(CS4U) Elijah

RISE AND SHINE CHRISTIAN SERVICES May 15 to 17, 2011 Discover yourself to reclaim your destiny Meditations for your quiet moments Elijah (1) Are you going through a spiritual dry spell? Are you busy encouraging others while your own life seems to be falling apart? You're not unique. It happened to    Elijah, who'd just called down fire from Heaven on Mount Carmel and defeated 850 false prophets in a spectacular victory. Suddenly he found himself in a full-blown famine with every human resource dried up and his back to the wall. So what did he do? 'he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees' 1 Kings 18:42. Good move! Elijah decided to shut out his surroundings, reach for God's help, and keep praying until he had an answer. When the answer came, it came as 'a sound of abundance of rain'. Notice, what Elijah heard in his spirit was completely at odds with what he could see or hear around him. His spirit sensed rain before a drop fell. There's an important lesson here. When God speaks to you He will speak to your spirit, not your flesh. What He says there will be more real than anything that's happening in your circumstances. But beware, what you hear in your spirit may go against what you hear in your intellect, what you have in the bank, what's happening at work, or what's taking place at home, or what's happening in your body. Elijah had to discount all the 'no rain' reports he kept getting. So will you. When you know God has promised you a certain thing you must tune out the negativity around you, stand on His Word and keep believing! Elijah (2) Elijah '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" the seventh time, [the servant] 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." 1 Kings 18:43-44. Notice four things in this story. First, you must look to God for your answer, not people. 'Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord...He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream...It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit' Jeremiah 17:7-8. Secondly, you must keep believing what God says. Elijah kept getting the same negative report, 'There is nothing.' But he kept believing God until finally, the seventh time, his servant said, 'There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea.' God had promised it was coming, so he stood on God's Word. Thirdly, you must not be influenced by those who don't share your vision. Elijah's servant kept saying, 'Nothing is happening.' But Elijah knew better. You can't be led by those who aren't in sync with you spiritually. Finally, you must position yourself to receive. 'He put his face between his knees' 1 Kings 18:42. That's a submission and a birthing position! Today what you sense within you is real, but if you don't get into position and push it won't happen. If you do, God will bless you with 'abundance' 1 Kings 18:41. Elijah (3) Every success story begins with somebody taking a small step or sowing a small seed, which usually represents all they have at that moment. Simply stated: everything big starts with something small. If you're not willing to start small, you can't start at all! The servant who kept telling Elijah nothing was happening, finally saw something. It was just a tiny cloud, but it had great potential. God loves to use things we think are insignificant. He used a boy's lunch to feed a multitude, a slingshot to bring down a giant, and a handful of clay to restore a blind man's eyesight. He can use a little job, a little money, or a little idea to bless you. Little clouds are indicators of what's coming; they're conduits God has chosen to use. When God promises you something, He doesn't need anything big to make it happen. Often the change that impacts many starts with one individual. Whether it's an Esther or a Paul or a Mother Teresa or a Billy Graham, God only needs one person who believes Him and dares to step out on His Word. When God pours out His blessing upon you, you'll begin to see three things. First, that your problems are just an opportunity for Him to 'show Himself strong on [your] behalf ' 2 Chronicles 16:9. Secondly, that His 'strength is made perfect in [your] weakness ' 2 Cor 12:9. Thirdly, that you can reach a place where you actually begin to thank God for your enemies, because God 'prepares a table', and vindicates you right there in front of them Psalm 23:5. Share this with a friend Send us your Prayer Requests Feel free to unsubscribe risetoshine@hotmail.co.uk