all, my to God, creator of heaven and earth, and all that is therein. Lord, there is none like you in heaven or in earth. None can stay your hand. Who says unto you, Lord, what doest thou?
You reign supreme in the kingdom of men. You are above all principalities and powers, and we humble ourselves before your greatness. Lord, and we thank you for the privilege of approaching your throne of grace that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. Thank you, Lord, for all that has transpired in this service.
And now as we look to your word, we ask you to open our understanding that we might understand the scriptures. We're praying Lord that you would use your words today to convict the heart and convert the soul. Touch us Lord and make us well and keep us well in mind, body, soul, in spirit and minister unto us according to your good pleasure. Have thine own way, Lord, move as only you can and in whatever way you desire.
I'm praying Lord that you would help me to yield my person to you, that you might be glorified. And we're taking authority over the demons of hell that come to work disruption. We bind the demon of division and cast it out in the name of Jesus. We bind the demon of stubbornness, unbelief, rebellion, faithlessness.
In the name of Jesus, Lord, we plead your blood, the blood of Jesus, and ask you to be glorified and all things. This time now in your hands, Lord, do we commit and pray your will be done in the name Lord Jesus Christ, our men and our men. God bless you. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord.
Surely we do give our highest honor to our Lord in Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for another opportunity to be gathered together today. We give honor to our blessed pastor Bishop Geddes. We give honor to our First Lady, our matriarch mother Geddes.
We honor all of the holy men of God, our precious deacons, our mothers, all of the saints of God, to our visiting friends. God bless you as well and those viewing virtually. I honor my companion. Thank the Lord for her and thank the Lord for our children being in the house of the Lord this morning.
Indeed, God is great and greatly to be praised. I turn your attention now to the word of the Lord. We will ask you to take your Bibles and turn to the Old Testament book of First Kings chapter number 18. Here in our read verses 36 through 46 into your hearing.
And then we will also consider as a companion scripture, a New Testament book of James chapter 5. You can come James chapter 5. The B clause of verse 16 through verse 18. Again, we will begin in the first Kings chapter 18, the Old Testament.
First Kings chapter 18 beginning at verse 36. These words are recorded here in the Bible, which is the Word of God. And it came to pass at that 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 are God in Israel and that I am thy servant and that I have done all these things that thy word.
Hear me, O Lord. Hear me that this people may know that thou art the Lord God and that thou has turned their heart back again. 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.
And Elijah said unto them, take the prophets of Baal, let not one of them escape. And they took them and Elijah brought them down to the book, Kishon, and slew them there. And Elijah said unto Ahab, get thee up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and drink.
And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel and he cast himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees and said to his servant, go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, there is nothing. And he said, go again seven times. And he came to pass at the seventh time that he said, behold, there are rises a little cloud out of the sea like a man's hand.
And he said, Elijah said, go up, say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot and get thee down that the rain stopped thee not. And it came to pass in the meanwhile that the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was only Elijah.
And he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. In the book of James chapter number five or 16 beginning in the B clause we read these words, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availed as much. Elias 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 by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again. And the heaven gave rain. And the earth brought forth her fruit.
Would you turn to your neighbor please and say, neighbor, don't stop praying. Turn to your other neighbor and say, neighbor, push, pray until something happens. You may not know this if you don't know me closely, but one of the things that I love in life is macaroni and cheese. Y'all thought I was going to be deep.
I love that dish. It is my favorite thing to eat in the world. Praise the Lord. But I found out that with macaroni and cheese there's two kinds.
There's the instant and then there's the baked. I buy the instant from time to time for my children because we don't always have time to bake. But there are times when I will bake some macaroni and cheese and I learn that from my mother. Thank God for my mother.
Praise him. She makes the best macaroni and cheese on planet earth. Don't get upset. It's the truth.
As Bishop, sorry I would say, can I get a witness? None of that bread crumb stuff. None of that velveter. Cheese wiz.
Out the can. No, my mother takes time to bake macaroni and cheese. And what I found out is that when you bake macaroni and cheese, you have to wait for it. You have to wait for it.
You cannot be instant if you want some good macaroni and cheese. Now this whole issue of the instant versus waiting is a problem in our culture. Our culture has conditioned us to be addicted to instant. As Bishop Geddes said years ago in one of his messages from the kitchen to the altar.
One of the elements of the Christian walk that does not feel good to the flesh and does not make sense to the natural mind but must be embraced by faith is the truth about God's timing. God's ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. And we must remember that God is not bound by time nor bound to work in the time that we desire.
