ExtraOrdinary Elijah with Ptr. Joby Soriano (October 27, 2019)

today we're continuing our series on from ordinary to what to extraordinary yes to extraordinary and this is about Bible characters who can inspire us to be all that God wants us to be and I pray that as you hear these messages God will steer in your heart a desire to really step out and be an extraordinary follower of Christ I have a prop with me today it's one of my biggest props this is it it's a piece of a puzzle all right it's a puzzle piece now this one piece of puzzle represents you represents your life you cannot see your entire life or your entire puzzle complete but many times you look at your life and you think yourself I'm insignificant I'm unimportant I'm useless don't underestimate who you are because God sees you not as you are but he sees you for who you are and you are his remember that today God is putting together the puzzle of your life and each of you is greatly involved in God's master design can you imagine what a puzzle will be like if one piece was missing it would not be a complete puzzle today you are an integral and vital part of God's plan remember that don't think that you're unimportant that you're useless don't sit in the sidelines thinking that you're worthless because you are precious in God's sight you were precious and you're worthy why because he proved it by giving us Jesus to die for us friends God today wants to put you where you best fit in to be extraordinary for him are you with me wonderful today we're going to look at a very special Bible character his name is Elijah can you all say that Elijah Elijah now as we look at the life of Elijah I want you to know that it's not what you are it's what you don't become that matters it's not what you are it's what you don't become that matters do you believe that God wants to develop your personality your character your life truly do you want make a difference in life yes or no I'm so glad you said yes because God wants you to make a difference now if you want to make a difference in life you need to make God the difference in your life you need to make God the difference in your life so many of us have stopped growing what do I mean well what was the last time you read a book what was the last time you sat through a six-week Bible study on a New Testament book what was the last time that you prepared a Bible study to teach someone else God wants to develop you God wants to grow your faith God wants you to take you from where you are to take you to a higher place and oftentimes I believe if if you want make a difference it's not about the people in your life who influenced you to make you different no to make you different is to allow God to make the difference in your life today people graduate from school college they stop reading books but God has a plan for us he wants all of us to go through a school a very special school and the title of that school is God's school of brokenness I know the title doesn't sound interesting but it's it's something that you and I need to all go through if you've committed your life to Christ we will all go through the school of brokenness maybe some of you have already graduated maybe some of your going through it even today but it's a it's a school where God will transform us just like he transformed Elijah to grow and develop in our faith the title of our message today is extraordinary Elijah can you all say that extraordinary Elijah and by the way that that's not Elijah there on the tightrope ah but this is one thing there is something about stepping out in faith that God loves to bless think about that there is something about stepping out in faith that God loves to bless if today you're walking in your Christian life safely securely with everything planned and organized and controlled and and under under your care then how is God gonna work at your life but when you take that step of faith that's when you'll experience God that's when you'll feel God and really experience his faithfulness in your life today many people say I'm not talented I'm a new Christian I don't know enough about the Bible I'm too young I'm too old I'm not outgoing I'm too busy I believe can God can use him or her but I don't believe God can use me and we have so many excuses you might put more excuses on this list but can I tell you those excuses are nothing because with God these excuses don't exist on your own yes if you if you try to live your life on your own then you might have excuses but with God we have no excuse when you look at the mirror today who do you see do you see the real you or do you see the fake you you know the fake you is what you are trying to be to impress other people it's what you're trying to be just to to blend in with the crowd that's the fake you but the real you is who God is developing in and through you that's the real you we're gonna look at the life of Elijah and see how God transformed his life through the school of brokenness and made him extraordinary in 1st Kings chapter 17 verse 1 it says there now Elijah the Tishbite who who was of the settlers of Gilead very first time that his name appears in all the Bible the very first time it just says now Elisha most of the times when God's men appear they come with the genealogy they talk about the father of so-and-so is the son of soso the son of so-and-so a gun owner but with Elisha well I'm good on just Elisha he doesn't have any royal blood it tells us that he's not from Israel he's we're from the Gilad Gilad Lanza yeah it's like a probe in yeah see see Elijah he's not someone from the city he's from the outside so that's who like this now what can we learn about Elijah well first and foremost Elijah was a prophet now you might be thinking he was a special prophet but no what does the Bible say in James chapter 5:17 it says Elijah was what a man like you and me with a nature like ours he was just like one of us