At Thy Word

When Elijah confronted the people of Israel on Mount Carmel, he made a remarkable statement.

1 Kings 18:36
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

Elijah clearly states that everything he did was done because God had told him to do it. Does God talk to men? Yes, he does. So just exactly how does God talk to men? Well, by the end of this class you will know. To begin our journey beyond speaking in tongues into the operation of the other manifestations of holy spirit, we will explore this record of Elijah to get an idea of what we can also accomplish when we walk by the spirit.

We already know that the bible was given by revelation. So the written word is revelation from God. Now let's make something very clear here. If you can't read and carry out the instruction God has already given by revelation in his word, you can forget about going any further spiritually. To progress further into the holy spirit field and learn how to walk with the power of God like Elijah, it is assumed that you are established in the foundational principles taught in the bible and that you are living them on a daily basis. If you want God to talk to you, first learn to hear what he's saying in the bible and carry out that instruction. The revelation manifestations begin where the bible ends. What you can know by your five senses from reading the bible God expects you to know.

For example, you do not need revelation from God to know that a hard core homosexual or lesbian is infested with devil spirits because that revelation is already clearly written in the bible. However, if you don't know if someone is a homo or lesbian, God may have to show you that by revelation if you need to know. God once showed me a picture in my mind of slimy green snakes all twisting and slithering together and that's the picture he shows me if I need to know there's a lesbian around. He might also have to show you by revelation how to deliver someone from that filth if they want deliverance. That information isn't written in the bible and as it will be different in every situation God may have to give you additional information so you can help them. See how this works? Now listen, if you have homo and lesbian friends and you call yourself a christian, you're no better than the heathen and if you expect God to give you revelation when you can't even read his bible and believe that, you're full of religious horseshit. Now, let's go meet this dude Elijah.

1 Kings 17:1
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.

Elijah was a prophet. Ahab was an evil king who ruled Israel. Elijah was dealing with some real issues here and by revelation he believed for no rain.

James 5:17
Elias [Elijah] was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth [ground] by the space of three years and six months.

Okay, we have to stop and think here. God is light and in him is no darkness at all. Yet Elijah believed for no rain, and we know that he did it because everything in this record was done because God told him to do it. Does this make God evil then? Bear with me here and let's think back to when we were children. Good parents who are responsible adults understand that the more severe the mistakes they make in life, the more severe the consequences will be. They also know their children need to learn that so they will be successful in life.

Teaching a young child that fire burns and that they must stay away from the cooker while mom is preparing dinner is not abusing a child's human rights, it is protecting them from possible serious harm. That is what good loving parents are supposed to do. If a child ignores the warnings and insists on trying to climb up on the cooker while mom is cooking it is time to brandish the wooden spoon, not stand back and watch our children spill boiling water over their heads. Children may not enjoy the sting of a wooden spoon and they may cry, but I'm pretty sure they would prefer that to a pan of boiling water over their heads, wouldn't you agree?

In this record of Elijah and Ahab, God was trying his best to get his people's attention by brandishing a wooden spoon in an attempt to save them from far worse things that were coming. God was doing his best as a responsible and loving God to try to help his people avoid serious consequences for their evil ways. Incidentally, this dry spell did not destroy the country and kill millions of people with famine, and it did get his people's attention and turn their hearts back to him as we shall see. There was tremendous profit to this withholding of the rain. Learning to see spiritual profit is one way to distinguish between the genuine and the counterfeit.

1 Kings 17:2-6
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.

Elijah had water and the birds dropped off breakfast and dinner for him every day. God knows how to look after his people. The question is, are we walking by the spirit and listening? What if Elijah had gone to another brook other than the Cherith? Well, he wouldn't have had food and water.

1 Kings 17:7-9
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.

Again God told Elijah where to go and what to do. This passing of information from God to man, this communication with God is very real. It's available for anyone on earth right now to learn to talk to God and get this kind of spiritual communication going. This type of communication with God is known as revelation and three of the manifestations which any born again person can learn to energise are revelation manifestations.

The manifestations available to everyone in this Grace Administration who has the gift of holy spirit are listed in Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 12:7-10
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

To another faith [believing] by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

These nine manifestations can be broken down into three groups. The manifestations of speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues and prophecy is one group, the revelation manifestations of word of knowledge, word of wisdom and discerning of spirits is another group, and the power manifestations of believing, gifts of healing and working of miracles is the third group. They are all important and they all have different and distinct profit. Elijah was receiving information by way of the revelation manifestations built into the old testament spirit he had upon him.

