God Encounters – Still, Small Voice

In the last several of post we have been looking at the encounter between God and Elijah and if you need to review Elijah’s encounter with God you can click here.  Here is what we have covered so far in looking at this encounter.  We  looked at how even when running from God, Elijah still had an encounter with God.  We also looked at how God will ask us questions in an encounter with Him so that we can learn in the encounter and not because God does not  know the answer.  We saw how sometimes we need to have our physical needs taken care of before we can have a God encounter.  We also saw that fasting is something that is a part of encountering God.  There is also the fact that sometimes we do not like what God says in an encounter with Him.  We also saw last time that the best way to deal with discouragement is action or being put to work by God. 

Let us look at the last couple of thought on the encounter between Elijah and God.  Here is the first thing to grasp today; you can get encouragement in an encounter with God. Elijah had been used greatly of God in his life; there was an anointing upon his life. For three and a half years at the brook Cherith, God supernaturally provided for his food by ravens. Then he went to the town of Zarephath where Elijah miraculously provided for his needs by a widow and her son with a small amount oil and flour that did not run out during a famine. Then when the widow’s son died, Elijah raised him from the dead. There was the famous confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel that where Elijah prayed and God sent fire from heaven. In spite of all that God did for him, Elijah got discouraged.

This means that perhaps you have been used of God in the past but now you are discouraged and feel all alone. Know that you are not alone – Elijah thought he was the only one who was faithful but God showed him that he was not alone. He was not the only one out there – he felt like he was but the truth is that there were seven thousand like Elijah as he was reminded by God in 1 Kings 19:18. Discouragement gets us thinking poorly – we think negatively and we think we are the only ones but as we see – these are lies and tools of the enemy. Let us not fall for this but look to the positive and know we are not alone.

Do not miss this last point in the encounter – sometimes God encounters us in quiet ways, not with extreme physical manifestations. We many times expect God to be in the big and mighty things but we are so far off when we think that is the only way that God works. When Elijah stood before the presence of God, first he experienced a mighty rushing wind, but God was not in the wind. Next Elijah experienced an earthquake that shook the rocks, but God was not in the earthquake. Then Elijah saw a fire but God was not in the fire. God revealed Himself to Elijah in a still, small voice.

All too often we think we have to yell, be loud, get angry, speak ill of others or a situation to get our point across but God has shown us something very different here. God doesn’t need to yell to get our attention and we do not need to yell, scream, or make a scene to make a point – we need to get quieter like God did with Elijah. God spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice, and He still encounters us in the same way. One problem that some have is they are rarely quiet enough to ever hear God’s still small voice. It is a lesson for each of us – if we want people to listen to us then we need to speak quietly and gently.

If you want others to tune you out and really not hear what you have to say – yell or be harsh or rude – but if you want people to listen to you and respect you then follow the advice of Proverbs 15:1 – A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. Gentle words people hear and harsh word make for more harsh words. What and how you say things are very important. People will not necessarily remember what you say but they will remember how you make them feel with the words and the tone you use. How are people feeling around you?

Again – where was the Lords voice in all that was happening on the top of the mountain? He was not in the wind; or in the earthquake or in the fire; but a gentle breeze with a still, small voice. Let us listen for the still small voice and let us all have a quiet voice so we can hear each other clearly.

Remember this: When you encounter someone who lowers his or her voice, you must become still and quiet if you want to hear and understand them. God did not just use big miracles to speak to Elijah, God lowered His voice to get his full attention. Sometimes you must be still and listen if you want to encounter God. Remember Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God".

Has God been speaking to you in His still, small voice recently?  What has he been saying?  Any other thoughts on Elijah you would like to share?

God Encounters – Getting to Work

In the last couple of post we started looking at the encounter between God and Elijah.  We  looked at how even when running from God, Elijah still had an encounter with God.  We also looked at how God will ask us questions in an encounter with Him so that we can learn in the encounter and not because God does not  know the answer.  We saw how sometimes we need to have our physical needs taken care of before we can have a God encounter.  We also saw that fasting is something that is a part of encountering God.  If you need to review Elijah’s encounter with God you can click  here.

In Elijah’s life and encounter with God we also see that sometimes we won’t like what we hear when God encounters us. Elijah had run away from Queen Jezebel, fearing for his life. But God encountered him and sent him back to his homeland with a three-fold task. He is to anoint Hazael King of Syria, anoint Jehu King of Israel and anoint Elisha a prophet to replace him. The kings that Elijah were to anoint were vicious men, probably a task that Elijah didn’t want to do. Also, when he anointed Elisha to take his place, he had to deal with his own humanity and frailty. No one likes to step aside to allow someone else to take their place. Yet, Elijah encountered God and from that experience, received enough strength to do tasks that were unenjoyable.

