obeys Elijah! He goes and eats and drinks! Elijah's now got the ear of the king! Remember King Ahab, before the demonstration of fire by the one and true living God, was hunting down Elijah to kill him and he called him the troubler of Israel! Elijah then goes to Mount Carmel and bows down, puts his face between his knees and that’s when he sends his servant to go look for the rain. Now to get just a little more insight as to how Elijah really was in character and nature let’s look at this New Testament scripture in James.

James 5:13-18 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. NKJV

Elijah was a man with a nature just like ours. He had to exercise his faith and believe just like we do. But the key here is the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much!

Effective/fervent: NT:1754 GREEK energeo (en-erg-eh'-o); from NT:1756; to be active, efficient: KJV - do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, shew forthself, work (effectually in). to invoke.

The Greek word is “energeo” This is the Greek word that we get our English word “energy” from. When we pray, we need to invoke and put some energy into it. We have been given power from on high! This passage gives us the proper way to look at any situation we are facing and how to treat it. Is any among you suffering? Let him pray! Prayer changes things and eliminates suffering! Is there any amongst us cheerful? Let him sing songs or Psalms! Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. This is the Word of the Lord that we must put on a higher level than the situation or sickness! We must put some energy and passion into this! We know that we have been given power from on high and we are to invoke the Word that is true! Jesus has already dealt with the sin issue. He became a curse for us! We’ve been restored to the Father and the blessings of Abraham are upon us! So if sin is the issue for you, repent and turn away from it. Confess your faults, one to another , pray for one another that you may be healed! The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much! We are the righteousness of God in Christ! So put your heart into knowing that all of this that we desire and God desires for us has already been paid for with His only Son! He paid the price for this with his own blood! Remember Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, but he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. Why? Because he knew that his people were trusting in creation and serving false gods, whom they thought were controlling certain aspects of creation. But God answered by fire and delivered them from their faltering opinions that had confused and put them in bondage. Now they were desperate and he had all their attention and there was an open door to call for rain!

He prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit! We have been given that kind of authority in the earth. I want to back up a little bit in this same chapter in James to capture this in context.

James 5:7-12 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord — that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment. NKJV

The Spirit of Elijah prepares the way of the Lord. Patience is going to be what we need in this hour. This patience is compared to a farmer who is waiting for the precious fruit of the earth. The farmer understands there is a early rain and a latter rain. The latter rain produces the harvest. God is after the hearts of people. Everything is going to be shaken. What is the purpose? His purpose is to bring people to Himself. For God so loved you and everyone else in the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die on a cross and make the way for us to be restored to fellowship with Him! You can now come boldly to the throne of God and find grace and mercy in time of need.

Our hearts are going to need to be firmly established in this hour. James tells us as part of that preparation and establishment of our hearts is going be the need to stop grumbling against one another. What does that mean?

Grumble: 4727 stenazo (sten-ad'-zo); from NT:4728; to make (intransitively, be) in straits, i.e. (by implication) to sigh, murmur, pray inaudibly: KJV - with grief, groan, grudge, sigh.

This is a form of cursing one another and that has it foundation in witchcraft. We are going to take a closer look at witchcraft and the Jezebel spirit next week. Dealing with Jezebel was Elijah’s ultimate mission and which he fell short of. We will look also at why next week. Grumbling against one another will bring condemnation on you if you make it your practice. James goes on to say the judge stands at the door. That same judge is Jesus standing at the door. Let Him in and become like Him! We are being changed from one degree of Glory into the next level of Glory into His very likeness! He is coming and when we see Him we shall be like Him! We are not promised that we are not going to go through anything. We will face the darkness of this day in confrontation just like Elijah did. But we must face this darkness with the glory of the Lord! We must and will arise and shine because deep darkness covers the earth. This is who we really are!

The ultimate intention of the Lord is to bring us into true freedom! Faltering between two opinions will be overthrown by a true revelation of the Word. Jesus is that Word and that’s why the last book in the bible is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ. That whole book is about the Revelation of Jesus Christ! He is the Word! James goes on to say that we must let our Yes be Yes and our No be No. Indecision and double mindedness will lead us into judgment. If you are stuck there, ask the Lord to deliver you and He will. Make a decision today to stay the course and endure to the end. God is with you!

