Expectations And Outcomes Are Clear

God’s word to you in every season of your life brings clarity to expectations. Amen!

When Elijah declared a drought – he expected dryness n the land.

When God’s word came to Elijah – Elijah expected to be fed by ravens and to drink from the brook.

1 Kings 17:4-6 (NKJV)

And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”  So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.

When another word came from God to Elijah – Elijah expected to meet a widow at Zarephath who will provide for him according to God’s word. Amen!

1 Kings 17:10-11

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.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

When Elijah met the widow, he did not anoint her to be a prophetess. Because that was not the instruction from the word that came to him. However, when he met Elisha, he anointed him to be prophet.

It suffices to say that the purpose of God’s word to our lives in every season, is to bring clarity not confusion. There is so much confusion in our world today. If we can just make up our minds to depend on God’s word, we will eliminate confusion in our lives. Amen!

Influence is Guaranteed

When God’s word determines the seasons of your life, your words will influence situations. Amen! Elijah declared

1 Kings 17:1 (NKJV)

“...there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

Emphasis Mine

A desire to influence situations with our words can be fulfilled when we allow God’s word to determine the seasons of our lives. We are looking at a case in point, the prophet Elijah. We should not overlook the fact that 1 Kings 17 is the very first chapter in the bible where Elijah is first mentioned. We are introduced to him communicating to Ahab and declaring what the land should expect – a drought. And so it was.

Sometimes we yearn for our voices to be relevant voices in our generation and in this dispensation. I believe one of the ways that such desires can be fulfilled is when we allow scriptures to guide us. If we do, the impact will be beyond what we expected.

Desire to be in a place in your life whereby you only speak what the Father tells you to say (John 12:49 NIV). This was a great example modeled by Jesus Himself.

One of the ways that we can make these truths our reality, is by living a purpose driven life. A godly life; a life dependent on the leadership of the Holy Spirit. By so doing, your presence in every situation will leave a lasting positive impact.

By this we mean, the words you speak will influence the situation and the people. Amen!

You Become A Source Of Encouragement To Others

From every indication, the effects of the drought were being felt by this family (the widow and her son). When Elijah asked her to make bread for him. She clearly stated that she had just a little oil and flour.

1 Kings 17:12 (NKJV)

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.”

Now, because Elijah was confident that this season was being directed by God’s word, Elijah could boldly deliver a word of encouragement to the widow.

This was God’s word through Elijah to the widow;

1 Kings 17:14 (NKJV)

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.’”

1 Kings 17:16 (NKJV)

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.

When you permit God’s word to determine the seasons of your life, always remember that your obedience will benefit many as well. God is faithful enough to back His word. Amen!

Choose to avail yourself so that God can use you as a channel to reach out words of encouragements to His children here on earth. Amen!

God Is Glorified

1 Kings 17:24 (NKJV)

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.”

God is interested in using you here on earth as a vessel that manifests His glory.

Elijah prayed for the widow’s dead son, and he came back to life. I believe this widow knew all along that there was something different about Elijah. When they first met, Elijah instructed the widow to make bread for him first before making bread for herself and the son.

1 Kings 17:13 (NKJV)

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.

  

Secondly, the oil and the flour used in making the bread did not run out.

1 Kings 17:16 (NKJV)

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.

Amazingly, there is no record of her acknowledging that these occurrences are only possible through God. I guess she was just watching and the enemy was looking for the slightest opportunity to steal her testimony. But remember, the ways of God always prevail. It was n’t until, her son died and God raised him from the dead through Elijah that she openly testified that Elijah was a man of God and that his God truly speaks – all for God’s glory. Amen!

When God Word determines the seasons of your life, it is all for His glory. Let God be glorified!

Service Is Guaranteed

When God’s word determines the seasons of your life, he strategically positions you to be a blessing to others through services. When Elijah went to Zarephath as instructed by God’s Word. He met the widow and her son and over a period of time of staying together, the widow’s son died. God used Elijah to pray for her son who eventually came to life. Amen!

This is very significant because the shift in the seasons of our lives could be for selfless reasons. Yet, we may never know the outcome of a season if we do not boldly step into it as instructed by the Word. So, when it comes to living in the right seasons of our lives, always remember that God has the bigger picture. He values your service to others so endeavor to avail yourselves.

In this case, it was raising the dead. In your case, it might be preaching the message of salvation, or feeding the hungry, or visiting the homeless, etc.

Another season might require that all the resources are directed towards you. Amen. When the word came to Elijah earlier in this chapter, the ravens brought bread and meat to Elijah every morning and evening. And a brook was available for his personal consumption.

I encourage you to remain vigilant to the Word and respond accordingly. Service is guaranteed; you will be served or you will serve. Amen.

Protection Is Guaranteed

1 Kings 17:2-3 (NKJV)

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,  “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.

Emphasis Mine

God is interested in our protection as well. When the drought was declared, He instructed Elijah to get away from where he was, turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith.

Elijah was His son, so are we and God took special interest in his protection. He does the same thing today.

I want to expose this truth to you. The word of God and God himself serves as a shield over us. There are many scriptural references to this truth. Let’s examine a few together.

-Psalm 28:7a (NIV)

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

-Proverbs 30:5 (NIV)

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

-Psalm 18:30 (NIV)

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.

-Psalm 33:20 (NIV)

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

The purpose of all these scriptures is to let us know how important the word of God to us is. It has potential to protect. It did for Elijah. God’s Word for you can determine your protection as in the case of Elijah. After declaring a drought, the word of Lord comes to Elijah instructing him to hide by the Brook Cherith. It was a word from God to Elijah that protected him. Depend on God’s word for your protection.

Satisfaction Is Guaranteed

1 Kings 17:7-8 (NKJV)

And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

Emphasis Mine

It was after the brook dried up that another word came to Elijah. Prior to this when the Word of the Lord came to Elijah, the ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and evening and he drank water from the brook. Amen!

God is interested in the satisfaction of His children. He wants to meet your needs to a place where nothing is missing and nothing is broken either. He wants you satisfied. One of the reasons why He transitions you from one season to another is so that you are strategically positioned to get all your needs met. I can guarantee you that we are one Word away from getting our needs met. If we will just yield to Him and be vigilant to hear from Him when he speaks, we would not go to Him in prayers with a very long list of requests. Some of the requests can be handled by simple obedience to a word we received from Him. Can you imagine what would have become of Elijah if he did not receive another word from the Lord? He would have had enough to eat and nothing to drink. Sooner or later the thirst will supersede the hunger and the food which was meant to be a blessing will no longer be regarded as a blessing. Amen!

It is imperative to allow the Word of God to lead you into the next season of your life otherwise blessings may appear burdensome and of less value, because we prefer something over another not because what we have is not good but rather not relevant for the moment.

God will not just let you eat and not drink in the process. He desires to see you satisfied. Your satisfaction is His interest.

Another point worth noting here is that we ought to trust God when He speaks to us, just like Elijah did. When the word leads the seasons of your life, you will not suffer any form of deficiency. Do not fear to move on with God with the mindset that you might miss out. Let me encourage you “no one misses out on anything when they depend on God solely”. It will be mockery of His character as a faithful Father to think that he will not bring every good thing to you. When Elijah went to Zarephath, his needs were still met, this time, through another avenue. Amen!