God may call you to do the unenjoyable and if you do not do them your life will be unenjoyable! If you do them, know that God will give you the strength to make it through! God will call all of us to do tasks we do not want to do and when He does we need to be on our faces before Him and seeking Him so that we have the strength and courage to do what he is calling us to do. This is not about selfishness, but about doing what God is asking us to do which is humble ourselves and pray and seek His face (2 Chron. 7:14). The problem is too many just want to pray and seek His face and leave the humbling ourselves behind – if you do not humble yourself – your prayers will be out of a wrong motive and most likely not heard by God.

So when we are discouraged what does God teach us to do? God shows us here that action is the best thing to break discouragement. Often we try to get discouraged people to rationalize why they are discouraged. We try to deal with an emotional problem by academic means; but that doesn’t always work. The best way to get the attention of those struggling with discouragement is to put them to work. Put their hands, feet, their total body into service for God. God gave the discouraged Elijah a task; but not just any task and not just one task.

The task involved the future. Many people are discouraged because they have no future—no hope. You can help someone who is discouraged by getting them to look to brightness of the future. Elijah needed to look beyond the present kings of Israel. Surely King Ahab and Queen Jezebel wanted to kill him, but God told him to anoint Jehu in their place, in other words look to the future. The greatest enemy that God’s people had at the time was the king of Syria, and God told him to anoint the next king of that nation. Then God wanted him to look beyond his own life; God told him to anoint Elisha. In this way, God was assuring Elijah that His work would continue after his death. God had him looking forward.

God wants us to look beyond ourselves and to the hope that lies in the future. Too many of us talk disparagingly about the future and the future of the church but God is control and He will lead it. Stop looking at the negatives and focus on the positives – that is what God tells us in Philippians 4:8 – to look on the true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, attractive, excellent, and praiseworthy things. What are you looking at – at circumstance or what God says to look at?

God solves being blue or discouragement – by giving people hope, focusing them on the future, and putting them to work. One of the reasons people are sometimes blue is they can’t see the future and especially a future for themselves. Sometimes just talk will not totally help a blue person and more needs to be done in their lives. God broke Elijah’s discouragement by putting him to work and He will break your discouragement by giving you a task!

Has God ever given you an unenjoyable task?  Do you see giving someone a task as the best way to get someone out of discouragement?

God Encounters – Fasting

In the last post we started looking at the encounter between God and Elijah.  We  looked at how even when running from God, Elijah still had an encounter with God.  We also looked at how God will ask us questions in an encounter with Him so that we can learn in the encounter and not because God does not  know the answer.  If you need to review Elijah’s encounter with God you can click  here.

Today we will think about something else in this encounter between Elijah and God and that is; sometimes we must take care of physical needs before a spiritual encounter with God. Elijah had wandered into the desert; he needed rest, food, and water. God sent a messenger, or an angel, to bake a cake and to provide water and then instructed Elijah to, "Rise and eat." Then the angel told him to eat again because the journey was going to be difficult.

It’s very hard to tell a man to repent and accept Christ as Savior when a man is so hungry he can’t pay attention to your words. That is why there are humanitarian agencies that use food programs, housing, and other social ministries to help people as a basis for preaching the gospel. We need to be feeding the hungry but to feed them so they can hear the gospel. We need to be found feeding and helping people but that is so that they can clearly hear the gospel of Jesus of Christ. So let us feed others and give them water but also let us share the good news of Jesus with them!

Fasting is something else that can be a part of an encounter with God. Sometimes a physical fast from food is associated with an encounter with God. Actually a fast can come before meeting God, or after meeting God. Some people meet God and then begin fasting as Saul fasted for three days after seeing Jesus the Damascus road. In this case, Elijah fasted for 40 days before he encountered God on Mount Sinai.

Fasting is a time when you refrain from food so that you give all your attention to seeking God. You fast from food, but hunger and thirst after righteousness, seeking a spiritual answer from God. Sometimes prayer is not enough. You take your intercession to a higher level through fasting.

Do you want to see something powerful happen – fasting can be a key to having it happen. Isaiah 58:6 says this; “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke?” Let me ask you – do you have bonds of wickedness in your life that needs to be broken? Do you have things in life that are weighing you down? Do you feel oppressed and need to break free? Fasting is one of the ways that the Lord tells us that these things are broken. I encourage you to fast for a spiritual breakthrough because fasting can a part of encountering God.

Let me ask you – Have you ever fasted – why or why not?  If you have fasted, have you ever had a spiritual breakthrough as a result of fasting?    What comes to your mind when you think of fasting?