He does all things after the council of his for ordained will. Hallelujah. And he is not obligated to share that with any of us because he is God. We read the scripture this morning.
It is he that hath made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. We need him. He does not need us.
And therefore it is our responsibility as the lesser to humbly submit to his will and his way because his way is always best. Praise the Lord. As I thought about this the Lord brought back to my mind a supporting example from scripture from the book of Joshua. When Joshua led the children of Israel to subdue the promised land the first battle that they had to fight was against the city of Jericho.
It was a well fortified city. Some may have thought it was impenetrable because of his high thick walls. When they were getting ready for that battle God gave a commandment. He told them when you go into Jericho I want you to defeat the inhabitants of the city.
I want you to kill them but I don't want you to take anything out of Jericho. There are no possessions that belong to those people that I want you to have. Well the Bible let us know that God fought the battle. They went into the city by a miracle.
Now let you go back and read that for your own for time's sake. But they were victorious and yet there was a problem because there was a man named Aiken who decided that he was not going to obey the commandment of the Lord. The Bible says he saw gold and silver and a Babylonish garment and he decided that he was going to take those things and hide them from everybody else. Well the conquest continued after Jericho.
The next battle that the children of Israel had to fight was against the city of AI. When the children of Israel went to AI they were surprised that although God had promised that wherever Joshua said his foot that would belong to them they were running away from their enemy. This perplexed Joshua. He went down he talked to the Lord and the Lord said Joshua get up because there's a problem in the camp.
Israel hath sinned and also transgressed and through a means of God's searching that came to be known that Aiken had disobeyed God's commandment and caused 36 men in Israel to lose their lives. After Aiken was removed and the sinned judge it was interesting to note that they went back to AI, the children of Israel, to fight against that people and God gave them victory. But here's the point. When they defeated AI God told them everything you want you can have.
What's the message in that example? If you wait on God and don't use your own mind God will provide. But if you run ahead of God you cause shipwreck. If you get out of God's timing you will destroy not only your life but the life of those around you.
I encourage you to trust the Lord and wait for him. The Bible says wait on the Lord and be of good courage. He will strengthen your heart because God's way is always best. Now with that point in mind one place in the Christian walk where this truth must be understood is in the spiritual exercise of prayer.
For we cannot subject the results of our prayers to our desire for instant gratification. There are indeed times when God moves right away. And then there are other times when we pray and it seems like nothing is happening. And today what the Lord wants to break is the addiction to the instant.
Break the addiction to the instant. And the Lord wants to develop within us a mentality of stamina and determination which says this I'm going to stay before the Lord in prayer until. So let's take a brief digression and talk about the what's and how's of prayer. Prayer is a vehicle of communication that God has given to man.
It is the primary way that we speak to God and build a substantial relationship and fellowship with him. Prayer will bring you beyond a superficial acquaintance with God. It will allow you as Paul said in Philippians 3 to know him. Hallelujah.
Prayer is part of the getting to know God experience. If you don't pray, if you don't talk to God and wait for him to talk to you, you will not know him in the way he desires. It is interesting to note that prayer is not something we are born knowing how to do. The Bible says in the book of Luke chapter 11 verse 1 that Jesus said disciples came to him and asked him as grown men, Lord, teach us to pray as John the Baptist also taught his disciples.
And if you join me in the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 6 we will see here a model, a formula that our Lord gave us when approaching this spiritual exercise of prayer. In the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 6 beginning at verse 9 Jesus taught his disciples and us how to pray. This was the how of prayer. Taught them in verse 9 after this man of prayer ye, our Father which art in heaven, hallowed or holy be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil and the literal translation Jesus used there is the evil one. Deliver us from the devil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. This was a formula that the Lord gave us and if we categorize as formula as we have been taught by our pastor it is really a four part system to observe. First part is an upward look looking unto the Lord and acknowledging who he is.
You never start a conversation by just talking. You start every conversation by addressing the person you're speaking to and when it comes to God you never address God in a casual way. This is the God of heaven. This is the creator of all things that we see and that we don't see.
This is the blessed and only potentate the king of kings and the lord of lords. This is the one who is and was and is to come the almighty and so when we approach God we address him in all of his glory as much as our heart can express our Father which are in heaven and after our upward look of acknowledging God we then take an inward look. We pray prayers of petition where we ask the Lord for what we need. Praise our God.
We ask him amen for what our heart is yearning for. We take an inward look. Sometimes amen at this phase and stage of prayer we ask the Lord to have mercy upon us because we have gone wrong. Sometimes we ask the Lord to strengthen us because we're feeling a little weak.