1 Kings 18:42-46 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. NKJV

The rain is going to come in great torrents and it’s going to be associated with black clouds and wind. We must not look at the natural circumstances with fear, but through the eyes of faith! And if the atmosphere is really dry, then we must press into the Lord with the eyes of Faith and be persistent until we see it come to pass! Let it rain Lord, Let it rain in great torrents the Revelation of His Word!

Ps 68:8-12 The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary. 10 Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor. 11 The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it: 12 "Kings of armies flee, they flee,And she who remains at home divides the spoil. NKJV……. Continued Next Week

"The Spirit Of Elijah" Part 3 "The God Who Answers By Fire!"

Kings 18:20-24 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but i1f Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God." So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken." NKJV

Now it’s time for the show down on the mountain. The question Elijah asked the people: How long will you falter between two opinions? Let’s define “Falter” and see if we can get a better understanding.

Falter: To hesitate, to stumble, to be lame, to waiver in purpose action or intent, to give way, to speak hesitatingly or brokenly, to move unsteady, to stumble. 

This describes the state that most of the world is in. But even more alarming then that is the fact that much of the church is in this state too! Many people are wavering in purpose action and intent. As a whole we don’t know what we really believe or why we believe it. This is why we are so hesitant when we speak. False religions are passionate in what they believe. Many of those that belong to terrorist organizations are so passionate that they will lay down their lives willingly for what they believe. Do we really believe what we really believe? It’s time for a showdown and a confrontation of the doctrines of demons, mindsets and demonic strongholds that keep people in this state of confusion and wounded hesitation! God is bringing forth "The Spirit of Elijah" to prepare the way of the Lord. Most of the problems that we now face are due to the fact that we have traded the one true God in for all these little gods that rank higher in our minds the one true God!

Elijah makes a statement that is really the “bottom line” and deals directly with the issues of the heart. “If the Lord is God follow him. If Baal is god follow him.” This is exactly what needs to be confronted in the people of that day’s hearts. Jesus also made similar statements when people He encountered had these same issues. What in creation have we exalted above the true and living God? This is the question that will be answered in this showdown on Mt Carmel and will be answered for all of creation before the Lord returns!

When Elijah asked this question, it says the people answered him not a word. Now this in itself speaks volumes! Why did they not say anything? Because just like it says they were in a perpetual state of indecision and uncertainty! They were stumbling around because of standing on a foundation of opinions and without a true revelation of the living God! Let’s define opinion.

Opinion: A view or judgment formed about something not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. Belief not based on absolute certainty or positive knowledge, but on what “seems true”, valid or probable in ones mind. 

This is the state of mind many people in the world are today and a large number of us in the church. We are all about to be delivered from this by the God that answers by fire! Now let’s set up the scenario that led up to this place. The Baal gods represented aspects of creation in which the people were believed to represent. They had sun gods, and moon gods, rain gods, harvest gods and on and on and on! Elijah had prophesied a drought in the land and now because of food and water being scarce, the people were now in a place of desperation. This sets up the scenario for the true and living God to show up and demonstrate! This is exactly what is going on in “this” season preceding the coming of the Lord. When the God of fire shows up, and He answers by fire, we will be faced with a choice! Why? Because the Truth will be in your face! You can either believe and receive the truth, or you can reject it! Either way you will be delivered from opinions.

Here comes the challenge: “The God who answers by fire!” This is a bold step of faith! This is what Elijah was born to do, and it’s what you and I were born to do! We are called to demonstrate the works of God! He told them to call on all of their gods and He would call on his God and the God who answers by fire, He is God! All the people then answered and said “It is well spoken.” In other words, Elijah couldn’t of laid out a better challenge or communicated it any better than he did. They were to prepare their sacrifice and put wood under it and he was to prepare his sacrifice and put wood under it. “The God who answers by Fire!”

1 Kings 18:25-29 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it." 26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. 27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. NKJV 

The false prophets of Baal called on theirs gods from morning to evening but no voice answered. The leaped around the alter, and nothing happened. At noon Elijah starts mocking them! “Maybe you should be a little louder!” “Perhaps he’s busy!” “He must be on a long journey and hasn’t returned yet!” “Maybe he’s sleeping!”