he was just like one of us now if that would say maybe Peter was just a man maybe we did we'd uh relate to that or Paul was just like one of us yes David was just like one of us these men they had sins failures mistakes that we can identify with but when you say Elijah Wow even leaks it lied yeah but wait a minute the Bible says he was just like us just like us he became extraordinary because he went through God's school of brokenness the name Elijah how many of you here are named Elijah any any Elijah's here beautiful name any Elijah's well Elijah is two names el and John together means God is Jehovah and it's a beautiful name and it's so fitting to Elijah because everywhere he went he declared and made God the center of his message he didn't compromise he faced opposition but he was the most mentioned prophet in the New Testament now when Jesus went to the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter James and John who showed up with Jesus Moses and Elijah there you go Moses represented the law Elijah represented the prophets so Jesus was with the law and the prophets Elijah was there now you know that Elijah did not die physically you know that Elijah was taken up into the sky in a whirlwind it says in a chariot of fire that's how he left this earth just like Enoch earlier in earlier days enough all sudden was and then wasn't gone was gone and Elijah was a very special man very very special man let's look at Elijah and see how he how he resembles us well this is the time in which he was living in there was a king and the King's name was Ahab they have the son of Omri whose Omri the father of Ahab just to make sure you got that okay Omri the Bible says was a very it was a very bad king a treacherous King really a terrible King but now a habit says here did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all those who were before him can you imagine the worst King ever recorded in history is a hab and this is the time that Elijah was prophet kawase see Elijah of all kings that the Potocki ka hab so that's the situation in verse 31 it says he married who Jezebel the daughter of F Baal king of the sidonians he married Jezebel how many of you here have a wife named Jezebel anyone or wife was an attitude known unless I go there I don't recommend that you may your daughter Jezebel because Jezebel is known for wickedness okay and you don't want to have that associated with any friend of yours or relative of yours now I want to be something clearer this Jezebel it's not like the Philippine Jezebel you know the Philippine Jezebel Hindi Guinea Toa Matt like that just to make that clear a hap was under the saya you know he was under her skirt he he was a king but she was ruling the kingdom she was the one who was who's leading everything and he was afraid of her does that sound familiar men you were to be the leaders in charge of your homes is that what's happening today men you are the leaders can you all say I am the leader queja Paulo no no no okay we'll say it together but say with conviction with heart ready go i but the ladies listen to this the ladies are gonna say I am the follower they'll say with gusto okay ready ladies go okay Victor I don't believe you ladies understand this God simply put a principle that the husband is to lead the family and the wife is supposed to submit or follow the leader now this doesn't in any way me that the husband is superior to the wife no it doesn't mean that the husband's to rule over the wife or be a dictator no it's simply that the husband is to direct and guide the family as he gets guidance from the Lord it's just a hierarchy of leadership okay the husband ought to have love sacrificial servant love for his wife and for his children that way he can lead the family in the right direction and if you follow this principle husbands and wives it will make a difference in your family ladies listen if your husband is not leading is it because you were leading allow him to lead and let him make mistakes but support him wholeheartedly from behind okay now I remember the speaker was talking to an audience of couples and and he asked who among you here men are the leaders of your home please raise your hand and only one man raised his hand and if the speaker stopped they said sir I'm so impressed with you tell me why did you raise your hand how do you lead your wife and the man said I I don't know my wife told me to raise my hand anyway man your leadership must be godly must be loving must be sacrificial and then your wives will follow remember when Jezebel came in and she married King Ahab what did she do she came from Cydonia the sidonians and that's where the bail worship originated in Israel at this time it was run by by the God Jehovah Yahweh but because she came in her influence brought all these all these other gods of bail here and went to surveil and worshipped him they set up temples to bail and also to Asherah Asherah is the lady counterpart of bail there were 400 priests of bail at 450 priests of Ashura and together 850 these were now overlapping and pushing out the god jehovah to the point where Jezebel was killing all the gods prophets all of God's prophets were being put to death that's the situation was happening at this time and Elijah says I am all by myself I'm all alone I'm the only one left now God tells Elijah talked to King Ahab Wow what talk to King Ahab wait Bill policy the guideline is to kill all of God's prophets I'm God's prophet does that mean I'm gonna die you know he had a choice but what did he do the Bible says Elijah the Tishbite who is of the settlers of Gilead said 2 a.m. he went to Ahab he went to Ahab and then he says here everyone as the Lord the God of Israel lives before you whom I stand surely there shall be neither do nor rain these years except by my word not just rain but even do you do is white in Tagalog huh mob even that there will be none do you know what that means