Sometimes we ask the Lord to give us joy because we're feeling sorrowful but whatever we need we bring our petition before the Lord. We lay it at his feet knowing that God is able and that he cares for us. After the inward look we then take an outward look as we begin to pray prayers of intercession. We begin to pray for others that we know have a need.
Sometimes the Lord brings people's names and conditions to your mind when you're praying and you begin to petition the Lord on their behalf. Some people don't know how to pray. Some people can't pray for themselves. Amen.
But we read in James 5 and 16 the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person. A veil of much. Hallelujah. You pray for the needs of others.
You pray even for the leaders of our world and country. Amen. Paul taught us to pray for those that are in positions of authority for kings and those in authority that we as the people of God might lead a quiet and peace of a life in all godliness and honesty. We pray for others.
And then in our conclusion of prayer we never leave without going full circle and coming back to the beginning to again acknowledge God and to praise the Lord. To praise amen his holiness and to give him glory just for the opportunity to speak to the great God of heaven. This is how we pray. And in this prayer we must remember that we must do it by faith.
James chapter 1 verse 6 says, but let him ask in faith nothing wavering. For he that waver is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord. When we pray we believe that God is able to do what we need done.
In fact we believe that if he doesn't do it it won't get done because he is the only one who has the power. Hallelujah. He is the only one that has the ability amen to do what we need done in the earth. Nobody else can help you but Jesus.
Don't tell me about your boss and the fact that your boss has your evaluation in hand and he's going to decide what your raisin bonus is that might seem amen true to your natural perception but in reality the Bible says promotion does not come from the east or the west or the south but promotion comes as it were from the north. That is from God. And he can move things and move people in whatever way he desires. That's why you just makes good sense to trust it because if you need something he is going to be the one to orchestrate it anyhow and don't be upset if it takes time because one of the things we have to understand is that God amen is the God of all flesh.
And so sometimes in order to bless you he's got to bless him first. He's got to touch his mind so he will come to you and give you the blessing that you need because God always works by law. God is bound by the laws that he has placed in the earth and so he is never going to violate his law or his word or else some smart person would try to rise up and say yeah but yeah God but so in order to keep down the mouth of the gainsayer and the devil that is always an accuser of the brethren God always works by laws. And so if he's going to bless you amen that means somebody else is going to get a blessing.
That's the church that you man. So you've got to ask in faith believing the Bible says I believe in Mark 11 and 24 what things so ever he desire. When you pray believe that you receive them and you will have them. I know I've got a witness here to know that if you trust the Lord in prayer and believe for what you're asking for in due time he always comes through.
He's never late. He never allows you to be disappointed. He'll never let you fall to the ground even if it seems like you're down it's because God is getting ready to raise you up. What called my yasata?
Bible says humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. He will exalt you in due time and so you must ask in faith when you pray and you cannot ask with selfish motives. But you must seek the Lord from a pure and an honest heart. James 4 and 3 said he asked and receive not because he asked a miss that you may consume it upon your own lust.
Some people are always asking God for things that they want that have no spiritual benefit. They're always asking for more money not so they can be a blessing but those they can do so they can flaunt it. Amen and show people how much they have. They're asking for a new car not because theirs is not working but because they saw somebody else with a new car and now they're operating out of covetousness.
And so they run and they ask God Lord give me a new car. You don't need it. You just want it so you can be somebody. Lord let me get into Harvard so I could say that I went to the elite of the elite schools when CCSU is your best choice to keep you in the church and out of the nonsense of Satan.
Come on come on come on. I notice it's the part we don't like because it means that we have to submit our will to the will of God but remember God's way is always best. And if you want to value spiritual things and if you value your soul you'll know that the only place you need to be is in the will of God. However that looks in whatever form that takes you value amen the importance of being in God's will.
Yes sir. And you are willing to push your own ideas amen your own ideologies your own philosophies you're willing to take the conversations that you've had with people amen that put me amen ideas of grandeur in your mind you're willing to take all of that later at the field of Jesus and say like he did not my will but I'd be done. You don't ask to consume upon your lust you ask for what you have need of in faith. And the last thing we learned about prayer is that the Lord hears and answers prayers according to his will.
Come on with me Romans chapter 8 the Lord has dropped description in my mind Romans chapter 8 verses 26 and 27 the Lord hears and answers prayers according to his will. Bible lets us know in the book of Romans chapter 8 beginning at verse 26 likewise the Spirit that's the Holy Ghost also helpeth our infirmities. For we note not what we should pray for as we are. This is why if I can take a quick digression here this is why the Bible encourages us in the book of Jude to pray in the Holy Ghost.
