1 Kings 17 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.
After spending a stint with Eliyah and Joian, sharing with the "it is finished, we're perfect now" crowd on a Christian New Age site I read this chapter this morning. I'll tell ya, these guys that say "all prophesy is fulfilled" are missing out on so much in the way of blessing. Truly, all of the Written Word is coming alive as prophetic toward God's son's, camped out about their Christ and His Cross. When you read those holy scriptures above describing the provision received and given through Elijah do you not, as I do, catch the vision that we are about to move through the earth as God's appointed prophets heralding the providence of a New Day come. As I read the anointed words describing the prophet Elijah I could actually sense my spirit pressed hard against the dead of this world and I could feel the glory of His Life entering and raising the spiritual corpse of unregenerate man. Oh no! don't tell me that "it is finished"! Not, when God constantly breaths into my soul new overflowing Life that must be dispersed into this fallen world. As brother Eby reported in his last writing, the last seals that still bind the epistles we be, are being broken even this day, that all that has been prophesied of the Father's sons be appropriated and fulfilled. We can but only concur, while catching the first rays of the dawning New Day.
While many, that have even known God on a deep level, are fleeing the last workings of the Cross, there are those that remain and thrill to know that in but a little while, even today, with a twinkling of eye, we will awaken to His full glory. How often when I witness the exodus of saints seeking more pleasant paths am I reminded that "He that endures to the end shall be saved." I'll tell ya something else ......... the end is upon us and for some, of which I hope to be counted, it will be the most glorious of times pulled deep from the most dire of times. God's sons who have learned to wait and know the seasons shall do great exploits, even greater than that which Jesus did in the flesh. Jesus, come in the Spirit within his younger brothers and sisters is about to show up and show off and all of creation stands on tip toe waiting for this moment. I am excited and I hope you are too, as this program telling of the Son and His sons is coming to the finale. The last act is about to open and it is the most glorious!
For some months I have had on my desktop a file full of material for a blog dealing with the present dreadful economy and how the overcomer should live in it. Please believe me I am not neglecting the series I started on "The Day of Atonement" when I share a message or three (lol) in between. I can only follow His lead and share that which has life and is currently been placed on my heart.
I hope to write off and on all weekend and eventually I want to share the amazing message our brother Kratos' gave us as he departed this world. In his message is a somewhat hidden lesson but a wonderful gift. This invaluable lesson is known and appreciated by only a few that knew John and debated with him, as to "the the ways of a son in the last days."
Before I get to "Kratos' gift" I would like to share a few thoughts copied and refined from a couple anonymous authors (way of saying I forgot to record their names ........ blush). As you read these, please contemplate the "act of giving" and how this might play important in the midst of these last days.
I copied this by someone that was writing about the hurricane that struck New Orleans a few years ago. It speaks to "crisis, and the way of the overcomer"
"The nature of man is to do nothing or business as usual until....until... there is some sort of crisis. That's why it rains on the just and unjust. Rain/tough times just makes the garden grow. I also know that nothing draws people together like a good storm. That is also when we witness the worst and the best in people.
I see overcomers arising. I see men and women of valour and strength, pure in heart, pure in motives. They are dressed in white and they are running like strong horses. They are mighty and powerful in taking the land and seeing the kingdoms of this world becoming the Kingdoms of our LORD and of our Christ.
These are the Joshua's and Calebs that have no fear returning with a good report saying, "We can take the land.""
Yes,praise God! And should we not believe that "we can take the land" let us fall on bent knee and ask our Lord to restore to us the vision of an overcomer. Sometimes my vision is shaken and I have learned that only in surrendering prayer can I find it again.
Added to the preceding thoughts, here are some excerpts taken from the second author, where he begins by referring to "Numbers 11" and "Psalms 106" where the Israelites are complaining and later find themselves in a dilemma.