friends do you know the implication of this no rain no jus that means no water they will experience what we experienced in the Philippines finally no but listen to this not just for days not just for weeks but for years for years I know man when we have no water for a few days for a few days or weeks it's it's chaos it's crisis yeah ok none for me no electricity but water we need it how are they gonna drink what will they drink how will they wash how will they cook all these things that's the challenge Elijah brought before King Ahab friends this was headline news this is primetime TV for Elijah and King Ahab to have this confrontation and for Elijah to say there being no rain no Jew for many years until I say the word this tells us a lot about Elijah Elijah was a man of courage a bravery to stand up before King Ahab and say this how could he do that where did he get his courage I truly believe that Elijah had a close relationship with God he loved God more than he loved his own life and he was willing to obey God and stand before this king and make this declaration you say they say that people who can bow their knee before God can stand before kings he had no fear he had no fear because he knew God was with him he had a strong personal relationship with God it says Elijah says before whom I stand that phrase before whom I stand and I just saying I say this in the presence of God I represent God as I say this that's what he's saying it's not me who's saying this but the Lord God asked me to say this to you he was not intimidated at all were they have but he was intimate with God how many of us are not willing to take a stand when our faith is challenged how many of us fear to say what we believe in when people are ridiculing our faith how many of us just remain quiet timid ashamed embarrassed to declare what we believe in when others are talking are we not like Elijah to declare our faith with courage and boldness and conviction you say God wants to develop us slowly just like he wanted to develop Elijah God's desire was to get rid of all these 850 priests of bail and Ashura and install him again and and reign as the as the faith in Jerusalem in Israel but he had to use he wanted to use Elijah and he had to train Elijah and equip Elijah so what did he do he chose to send Elijah on a school the school of brokenness that's what he wanted to do now this process of brokenness leads to being extraordinary what is this process what is this process that leads to being extraordinary let me tell you the process is number one listen number two is believe number three is obey and number four is wait listen believe obey and wait and notice this each one of this is outside ourselves it's not listen to yourself believe yourself o Bayers no it's listen to God believe in God obey God wait on God it's all about God not about us it's not about us how will you remember this how will you remember this lesson friends let me ask you what is this what is this in Tagalog what in English what how do you spell elbow how do you spell elbow no no no Molly Molly Molly how do you spell elbow no no no it's Auto l bo w KO naman l bo wy well everyone stand up everyone stand up you'll never forget this when I asked you that week what did you learn you'll say elbow what is elbow number one L is listen everyone listen put your passive ears listen number to believe put your hand here believe number three obey hands open like this obey number four wait put your hands up like this wait beautiful that's it please be seated listen believe obey anyway this is the process a brokenness that leads you to be extraordinary let's take the very first one the first one is listen everyone say listen very good listen first Kings chapter 17 verse 2 and 3 says and the word of the Lord came to him saying so Elisha was listening to the Word of God go away from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook cherith which is east of the Jordan what is God school of brokenness well many times God will take us aside he will take us away from all the distractions in our lives in order to have solitude with him so we can be alone with God God told Elijah hide yourself protect yourself or may have go to this secluded place and I want to train you I want to equip you to be better than you are today I truly believe that God wanted to teach Elijah lessons that he will never learn if he was busy doing other things Chuck Swindoll said this it isn't the lonely solitude that God delivers his best thoughts and the mind needs to be still and quiet to receive him how true is that biggest friends today we are so busy we're so distracted we're always on our devices it's i gfb it's it's Netflix it's all these things we have no time to listen to God we're distracted by all the activities were so busy in our lives if we're always surrounded by all this noise how do you expect to listen to God how have you ever tried talking to someone and as you're talking to them they're on their device and they're either scrolling look at the LG whatever and you're talking to them and they're answering to you and they're saying oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah oh yes yes oh yeah good Oh Sarah how do you feel don't you feel frustrated you're even answering me I know you're not listening to me but that same scenario is what we're doing with God in our busyness doing whatever we're doing we just tell you God yes yes yes oh yeah yeah okay yeah I got it okay gonna die Oh God feels how we feel when people don't listen well we don't listen to God who was with Jesus in the Transfiguration Moses and Elijah and when Jesus appeared that Transfiguration his father said this is my son whom I love with him I am well pleased and then listen to him God said listen to him very often we say yes I'm listening to God Quebec on are we really listening to God or are we only hearing what he wants what we want him to say is it selective