
In addressing this I want to speak about the SPIRIT OF ELIJAH in the END TIMES.
1 Kings 17:1 ESV Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."
We hear nothing about this great man of God, Elijah, before his introduction in 1 Kings 17. Here we see Elijah being introduced as being before Ahab, the king of Israel. In the opening words of Elijah we see that he stands in authority, power, and full assurance that his God is able to operate and perform the supernatural.
This is surely an intense declaration before the king and the nation, that there would be no rain, nor dew for a period of 3 years. This reveals that Elijah was a man who heard from God and walked in the power of the Holy Spirit. He was also a man who respected authority but did not fear man, no matter what position that he held. Today in the Church we have many that are operating in the opposite. They fear man and have no respect for authority.
Now we don’t know about the past experiences or life of Elijah, but we can be assured that this was not an event that “just happened” without a price paid by the man of God. What did he have to go through on his way of walking “in and by” faith? What small things did God trust him with to prove his heart before he could be trusted to stand before kings? What did God use to shape, mold, and cut away, the things in Elijah’s life that would get in the way of this servant of God?
As I thought about this, my mind traveled to my ministry trip to India back in 2001, as I am sure that you will think about some ministry trip that the Lord used you on. The people saw me as a man of God and greatly desired for me to pray for them and speak the blessings of God over them.
What they did not know were the years of God’s hand on me, molding me, shaping me, and cutting away the things that did not look like Him. Of course He is not done yet, but those whom I come in contact with on an occasional basis will seldom see what God has taken me through and is currently taking me through to make me in the image of His Son.
It is like seeing a beautiful butterfly. We see the grace of flight, and the beauty of color, which makes the butterfly such a charming sight. But in seeing the butterfly, how many times do we think that it was trapped in a cocoon just a few weeks before. It was a long hard struggle to get out of that protective wrapping and become that beautiful multicolored blessing, which we enjoy watching.