“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:3-4). Sure, Jesus Christ gave Himself up on the Cross in order to bring us needed salvation, comfort, hope, and freedom in life.
Before we go any further, I want to inform you that the 2013 Eminent Ladies Club Int’l Conference will take place on Saturday 27th July. Venue: Brunswick Parish Church. Brunswick Street, Ardwick, Manchester M13 9YX. Conference Theme: WALKING IN RESTORATION! By the grace of God, Pastor Christine Collie (France) will be joining Pastor Daniel & myself to minister at this event, which will be supernaturally impactful. Please book the date now on your calendar and make every arrangement to be there and get others to come along with you as well. To support the execution of this Conference and other Ministry projects, donate here
Now, let’s continue with this month’s study. Perhaps, you are currently facing some uphill tasks, or mountains of problems, or afflictions which all seem to negate the physical manifestation of what Jesus has already done for you, and you are puzzled in every way, and despairing for help from above. Yes! God is our Ever-present Help in trouble. He wants to deliver us out of every trial and testing. Sometimes God begins the process of deliverance by sending a prophetic word to you through a man or woman of God—which automatically brings hope, joy, and comfort to you. You wish for that word to come to pass in your life immediately, and somehow it doesn’t. And you wonder why? Well, while studying the word of God from the Book of 1 Kings, Chapter 18, the Lord showed me some fresh and very crucial steps that need to be observed before the prophetic word comes into manifestation. He laid it on my heart to share this with you. Hence, this newsletter and the next one will focus on how to end the drought in your life. I urge you to read it carefully and apply the truth revealed to your life for your breakthrough.
May I observe that ‘drought’ refers to a long period of dry weather. Weather itself refers to the condition of the atmosphere with respect to wind, rain, sunshine, snow, etc. So when we speak of a drought, we are referring to a long period of unfavourable and hazardous weather conditions which make it impossible for farmers to cultivate the land, and for the ground to produce and yield food. In order words, a drought is a condition which totally hinders productivity, provision, and life. In life, we experience periods of drought where nothing seems to be working right, with no obvious progress being made spiritually, physically, materially, etc., to show for all the years of toiling and labour one has been engaged in. Drought is an unpleasant experience to deal with. Nevertheless, it’s reassuring to know that God has made a way for us to overcome every drought in our lives and experience both the former and latter rain of His blessings and glory. I ask you to get your Bible out now and read the text in 1 Kings 18 to see the essential steps which the prophet Elijah took to overcome the drought in his life and ministry—steps which I will be discussing in this newsletter and the next, for our benefit.
STEP I. Receive a fresh word from God and obey it wholeheartedly. In verse one of this text, we read, “And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.” To overcome any drought, it is vital you receive a fresh word from the Lord. It is true that when God speaks it is final. However, God expects us to follow Him closely at all times, and listen attentively to Him, to receive His minute by minute instructions, which when followed, leads to a joyful end. Prior to this word to Elijah, Elijah had spoken to king Ahab, pronounced a curse of drought on the land (because of their sins), and boldly stated that the curse would only be reversed at his word (see 1 Kings 17:1). Following this, God told him to leave that land and go to the Brook Cherith where he would be fed by ravens. Later on, he went to Zarephat where he was sustained by a widow (see 1 Kings 17:2-16). Now when the time came for God to end the drought in the land, He sent a fresh word to Elijah affirming that He was going to reverse the situation. He also specifically instructed him to go and present himself to Ahab with that prophetic word. Keep in mind that the drought was still very severe in the land when God gave Elijah this word. So Elijah boldly acted in faith to obey the word of the Lord to him. When God speaks to any of us through any means He chooses, irrespective of what our present circumstance might look like, all we need is faith to act in obedience to His word, and He will do the rest.
STEP 2. Stand fast to obey the word. Don’t back down and don’t compromise.
Notice that when Elijah set out on this mission, he met Obadiah, the steward of Ahab’s household, who was a man who feared God. When Elijah met him and requested for him to take him to Ahab, he was too horrified to do so, fearing that the king would kill him. He tried to explain to Elijah why he did not want to do it (see I kings 18:9-14). However, Elijah did not give in to his excuses but vehemently insisted that he took him to the king, saying, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today” (v. 15). At this word, Obadiah went ahead to inform Ahab that Elijah wanted to see him. Just as Elijah faced circumstances that could have made him compromise on his stand, you and I will also encounter people and situations that will call for us to compromise too, but we should be wise to defy their temptation and stand to the end to see our victory come.
STEP 3. BOLDLY CONFRONT THE ADVERSARY BEHIND THE PROBLEM. Elijah boldly told Ahab that he and his father’s house were responsible for the problem in the land (v.18). He further challenged Ahab and his team to a contest to determine who the true God was, saying, “send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table” (v. 19). So Ahab went and gathered all these together on Mount Carmel. Notice that Elijah did not run away from this contest, although in the natural it looked as if he was outnumbered by Ahab’s team. Rather, he boldly went on to tell them that it was time for them to determine who the true God was, so they could serve Him alone. He also told them how they were going to do this, giving them the privilege to be the first to sacrifice and call on their gods. Elijah informed them that the God that answered by fire was to be acclaimed as the true God (see vs. 21-24).
In response, the prophets of Baal and all his worshippers sacrificed to Baal, and called on him but he did not answer them: “So they … called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention” (vs. 26-29). It’s not surprising that the god they were calling did not answer because only one GOD—our GOD, has the ability to hear and answer prayers. Daily, we need to make sure that we are on the Lord’s side; calling on the only true God, and doing it in the right way too.
As I conclude, may I invite you to the forth-coming Eminent Ladies Club Worship & Healing Celebration on Saturday, 18th MAY 2013. Venue: ARDWICK SPORTS HALL. 225 Stockport Road, Longsight, Manchester, M12 4DY. Time: 1.15 p.m. Please spread the word around and come with an expectant heart. Bring the lost, sick, and oppressed and/or anyone in need of a miracle to this outreach meeting and let God meet all at the points of their need. This is the time to also ask you to consider becoming a partner with our Ministry, if you are not already one. You can do this here or write/ telephone us to obtain the Partnership form. Also, send us your prayer requests so we can pray for your victory. Until I hear from you and /or see you on Sat, 18/ 05/2013, be blessed.
Yours in Christ Royal Service,
Rev. (Mrs) Ifeoma Fiiriter—ELC Founder & President.
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