Because we'll see here in Romans 8 that it is the Holy Ghost that really knows what we need. We have an idea in our natural mind based on what we can see what we can sense what we are exposed to but the Lord of glory which is the Holy Ghost he knows all things he's searching the deep parts of the belly. He knows more than we could ever know we are confined to what we can sense but God knows what's coming tomorrow and the Holy Ghost when you're praying the Holy Ghost. Amen he will give you words to say that before tomorrow he's trying to get you through what's coming not just your present condition.
Likewise the Spirit how we do yah the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity our limitation for we know not what we should pray for as we are but the Spirit itself make it intercession for us with groans which cannot be other in that what the Bible says in Hebrews that he ever liveth now to make intercession that's why Jesus hey man went away he is preparing a place but he's also making intercession God I want you to turn to your neighbor one time and say neighbor God is in your corner he's in your corner God is always working for you unless you sin when you sin you open up the opportunity for God to work against you but even in that his hope is that he would get your attention I'm gonna talk about it in a moment so you can change your mind so you can what the Bible said repent glory to Jesus verse 27 and he that's searching the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he makeeth intercession for who for the saints that's why you need the Holy Ghost hallelujah can't walk around here without the Spirit of God amen you don't have the Holy Ghost you don't have what you need to make it through the world amen in the will of God thank you Jesus the Holy Ghost shows up for the saints glory and when you pray it's the Holy Ghost that kicks in amen and allows you to get in touch with God so you can be blessed according to his will you make it intercession for the saints according to the will of God and so it is this point amen that brings us back to the crux of the message regarding this addiction to the instant because again the purpose here is to change our mentality from warning everything right away to approaching prayer with a resolve that says I am going to stay before the Lord until this is what acts amen I should say first Kings tells us in our text we actually see both ways of God answering prayer demonstrated here back in first Kings chapter 18 if you go back there with me we join the ancient nation of Israel in a backslidden state as they had been drawn away from worshiping God the one true God and began following idols it was in this spiritual climate that God raised up his prophet Elijah and he raised up Elijah to pronounce judgment upon the land the purpose of the judgment was to get the people's attention so they would turn back to worshiping God he wasn't doing this God wasn't bringing judgment amen to try to kill everybody all because he's mean that's an immature perspective if God is bringing judgment it's because he has a desire for somebody to wake up while they're still taught there are some judgments where God brings it so you can wake up while you have time so you can change there are some judgments where that's it is final solemn that's not didn't he when he disobeyed God's commandments relative to the Amalekites and Samuel came to him and said the kingdom is rent just like you tore my garment the kingdom is rent from you and I'm going to give it to somebody better because there's always somebody better there's always somebody who if we don't want to serve God will serve it there's always somebody that we lose our mind and flip our wig and act like we want to do what we want to do now there's always somebody that will slide right into your that's why I'm on this platform this morning because somebody else lost his mind that's why I'm here now and the Lord showed it to me in a dream before it happened and I just thank God for my seat I know about you all but I thank God for my seat and I asked the Lord Lord give me a mind to hold on to my seat glory to Jesus we're calling out your side I'm not going anywhere then where God planted me that the church say amen saw him that's not and that judgment was final but here in first Kings amen God is sending judgment to try to get people's attention and it came in the form of extreme drought extreme drought praise our God James 5 and 17 one of the scriptures we referenced earlier we learned there that Elijah prayed earnestly he prayed fervently that it would not rain praise the Lord come back with me to first king 17 verse 1 Bible says here and Elijah the Tishbite who was of the inhabitants of Gilead said and they have as the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand oh thank you holy goes our pastor stands before God on our behalf wouldn't that Joshua the priest I believe in Zechariah who stood there and this in the devil was right next to him to hinder him these men of God stand before God not before us that's why I'm glad we're in the church where the people in the pews don't run the message hallelujah we don't get emails on Saturday night amen of suggestions or what we should preach about Sunday morning we go to the Lord and the Lord gives us what the people need because he knows what the people need Elijah said before whom I stand amen God said there shall not be due nor rain fees years but according to my word and sometimes we miss what God is trying to do because we're too connily minded we are too blinded by what we can sense and what we can see we are not spiritually minded enough amen to know something is wrong with my life if you've got weird things going on in your life things that are abnormal things that are not ordinary you need to take first a personal inventory and say have I gone in a way that is contrary to God and he's trying to get my attention to circumstances that are not normal it's not normal for all of my appliances in my house to break down week after week after week after week that's not normal so let me first take personal inventory and see if I've gone wrong and if the Lord searches me and I haven't gone wrong then I can go to him and say Lord I need you to step in because something ain't right there was moving something going on but you can't just let it go like well this is life no why you're just told us what's supposed to have life and that more abundantly God didn't save you so you could be broke down he didn't save you so you could be on the bottom of the barrel hey men live and foot the mouth and hand the tongue and all the other stuff you want to say hey man the law told us that he is giving us all things richly to enjoy that means whatever we need we're supposed to have according to his will amen so if you've got a lot of weird things going on in your life you need to ask the Lord Lord what's going on here and again first before you start looking at the man and looking at somebody else and blaming inflation look at yourself and say Lord have I gone wrong somewhere have I gone astray because some of