When reading the bible we must understand it in light of the manifestations of holy spirit. Without an understanding of how manifestations energise, the bible will never make sense. Every truth must fit within the framework of the manifestations of holy spirit or you will never make sense of these records. Everything Elijah did, he did because God told him to do it.

1 Kings 18:36b
... let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

Done all these things at thy word is a reference to revelation. God gave Elijah information, and in this record we are seeing some of the specific information given to him. It is very much available in our day and time to receive revelation from God.

In the world there is tangible, intelligent evil at work. Not only must we recognise that, and where it comes from, more importantly we must recognise that God is our sufficiency, that greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world, and that we are more than conquerors in every situation when we walk by the spirit. That is how we prevail in life. The more abundant life has nothing whatsoever to do with living without challenges, it is about having the strength and wisdom to defeat them. That can only happen if we walk by the spirit and put our trust in God. Anyone can cave in and be beaten by life, that takes no brains, or talent or effort whatsoever. If you want to stand and prevail you will require the strength and commitment that comes only from knowing and believing God's word. It takes believing God and walking by the spirit to prevail in life.

Elijah was told to go to Zarephath and that's where he went. He didn't go to Jerusalem or stay where he was and cry about all his problems. He trusted God and went to Zarephath. He didn't argue with God, he moved when God told him to move. We don't argue with God. He knows best. If we listen, we prevail in life. If we argue, complain, cry and disobey, well, we're going to get beat. It's that simple. That's not because God is punishing us, it's because we don't listen.

1 Kings 17:10-16
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.

God pulled off something rather special for them in that the food never ran out. There was always enough left to make the next meal for the three of them. Amazing. But then the woman's son died. Life can be challenging, even for men of God like Elijah.

1 Kings 17:17,18
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?

Walking by the spirit and living a more abundant life isn't about escaping life, it's about dealing with it, it's about walking by the spirit and believing God to bring deliverance. Let's see how Elijah handles this.

1 Kings 17:19-22
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.

As an interesting sideline here, if God had killed this boy nothing Elijah could have done would have ever raised him from death. God didn't kill him, the devil did. God is good always. No matter how challenging life may be, we must always remember that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

1 Kings 17:23,24
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.

1 Kings 18:1,2
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.

And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.

God again spoke to Elijah and gave him information. Notice Elijah didn't move until God gave him revelation and a green light. First God told him to go to the brook Cherith by Jordan, and that's what he did. Then God told him to go to Zarephath and that's what he did. Then God told him to go see Ahab, and that's what he did. There are two important keys to walking by the spirit here which will be coming up time and time again. We never do any more or any less than the revelation God gives us, and we don't move until we get the go sign, the green light, the revelation to move. We never do anymore or any less than the specific instruction given to us. We carry out the revelation given to us to the letter, no more, no less, and we don't move until God says go.

1 Kings 18:3,4
And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

Jezebel was Ahab's wife, and she had murdered as many men of God as she could find. Nice woman.

1 Kings 18:5-9
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.

So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?

And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?

The instruction from Elijah gave Obadiah reason for pause. It's okay if you have a problem with something God asks you to do, just take it up with him from an honest heart and he will help you. That's what Obadiah was doing. He wasn't bitching and complaining, he just needed some reassurances because he knew his life was at great risk.

1 Kings 18:10
As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.

Ahab had sent his spies around the world to search out Elijah who had been right under his nose the whole time. As it was such a cultural taboo for a man of God to live with a widow, Ahab wouldn't even have thought of checking widow's houses for him. It wouldn't even have entered his head. See, God knows what he's doing. What if Elijah had argued with God and refused to live with that widow because he was concerned about his social standing? When we walk by the spirit we can't be conditioned by the cultures and traditions of men. God's word supersedes both.

1 Kings 18:11-15
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.

Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.

And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.

Elijah dealt with Obadiah's concerns and settled his heart. Obadiah didn't try to hide his concern, he dealt with it. Elijah didn't ridicule him or shout at him either, he listened to him and gave him the reassurances he needed.

1 Kings 18:16,17
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

Well, well, look who Ahab blamed for all the country's troubles. Isn't that just like evil men. They always blame someone else, usually God and his men. Elijah countered his accusations with the truth.

