"Dried Up”

Intro: Today Lord willing I want to talk to you about being “DRIED UP.” Now I know that there are some here today that feel as if your “BROOK” is dried up. It could be your finances, your marriage, your prayer life, your witness, your health, or your spiritual life has dried up; it could be something else in your life nevertheless you feel “DRY.” But God has a way to fill you up again.

I. There once was a time of plenty.

A. Just like Elijah you have been in a place where all seems to be well. Every thing is taken care of there is no need. It is as if God was sending you, your on personally Raven delivery service.

1. In an essence it was like Elijah was receiving his on personal supply of manna from Heaven just like the children of Israel when they too were in the wilderness.

2. You yourself know you can relate. Your health has been great, financial security, you been able to do a few things you always wanted to do; many of your desires were fulfilled. I could go on and on but you know what I mean, all was great you were in your Promise Land.

B. Elijah was sent by God to the brook Cherith to be taken care of.

1. Just as God has told us in His word that we too will be taken care of in Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (32) (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

2. God also has put us beside our on Cherith to be taken care of.

C. But that brook God puts us beside normally has a hidden meaning behind it.

1. The brook Cherith means in the Hebrew to be cut off or cut down. To be cut off from people or to have a covenant cut or broke.

2. Elijah was now in school; God takes Him to a place where all is provided for him, but He begins to remove things from him.

3. Just like us in our times of plenty it seems that the Windows of Heaven are open in our favor, but slowly things began to be removed from us.

4. Like Job we have it all going for us, which causes Satan to ask the question,” Remove your favor from them and see if they will still serve you.”

5. And slowly our brook dries up.

II. DRIED UP!

A. Now upon study I learned that there were two types of variations in the Hebrew for the word dried as applied in verse 7 of the text.

1. Now the word dried alone means that a source is responsible for the dryness.

2. The first variation or root for the word dried was to be (ashamed, confused, or disappointed).

3. Now this variation applies to us being the cause of our dryness.

B. I would like to focus for a moment on how we cause ourselves to be dried up.

1. Lack of Prayer in our lives can quickly make us feel like we are the Sahara. Prayer is our communication to God it is away in which we have fellowship with our God it is also how we communicate our needs to God for others and ourselves. In Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them]. Once we cut off our means to communicate with God we find ourselves alone fighting our own battles and loosing the battle for others!

2. Lack of desire in reading the Word of God. The Word is a way in which God speaks back to us, and is our guidance and instruction on how to live! Luke 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it. Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. We are told in Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. When we cease from reading the Word of God we cut of another means of communication from our Lord and thus we lack guidance and instruction.

3. When we began to cut off communication to other believers and our Church we find our self-beginning to wither and dry. In Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. When we cut brothers and sisters in Lord out of our lives we again loose out in a vital part of the fellowship of God. Is it not written in Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. When we began to be lax in our attendances in Church we began to become cold or even worse lukewarm for did not Christ say that He would spue or vomit you out of His mouth as said in Revelation 3:16. We become open prey to the wolves when we are away from the Shepherd and the rest of the flock.