us don't even know how far we have fallen we don't even know that the devil has been slipping us a drug of complacency so long to wear if we put on a recording of a service three years ago you wouldn't even notice who you are based on how you act and now you're completely different you use to testify you use the praise you use the witness you use glory now you don't shut down because of something that's gone wrong in your life and what God is doing is he starting to cut stuff off that you depended on and were supported by to hopefully bring you to the point where you got nowhere else to turn but him that's why he knocks on all the props that's why he doesn't let your boss give you the raise he don't need more money you need cheese you don't need more notoriety you don't need this and that and the other some of y'all don't go way back from where you were some of y'all when you receive the Holy Ghost you are on fire you couldn't be sat down you would praise God and you would give him the glory and now you miss a mother sundaes and nobody knows you never showed up something wrong somewhere something wrong somewhere but thank God for mercy because mercy here's what mercy says mercy says here's what God said God said God I'm gonna mess you up until I get your attention that's mercy oh yes it is that's mercy because God could cut us off right away soon as we go left he and that's it but what the Lord will do is he will twist up circumstances in your life and that's what he did Israel this was in a garyan society that depended upon rain in their agriculture for their sustenance so without rain in a society like that you don't eat and when you stop eating long enough you're gonna wake up after while praise the Lord so sometimes we've got to look at what's going on in life and ask the Lord to show us why are things going haywire and say Lord have mercy somebody lift your hand right now say Lord have mercy drought was catastrophic at this time period in Israel's history and so this extreme drought no do not even the little drops on the grass in the morning and nothing like what we're getting today for three and a half years then folk out there last year in California they were feeling it with the drought God had mercy on him and sent a bunch of snow to help him out a little bit but when that drought was coming around those were tough times and we've experienced some of that in a lesser way even in our region of the country it meant if you don't have that water you're in they trouble so for three and a half years they experienced extreme drought but then after that God spoke to Elijah spoke to him again told him it was time for the second part of the judgment which was the judging of the prophets of the false gods in Israel so again the people could have a wake up call and come back to worshiping God he tells Elijah to go to Ahab and have all of the false prophets meet him on Mount Karma so they can decide who is the true God both he and the false prophets a man when they met there on the mountain would make an animal sacrifice and whichever God sent fire to consume that sacrifice a man they agreed we will let that God be God after building an altar to the Lord and placing his sacrifice there Elijah began to pray he says amen in verse number 36 of chapter 18 and then he says here oh Lord God Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel let it be known this day that our God in Israel and that I am thy servant and that I have done all these things at thy word he said hear me oh Lord hear me that this people may know that thou art the Lord God and that thou has turned their heart back again bible says in verse 38 then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust and lit up the water that was in the trench and indeed a man this miracle that the Lord wrought it worked in turning the people's hearts back to God for the bible says when the people saw this great sight from God the God of Elijah that they fell on their faces how they lubiate to God and they said the Lord he is the God the Lord he is the God somebody sang a song and said he is Lord he has risen from the dead and he is Lord every knee shall bow every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord let the church say amen and so amen this miracle worked in turning the people's hearts back to God and yet there was still the issue of droughts it is here then where the Lord wants to minister to us in my conclusion amen the bible let's us know amen that something needed to happen because we are reminded again that God indeed can move right away Elijah prayed and the bible says after he prayed the fire fell didn't waste any time praise God showed up right away what a miracle hallelujah to God but we must remember that even if God doesn't move right away we cannot allow not seeing God's hand to discourage us and cause us to walk away from the Lord accusing him of not hearing us but what we must do is hold on to our faith in God hallelujah and we must believe that when we ask and then we shall receive in his time turn your name and say neighbor instant is easy but it is waiting that challenges our resolve instant is easy but it's the waiting that challenges our resolve are we going to stick with it because we have to wait are we going to jump up and do our own thing because God took too long for us Elijah had just seen God work in an instant way and yet the next time we see Elijah praying it seemed like nothing was happening what we got to learn here is not to put God into a box and then he doesn't have to move the same way twice Elijah learned this through experience the drought that God hit amen judgment upon the land that hit everybody even Elijah the Bible says though that God was going to make a way for Elijah to be provided for in the midst of the drought it meant a lot of people when the COVID-19 hit and then they thought well because I'm saved and then it can't touch me but we found out how many of you found out COVID touches saved people too amen and yet God is faithful because in this house amen we give God the glory that we have the testimony that not one time that we have to move the communion table and replace it with a casket of one of our beloved brothers and sisters that fell asleep but the Lord protected us and he's still watching out for us Elijah learned through experience in the drought that even when you're surrounded by the dearth of God's judgment God can make a way out of no way might not be the way we want it but who are we to question the mind of God who are we to say how he should and should not perform his will just receive whatever God has for you. Bible says that God told Elijah I want you to go down to the brook terrified because I've commanded a raven to feed you with bread in the morning and bread in the evening and I want you are you there to drink of the brook of terrified and then God provided Elijah amen with sustenance in the middle of a drought. Amen was somewhere along the line that way dried up but yet God was faithful. He told Elijah now I commanded the ravens now I've commanded a person God is God of all creation.
