Start Time:	06:23AM
End Time:	07:14 AM
Date:	June 21, 2014

 

TITLE: Elijah Fless to Horeb

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1 – 21

God’s Message / God’s Commands / God’s Promises:

→ Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid^[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.  The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.

NOTES:

Ø  After a major victory for God, the enemy usually strikes a lasting blow (usually in the form of “fear”) in the hopes of keeping control over us!  Be careful and watchful because after every major victory in our lives, the enemy usually doesn’t give up easily.  The devil will find a way to make a strike or a blow to us that despite of his defeat, we are left thinking that we lost or we are about to fail.  Notice when we got a promotion or good news, sometimes we tend NOT be very happy about it because our minds tell us that when we are too happy today, there might be something bad happen tomorrow.  It’s like the circle of life…today I’m on top, so tomorrow I’ll be down below.  This is a lie the devil created so we will never be fully happy and victorious.  It is a bondage that we have to break because when God always wins the victory no matter what.  God may allow some hiccups in the process of attaining the complete victory but it is all been done so God can win the war and not just a fight.  In truth, God already won when Jesus died and rose again 2000 years ago.  So the truth is, we SHOULD be walking in victory in every fight of battle we face because God had already won it!  So do not allow fear to distort the truth.  Stick to God and His truth so You will reign in life!

→And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”  The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before theLord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”  The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.  Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

NOTES:

Ø  Sometimes God reveals Himself in unexpected ways but we are insensitive or unaware because we have limited the ways God speaks to us!  God has done great things thru Elijah and according to the verses above, there was great wind that tore the mountains apart and shattered rocks, there was an earthquake and fire but God was not in those events.  But then a gentle voice came and whispered to Elijah, which led Elijah to go out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Elijah was at the mountain of God where God showed His glory to Moses and possibly Elijah had expectations of how to meet God.  So when the great wind came, Elijah thought it was God but no it was not; the same with the earthquake and fire.  But when a gentle voice whispered to him, he disregarded it and went out of the cave.  It is possible that Elijah had such an expectation from God after everything he saw God did before His eyes, and He was expecting a spectacle when God meets him at the mountain, the same way God showed His glory to Moses.  But God is not all fiery, aggressive, wild and cold, in truth, God is also gentle, quiet and warm.  We ought to open our hearts and mind and accept God’s revelation even if it is not what we expected it to be.  It could be that we are expecting an answer and God gave a different answer from what we are expecting… even if everything seems to be pointing to the answer you are hoping for.  Elijah just won and killed the prophets of Jezebel, he just seen God’s mighty power so when He came to the mountain of God, possibly, he was expecting the same power presence, but this time, he just heard a gentle whisper, which is really unexpected, especially when he was looking for assurance.  Little did Elijah know that a gentle whisper is what he really needed that time because he was feeling depressed, fearful and negative at what’s happening around him.

Ø  When God is in a fight against evil, He finishes them off completely!  Seeing the condition of Elijah, God appointed 3 people. Hazael to be king over aram, Jehu, son of Nimshi to be king over Israel (replacement of Ahab) and Elisha son of Shaphat to be a prophet who will succeed Elijah.  When God starts something, He is sure to finish and complete it!  So when there are enemies left after the big victory, know that God does not leave any stones unturned!  Amen!

→ So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”  So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

NOTES:

Ø  When God calls us and we choose to obey, there is no turning back!  Elijah anointed Elisha and even after Elisha accepted the calling, Elijah didn’t want Elisha to follow him.  But when God has called us and we accepted, every fiber of our being is set to follow Him no matter what.  Even after Elijah told Elisha to go back, Elisha still set out to follow him.  When God catches your heart, you will never want to leave away from Him.  You will have the desire to seek Him and follow Him no matter what.  Even if the people you look up to says otherwise, You will not be satisfied when you’re not with Him.  This is what happened to Elisha.  His passion, heart and desire was too strong to be with God by being with the man of God because once You accept Christ, You will always have an attraction to Him.  You will be magnetized and You can’t say no, not because  you are forced to do so but because your heart doesn’t want to say no.  Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, amazing Lord!  The Great I am who has set everything in order and planned every detail of our lives, thank You!  Thank You because Your love to us is greater even after we receive the devil’s blow after a great victory.  So that love covers us and casts all the fears away!  Thank You because You are faithful and true to finish and complete whatever You have started in us.  Thank You because You reveal Yourself to us in many different ways, most of the time, in the way that we needed most.  Help us oh Lord to be open and never limit You with a certain personality.  You Grace is truly sufficient but remind us that You are just and doesn’t tolerate sin as well.  Help us to get to know every side of You but in every way, let us see You great love and favor to us.  Lord, help us not to put You in a box but help us to know You better that we may clearly know (with experience) that You are truly what we need because You as a person, as our God, is everything.  Lord thank You because in every fight we get involve with against the devil, You are faithful and just to finish it off for us.  Lord I am amazed to know that when You call us and we accept, truly there is no turning back.  Just like Elisha, when we accept the calling, You will turn every fiber of our being to seek to follow You; that even if Elijah told us to go back, everything in us will continue to move forward with You.  I pray Lord that You show this to me… and allow me to see how You change my whole being and become captivated with Your calling, in my life and even in other people’s lives.  I am excited Lord, and I thank You because the truth is, I want to be captivated by You.  I love You Jesus.  In Your Name, I pay, Amen!