1 Kings 19:8-13 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. [9] And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? [10] And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. [11] And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: [12] And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. [13] And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave.
And God began to speak to him.
Now I want us to look at another portion of scripture.
1 Chronicles 12:22 "For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God."
And then the scriptures begin to tell us of all those who came to join David’s army.
*The children of Judah, 6,800 that bare sheilds and spear, ready and armed to war.
*Of the children of Simeon 7,100 mighty men of valour for the war.
*Of the children of Levi 4,600.
*And Jehoida was the leader of the Aaronite's, with him were 3,700.
*And Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father's house 22 captains.
*And of the children of Benjamin 3,000
*And of the children of Ephraim 22,800 mighty men of valour, famous through-out the house of their fathers.
Of the half tribe of Manesseh 18,000.
Now listen to this, because what I'm going to mention now doesn't sound very important, and doesn't even sound like it should be here.
Because these people were not the most skilled soldiers. They aren't mentioned because they have been trained in how to throw a spear or how to use a sword.
They had one skill, and one skill only, but that skill made them indispensable to David's army. And that skill that made them indispensable was their ability to discern the times. They were the son's of Issachar.
1 Chronicles 12:32 "And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment."
One of the most important things for a minister, is the ability to discern the times.
Everything about life deals with timing.
David had many courageous and skilled soldiers in his army. Many were highly skilled in different areas of warfare.
But then he had the sons of Issachar, they were not skilled warriors, but their weapon was... they understood seasons.
This was their skill. This was what made them necessary. Because they had such an understanding of times, that they knew exactly what to do at exactly the right time.
Friends, one of the most important things in your life and mine, is knowing the season you're in, and knowing what to do in that season.
Our survival is being determined today by our ability to discern the times that we're in.
Many people respond spontaneously to the pressures around them, and many times their response is completely wrong because they are reacting out of their feelings, and out of their human emotions, and human logic.
That's why the sons of Issachar we're so important. They were David's secret weapon, because they had a spiritual discernment that came from God.
This discernment enabled them to see beyond the natural, and to see behind the scenes.
This supernatural ability gave them the advantage over the enemy, because they weren't controlled or dominated by what they saw in the natural.
Now because they had this supernatural ability to know the times, and what actions to take based on that knowledge, they often looked foolish to those around them.
That's what faith does. Many times when you're acting in faith it will look foolish to those around you. Your words will sound out of place.
They'll be talking about the terrible drought, and you'll be talking about hearing the sound of the abundance of rain.
They'll be talking about fear and worry and anxiety, and shortages, and lock downs and restrictions, and you'll be talking about Revival and Miracles, Signs, and Wonders.
They'll be talking about shutting down, and you'll be talking about ramping up.
They'll be talking about toning it down, and you'll be talking about turning it up.
They'll be talking about darkness, and gross darkness, but you'll be talking about shining with glory and power.
They'll be talking about hiding out in fear, but you'll be talking about standing up and speaking out without fear.
Many times when those with the gift of discernment speak, they sound like they're in a total different environment than you're in. That's because they are.
They are seeing and speaking from the spiritual realm. They are seeing from the prophetic, and the prophetic sees where we're going, and the prophetic very often speaks as though we're already there.
That's how the prophetic works. It looks into a valley of shattered, and scattered, dry bones, and it calls them a living and breathing army.
It looks at empty pots and see's an oil business.
It looks at two fish and five loaves of bread, and it see's a banquet for 5-10,000.
It looks at empty nets and see's a boat sinking catch.
It looks at a cloudless sky and sees a rainstorm.
I've said all of this to say this... Many times the Lord moves in ways that seem illogical. That means they don't make sense to the natural mind.
Many times God will call upon his children to speak, and act in a way that goes counter, and crossways to the conventional wisdom of the day.
I want to say something to you that may sound crazy, but this is what the Holy Spirit showed me in our text.
It says, while Eljah was in the cave, there was a great wind, and a fire, and an earthquake, but the Lord wasn't in them.
The Lord showed me that the devil is so afraid of what happens in that secret place of hiding with God, that he will do anything, and he will use anyone, anyway he can, to get you out of that secret place. Why? Because he can't come in to get you, he can only try to entice you to come out.
Listen to this... Job 28:7-8 "There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen: The lions whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it."
The greatest threat to the devil and his plans to kill steal and destroy, are not the Generals, and the commanders of the various branches of our military. And it's not great politicians, and amazingly it's not even great pulpiteers.
I will tell you who hell fears, and hates, and trembles in their presence. It's the cave dwellers. It's those who know the pathway to the secret place of the most high. It's those who have found that cleft in the rock, and they won't be shaken.
The Lord gave me this word, for you and me. I want you to lift your hands, and ask him to prepare your hearts for this word.
Here is what the Holy Spirit said for me to say...
He said... Come near unto me, come near unto me 0 my people. Enter into thy secret place, enter into the secret place of the most high. Yea enter in, and close the door behind you.
Close the door to shut out the world and all of the chaos and confusion, all the fears, the anxiety, and the stress. But more importantly says the Lord, close the door to be shut in with me.
I am calling you to a place of solitude, yes a place of stillness, quiteness and rest, but most importantly... to a place of intimacy.
For the Lord would say, I wait for thee behind the veil, in the secret place, in the holies of holies. And the Lord would say... I am jealous over you, for you are my bride, but we have not shared the intimacy of a bride and groom for much too long.
For you have been swept away from me by the cares of this life, yes you have been caught up in the whirlwind of life's matters.
And you have not had time for our intimate conversations, and our times of deep fellowship, and silent communion.
The Spirit of the Lord says, come away with me my beloved, to my secret chamber, and there I will visit you, and I will cover you, and I will protect you, and I will pour my love upon you, and I will shower you with blessings, and I will come near to thee and I will sow my seeds of love unto thee.
For what the world needs now more than ever, is lovers of God, those who can lead the way back into the fathers embrace.
For the Lord would say, the battle that rages today is for the heart. It is not for the territory of the United States that satan is warring, but... it is the heart of America, that is the prize.
I have spoken to you in times past that the worshipers must transform into warriors, but now I say unto you again, that only the worshipers can truly be warriors.
I say again, only those who have walked the pathway of intimacy with me, can face the enemy of their soul, and cast him down, and cast him out.
Again I say, draw near to me, and I will draw near to you, and I will cover you, and I will clothe thee in my presence, and I will anoint thee with my power.
For the secret place of abiding in my presence, is also the place of clothing with my power.
My little children, the enemy of your soul doth know this very well, thus he has employed every thing at his disposal to steal you away from me. But I have come today to fight for thee, for thou art my chosen, and my purchased possession, and I am jealous over thee this day.
Friends, there is no doubt that this is the season of war, and we must be bold and courageous in our stand against evil.
But the Holy Spirit is saying today... This is the season for coming back to divine intimacy.
Friends, if you have the slightest touch of the gift that was upon the sons of Issachar, then you know, the secret place has been vacant too long, and the only church that is going to stand against hell in this last day, is the church that has been with God.
This is the time to be with God. That's what the devil is afraid of. He's afraid of the cave dwellers, those separated consecrated ones, who have been in the face of God, till you can see God in their faces.
That's the season we're in right now, and if we miss that, we've missed it all.
Say with me... I'm not going to miss it.
Say... I understand the season I'm in, and I know what to do.