Elijah knew the truth about the false gods, because he knew his God. He walked with God and was confident that He will show up and prove that He’s the one true and living God! He understood who the true and living God was and now he was toying with the false prophets! The interesting thing that I want to point out was the fact that they began to cut themselves with knives and lances until blood gushed out on them. This is always associated with demonic activity and in their case they were demon possessed. It reminded me of a scripture from the new testament in which I will quote here.

Mark 5:1-5 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. NKJV 


Notice here that the man from Gaderene was cutting himself with stones. We find out that when Jesus goes to deliver him from this, He asks this the demon: “what is your name?” It replies "legion, for we are many!" These Baal prophets were cutting themselves. This is a sure tell tale sign of demonic oppression or possession. If you’re reading this blog and you have been cutting yourself and you would like to be free, please contact me. My Email is apostlewick@yahoo.com. I will walk you through the process of deliverance so that you can be free.

The prophets of Baal continued to call, cut and whoop it up until the night, but to no avail. Nothing happened and no fire came down and nobody heard anything!

1 Kings 18:30-39 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name." 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood." 34 Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water. 36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!" NKJV 

Now it was time for the one and only true and living God to answer by fire! He told the people to draw near. He then proceeded to repair the alter of the Lord that was broken down. You and I are the temple of God, so let me ask you a question. Is the alter in your heart broken down or does it need to be repaired? If the alter in your heart needs to be repaired, draw near to God and offer the sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving and repentance. He is waiting to restore you! But you must let Him do the work in you and repair your heart. Once you draw near to Him he is going to draw near to you! The fire of God will consume your sacrifice and demonstrate how much He loves you! God’s ultimate purpose is reconciliation. He is going to judge those things that not him so that we will not be condemned with the rest of the world! This showdown is to show who the real enemy is and deliver His people! Remember these people gathered on Mt Carmel are His people! We are His people, and He wants to answer by fire!

Elijah takes twelve stones to rebuild the alter which represent Jacobs 12 sons. Remember Jacob wrestled with the Lord because he was promised a blessing and had not come into his full inheritance. Jacobs name means: heel-catcher (i.e. supplanter); deceiver. After he wrestled all night with the Angel of the Lord, He granted his desire and promise of blessing but brought him to his true destiny. it required a name change. His name was changed from Jacob to Israel. Israel means: He will rule as God. When alter of your heart is rebuilt. You will come into the true destiny and purpose of your life. You will not serve the Baal gods, but begin to rule under the almighty God who has destined you for victory over all of your enemies! These 12 stones represent the age old foundations being raised up. the foundation is the most important thing that must be raised up and built or repaired right!

After Elijah rebuilds the alter, he steps up the challenge with an unusual instruction. He tells the people to dig trenches and fill four water pots with water and pour it on the wood. This is very significant because they filled the four water pots and poured them on the offering. He then tells them again to fill the four water pots and pour them out on the offering. After they did this a second time. he tells them to do it a third time. This caught my attention and I realized that he was performing a prophetic act. The number four represents creation. There are four seasons, four living creatures, four winds, four direction points North, South East and West. These are all aspects of creation. The people were worshiping the creation instead of the One who created it all. The first four waters pots represent the Creator who created it all! The true and living God! When you add the next four water pots you now have eight. Eight represents a new beginning. Circumcision and dedication to God was on the eighth day. Noah was the eighth soul saved from destruction. Eight is the number of New creation. God is a God of mercy and when he shows up by fire, His ultimate goal is to save and restore and give us a new beginning. This number eight was a prophetic act to represent His desire to give His people a new beginning. When you add four more water pots you have a total of twelve. Twelve represents the government of God. There were twelve Tribes, Twelve Apostles, God doesn’t just want us to have a new beginning, He wants us to rule and reign with Him! We are the Body of Christ and we are seated in heavenly places now! The government will be upon His (Christ) Shoulders and we are His body!

