What a great man of God Elijah was. Here is a man that God used mightily. Here is a man of the OT who had great miracles manifested through him. Listen to the great miracles that happened in this mans life:
*Increases the oil of the widow of Zarephath: 1 Kings 17:17-24.
*Raises the son of the woman of Zarephath from the dead: 1 Kings 17:17-24.
*Causes rain after 7 years of drought: 1 Kings 18:41-45.
*Causes fire to consume the sacrifice: 1 Kings 18:24.
*Calls fire down upon the soldiers of Ahaziah: 1 Kings 1:10-12.
If God could use such a man then He should be able to use men the same way today. You will notice that the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha and he went out and started performing the same miracles that Elijah had performed. If the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha then why can’t that same spirit rest on us today? I believe that it can. The same Spirit that anointed Elijah is here to anoint us today. That same Spirit has not only been poured out upon us but now dwells in us. God wants to do through us what He did through Elijah but He also wants to do greater things through us.
God is looking for Elijah’s today that He can mightily use in these last days. Where are God’s Elijah’s today? Elijah may be gone, but God is still seeking people to do His will on the earth today. And by observing certain characteristics that marked Elijah’s life, we’ll see some specific qualities that we can develop in our own lives so God can accomplish His purposes through us.
God’s Elijah –
A Person of Prayer
God is looking for committed believers who know how to pray.
James 5:16-18 – (16) “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (17) Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. (18) And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”
In James 5:17, Elijah is given as an example of a righteous man praying.
Elijah was a man of prayer. And when he prayed, he got results! Remember when Elijah was on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal? He said, “There’s only one of me and 450 of you, so I’m going to be nice and let you choose a bull for an offering and call upon your god first. Then I’ll take a bull and call upon my God. And let the true God be the One who answers by fire!” (1 Kings 18:20-25).
So the prophets of Baal prepared a bull and called upon their god all morning. But nothing happened. Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “I’ll give you a little longer. Try hollering a little louder—your god may not be home. Maybe he’s away on vacation. Why don’t you find his telephone number and call him up?”
Baal’s prophets tried everything. They cried out, cut themselves, leaped up and down, and prophesied. But when evening came, their god still hadn’t answered (vv. 26-29).
Finally, Elijah’s turn came. He rebuilt the altar of the Lord that had been broken down and dug a trench around it. Next he cut up a bull, laid all the pieces on the wood, and had 12 barrels of water poured over them. Twice more he had the 12 barrels filled and emptied upon the altar so that the entire altar was wet and the trench was filled with water (vv. 30-35).
Then Elijah prayed—and whoosh! The fire of God fell! Everything was consumed: water, altar, wood, sacrifice, and all. There wasn’t anything left.
Now some people get excited about fire coming down from Heaven to consume the offering. But the fire didn’t come down until the man of God prayed (vv. 36-38). You see, Elijah knew something about praying!
Can you remember that there use to be men and women who really knew how to pray? I mean, if you needed something from God, you’d get them to pray with you. Why? Because they could “pray Heaven and earth together.” In other words, when they prayed, God answered! Their prayers were like Elijah’s prayers—effectual.
God is looking for some Elijah’s who are people of prayer: people who aren’t too busy to get on their faces before Him and who get results when they pray! Do you get results when you pray? Does God pay attention to you when you pray?
God’s Elijah-
A Person of Obedience
God’s Elijah’s are not only people of prayer, but they also know something about obedience.
God told Elijah, “Go hide by the brook Cherith” (1 Kings 17:3). If that had been some folks today, their natural reaction would have been: “God, are You sure? That brook isn’t very far from the palace, and Ahab’s men are searching the entire area. Couldn’t You come up with a better plan than that?”
But Elijah didn’t rationalize, and he didn’t ask questions. He just obeyed.
God’s Elijah is someone who, when God says to do something, does it! The secret was that Elijah knew when God was talking to him. The problem with some folks is, they don’t know who’s talking to them.
One reason people don’t know whether they’re hearing from God, the devil, or their own inward spirit is that they’re not close enough to God; they haven’t become familiar enough with Him to recognize His voice when He’s speaking. If you think about it, it’s no different than recognizing a person’s voice in the natural.
For example, if you answer the telephone and your mother or a close relative or friend is on the line, that person could just say “Hello,” and immediately you’d recognize who it is.
