Life is a series of Examination. Just like physical Exams, if you are not prepared, you cannot prevail.If you are not set,you may not succeed.
Unlike physical exams however, examinations of life have no specific time-tables!You must be ready to face it every time you wake up.That's why the scriptures says LEARN to do well.
Today,we are going to study the life of Elijah as he faces his life examination!
Here is Elijah, for the first time. If you hear the name “Elijah”, what comes to your mind? Fire on mount camel, climbing to heaven without dying!
But we see that the man of God was instructed: to go, hide and sit at brook Cherith. What’s God saying?
Before Elijah can stand on mount Carmel, he needed to sit by the brook.
In life if you don’t sit down (to learn / meditate to be instructed) you can’t stand up.
God will TEST before he can TRUST. I Peter 1:6-7
Before the faith of Carmel, you need to discipline and maturity of Cherith.
Place of the Exam
God want to transform Elijah the Tishbite to Elijah the man of God.
171 / 1724. Elijah must therefore go to school.
The first place is Cherith which means to cut off / to cut down.
Ordinarily, God should keep Elijah before Ahab, but he decided to cut him off from public view in order to cut him down to size!
Lesson:Champions in life are made away from public glare.That champion you celebrate today have been working in secret for a long time!
V 3
Hide thyself
God told Elijah to hide himself!Your hidden life is where your strength is built. God can’t take us to the highest height until our hidden life is satisfactory.
+Your discussion in your sitting room
+Your attitude to your neighbours
+Your discussion with your wife / husband
+Your attitude toward your staff members when no church person is there!
+Your prayer / study / thinking
God will purify your walk with him, before he can give in boldness to talk to the enemy on Carmel.
YOU CAN’T TALK THE TALK IF YOU CAN’T WALK THE WALK
Cherith is a place of quietness, as if you don’t exist. But know God is preparing you, when you manifest everyone will bow.
At Cherith you can’t complain, or you’ll stay long there.
Your stay in Cherith is for your good! Its ordained by God
Elijah may begin to think, why am I hiding, is this all God want to use me for. Is God powerless, why should he tell me to go and hide?
Answer:
Sometimes God hides his soldiers to prevent premature exposure.
Remember when Israel was coming out of Egypt.
1. It was in the night,when majority of the Egyptians were sleeping!
2. They were Not made to pass through the land of the Philistines though it was nearer and could have been convenient and time saving!because the Philistines are warriors.
3. He made them cross the Red Sea, you know why
a. That their enemies might die in the Red sea without them shooting an arrow!
b. That they might see the miracle of God in stages
c. That they might not be able to go back before they will need another miracle!
Thank God for Elijah: he didn’t question God. He got to Cherith where he was taught how to trust on God for daily needs.
Wake up, prepare water to drink.He will then sit down,look up expecting the Bird to bring in his food!
Lesson:You’ve got to know how to look up!
That food comes through the RAVENS – unclean birds / a scavenger.
Every morning / every evening.
Are you in need, are you hungry for something and there is no one to help, no one to assist, those who could assist have declared you wanted. Brother look up, your own miracle is coming.
Why didnt that Raven give Elijah's food to another person?
Look,your miracle has your name inscribed on it.No one can snatch your miracle.
What a mighty God God we serve!Every person was living in hunger but Elijah waseating assorted meat through a supernatural helper.
GOD WILL SEND YOU A SUPERNATURAL HELPER!
Nothing could stop that ravens because he was on special assignment to sustain you.
Where did the raven got the meat,… probably from Ahab / Jezebel table or kitchen.
God wanted to teach Elijah how to look up in the valley, so on mount Carmel, he will not be disappointed.
Wherever you are God knows your need and he will meet your need. Elijah went to Cherith through divine instruction, he must be sustained buy divine provision.
But when you choose to walk your own way, you pay the fare.
Verse 7
After a while – Elijah was settling down, waking up / sleeping and eating and gradually the brook dried.
And he went out, as usual “ where is my raven” looking up looking to the left, to the right; but the raven did not appear.
And before you could say whats happening to the raven? The brook also dried up. Why?
When your brook dry it’s a sign that something is about to happen.
Your brook could be:
Your source of income
Your business
The love of your husband / wife
The love of your father and wife
The help of your uncle / brother in Kano / Kaduna – your relationship
Door of help – door of favour
The brook dried:
Not because God stopped loving Elijah
Not because Elijah had sinned
Not because Elijah is not praying again
Not because Elijah was out of the will of God
Not because God is limited – God can prevent that brook from drying but because God has a better plan.
What happen last year is not enough to make you cry, God has a better plan.
Because your brook dried does not mean you should dry too! Elijah still heard from God,his spiritual life did not dry because the brook dried.
After the Brook(We will talk fully about this in Part2)
Elijah was not crying, he waited. He did not look for alternative. He waited and the word of God came because God has not forgotten him.
God will make a way for you. He didn’t abandon Elijah, he will not abandon you.
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