Let’s sum up this prophetic act: They are going to transition from worshiping the creation to the creator, the true and living God. They were going to have a brand new beginning with Gods government in place. Witchcraft is false illegitimate authority and has to be overthrown. Jezebel must be taken out. All the steps must be completed. The 4+4+4 is the prophetic symbolism of the transition that was going on. This was the destiny of Elijah! To restore the hearts of the children back to the Father and the heart of the father back to the children. The people must be left with Gods government in place.

I Kings 18:38-39 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!" NKJV 

Continued Next Week!

The Spirit Of Elijah Part 2 "Provision In The Dry Time"

1 Kings 17:1  And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."  NKJV

Elijah proclaims a drought by the word of the Lord.  Now the very important thing that we need to grasp here is that  he has to live through the very drought that he just prophesied.  Is it possible that much of the shaking we are seeing in the earth right now may be because the Lord is acting as he did in the old testament when alters are set up to false gods?  He will have no other gods before him.  However this story is more about redemption then destruction. The shaking is for the purpose deliverance and not total destruction.  He will provide for those that are really seeking him.  What about those people who a caught between two opinions?   The Truth is the only thing that will set them free!

Look what the Lord does in regards to Elijah’s provision.

1 Kings 17:2-4  Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." NKJV

Remember Elijah had prophesied the drought into existence and then had to live through it.  This may give us a clue into end time matters.  Also remember the last book in the Bible is called “The Revelation Of Jesus Christ.”    Many who have taught on end times out of that book have focused on the plagues, disasters, the antichrist, the beast, the system, the 666 etc.  But the last book should cause us to focus on Jesus and keep our focus on the revelation of Him.  In Elijah’s day God had sent Him to tear down the false gods, alters and all the high places that had been set up to the Baal gods.  His primary calling was to confront the powers that be and demonstrate who the real God was.  So the first thing that God had him do is prophesy a drought.

Worshiping the Baal gods was putting your faith in for instance the rain god, or the sun god. Or some other god that they believed controlled some aspect of creation.  With the drought, they were all finding out that the real God is in control of all of creation.  But what about the provision for “The man of God?”  According to the above scripture the Lord has a plan to take care of his own.

First Elijah had to get in geographic alignment.  This is very important because where we are supposed to be  where the Lord has directed us to be!  Many people are geographically out of step with the Lord because they made a decision to move based on economics or hard circumstance or a whole host of other reasons that was not the Lords direction, but their own.  It is important that we find the place that God wants us to be and in relationship with those he has called us to be with.  If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask from God who gives to all men freely.  However do not doubt.  He who doubts or is double minded can easily be swayed by every which way the wind is blowing and is unstable in all his ways.  It is very important to know your place, especially now in this stormy season we have entered into.

Elijah did as the Lord commanded and went and hid by the brook Cherith.  Just as a side note here, the word Cherith comes from a word that means covenant.  When we are in covenant with our God,  and that means we give the best we have and He gives us the best that he has.  We are in this together and He will provide, but we must take our direction from Him.   Elijah drank from  this brook and ravens brought him food every night.  God was using those things that He had created to help him.  God is going to use creation to help us during this time.  All of creation is groaning to see the manifestation of the Sons of God in this hour!  It says He commanded the ravens to feed him there.

1 Kings 17:7-12  And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink." 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12 So she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."  NKJV

Now verse 7 says here that after a while. The brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.  Remember we are going to have to live through the very things we prophesied.  In the place that the Lord had sent him for provision is now in crises.  It does not matter the crises, God has a plan and our steps are ordered.  In Elijah’s case his natural circumstances were changing and it caused him to listen to what the word of the Lord was going to do now in this present circumstance and crises.  Sometimes becoming thirsty and hungry in the natural is a good motivator to press into God.  This is also true in the spiritual.  Sometimes God in our thinking is last instead of first, but when things don’t work out the way we thought, then we will press into God.  This season that we have entered into is going to force us to press into God for direction.

Here comes another geographic change to bring Elijah to another phase of his calling.  He was sent to a widow and she was going to provide for him.  The vision just got bigger then self preservation, now he was going to have to depend on someone other than himself.