God Encounter–Elijah and Questions

In the last set of posts on God Encounters we looked at Jacob and his encounter with God. His encounter came out of fear – fear of an uncle who he thought wanted to kill him and fear of a brother who he thought wanted to kill him. Jacob ended up trying to manipulate his way out of everything but then God showed up. God showed up and wrestled with Jacob all night long. Jacob held on tightly to God. He would not let go and in that we see a picture of what we need to do. We need to hold on and in be in God’s presence and allow Him to change us from manipulators to ministers. Jacob had trouble on every side but God changed him. God changed his heart and God even changed his name. God encountered Jacob and Jacob held on till God made him let go by knocking his hip out of joint! Jacob gladly left that encounter with God with a limp that reminded Him of who God was and how great God was! God wants to do the very same for all of us.

This set of post we will look at the story of Elijah and look at his powerful encounter with God Almighty. Who was Elijah?  Elijah was God’s unpredictable prophet; he never did what people expected. We can see in 1 Kings 18 that he faced over 400 priests of the false god Baal on top of Mt. Carmel. It was a showdown of power. The false priest prayed for fire from heaven, but nothing came. Then Elijah did the unexpected. He poured water over the wood and sacrifice — three times. Then Elijah knelt before the God of Israel to ask for fire to be poured out from heaven like water from a bucket. Elijah was vindicated when God sent fire from heaven. He immediately turned and pointed to the false prophets and yelled to the crowd, "KILL THEM!" But victory was short lived. When Queen Jezebel heard that Elijah had killed them, she sent a royal decree to Elijah by messenger, "I will kill you by this hour tomorrow!"That’s when Elijah ran away. He could stand against over 400 false prophets of Baal—he was bold—but this woman sent him running.  He ran into the desert and told God he wanted to die.  He fell asleep under a juniper tree and an angel awakened him and gave him food and water and he went back to sleep.  The angel awakened him a second time and told him to eat and drink again because it was going to be difficult.  Elijah gets up and goes to Mount Horeb when God asks him a question then has him stand on top of the mountain because He was going to pass by.  Heavy winds came and God was not in the wind, an Earthquake came and God was not in it,  fire came and God was not in that, and finally a gentle breeze came and that is where God was.   God then sends Elijah back with a three fold task to do.  God dealt with Elijah’s discouragement by putting him to work.  (Click here to read Biblical account of Elijah’s Encounter)

So what can we learn from this encounter that Elijah had from God?  The first is this: God will encounter those who are running from Him. When Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah, he began running for his life, crossing through Israel, Judea and then venturing out into the desert. He ended up at Mount Sinai where God encountered him; sending him back into ministry. Why does God send him back to ministry? Because God does not want us running from battles but God wants us running to Him! The Christian life is not about running from people or circumstances but it is about running to God who will be the one who will lead us, guide us, and direct us in the ways we should go because God has plans for us to accomplish and if we are running away we will never be able to accomplish any of it! Running away does more harm than good.

Remember what God says to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:15 – "Go, return on your way". God had other things for Elijah to be doing and other than sitting around and being discouraged. God has other things for you do – so do them!

Another thing to remember is this: God asks questions when He encounters us, not because He wants information, but to teach us something. God in the in Scriptures will ask questions like when God came to Adam asking, "Adam, where art thou?" God knew where he was – but God was showing Adam their relationship was broken. And then God asked Cain, "Why are you angry?" because he wanted Cain to see what evil was in his heart. When God encountered Elijah he asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?" God did not ask the question to get information, God knows all things. God wanted Elijah to face his motivations for running. Elijah had run away from the very people to whom God had called him to minister. God asked a question to make him honestly face his unbelief and wrong motives.

This brings to mind – God knows your motivations better than you do. God knows your motivations and I call on everyone today to say these verses as a prayer: Psalm 139:23,24 – Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. Let me ask you- can you pray that and with good conscious say that there are not people that you need to make things right with? Are there people that you have hurt because of your heart motives were sinful? If you have hurt people with words or attitudes or actions – it is your job to make things right as soon as possible!

Have you ever had God ask you a question to teach to you something?  What was it?  Anything else you see here in what I mentioned you want to comment on – please do!

Side note – For those whose writers of  blogs that normally I comment on – in recent weeks time has been an issue so I have been reading your post but only on occasion commenting.  Just wanted you to be aware that I am still reading your great content!.

Fervent Prayers

We are still dealing with Elijah and prayer today.  Today we see something else here and that  is Elijah prayed fervent prayers.  We see that he prayed bowed down on the ground with his heads between his legs. Look at what 1 Kings 18:42 says, ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees.

