I have been sick this past week so fell behind in highlights. Wednesday night from James 5:17-18 we heard about Earnest prayer, prayer that is praying the will of God. Elijah was a mighty man of God, one who knew God intimately and could trust the power of God to work through him to accomplish the impossible. Elias; who is the same with the prophet Elijah, or Elijah the Tishbite; who, by the is called Elias, as here, and elsewhere, in the New Testament: of him James says, that he was a man, subject to like passions as we are; both in body and soul; he was subject to hunger and weariness, and he was subject to reproach, affliction, and persecution, persecuted by Jezebel, who sought his life; he was a mortal man, and liable to death, but escaped death by the wonderful power of God, which translated him, that he should not see death and is thought to be one of the witness that will return at the end of time mentioned several places in the Bible who will witness and be killed and rise again in three and half days. The prophet prayed with much earnestness, with great vehemence and intenseness of Spirit, his prayer was fervent, and it was constant, and continued till he had an answer. One might wonder why he prayed for no rain when this would create a hardship on him as well as the nation but he did not question what God had told him to do he just obeyed God. Why does God choose to use humanity when God can do anything he wants with just a spoken Word He has always sought obedient people to accomplish His will. God’s Divine providence is the means by and through which God governs all things in the universe that He has created, in order that they may accomplish the ends for which they were created This means each of us has a choice to make. God governs the affairs of men and works through the natural order of things. The question is will we choose to obey God so He can use His providence to bless your life and strengthen you to receive eternal life? God is absolutely sovereign and controls everybody and everything as He works out His own foreordained purpose and plan. However, the same Bible also teaches that every human being is responsible for every one of his actions. He has promised to provide everything we need to be faithful and receive eternal life, IF we are determined to serve Him faithfully at all costs. God used Elijah just as he uses us today to send a message to humanity that could be understood, that God works through prayer. We all have sort of a form when we pray it may start out with praise and worship for what he has done, or prayer over our lost love ones but if we continue in prayer it will become fervent and the spirit will start to pray the will of God. We start off praying those things that are on our heart but we must pray past the flesh to the spirit. Sometimes the spirit prays things in the will of God the flesh doesn’t understand, to people around Elijah’s prayer made no sense because he would suffer loss also. But Elijah was a willing vessel obeys God not worrying about how God was going to take care of him just having faith he would. Faith is the gif5t of God and with faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is a fruit of the spirit and gift of the spirit. Elias was not super human he was like us with the same needs and temptations we face. Faith doesn’t come by seeing but by hearing, hearing the word of God, not just the word you hear a preacher or evangelist speak but the Word that God speaks directly to you. Faith is essential to salvation; if a farmer did not have faith in a harvest then he would not plant the seeds. Faith is demonstrated in action from hearing the Word and doing the Word. Naman had to dip seven times in the muddy water for his healing to come nothing less than seven would work. The Word says come and let the elders anoint with oil and pray, the Word doesn’t say it will be an immediate answer, the timing is God’s but he does answer prayer. James talks about Faith without work is dead; if you have faith you will do works for Christ. Faith supplies the needs even if it hurts your finances or upsets you time schedule, God doesn’t always call us to do what is easy or convenient. Many who before they backslid thought they could serve God at home as easy as at church but the Word says to not forsake the assembling of yourself so on church day it is not I am to tired but flesh get up in obedience to God and go to church. Faith doesn’t stop a Christian from getting knocked down but it sure keeps him from staying down. When Elias prayed for no rain for three and half years God told him to pray for rain, he sent his servant seven time before he saw a cloud the size of a man’s hand and Elijah heard the abundance of rain from that answer. Boldness comes by faith, it is a process, Elijah the Tishbite was from a tribe of wild people, he was what we would consider radical, over the top yet God used him mightily. God plows up our life and turns the normal abnormal to prepare us for the Word he will put inside us to carry out His will. We are all just ordinary people until God get into us and Faith in him makes us extraordinary. The transition takes place in the action of faith, if you pray the will of God expect it to happen, it could be just one more prayer that gives you the answer you are seeking.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:24:50 +0000
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