I Kings 17:10-12 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink." 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12 So she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."  NKJV

Let's take a closer look at the season of change that Elijah went through to bring him to the point of his true mission and calling.  Ultimately He was called to confront Ahab and Jezebel who had introduced Gods people to false Baal gods and now those people did not know who the true God was.    The Lord spoke to him to go to the brook “Cherith”   The Lord will provide because we are covenant with Him!  However it was now time to move on to the next place of his mission and calling.  The brook had dried up and the ravens quit coming and it was time to seek the Lords direction!  The Lord speaks to him again and he was going to have to make another geographic change and now his mission was going to have to include other people.  In fact the Lord tells him that He had commanded a widow to provide for him in that place!  He obeys and goes to that place.

If he would have just looked at the natural and reasoned within himself he would have thought that what the Lord told him to do would have been foolishness.  The Lord told him to find a widow that would provide for him.  Think about this.  It is a drought, food and water are scarce, and she was a widow.  Meaning her husband was dead and she had no way of supporting herself.  In the natural this would have seemed like foolishness.   But God has plans that go way beyond natural possibilities.  As we go through this intense season that we have entered into it is going to be very important to get our eyes off of the natural and go where He tells us to go.  We must obey Him because our very provision is connected with our obedience.

When Elijah comes into the place the Lord had commanded, the widow was gathering sticks to start the last fire she was going to kindle for the last meal they were going to eat.  The timing was perfect.  She was out of provision and so was Elijah.  God knows who to divinely connect you to be in a position to depend on each other.  What if Elijah had just perceived this in the natural?  He would have missed God and both the widow and he would have missed out on what God had for the both of them.

Now let’s look and see how Elijah was really seeing this.  He asked the woman to bring him something to drink and asked her to bring him some bread in her hand.  He was looking past the natural with the eyes of faith.  He was seeing bread in her hand.  Why? Because he believed the Word of the Lord!  No matter what it looks like or whatever we face, we must believe the Word of the Lord because that is where the provision is.  She responds with an answer that could have made him doubt.  She said: “I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."  Doesn’t look like a very bright future in the eyes of the natural!  How does Elijah respond?

I Kings 17:13-16  And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.' 15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah. NKJV

He says to the widow; “Do not fear!”  His perfect love for each of us will cast the fear out!  He does care about you and I and He will provide!  The promise he tells her is the flour will not be used up and the oil in the jar will not run dry!  This is divine provision based on obedience and faith in what the Lord says!

Do you know His voice?  It is going to become increasingly important to hear His voice and obey speedily in this season!  These acts of obedience saved their lives and furnished them provision for the remainder of the drought!  There are going to be many storms and trouble in this season, so let’s look at the next very big thing that they had to face on the way to the showdown of God verses the false gods!

1 Kings 17:17-18  Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, "What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?" NKJV


 This looks to what appears to be major setback in path to Elijah’s  ultimate destiny which was a showdown on Mt Carmel against Jezebel and all the false prophets.  The son of the widow gets so sick, that he dies.  Of course the woman is anguished and begins to blame the “Man of God”.  She does in fact rightly connect sin with the curse and with death.   Now think about this, just a short time before this, she is gathering up sticks to start the last fire and cook her last cake and she and her son were prepared to die.  How soon we forget how much we have to be thankful for, when  another crises comes.  Put yourself in remembrance of the former things the Lord has done.

1 Kings 17:19-21  And he said to her, "Give me your son." So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?"  NKJV

Elijah now is faced with some questions of his own.   He takes her son and heads up to the upper room where he was staying.  He lays him on the bed he had been sleeping on.  Now this is very significant because this place that he had brought the son to was the very place they he had spent much time in intimate relationship to God.

If you have questions that need answers then shut yourself away in that secret place where you have been meeting with God.  He cried out to the Lord asking why He killed this woman’s son.  This is a contradiction of Gods nature and purposes because He had sent Elijah to this house to not only bring provision to himself, but to this woman and her son.  It did not make sense to the woman or Elijah and now he was taking it before God!  Does God answer him?  The answer is no.  This is where Elijah decides to act on what God has already said and began to expect this child to live!  So let’s look at what God had already said:

1 Kings 17:13-14  And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.'" NKJV

Yes the provision and the promise was for the widow, her son and Elijah.  We need to stand on what God has already promised and expect!.  Elijah acted on this and stretched himself out on the boy not just once but three times.  Now isn't it interesting how he was walking in faith here and was not deterred when the boy didn't get up after the first time he stretched out on him? You know sometimes when we are praying for the sick and they die, we have a tendency to give up, but there is one more step to look at and believe.  We are called to raise the dead!