That was an unusual position for prayer – but it was the position that Elijah used to pray this fervent prayer.  What does fervent mean?  That could be a problem if we are talking about praying fervent prayers and we do not understand what it is talking about.  So what is fervent?  It means to be passionate or have great intensity of feeling.  When you pray, would you say that God can sense your passion and you intensity for Him in prayer?   Let me put it to you this way – do you have a red hot prayer life?  That is I think what we see in Elijah and I believe that it something that we should have in us, a red hot prayer life.

The King James Bible in translating James 5:16 says this:  Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Much of our prayer is not effective simply because it is not fervent. It is offered with a lukewarm attitude that virtually asks God to care about something that we care little about. Effective prayer must be fervent, not because we must emotionally persuade a reluctant God, but because we must gain God’s heart by being fervent for the things He is fervent for.  Are you passionate for the things that God is?  When you pray does your heart break for the things that break God’s heart?  When you think about people dying without Christ, children dying of preventable diseases, racism, hatred, murder, divorce,  – you know the things that break God’s heart – do they break yours or is your heart cold an calloused?  Are you passionate about what God is?  Is your prayer life effective?  If not – maybe you have to begin to align your priorities with God’s.  Begin praying that God would break your heart with the things that break His – it will be life changing!

 

As we go into Thanksgiving tomorrow – I pray all have a great day and pray fervent prayers!  I am thankful for all of your friendship and prayers.  I will be back on Monday and will start with some Christmas posts….believe it or not!  Again, have a great Thanksgiving!

 

Confidence in Prayer?

Today I want you to see in the prayers of Elijah is that he was extremely confident when he prayed.  He was confident in that there would be a drought and confident when he told Ahab to get ready for the rain.  Think about his confidence as we look at 1 Kings 18:41 which says this:  ⁴¹ Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” He told that Ahab before a drop of rain fell or he had prayed for the rain!  Now that is confidence!

Another point of confidence in prayer is see when Elijah had 12 barrels of water—probably sea water or well water poured—three times, four pots each, on the wood and sacrifice before praying.  He was confident that God was going to answer the prayer.  He was so confident that he had water put on everything.  He was confident that God would come through for him and burn up the wet wood for sacrifice.

What happened in each instance – with the rain and with the wet wood and sacrifice?  God came through in an amazing and powerful way.  Elijah was confident that God would come through and He does!  Do you have confidence in prayer?

For me as I write this I am and my wife are being tested in our confidence in prayer.  We found out yesterday that the bank has not approved the short sale of our home which we have been praying for.  It really puts us in a tough position but it is one where we are praying specifically for wisdom in how to handle this and for the bank to reconsider. The possibility of foreclosure looms but regardless God is God and prayer is powerful and I have confidence in the God of prayer!  So today – please pray for us.

Do you have confidence in prayer?  What are your thoughts on confidence in prayer?

 

Specific Prayers?

This week I will be talking about Elijah and prayer.  I will only be posting Mon-Wed this week due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

The post today regarding Elijah I want to talk about Elijah and specific requests in his prayers.  Elijah was one who prayed specifically let us look at an example.  1 Kings 17:21 – ²¹ Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.”

Here are just one example of Elijah praying specifically for what He wanted to see the Lord do.  The Lord did it and raise the child to life.  Another example for Elijah and his prayers we see that he declared or prayed very specifically for there not be rain, not even dew.  Later then after the drought he also prayed specifically for rain and again the Lord answered.

Let me tell you that I believe that the most ineffective prayers are mostly the ones that are nonspecific.  You know the type I am talking about the:  …bless my family, or the …be with me today or the bless all the missionaries.  I began to think about why we do not pray specifically.  Maybe we have a tendency to not pray specifically because we do not want to look foolish if is not answered.  Maybe we have a tendency to not pray specifically because we are lazy and it would take too long.

When we pray vague and unspecific prayers we never really know if or how God answered them.  We never give God a chance to tell us yes,no, or not now.  We need to tell God what it is that we really want from him, exactly what we want to see Him do. The Psalmist tells us, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” in Psalm 62:8. When we simply pray, “Okay, God, your will be done” we really are not pouring out our hearts to Him. I think we need to be pouring out our hearts to Him and then also being able to say at the same time, “Your will be done.”  Do you truly pour out your heart to God?

So let me encourage you to be praying specific prayers to God.  Lay out before God what you want to see happen in the circumstance or in the situation or in the life that you are praying for.  When you do this, you will be able to tell if God is giving you what it is your are praying for specifically or if God is giving you are partial answer or if God is simply just telling you no.  The thing is that even when you get the no answer you can have a sense of confidence knowing that you have poured out your heart to God and that His will is being done!

Let us pray specifically for what we want to see God do as we pour out our heart before Him and watch what God will do and grow in confidence in prayer and its power as God tells us yes, no, and no now.

Do you pray specific prayers?  Do you pour your heart out before God?