hearing how do we listen to God today how do you listen to God well let me encourage you you listen to God through his word as you read his word on a daily basis you get to hear from him very special way he talks to us through his word his holy spirit impresses upon our hearts truths for us to know godly people in our area of influence help us understand what God wants in our lives these are the basics of how God speaks to us now if you are not listening then what God will do is he will send you a trial and the trial will make you stop maybe wake up to realize hey wait I'm not listening to God now at that point still doesn't wake you up then maybe God will send you pain and you don't want that because when God sends you pain you are totally immobilized and and you were forced to really stop and listen to God I remember a time in my life when I was hospitalized because wow I I was doing all my other things and not paying attention thing I but when I was hospitalized I was five days in the hospital lying in the bed I couldn't do anything except meditate on God that was it friends has God been speaking to you have you lost your job are you trying to fix up your marriage pull back a rebellious child get out of debt fix your health whatever that is maybe God is speaking to your heart it's in those times that God intimately wants you to to stand still and to listen to him why does God do this because he wants our attention he wants what's best for us well if you were to rearrange the word listen just like we need to rearrange our own lives what word would you come up with silent silent and when we are silent that's when we hear God speak to us what's the application for us when it comes to listen God desires to speak to us to reveal his will and be actively involved in leading us let's say that together God desires to speak to us to reveal his will and be actively involved in leading us that's God's desire after we listen to God we need to do the next thing and that is believe from listen to believe everyone believe believe yes 1st Kings 17 verse 4 says it shall be that you will be that you will drink of the brook so God is sending Elijah to this place in Jordan called the Cherith Brook and he says you will drink from the brook now if you're Elijah would go to this place knowing that there's gonna be a drought there's between no water no rain are being broken Tagalog Oh Brooke is what Saba okay would you prefer going to a sapa or an e log D by a log so here's Elisha Lord walk the Mansa Brooke okay master Saba sent me to the Jordan River the Jordan River is much bigger this much more water and for the drought to come the water in the Jordan River lasts longer Lord doing along but no Elijah listen to God and he believed he believed in God so he went to this brook he went to this Brook this is when Elisha was broken there because he had no resources he had no resources whatsoever you see God oftentimes wants to remove from you and me everything we hold on to that gives us hope that gives us the ability to take care of ourselves we trust in many things aside from God and being brokenness is where God removes all those things so that at the end it's just you and God and then we can fully and completely put our trust and faith in him alone can you today honestly say that you believe in word that's something between you and God can you honestly say that you believe in God's Word because many times God's Word will not make sense it's illogical at those moments will you continue to believe in his word have you heard about this place called God's desert Academy have you heard about this it's a place that God sends us when he wants to really speak to us it's not a physical place it's not a real desert but it's a time in our life when all of a sudden you are at the as a complete loss you are at the point where you have no more resources and all you have to do is just sit there and listen and this is a time that happened to for example it happened to Moses for forty years in the desert he was a shepherd after being in the Pharaoh's Palace for forty years the next forty years she spent in the in the wilderness it happened to Joseph 13 years in the prison for being falsely accused it happened to David 14 years in the desert mouth is hiding in caves hiding away from King Saul it likewise happened to Paul three years in the desert of Arabia being trained by Jesus you see in the desert God has your undivided attention no distractions no activities see God knows that you and I we have stubborn hearts and oftentimes he can accomplish his greatest and deepest work when you and I are away in that desert experience he teaches us lessons to prepare us to be used for his kingdom today are you in a desert experience are you in a situation where you're crying out to God almost helpless and hopeless because those are the times when you truly experience God those are the times when he removes all your idols those are the times when you really experience the reality of in your life in the desert god breaks us but he doesn't leave us broken he reshapes us Hira molds us he built us up so we can live a life with breakthrough he allows us to get to a point where we are completely dependent upon him where we listen to him or we'd the before we believe in him and we draw upon his grace alone friends don't be afraid of the desert it's only for a season but it's gonna be the most precious time of your life because you will have intimate times with God learning lessons that you'll never learn otherwise you see God has given us all a mission and that mission needs to be accomplished when God teaches us how to do it he gives us the the ability to do it so fear not the desert fear not the desert it is here where you listen and believe God like never before someone once said God uses enlarged trials to produce enlarged followers so he can put them in enlarged places and that's what God wants to do he wants