1 Kings 18:18
And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

The whole country was worshipping the devil in the form of Baalim. Fashion may change, but devil spirits don't. It is the same devil spirits energising through religion today that were around in Elijah's day. It is just the labels that have changed. These days you will find the same devil spirits Elijah had to deal with behind every religion on earth. Elijah ended this confrontation by challenging Baal's religious leaders to a spiritual duel. Remember, Elijah did all this at thy word.

1 Kings 18:19
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.

Jezebel was Ahab's wife, so as a family they were supporting the church of Baal. It's no different today. Our politicians and the UN serve the god of this world and steal our money through illegal taxes and give it to Baal. His top religious leaders these days aren't known as prophets, they're known as jesuits.

1 Kings 18:20,21
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

Elijah publicly confronted the entire nation. To put this in perspective, I often find it difficult to confront one person in private. It's uncomfortable and unpleasant. Confrontation is never pleasant. Yet there was Elijah confronting the entire nation to their faces in public. Look at the strength in the man, look at his courage. Where do you think that strength came from? Watching telly? If this is the kind of strength you want in your life, then get your head out of the world's drivel and into God's word.

We can now also clearly see what the withholding of the rain was all about. Elijah had gained the attention of the entire country. The wooden spoon works. Now that he had their attention, Elijah set the rules for a little contest between God and Baal.

1 Kings 18:22-24
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:

And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

The rules were simple. One bullock each, the prophets of Baal called on their god, Elijah called on his and whoever answered with fire wins.

1 Kings 18:25,26
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

From morning to noon is a few hours. That's a long religious ceremony by anyone's standards. Four hundred and fifty chanting religious hoodies called on Baal all morning and nothing happened. It must have looked impressive initially, in their fancy religious robes with all their incense, chanting, and religious ritual, but guess what? Religion has nothing of any value inside. Elijah then ridiculed them in public and drove them mad.

1 Kings 18:27-29
And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

By the time evening came everyone was bored out of their skulls. Who wouldn't be? Religious ceremonies and rituals are mindless, designed to put you to sleep. That's all churches do, put people to sleep with the spirit of slumber with their mindless horseshit. There is no power in their meaningless ceremonies and rituals.

1 Kings 18:30-35
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

Now pay attention, we are about to witness one of the most powerful prayers in the entire bible. If you want to learn how to pray effectively, take a look at this one by Elijah.

1 Kings 18:36,37
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

This prayer is just two sentences long. Compare that to the prophets of Baal who had been praying all day. Did their prayers do any good? They had prayed and chanted and shouted and danced and leaped on their alter and cut themselves with knives for hours and hours and hours and nothing happened. Answer to prayer doesn't come by way of religious nonsense, it comes by enjoying a personal relationship with God. If you pray and nothing happens, it isn't God's fault.

James 4:2-8
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Genuine prayer has nothing whatsoever to do with performing rituals. Prayer isn't a ceremony, it isn't a religious thing, it is a relationship with God that comes when you walk by the spirit. The religious prayers of the prophets of Baal had lasted all day and nothing happened. Elijah's prayer was only two sentences long. Now let's compare the results.

1 Kings 18:38,39
Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

Look at the power in the life of Elijah. A ten second prayer and look at the power. The prophets of Baal prayed all day and nothing happened. The power behind Elijah's prayer came from God. Prayer isn't a ritual, it isn't a ceremony, it is a believing thing. Elijah didn't mindlessly repeat his prayer a thousand times, or chatter out a few hundred hail mary's, he walked by the spirit and enjoyed a personal relationship with God. Prayer without believing is just a ritual. How you tap into this power is by learning to walk by the spirit and doing things at thy word. Prayer isn't about begging and hoping, it's about believing.

Which power do you want in your life? Do you want robes and rituals and candles and alters and incense and ceremonies and no power, or do you want to enjoy a relationship with God like Elijah? It's a choice you make. You can go the world's way or you can go God's way, it's entirely up to you.

After God chucked the fire down, he had his people's attention and their hearts were turned back to him. Then God gave Elijah the green light revelation to believe for rain.

1 Kings 18:45
And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

So where does power like this come from today? How do we tap into it? How do we switch it on? In the book of Acts there is another record that mentions fire from heaven.

Acts 2:1-4
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Elijah brought down fire from heaven and here in Acts the fire from heaven signified the giving of the gift of holy spirit. There is quite a parallel to draw here when considering the power of God. How did the apostles manifest this power? It all began with speaking in tongues. Walking by the spirit and energising manifestations is how the fire of God falls from heaven in this Administration of Grace.

Chapter 55 - God is not Jesus Christ