"The Manna was too mysterious, too inscrutable, too delicate, too heavenly, too miraculous, too 'spiritual'. It contrasted with the tangible, certain, understandable, and naturally gratifying food of Egypt. The fact is that their spiritual life had dropped to such a low level as to make them forget the tyranny, labour, heartbreak, and groanings in Egypt, and to be in an illusionary mentality about that terrible history. Get spiritually low and the world holds out false attraction. Granted that the life of faith and a supernatural basis of life has trials and difficulties for the flesh and the natural man, but it has a daily miracle of sustenance at its heart. The point of departure with them was whether their own souls were to be gratified or whether they were to be a testimony to the Lord.
The phrase "leanness into their souls" indicates that, firstly, thinness, scantiness, smallness, starvation, tenuity, weakness, and contraction in spiritual stature and measure are quite contrary to a God who is so full, abundant, and beneficent. Such contraction and limitation could never be a testimony to Him.
In the next place, the words indicate that the heavenly, the supernatural, the spiritual, and the way of faith is really the way of spiritual robustness and substance.
How lean-souled many of the Lord's people are! How little, many of them to give! How rare it is to find those - individually or collectively - who have much more than they need themselves and plenty for others! Starvation conditions are all too common among the Lord's people. There are many reasons for this, but our verse says that it is the preference for the earthly to the heavenly, and an unwillingness to forego the natural for the spiritual. This whole matter is threshed out in the First Letter to the Corinthians, a church characterized by spiritual leanness, weakness, and smallness.
Spiritual leanness can be a judgment as stated in Psalm 106:15
"He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls" KJV
" So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it." (NLT)
"So he gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease upon them." (NIV)
But when all that has been said, the reason for the tragedy was the persistent insistence of the people praying what they want rather than what the Lord had so evidently shown to be His will.
This author ends his message deriding the fatness of the Western Church while contrasting it's selfish ways with the Life of Christ and the early church, which made all their possessions common. Lastly he shares a couple scriptures with which I add a a few lines.
"He who dies with the most toys is still dead.
"Blessed be ye POOR, for yours is the kingdom of God... but WOE unto you that are RICH, for you have received your consolation" (Lk 6:20, 24)
At any cost let us set the highest value and importance upon spiritual fullness, the fullness of Christ, and never by any means limit Him, or be instrumental in limiting Him toward others! "
Dear saint of God, when the veil is lifted so that your heart sees and understands all that Jesus wrought for you, your tears will flow down your cheeks and you will cry, "O Hallelujah! What a Saviour!" And you will reckon the sufferings of this present time as not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in you (Rom 8:18)
I had just suffered a tough couple of days where doubt pressed cold and hard against me concerning my place in the present economics of the world. I have a landlady that called Thursday telling me in so many words, "I'll show you the road unless you show me the money." When I awoke this morning with a prompting to share "Kratos' lesson" the words to this Hymn were the first words I read as I searched for added material. And yes tears did flow down my cheeks and I did cry, "What a Saviour! and He comes bearing promises."
"The Meal and Cruse of Oil" by John Newton 1779
By the poor widow's oil and meal
Elijah was sustained;
Though small the stock it lasted well,
For God the store maintained.
It seemed as if from day to day,
They were to eat and die;
But still, though in a secret way,
He sent a fresh supply.
Thus to his poor he still will give
Just for the present hour;
But for tomorrow they must live
Upon his word and power.
No barn or storehouse they possess
On which they can depend;
Yet have no cause to fear distress,
For Jesus is their friend.
Then let not doubts your mind assail,
Remember, God has said,
"The cruse and barrel shall not fail,
"My people shall be fed."
And thus though faint it often seems,
He keeps their grace alive;
Supplied by his refreshing streams,
Their dying hopes revive.
Though in ourselves we have no stock,
The Lord is nigh to save;
His door flies open when we knock,
And 'tis but ask and have.
I believe we'll do alright and even better yet!
.
Grace received is grace extended
Such is the circle of His Love
May we ever find ourselves encircled.
John/Jack
(to be continued)