One time I was preaching a funeral, and right in the middle of my message, I suddenly had this unction or nudging to raise this dead person.  Now I got to tell you I was suddenly conflicted in myself!  I was arguing with God inside about the people that were at this funeral and how they may not understand this if this dead person got up.  And there was also a fear of what if he didn't get up when I prayed!  These were the things that I was using as my rational in my argument against this.  I heard the Holy Spirit ask me: "Where is it going to be more relevant then at a funeral to raise the dead?"  Now I would like to tell you that this story had a resurrection testimony, but it didn't because I had not settled this issue in my heart and fear shut me down!

When this was over I went before the Lord and repented for letting the fear of man and other issues of unbelief shut me down.  What attracts the spirit of fear to you is the pride in you. Pride is worship of self. When we come into a true revelation of the Love of God for us and others fear will flee!  God wants us to be healthy and alive.  For God so loved us that He sent his only Son to die on the cross to deal with the sin issue (The widow was referring to this) but he also dealt with sickness and beat death.   However he was raising people from the dead before he went to the cross.

Elijah was not giving up but stretched out on the boy three times!  Let us never come in agreement with the natural, but the Super Natural!  The same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells within us.  We must stand on what God has already promised us no matter what it looks like!

I Kings 17:21-24  And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." 22 Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives!"  24 Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth."  NKJV

God’s Word is the truth that should be in our mouth!  What has He promised you and I?  The widow became totally 100% convinced that the Word of God  which was the Word of Truth was in Elijah's mouth.  This is the Truth that you and I have to come to grips with in this hour.  We must believe the Word that God has already said and stand on it and act on it no matter what the circumstances look like or actually are!

 Kings 18:1-3  And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth."  2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria. NKJV

It is now the third Year of a severe drought in the land and now it was the time for the showdown on Mount Carmel.  The People who had put their faith in the gods that Ahab and Jezebel had taught them to worship and had set up alters to were now most likely questioning everything they believed.

He had learned that in this season that provision came from obeying the Word of the Lord and in a timely fashion.  During this season we must learn obedience. it will be necessary for our provision.  Do not lean on your own insights or understandings.  Obey the voice of the Lord.   Also at certain times we are not going to hear a fresh  Word from the Lord, so we are going to have to rely on what God has already said.  When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, He  spoke “It is written” to the devil. This is relying on a previous revelation from God to overcome the temptation.  The previous revelation was: “This is my beloved Son in whom I’m well pleased!”  The devil  said: “If you’re the Son of God”   Jesus was the Son and knew his father was well pleased with Him!  Perfect Love cast out fear!  God Loves you!

Elijah now was sent to confront the false Gods.  This is what the Spirit of Elijah is going to do in this hour.

I Kings 18:3-8  And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. 4 For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock." 6 So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.  7 Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is that you, my lord Elijah?" 8 And he answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'"  NKJV

Obadiah was also a Prophet who had remained covert before Ahab and had hidden 100 prophet’s and fed them bread and water.  Jezebel, Ahab’s wife had massacred the prophets of the Lord.  Ahab had started to become desperate and told Obadiah to go throughout half of the land to see if he could find any green grass to keep the animals alive.   Ahab was going the other way to the other half of the land for the same reason.  As Obadiah was on his way, he meets Elijah. After they greeted one another Elijah tells Obadiah to go tell Ahab that “Elijah is here”.

