Bethel Church LJ Podcast

Elisha had counseled the king to trust in God to bring him victory. Apparently, the King was tired of believing in what appeared to be a “false prophetic word” based on his present circumstances. As a result, Elisha, who had greatly benefited the king before was persona non grata. He was looking for Elisha to take his head himself because of the problems he faced in taking Elisha at his word.

In this time of peril, Elisha seemed to be at peace though the world around him was in turmoil. He didn’t allow the circumstances to change who he was, or the will of God for the situation. He stood fast on the Word of God even in the midst of the turmoil and as a result, brought himself, and even more importantly, the city into a great victory over the true enemy which was the enemy of our soul.

9/11/202

Today, it’s not uncommon to hear people who wake up and begin to dress themselves (metaphorically of course) in the armor of God. The question is, are they like the Israelites, dressed for battle, but truthfully, absent when the battle arrives? We must move beyond simply dressing ourselves up to fight, we must engage and we must fight.

 

1 Corinthians 12: 1, 7-11    Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed ⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,^[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.^[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

^{King 18:41     41} And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”⁴² So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

⁴³ “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.

“There is nothing there,” he said.

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

⁴⁴ The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”

So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”

⁴⁵ Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

 

(James 5:16)    ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

We must see ourselves as part of a cosmic battle and then be willing to engage in it if we hope to see the Kingdom of God manifest in our lives and the world around us. We must fight the good fight of faith

Ephesians 6:13 (GNB) So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

 

The truth is that many people don’t have a problem believing that God does what He does for the whole, or for other people. What many have a hard time with is that God would do the same for them – the individual. This story teaches us that God salvation, God’s power is not just for the whole, of for others. God cares about you and is willing and available to save and restore you.

Elisha has received the mantle which is the empowerment of God to accomplish the purposes of God. God’s salvation is God’s power made available to bring wholeness in every capacity of life. What we witnessed was the empowerment of God opening the eyes of His servant to see and hear in the spiritual realm

God’s people are also created to be able to see and hear in the spiritual realm - to hear from God.

Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.”
And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.        (Luke 8:39 ES)

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony,
“He told me all that I ever did.”       (John 4:39 ESV)

 

The Bible says, “Faith without works (action) is dead”.

Faith requires something of us. Faith believes God and His Word. Faith stands with God and stands on His Word. However, faith in God’s Word also demands something of us by way of action.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.( Isaiah 6:1 )