to take you and me ordinary us and make us extraordinary so the world can stand back and say wow what a God they serve what a God they serve brothers and sisters I say this from my heart many of you come here week after week listening to messages Sunday after Sunday but my question to you is what do you do about what you hear do you listen and believe and take action or do you just listen and walk away and say that was good information you see the most important thing is you ask yourself what must I believe about what God has said what must I believe what what God has said and let that belief lead you to apply it in your life go away from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook of Cherith he says which is east of the Jordan go to the brook cherith now how will God provide for Elijah how will he provide for Elijah well he said in the next verse and it shall be that you'll drink of the brook and I have commanded what the Ravens to provide for you there can you imagine Ravens are gonna provide for you you know the Ravens are right Ravens in Tagalog Raven is at what walk the BA here's a picture of a raven that's what it looks like and this bird eats rotten flesh it's a scavenger bird it's not a clean bird and of all birds that God chose he chose a raven to be able to serve Elijah to bring him food this is so unbelievable and yet Elijah's put in a situation where he listens to God and he believes God that a scavenger bird is going to provide for him this is this is out of the ordinary but what God did was to show Elijah that what you think is the most impossible bird that can supply your everyday needs is what's gonna supply your needs and sure enough look what happens the Ravens brought him bread and meat when in the morning and bread and meat in the evening and he would drink from the brook this is amazing friends this Raven was a very original lalla move was a very original grab food was a regional food panda I mean where can you see a bird birds coming in and supply you all this food would that be great it's supplying everything he'd be not just one day but day after day it went on as long as he needed it we must believe even when it we don't understand even when it doesn't make sense it's not easy to believe friends it's not easy no matter how deep we sink into despair listen God won't leave us there you might be in the situation today where you're saying no one knows what I'm going through but God does and he sees exactly where you are and he's not gonna leave you there he won't leave you there as a matter of fact God doesn't expect us to crawl ourselves out of the pit back to him no he meets us right where we are just like he did with Elijah he went to Elijah and he sustained Elijah with food that he needed and drink not only this guy meet us where we are in our despair he provides what we need for healing and refreshment that's our God so in the school of brokenness it's not just to crush you but it's to mold you and shape you and make you even better than you are today even better a few years ago a lady came to us and told us her story that she wanted to get married to this man and she went to her d group leader and the digger planner said you know I know that guy and and really he's not he's not bad guy he's not right for you look for someone else he's he's not ready to get married so she went to her area pastor and told the air pastor I want to get married to this guy what do you think and every pastor oh I know him really that guy honestly I encourage you look for someone else he's not the right man for you after listening to all this advice she chose to just do what she wanted to do it she got married to him she went ahead and got married and two years later the guy was unfaithful and left her and she was filled with pain and heartbroken and she was devastated when she was back in church and she went back to her D group leader and and the area pastors she says I'll tell you the truth as you were giving me all that advice I could not listen because I was living in sin with the man and it's just like that friends if today you are in sin it's hard to listen to God it's hard to hear it's hard to even believe in because this sin blocks your intimacy with God it restricts it it holds it back today in social media we have this app in the maintenant appetit this is option in Facebook where you can block people are you aware that you can block people especially people who make comments or posts things that you don't business garbage this is something that I want to listen to I don't want to read anyone who is not favorable to you you can easily block it they don't know it you're still friends but you just block them why because you don't wanna be influenced by their talk right do you do that d-block people sometimes you feel powerful that block blah blah blah yeah don't block me by the way yeah I'm your friend and we do this because we want to isolate ourselves in and just be refreshed by what people are saying that's that's inspiring but listen to this friends our problem today is that we block we block God to the point that we don't hear me we choose not to listen to him are you sensitive to God's voice today or have you blocked him what's the application to us when it comes to believe friends when it comes to believe God is sovereign loving and wise we must believe him even when we don't understand and most of the times you will not understand what he's saying to you through his word and that's why you need to believe his sovereign loving and wise because that's what will allow you to believe in him without knowing that God is sovereign loving and wise you will not choose to believe in him you would choose to believe in yourself listening to God is one of the keys to breaking out a brokenness and being extraordinary the second thing is to believe believe in God and the third one is what obey everyone obey that's the third one James chapter 