He doesn't have to work according to our mind. Amen he just have to work according to his will. He told Elijah Elijah I want you to go down to the Gentile city of Zeraphath because I've commanded again a willowoman down there to sustain you. Amen Bible said that he went down there and the willowoman was able to sustain Elijah.
God is always going to look out for his people. Don't worry don't fret. Amen fret not thyself because of evoduers. Jesus said seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for tomorrow for tomorrow will take part for the things of his shell. Subtition unto the day is the evil there are. Amen God's got you. Amen he's never going to let the righteous be forsaken that the church say man.
So Elijah learned that God doesn't have to move the same way twice and so it meant after amen the fire fell and the people begin to move back in the direction of God again there was still this issue of drought and the Bible said Elijah went back up to the place of victory. You know it's good to go back and revisit those times in your walk with the Lord where the Lord made away for you. It's encouraging to go back to those seasons where you looked and felt like you were forsaken and yet when it seemed like all was lost here comes God showed up right on time and he delivered you. Amen David said out of all your trouble you feel like him when you said this poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him delivering him out of all his trouble how many know amen God the Lord will take care of you.
Amen Elijah went back up to a place of victory the pack of your Mount Carmel and the Bible says in James five that he began to pray. Yeah first Kings gives us the details of his position he got upon the earth. Bow down and he put his name in his face between his knees and he began to pray earnestly like he did at the first when God told him to pray that the heavens would be shut up from raining. He began to pray God on our Messiah.
He began to pray again and say Lord want you to reverse this thing now. Once you Lord to turn this thing around because you've gotten the people's attention. They're starting to come back to you he prayed that their hearts would come back to him and when they saw evidence of the heart come on somebody. People say you don't know me you don't know my heart.
Amen well it might be true we don't know the particulars. Amen but we do have an indication of what's going on in your heart based on what you do and what you say. Come on come on out of the abundance of the heart the mouth-speaker based on what you do based on your behavior and based on what you say is an indication of what's going on in your heart. Let the church say amen.
Elijah had some evidence that the people were turning back to God and he said Lord we need you to move again. He told his servant in verse 33 go up now and look toward the sea. We're here on Mount Carmel and servant I want you to go look out to the Mediterranean sea and I want you to tell me what you see out there in the Mediterranean and while Elijah was down there playing servant went out and he looked out to the Mediterranean and it was a bright blue sky sunny day. Nothing going on in the firmament and so to serve it went back to Elijah and he said oh my master there is nothing and that's all the devil wants some of us to hear.
The devil wants us to get a report that lets it seem like God is not moving but I want you to tell your neighbor push. I want you to pray until something happens let the church say man and so Elijah told his servant servant we're not going to stop with one time. I want you to keep on going go seven times. In other words go until the work is completed because God said it's going to rain.
Isn't that what Elijah said in verse 31 he said go until he told ahab get up eating drink for there is a sound of abundance of rain Elijah already sensed in the spirit that God was going to move and I wish I had somebody wish I had a prayer warrior that knows that you can't go by what you see but you've got to go by what you know about the word of God. If God said it's going to happen it's going to happen in his time. Let the church say man the servant kept on going back even back to and three and four and five and six and seven times. But what we need to know is that wow the servant was looking Elijah was praying come on and say man wow the servant had his eyes open he was watching and Elijah was praying.
