Preparing for Abundance - Pastor Craig Winnington

• 28/02/2019
• SLC Stuart Price

 

 

 

    As we continue as a church to believe God this year for increase, let us

    also prepare and position ourselves for what is coming. We read in James

    5:17 that “Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain” . What an

    unusual prayer. We don’t usually pray for the opposite to what is needed.

    God was positioning Elijah in the time of drought and famine for a great

    abundance of rain.

 

    In 1 Kings 17:1 Elijah stood before Ahab the king and declared “As the Lord

    God of Is real LIVES before whom I STAND …….no rain at MY WORD”. Elijah

    positioned himself before the LIVING GOD and declared what God had said.

    Elijahs’ words were Gods’ words. Paul the Apostle says in 1Timothy 1:12 -

    “I KNOW Whom I have BELIEVED and am PERSUADED ….” To know God and to know

    about Him are two different things. Do we know God or do we know about Him?

 

    In 1 KINGS 17:3-7 Elijah went to the Brook Cherith where God promised to

    sustain him.

 

    Cherith means ‘separation’. When times of ‘famine’ occur in our lives, we

    need to ‘separate’ ourselves to Him, knowing that He will sustain us in

    times of need. Next Elijah journeyed to Zarephath (1Kings 17:8-16) where a

    widow would ‘provide for him’ v9. The widow told Elijah she was preparing

    her last meal for both her and her son before they died. In v14, Elijah

    says “make me a small cake first”. Do we put God first? Do we believe His

    Word? Do we trust Him?

 

    First means First ! “Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness

    and ALL these things will be added unto YOU” Matthew 6:33

 

    Zaraphath means ‘the place of refining’ To refine means to ‘remove unwanted

    elements from something, to purify, cleanse, rectify.’ It also means to

    ‘make changes to improve or fine-tune.’ What is it that God wants to

    ‘refine in us’? Do we need to make some ‘changes’ in our lives? When we put

    God first, the barrel of meal WILL NOT FAIL and the jar of oil WILL NOT RUN

    DRY. Christ, Himself is the source of our supply – HE CANNOT FAIL.

 

    In 1 Kings 18:20-46 (Please Read) Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal on

    Mt Carmel.

 

    Mt Carmel means a ‘fruitful place’. How often when we come to a fruitful

    place in God does the enemy try to shut us down.

 

    Baal means ‘controller, possessor’. The ‘flesh’ will always try to shut

    down the ‘Spirit” (Romans 8:5-6). There were 450 prophets of Baal and only

    1 Prophet of God, - 450:1 – Intimidating ! Not for Elijah. Note this –

    after Elijah slew the prophets of Baal, the rains came ! Abundance returned

    to the land (James 5:18). Let us learn from the life of Elijah by going to

    :-

 

    Brook Cherith…...the place of Gods’ PROTECTION

 

    Zaraphath………..the place of Gods’ PROVISION

 

    Mt Carmel……….the place of Gods’ POWER

 

    and re-aligning ourselves with Gods’ purpose for our lives declaring as

    Elijah did - “The God Who LIVES before Whom WE STAND.”

 

    Revival is the work of God in the church. Evangelism is the work of the

    church in the world. There is a great harvest of souls to be reaped before

    Jesus returns. We need to prepare and position ourselves as His church to

    believe as Elijah did in his generation to ‘PRAY AGAIN’ and see the Heavens

    open with a great outpouring of His Spirit producing an abundance of souls

    to be harvested for His Kingdom.

 

    Have a blessed week

 

    Pastor Stuart & Colleen