1 verse 22 says this but be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves many people like to hear God's Word like they like to go to Bible studies they like to listen to radio programs through the Bible but they don't want to do it and it's a big it's a big mistake when it comes to doing I always tell people remember the word radical obedience can y'all say that radical obedience means doing the Word of God immediately don't wait days and months and years and rationalize whether you should or not know when God tells you to do something do it radically obey why because if you delay it will cause you to delay even more and more and more remember this friends delayed obedience is what disobedience its dissipated when Jesus in His Word says love your enemy what do you do you rationalize you say no no you don't know my enemy you don't know my enemy if if Jesus says forgive others who've hurt you you might say oh how can I forgive them for what they did and we come up with all our defence but you know Francis it's only because Jesus knows what's best for he will not tell you to do these things if he's not looking after you he knows it's difficult he knows it's hard but yet when you do it when you apply this radical obedience without delay you'll be the one who benefits you will experience freedom and not build bitterness and anger and hate and all this in your lives remember how you listen believe and obey will determine what you receive how you listen to God how you believe in God how you obey God will determine what you receive this friend of mine was in a business in a career where he was compromising his faith he knew that every day as he was doing this his work he was sitting and so he just cried out to God said lord help me in and got him pressed upon his heart to quit the job and so he did he quit his job and he decided to set up a small business and that small business you won't believe it but started to provide for all of his family's needs so much so that he has time with his children and he has time to serve God at the same time while he's doing his business all because he listened believes and obeyed God chapter 7 verse 7 says and it happened after a while that the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land and sure enough when there's no rain the brook will dry up but God at this point let me ask you was Elijah in God's will yes or no yes does that mean that if you're in God's will everything will be perfect no don't think that but which you can be assured of is that God will be with you remember you can be in God's will things can be shaking up around you but God is there with you and that's the beauty that's the beauty with what that would happen here God says arise go to 0 paths which belongs to Sidon stay there God did not tell Elijah to go to Zehra path until the brook dried up he didn't tell him before he dried up he told him exactly at the right time when it dried up he says go to Sarah path how many of you will go to Sarah path because you don't know where it is now let me show you where is our path this here this Israel Jerusalem's here this is Jordan this is the cherith booth Brook where he was fed by the Ravens all the way up here is Zara path this is Sidonie on the cydonia area that the cydonia air france is where the Bale worship originated this is enemy territory this is the hometown of Jezebel can you imagine God is telling Elisha go to Zahra path this is crazy why will you go to the place where your enemies are all around you because God knows that's the last place to look for you think about this it's like telling Osama bin Laden go and hide in the FBI headquarters that doesn't make sense but here's Elijah and he listened he believed that he obeyed he went all the way up to Zaire but you know this is 160 kilometers it's like walking from from here all the way to Tarlac that's a distance and he did he went all the way there now as he was there you're probably saying to yourself how will he survive what will he do to survive in this place God tells him behold I commanded a widow to provide for you huh first what Raven now a widow Lord Adubato we don't read what's better Raven or Widow now you know in the Bible rape widows were known as what they were known to be very rich I don't know very what very poor the poorest of the poor and Elijah says with the wire widow here Francis where God wants to remove and I just self-confidence and replace it with God confidence Lord I'm gonna trust in you it doesn't make sense but I will obey and I will just follow so he goes to Zaire path he takes that whole journey through the poorest of the poor Widow God is truly breaking Elijah what's the application to us friends when it comes to obey when it comes to obey my comes to obey God guides us step by step we're to trust God one day at a time one day at a time and this is so true friends remember this how do you obey step by step one day at a time you know why people come to us for counseling and when they come to us they're overwhelmed with so many problems so many issues so many circumstances and we tell them wait a minute stop stop stop what do you need to do today what do you need to do today fulfill that what's God tell you to do today okay now tomorrow when you reach tomorrow what do you do tomorrow you know that's the way you should be just think about what God wants you to do today because he reveals and guides us step by step he doesn't give us the whole big picture and say okay go there no no it's trust him moment by moment step by step the third thing we do the fourth thing we do is wait first is listen and then believe obey and everyone wait just wait now in verse 10 it says there he rose and went this our path and he stayed there he stayed there it continues when he came to the gate of the city a widow was there gathering sticks and he called her and said everyone please get me water in the little jar that I may