1 Kings 18:9-15  So he said, "How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. 11 And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here"'! 12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. 13 Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred men of the Lord's prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here."' He will kill me!"  Then Elijah said, "As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today." NKJV

Now this is a very important conversation that they are having.  Obadiah is concerned that Elijah is going to take off after he goes and tells Ahab that “Elijah is here”.   Ahab had made other kings take an oath that they could not find him.   Another thing that Obadiah tells Elijah is He hid 100 other prophets .  Now this is very important because one of the greatest deceptions that we can fall into is to think were the only one left.  I have seen this over and over with saints.  Saying things like:  "I’m the only one left”   “I’m the only one with this truth”.  And of course this can go on and on.  But God always has prepared and spared others to partner with you.  Isolation is a deception that we must confront in our own selves.  Elijah was given the truth by Obadiah, but because he continued to believe he was all alone, it eventually caused him to fall short of his call and destiny.  This does not take away what he did accomplish, but it did cut him short from his ultimate purpose. We will look at this in more detail in the next parts of this series.  But consider the following verse of scripture, because it spells out very clearly the danger of isolation and the reasons why people have fallen into this deception.

Prov 18:1 18 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.  NKJV

1 Kings 18:16-19 6 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?" 18 And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." NKJV

Now comes the showdown!........Continued next week!

"The Spirit Of Elijah" Part 1 "Hot Like An Oven"

Mal 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." NKJV

This week I want to look at Elijah’s life because this scripture promises that before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, He is going to send Elijah the prophet.  This scripture is really talking about the Spirit of Elijah.  When I began to meditate on this scripture, it dawned on me to take a closer look at Elijah’s life in scripture.  But first let’s look at this scripture because it outlines the mission of the Spirit of Elijah.  First let me back up a few scriptures and see what the season looks like when he comes to prepare the way of the Lord.

Mal 4:1-2 "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the Lord of hosts,"That will leave them neither root nor branch.  2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.  NKJV

In the day that the Spirit of Elijah comes, it is going to be a day burning like an oven.  What this speaks of is a day that is very intense.  If you were to look around this world right now, I think we are beginning to qualify for intense and hot.  With the earthquake in Japan followed by a tsunami and then a nuclear meltdown of their reactors, for them it is about as intense at it is ever going to get.   Here in our own country, Recent Tornado's in the south that officials are now saying has done more damage than Hurricane Katrina. Also Tornado's in Missouri  practically destroying Joplin.  Flooding and earthquakes on the East coast!  And the worldwide economies including the United States on the verge of collapse.   Things are rapidly changing to a state of “beyond human remedy.”  This reveals the proud and all of his great ideas. The world will quickly find out that God is the only one that can fix this.  Those that won’t let go of their pride will be the first judged in this time.

 A while back I was up very early one morning and I heard the voice of the Lord speak to me and he asked this question:  “Do you know what pride is?”  Now as I have been saying for years, when the Lord asks you a question, it’s not because he doesn't know the answer.  I have also learned (from experience…LOL!) that it’s not a good time to prove how smart you are.   I answered Him this way, "I thought I did, but please tell me."  He said:  “It is worship of self.”   When He said that to me, I realized how true that really was and I got to tell you it affected me very deeply.  If you trust in self and what you can do, instead of the one who created you and gave you everything you have, this indeed is the most basic form of pride.  Our society has continually looked for a way to try to say there is no God and man is the captain of his own ship and the master of his own fate.   All who are proud will be the first ones to see that this has been a lie and either be delivered or be destroyed.  This may sound hard, but this is the very scripture we are looking at.  However if we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God we will be exalted in due time or the right time.  It says in the above scripture: Those that fear His name, the Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in His wings, and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.  So no matter how hard it gets, if we fear His name we will have healing and provision.

Now let’s look at the mission or goal of the Spirit of Elijah.  He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the hearts of the children and the hearts of the children to the hearts of the fathers.  God who is our Father has always had a heart of restoration.  Jesus who is His Son paid with His own blood, the penalty for sin that had made a separation between the Father and us, His children.  We now have access of fellowship with our Father.  When we understand how much the Father loves you and I and the entire world, we will begin to see how far the Father will go to bring the lost in.  He gave the best that he had, His own Son.  His heart is turned toward us!  Is our heart turned toward Him?

Matt 11:9-15  But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  10 For this is he of whom it is written: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.'  11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!  NKJV

Now let's look at John the Baptist who Jesus said if they would receive it, was Elijah or the Spirit of Elijah that was to come.  According to Mal 4:5-6.

 Elijah’s  primary mission is to turn the hearts of the Fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the Fathers.  This is a very interesting and powerful revelation as to the primary mission of the Spirit of Elijah.  What is in a lot of cases is misunderstood about how this works, let’s look a little closer at John the Baptist’s ministry.