Jesus said watch and pray let the church say man and he stayed down there. Bible says praying fervently until God was going to do something and the Bible said that at the seven times that the servant came back and said my master behold look now there arise a little cloud out of the sea like a man's hand. It didn't look like much but God doesn't need much to perform his will in your life. All we've got to do is stay before the Lord and trust him until Elijah when he heard that from the servant said that's it.
I've seen a sign that God is giving it's getting ready to reign. We've been in drought for about three and a half years can you see the parallelism. I said we've been in drought for about three and a half years but God said the word and said it's going to reign. Oh Lord how let me know you and I don't care what your drop looks like.
Son of the order believe that is time for God to move on your behalf and if you just stay before him in his time he's gonna send a blessing that you so desperately need. I wish I had a believer if you believe the word lift your hands and say I believe. Thank you Holy Ghost and so what is the application here. Well I'm reminded about the late great Kobe Brian come on brother Brown brother Gerald Brown he wrote a book called the Mamba mentality.
How I play where he goes into detail. He's commitment to practice and training and how it grew his basketball acumen but in Christ we don't need a mamba mentality. We need a push mentality. We need a settle and resolve in our mind that we're going to pray until something happens.
We're not going to give up on God. We're not going to allow discouragement. Amen the cause is to get up in the go away from the promises of God. For the promises every promise in him is yay and amen.
But sometimes church you got to stay before the Lord. I remember Daniel. He prayed for 21 days seeking the Lord for understanding of the vision. The Bible says after three weeks he came the angel and he found out why it was taken so long to him.
Sometimes the demons of the hill are trying to hinder your blessing from coming to you. Because the demons know that if you stop praying because you get discouraged your blessing goes so up but you won't be there to get it. So somebody ought to say Lord keep me here. Keep me right here in this spot.
Help me Lord not to move. Help me Lord not to run away. Help me Lord to stay here until you come through. Lord I need healing in my body.
Oh Lord help me to stay here until you heal me. Let the church say man Lord I know my healing can only come from you. Help me not to get discouraged and frustrated but help me to wait on you Lord. Help me to keep on praying.
Keep on crying out to keep on seeking your face. But when thou said is seeking my face my heart said under thee I face Lord will I seek let the church say man Lord help me to stay here until you come through. I remember Jesus in the garden of Yosemite. He was sorrowful because he knew what he was going to have to go through.
Amen and he prayed father if it be possible. Let this cup pass from me this cup of suffering. Let it pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt. Went back to his companions that he asked to pray with them and they were all like some of y'all during the message.
Yeah sleep underneath your hat. Dozing off on the side. How many are no sometimes? You can't take people with you.
It's just going to have to be you and Jesus. Nobody going to be around you around you and sharing your own. It's just going to have to be you in the morning sometime. It's going to have to be you at night sometime without an organ without a drummer without a guitarist without a praise leader hollering at you and telling you to give God the glory.
Sometimes it's just going to be you and the Lord and you're going to have to hold on and say Lord I'm going to stay right here until you come through. Let the church say man I remember Peter was taken by Herod and Acts chapter 12. You with me brother taken by Herod and Acts 12. He was taken because Herod was going to kill him.
The Bible says that Peter wasn't worried about it. Must not have been worried because he was in the jail sleep but the Bible says but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. I heard the song line say somebody prayed for me. Have me on their mind and took the time and prayed for me.
I'm so glad they prayed. I'm not ignorant saints. I know that one of the reasons I'm standing here is because somebody is praying for me. Come on I need to help you out this morning.
Some of us are quite educated. We got one, two, three degrees and we get food sometime to think that because of our intellectuality. That is why we are still in the body of Christ but your degrees do not ensure you are spot in the kingdom of God. You need the grace of God.
Come on here you need the grace of God to keep you by his mighty power. If you sit here this morning it's because God is merciful unto you. Mother is good to see you this morning praying for you that the Lord would raise you up. Thank God of heaven.
That God still hears prayer. You're here because God was gracious. Oh yes he is. He always makes a way sister steady for his people.
Can you witness that this morning? Come on and say amen. And so the Bible says that the church prayed incessantly. They prayed constantly.
They prayed without stopping. I don't think they got there down there with a lot of fancy words minister. I think they got down there and they said Lord we need you to help us here. Lord Peter is in prison and we just lost another one of our leaders James the son of Zebedee.
So we know this thing is real. This Herod fella he's real he's a real threat but we know the king of king and we know the Lord of and we know God that if you step in you can deliver Peter from what looks like an impossible situation. Some of you're sitting in this sanctuary. You've got things in your life that seem impossible.