drink so he saw a widow he says this is the widow that God wants me to talk to because there many widows okay he continues and as she was going to get it he called to her and said everyone please bring me a piece of bread in your hand but she said as long as the Lord your God lives I have no bread only a little flour in a bowl and a little oil in a jar behold I'm gathering a few sticks to prepare for me and my son that we may eat it and and die I'd like to say on about the Maleeha this is the wrong we do you know xx like no I'm looking for another Widow I mean this is a starving Widow ready to die what kind of what we do what kind of a choice is that all right what kind of a choice but you know what Elijah didn't give up he continued to trust God he says here then Elijah said to her everyone do not fear go do as you have said but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me and afterward you make one for yourself and for your son Wow I don't look at that would be though got a couple of mine people way you make it oh sweet I'm gonna die now you're gonna get my food but he saying make me a little bread cake why it's his birthday or what no you know Elijah too much too much but wait it's not finished yet he goes on to say for thus says the Lord God of Israel okay stop here God's impressed upon his heart Elijah you tell the widow this tell her the bowl of flour shall not be what exhausted continued nor shall the jar of oil be empty until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth with my hand your jar and your in your bowl will not be exhausted or empty it's impossible impossible and yet in spite of it being impossible and I just still told the widow he still told her you see I believe that Elijah was sent to Zarephath specifically for this woman if just for one woman for her to come to a point where she believes and gives her life to the Lord she here has a situation her situation is number one will I listen will I listen to God's Word will I believe in what this prophet is telling me will I obey and give him a cake will I do all of this verse 15 tells us so she went and what she did she did she didn't just hear but she acted on it she did according to the word of Elijah and she and he and her household what ate for many days and leap Allah only only everything huh change for mayonnaise see friends God does not want us to look at her circumstances but instead to look at his faithfulness he wants us to look at his faith once today maybe you're looking at your circumstance and that's all you see and just like the widow all she could see us this is it my last after this mallanna patina well eat and I don't focus on your circumstance focus on God's faithfulness did that widow bleed listen did she believe did she obey and now the waiting part the waiting part in 1st Kings 17 verse 16 the bowl of flour was not exhausted nor that the jar of oil become empty according to the word of the Lord which he spoke through Elijah you have to understand this the bowl of flour and the jar of oil she had to use completely to make the meal and it was empty she put it aside and then they sleep the night the following morning as they wake up in the morning they go back to the jar of oil and bowl of flour they we ran into man mr. McMahon the sauce again underside of it you know morning and evening and after that God only provided for them for one day just for one day because God wanted to show them his faithfulness that I will provide for you every day every day and this is things that God does which we cannot understand but that's the way it is morning and evening day and night God's faithfulness to provide for them friends you can be sure that this widow was not just physically nourished she was spiritually nourished do you think that her life changed that she committed her life to the Lord yes or no I truly believe she saw God's hand of miracle and her life changed forever she committed herself to the Lord I understand this we are safest when we are in the center of God's will were safest in the center of God's will this Widow learned something she learned something precious in proverbs 11:25 this is a principle the generous man will be prosperous how and he will he who waters will himself be watered he who waters he who gives will himself receive this widow gave everything she had see she sacrificially gave Elijah her last together with her son that's it that's it B'Elanna but as she watered as she gave what she had she experienced God she experienced the grace of God by him giving to her unlimitedly on and on and on she could never out give God and this is the beauty about the grace of God God's grace is unending it's overflowing it's overflowing well what do we learn from this friends we learn that God's promises often hinge on waiting don't ignore your part don't ignore your part it's a very important part now you're sitting there you're saying to yourself wait a minute faster I've been listening to God I've been believing in God and I've been obeying God and I've been waiting on God but how long how long must I wait how long I thought now tell me you see oftentimes we think if we don't get answers to our prayers when we feel they should be answered we think God doesn't care for us we think God has forgotten about us we think God doesn't has already forgotten and set us aside but that's not true friends during those times when you're waiting which is the most important be encouraged by changing your perspective change the word waiting with God's divine delay can you all say that God's divine delay and truly God's divine delays is a special intentional delay of God divinely orchestrated for you and me remember when Abraham and Sarah did not have a child and God said you will have a child you will have a son they waited and waited and waited for many years 25 years and then finally Sarah gave birth to Isaac it was only to show Abraham and Sarah that in