I released these words as I was ministering last Sunday:
"This is not a time to retreat or give up! Eat of My food all the more, and drink of My drink all the more! Like I have spoken to Elijah those days! There's so much more that I have in store for you, and there's so much more that I want to show you! Receive My strength and be healed in your situation!"
The word 'retreat' is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as '(especially of an army, etc) withdraw when faced with danger or difficulty'.
We are going to do a little study today on the life and ministry of Elijah.
So, who is Elijah? Let's go right into 1 Kings 17:1 when the name Elijah was first mentioned in the Bible. This verse says, 'And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to (king) 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."'
Not much is known about Elijah's background, and Bible scholars have differing views on which tribe he's from. This simply goes to show that it doesn't matter what your background is (or who your forefathers are), but as long as you walk with the Lord and fear the Lord, He will be with you and use you for His glory!
'Elijah' is 'EliYah' in Hebrew, from two words, 'El' (meaning 'God') and 'Yah' (meaning 'the Lord God Almighty who is Self-Existent and Eternal'), and this name is a 'picture' of 'God's people today who represent the Lord and being used by the Lord'. The Word of God says in Malachi 4:5-6, 'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers...'
Indeed, we are living in these end of days, and these are the days of Elijah! The life and ministry of Elijah (written in 1 Kings and 2 Kings) therefore 'foreshadows' what is happening in these last days when the Lord our God confronts the god (i.e. Baal, or master) of this world!
Interestingly, the word 'Tishbite' ('tishbiy' in Hebrew) means 'the source of help', and the word 'Gilead' ('gilad' in Hebrew) can mean 'caring, or affection (like a brother)'. People of God, you too are born and raised for such a time to be 'the source of help' to this world, 'the light and the salt' (Matthew 5:13-16) to this world! And as brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ in this whole wide world, you and I belong to a community ('inhabitants') that's supposed to be 'caring and affectionate'!
And if 'Elijah' speaks of 'the people of the Lord today', then 'Ahab' speaks of 'those who follow the god (or gods) of this world'. The Bible describes Ahab as a king who did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him (1 Kings 16:30), and he did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger more than all the kings of Israel who were before him (1 Kings 16:33). He also took Jezebel as his wife, and served and worshiped Baal, i.e. 'the god (or master) of this world' (1 Kings 16:31-32).
Let's move on. 1 Kings 17:2-4 then says, 'Then the word of the Lord came to him (Elijah), saying, "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
Here, the Lord wanted Elijah to go to the Brook Cherith and be fed supernaturally. This is a 'picture' of God's people drinking from the Living Waters, i.e. the Holy Spirit, and eating from the Word of God. The word 'Cherith' ('keriyth' in Hebrew) in this verse comes from this word 'karath', meaning 'to cut off'.
In the midst of the 'hustle and bustle' of this world and the distractions of human voices, the Lord is calling His people to learn to 'sit still' and 'receive' from Him, instead of 'running everywhere' in search of answers to their situation (or situations). The truth is we all need to take some time to be alone with the Lord, and to 'cut off' from the world (and its noises)!
Note: Jesus did it too with His Abba Father while on earth, and He literally set an example for all of us today! In Luke 6:12-13, He spent the whole night alone with His Abba Father before making a major decision (of choosing His twelve disciples)!
It is then that the Lord will lead you and guide you, from season to season, and from place to place! And that's exactly what happened to Elijah. In 1 Kings 17:8-9, the Lord said to Elijah, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
See the words 'Arise' and 'go' here?
After that, in 1 Kings 18:1, the Bible says, 'And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year (of the drought), saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth."'
King Ahab had been searching high and low for Elijah all these years in order to kill him for 'cursing Israel' with drought! And when Ahab saw him, he said, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?" (1 Kings 18:17) But Elijah 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." (1 Kings 18:18)
And there was Elijah, 'presenting himself' before the powerful king, and completely outnumbered! He was to face the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19), and what he did to 'challenge' the 'king' seemed like a 'lost cause', foolish in the eyes of the world! As a matter of fact, it wasn't so much about 'Elijah' versus 'Ahab' here (as Ahab had made it out to be), but rather 'the Lord God' versus 'the god (gods) of this world'!
What mattered most was Elijah knew the Lord was with him, and he knew the Lord had spoken! And true to God's words, victory came, and the rain returned! (1 Kings 18:20-46)
People of God, at times when it looks like you are 'losing it', keep looking to the Lord your God, and keep trusting in what He has spoken to you, no matter what you see happening in this world. He is a God who is very much alive today, and He will see you through! The Lord God whom Elijah worshiped is the same God who lives in you today! (Hebrews 13:8)
Let's go a little further before we end. Now, when Jezebel (Ahab's wife) heard about those great exploits of Elijah, and how he had executed all those prophets of Baal, she sent a messenger to him, 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 tomorrow about this time."
Elijah then ran for his life, rather discouraged, and prayed that he might die, saying, "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" (1 Kings 19:1-4)
But the Lord had other ideas! Here's what 1 Kings 19:5-8 say, 'Then as he (Elijah) lay and slept under a broom tree, an angel touched him, and said, "Arise and eat." Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God'.
People of God, today, the Lord also want you to know there's so much more that He has in store for you, and there's so much more that He wants to show you! Good things! Greater things! I therefore declare these words to you, wherever you are right now and whatever situation you are in right now! Take these words, and receive by faith! And never allow the 'enemy' to cause you to 'waver' and to 'doubt' the goodness of God!
This is a day to declare that you are set free from any discouragement! And like Elijah, eat of His food all the more, and drink of His drink all the more, and you too will be on your way to many more greater things to come in your life! Amen!