Matt 3:1-3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.'"  NKJV

John was a voice of one crying in the wilderness.  That means he was loud!  His voice was loud and clear as to be heard over all the other voices of that day.  This is very important because one of missing ingredients in the way the gospel is presented is the loud voice.  This is not to be critical of how one presents the gospel.  However if we overlook this or don’t think it’s necessary or are critical of those that do have loud voices, we may be rejecting what may be the primary element for preparing the way of the Lord.  Let’s define the word.

Crying: NT:994 GREEK(bo-ah'-o); apparently a prol. form of a primary verb; to halloo, i.e. shout (for help or in a tumultuous way):(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's)

He was loud and tumultuous!  I’ve heard people over the years become very critical about people whom God uses that are loud.  Jesus himself was able to speak to masses of people without the benefit of a P.A. system. If your critical of loud or offended with it just consider the voice of the Lord as used in Psalms 29!

The next critically important part of John’s ministry was the message. It was repentance.  Let’s define this word.

Repent: NT:3340  GREEK metanoeo (met-an-o-eh'-o); from NT:3326 and NT:3539; to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction):KJV 

Repent, latterly means to change your way of thinking about something.  God’s word is Truth.  We must line up with God’s way of thinking.  In fact we are told not to lean on our own insights and understandings.  Many people have opinions and understandings as well as doctrines that may not line up with Gods way of thinking and will have to be repented of.  Going right along with the message of repentance is “Make His paths straight.”   The message that we are called to preach is the message of the cross. This is where the real power is and passiveness and fear of rejection may try to soften this message.

Now let’s look at some of the instruction concerning what John said to the religious people of the day as to what they must do to prepare for the way of the Lord.

Matt 3:4-12  Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." NKJV

John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord.  It is obvious that John did not fit the mindset of the religious system with all of its customs and traditions.  He did not dress the way they most likely expected.  This in itself was probably very offensive to many and they could not near his message because of their offense of the way he dressed and what he ate. The message was a very serious one and still is, but can be minimized by pride that will accompany the religious mindset.   The religious mindset is actually always looking for the messenger to have something wrong with him so they can be critical.  Because of the way he was, some were probably thinking he was "wounded" and this was just outward manifestations of rebellion because of the wound.  Or here’s another one: "John was just looking to get attention from people."

Now let’s look at the way Jesus described this religious mindset.

Matt 11:14-19 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!  16 "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions,  17 and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.'  18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a  glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."NKJV

The Spirit of Elijah is going to deal with the religious mindset by coming straight at it.  Many people are offended very easy and walk away in offence.  A healthy vital church life will deal with these issues.  But most have stayed offended about things, severed relationships and have walked away from the very person that God may be using in their life to break off wrong thinking.  Would God be in that?  Yes, but one that is that way will usually have what they think is a spiritual reason, when it is just natural reason rooted in the flesh.  Of course I’m sure that this is what was going on in John’s case and people were offended with the messenger and the message.  Are you an accuser of the brethren and thinking you’re being  lead of the Lord?

1 Kings 16:29-34  In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.  NKJV

Let's look at the real Elijah and begin to understand his lives calling and mission.  After all if the Spirit of Elijah precedes the coming of the Lord, we should find out some things about him.  First let’s look at the season and the circumstances that Elijah showed up in.  Ahab had just become king of Judah and was a very bad king!  In fact the Word of God makes it a point not just once, but says twice of him being worse than any king before him and did more to provoke the Lords anger than all the kings of Israel!   He had a very trivial attitude concerning the sins of Jeroboam.  What were the sins of Jeroboam?   He introduced false gods to the people and taught them to follow them and set up alters to them in the high places.

Ahab married Jezebel and went and served her gods which were the gods of Baal.  However he went farther than that and built a temple and alters to Baal.  This indeed is what provoked the Lord to anger.  It also brought people to a place of much confusion as to who the true God was.  What was the one and only true God’s response?  He sent the Prophet Elijah to tear down this kingdom of false gods.......Continued Next Week!

Mal 4:1,5-6  1"For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do  wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the Lord of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.  5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."NKJV