When You Can't Pay The Bills Series

13 Elijah said to her, "Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.

14 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ’The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.’"

How bold was Elijah to ask for her last few ounces of flour for himself! Now, that wasn’t very gentleman like, was it?! God was asking her to give everything and trust Him for the rest.

She was at the crossroads between selfishness and obedience.

She had the same choice you and I have to make today: Provide for myself or turn it over to God and start living under the supernatural provision of God…

The whole idea the Bible illustrates with this woman’s life is that the command was to be obeyed, even to the point of death… Are you there yet, where this woman was in her faith?

She could have justified her disobedience to His commands, after all she had a responsibility to take care of her son at home first, and here this stranger: a man with good hands, was asking her to provide for him first. That’s a crisis of faith friends, which requires spiritual understanding.

This poor woman was close to God. Not only did she know Him and experience His live and provision before, but she knew, alive or dead, some day she would face Him, sooner or later, she would answer for all her actions, so better to obey and die for Him than to disobey and die without Him. That’s faith, and love for God.

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.

16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

You see, her FAITH in GOD put to ACTION made GOD her PROVIDER and He provided WAY MORE than the last meal she expected to eat with her son that day.

She had a tough decision to make, but because she submitted her life to God, HE PROVIDED!

SHE KNEW HIM as JEHOVAH, JIREH, her provider, not just by head knowledge, but by experience because she submitted herself to God in obedience.

Friends, you and I need to begin to understand this concept of submission and obedience, especially in our finances before we can expect the blessings of God. Until we submit ALL to God, we will continue to live in poverty: spiritually and financially, provided by our own means…

For some of you, tithing might be a huge leap of faith like it was for the widow, but refusing to submit your finances to God is a guarantee you’ll continue to live according to your own ability and that’s a pretty lame living even for the richest of you…

Honoring God with your finances is the first step in proving your loyalty toward God. It’s a baby Christian step: it’s Christianity 101, shouldn’t be a problem in the church, although the church in America only has an average of 15% who tithe regularly… And that indicates a very sad spiritual condition.