Why is that? Because it’s the voice of someone you’re close to or know really well. You’ve spent so much time with that person that you’re familiar with his or her voice. So you don’’ even have to think or ask, “who is this?” You just know.
Well, that’s the same way we learn to recognize God’s voice: by spending time with Him in prayer and by reading and meditating on His Word. The more time we spend with Him, the more familiar we become with His voice. And after a while, we’re able to recognize whether or not He’s the One who’s telling us to do something.
When you know that God is speaking to you, it makes it easier to instantly obey. And being quick to hear and obey God is an important key to following His will. You see no one can tell you what the will of God is for you specifically. That’s between you and God.
People frequently want me to help them discover God’s will for their lives. But any believer can know the general will of God for his life simply by hearing and obeying God’s Word. God’s Word is His will. However, only you can discover the individual plan and purpose God has for your own life.
We can expect God to guide and direct us in the affairs of life. But we have to know how to listen to him and be willing to obey Him.
God can work through people who willingly obey Him. He is looking for men and women who are completely obedient when He speaks—men and women who will obey Him even if at times it may seem silly. Imagine how silly it must have seemed to Elijah in the natural when God told him to go to the brook Cherith. Yet Elijah obeyed.
Then God told Elijah to go to Zarephath to ask a widow woman to feed him. Elijah probably thought that was the second most ignorant thing in the world to do: Who would go to a widow’s house during a famine? If the poor woman didn’t have anything before, she surely wouldn’t have anything now! But God said, “Go down to the widow woman’s house,” and Elijah obeyed.
When Elijah met the widow woman, he discovered that she had just enough oil and meal to make a small cake for herself and her son. They didn’t have any more food, so they were planning to eat this last cake and then die. But because of Elijah’s obedience, the woman had an opportunity to give unto the man of God. And when she responded in faith she received enough oil and meal to sustain Elijah and her family until the famine was over (1 Kings 17:8-16).
I tell you, we need to get into the habit of obeying God. God’s Elijah’s obey!
God’s Elijah-
A Person of Perseverance
Finally, God’s Elijah’s are people of perseverance. Once they’ve heard form God, they stay put and stand their ground. Their motto is “No surrender.” They remind me a lot of Texans.
People from Texas have a saying that often encourages them to keep going when things start getting tough: “Remember the Alamo!”
Back in 1836, 189 brave men fought to defend Texas’ independence from Mexico. Those men held off thousands of General Santa Anna’s troops for 13 days at the Alamo mission in San Antonio. Eventually, all of them gave their lives. They stood their ground to the end. Their efforts made it possible for General Sam Houston to gather troops and later win Texas’ independence.
That’s why it’s often said of Texans that they are persistent and they don’t quit! They’re people who persevere when if comes to the things of God.
You’re never going to accomplish anything if you quit. You’re never going to be used mightily of God if you quit. But if you stick to what God has told you to do, your rewards will be great.
Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Notice that Elijah stayed at the brook until God sent him to the widow woman’s house. Then he stayed there at Zarephath until God told him to go show himself to King Ahab.
Evidently there was a period of time involved in each case, because one verse said, “And it came to pass AFTER A WHILE…” and another said, “And it came to pass AFTER MANY DAYS…” (1 Kings 17:7; 18:1). So Elijah must have had to patiently persevere.
It takes perseverance to stay where God puts you until He tells you to move.
Whatever God tells you to do, stay with that until He says something different. That’s what Elijah did, and he came out on top every time!
Will You Be God’s Elijah
God is raising up a mighty company of believers in the earth who know how to pray, obey, and persevere—just like Elijah. But God’s army isn’t just made up of preachers and those in the five-fold ministry. It’s also made up of men, women, and young people who sit in pews every Sunday and have committed themselves to God, saying, “Here I am, Lord. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
The same God who mightily used the prophet Elijah is still using His people today. And he’s looking for some present-day Elijah to do His will in the earth. So the real question isn’t, “Where are God’s Elijah’s? – it’s whether or not you and I are willing to do what it takes to be God’s Elijah’s!
Do you have a desire to be used by God in these last days? Are you willing to do what it takes to maintain a life of prayer, obedience, & perseverance? If so, why not make a commitment to Him and pray.