God's perfect time he could do the impossible and he did in the case of Lazarus the best friend of Jesus Lazarus was sick and they called for Jesus and Jesus did not come he divinely delayed his arrival and what happened Lazarus died and he was put into the grave for days past when Jesus arrived he raised Lazarus from the dead because he wanted to show the pee God's glory there's a purpose for all this there is a purpose friends God often has to apply his divine delays in order to accomplish his purposes in our life God did this for all these individuals he's doing it for you today he wants at the very end for you to realize that the answer to your prayer only comes from him and it will glorify him at the end what's the application to us when it comes to waiting when it comes to waiting remember friends God's divine delays are not denials God is seldom early and never late God's timing is perfect and I pray that you would embrace this truth because this truth never changes never changes for anyone it'll always be there for you let's read it together God's divine delays are not denials God is seldom early and never late God's timing is perfect and God has done this in my life many times I've been broken over and over and I try to learn from these events so that God can build me up and use me to do a breakthrough before I became a full-time pastor there was a delay in our family and that delay was a crisis that brought our family so much closer together strengthen us and now that we're in the past earth it's made us who we are all for God's glory and God does as many times there's there's a woman who came to us and she was discovered she discovered have assisted her intestine and it was serious and at the same time her husband was unfaithful to her and so she's thinking what am I gonna do I've my husband and this health issue at the same time it's overwhelming but she said I'm gonna listen to God I'm gonna trust in God and obey Him and not separate for my husband as she remained faithful she went to the hospital and she was able to have that cyst removed and she was brought back to health and without even knowing it because she compared to love her husband in spite of his ways her husband turned around and today her husband is the one inviting people to come to their home for Bible studies that's just the way God works that's just the way God works praise be to God some of you here today may not may not be experiencing the intimacy with God are you spending time with him to be able to listen to him believe in him obeying him and wait when you go to God in prayer are you telling God what to do are you waiting to hear what he wants you to do I encourage all of you spend time in solitude and ask God Lord one of the directions you have for my life where do you want me to go what do you want me to do give me instructions and guidance many of you here might have made major mistakes in the past let those look let those all go God is the God of second chances and he will take your past and give you a new future starting today listen to believe obey and wait and see what God can do in and through your life remember God is seldom early but he's never late he's never late as I closed today you can choose to remain ordinary and continue living your life if you want in comfort and security in predictability staying within your comfort zone not stepping out in faith yes you will be able to go through life but you know what you miss out on you'll miss out on the reality of God experiencing God firsthand seeing how he allows you to walk on water how he allows things to multiply in your life how he allows all the miracles to happen in your life he can make your life extraordinary when you take that step of faith remember friends you and I like a lot like Elijah can do so much these are all the miracles that Elijah did throughout his life miracle after miracle God used him to do extraordinary things because he loved God and I know that you love God and if you're committed to God be like Elijah everyone listen listen next is believe Nexus obey and lastly wait listen believe obey and wait elbow elbow do we have time for a poem are you sure okay I've got a short poem for you and the title of the poem is breaking free breaking free what I'll do is I'll ask you to read the first sentence and then I'll read the second sentence okay here you go everyone thinking that if it's ruined it'll cause a shame that people will only love us when we are there Pierre no one understands how our heart cries for love they are unseen and unnoticed living life trying to cope not realizing that it is God's will for us to submit and to surrender until we cry out in repentance and submit to his will then it takes over and uses us to the extreme our hearts at peace singing joyfully with him we are victorious amen praise be to God I pray that you've learned something today and I'm excited for all of you what God is gonna do in each of your lives to make you truly extra-ordinary let's join our hearts and pray father we love you so much and we thank you Lord that you would consider us to be part of your work here on this earth to touch people's lives I pray father for all my brothers and sisters here that you would use us beyond our abilities to go to places to talk to people to live lives that that are truly remarkable that people will see Christ in us father what a joy and privilege it is to to serve you to live for you and to receive your love in all of this we thank you Father for all that you'll do in and through us in the coming days and weeks and even years Lord we love you we praise you we give you all the thanks and praise and we pray this in Jesus most precious name Amen and they meant to God be the glory I love you guys

Channel: CCF Alabang

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Id: qQHyj9kaWvI

Length: 58min 55sec (3535 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 27 2019