They seem like especially because they've been going on for a long time. According to our mind it seems like this thing cannot be beaten but I dare you to this morning to get a hold of your faith in God. I dare you this morning to get a hold of a push mentality and say I'm going to put in my mind as long as I got to pray. As long as I got to stay here.
I'm going to stay here until my help come. I will look to the hills and that would be some getting free flat sweet from winds coming my help. Where does your help come from? Come from the law.
I dare you to smile. I got to wrap up here. I dare you to lift your hands and say like David said in a many songs 12 in 1 help Lord. I need somebody that really needs a blessing.
I need somebody that really needs a miracle. I need somebody that really needs help from the law. I need somebody that's willing to bring your faith to God and know that if he doesn't do it it won't get done. I need somebody that's desperate enough to get out of the norm to get out of protocol and know I'm in trouble and I need oh Lord I need help of the law.
Yeah. Oh Lord Lord Lord. She's Lord. Help me.
Help Lord. Help Lord. Help Lord. Help Lord.
Help Lord. Help Lord. Lift your hands and say help Lord. I need your help.
Church kept on praying. Lord deliver Peter. If you can do it Lord. Help deliver Peter.
And for the times sake can we say that God did it. I said can we say that God did it. Did it deliver Peter. Did it deliver Peter.
Tell your neighbor. If he delivered Peter. He can deliver you. I need somebody that's got some faith in here this morning.
Look at that name and say neighbor. If he can deliver Peter. He can deliver you. Tell your neighbor there's nothing too hard for the Lord.
How many need a blessing. How many need a Lord to touch you. How many need a Lord to revive you. How many need a Lord to restore you.
How many know the devil. Then trying to take my mind. But Lord need you to be a mind regulator. How many know the devil.
Try to make your heart cold. But you say Lord need you to be a heart fixer. I need my joy back. I need my anointing back.
I need my peace back. I need my love back. Oh Lord. Oh Lord.
Help me. How to do you. How to do you. How to do you.
What you to tell your neighbor. Won't he do it. My Lord and my God. Won't he do it.
Won't he make a way for you. Won't he open doors for you. I need somebody who knows God in here. I need somebody who knows what God can do.
If you're new in the church you might not know all these things here. But I got a wisdom sent out there. I got somebody with some experience out there. That knows that in God's time he gonna come through.
He gonna show up. How do you. He may not come. When you want him.
But he's always. Oh Lord. He's always. Always on time.
You can't hurt God. Oh no. He just got to wait. You got to trust him.
And you got to give him time. No matter how long it takes. He's a God. That's a can't hurt.
You can't manipulate him. You can't make him do nothing when he wants to move. Then he's gonna move. But until he moves you hold on to your faith.
And you pray without season. You pray without stopping. You cry on to the Lord. Say Lord have mercy.
I need a blessing. I need a miracle. Ask your neighbor. What will you do now?
Until here. That is a to do. Exceeded. Abundantly.
Above all. That you ask or think according to the power that works in you. How many got the Holy Ghost here? If you got the Holy Ghost you got power to hold on until you got power to discipline your flesh and your mind.
To say I'm not gonna get up from here. But I'm gonna stay here until Jesus told the disciples. Go to Jerusalem and tear it there until you be clothed with power. From on high.
The Bible says they went to Jerusalem with great joy. And now what the Bible said. They went to Jerusalem with great joy. They went to the temple.
Went to an upper room. And they did just what Jesus said. They stayed there. And they kept on waiting.
They didn't sit there twilling their thumbs. They didn't sit there mad that it was taking a long time. They took care of some business that need to be taken care of. So the apostleship could be passed on.
They kept on praying and kept on praising the Lord. And the Bible says in Acts chapter 2 verse 1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come. Tell you that you gotta wait until God fills his time.
You gotta wait until the fullness of time. You gotta wait until God's due season. Because when God sees and shows up it's not gonna be a trickle. When God sees and shows up it's not gonna be a sprinkle.
When God sees and shows up it's not gonna be a stream. What Elijah said I hear a sound of abundant. The thief come up not but for the steal and the kill and the destroy. But Jesus said I am come that they might have it like and might have it more abundant.
When God see the shows up it's gonna be a deluge. When God sees and shows up it's gonna be an outpour. When God sees and shows up you ain't gonna be able to handle it. My God my God you gonna be running and the blessing will be chasing you.
And you gonna get to a point where you can't outrun the blessing because the blessing will overtake. You gonna be running into the blessing. You gonna be running around the blessing. But if you want to take a point upon the Lord.
Say neighbor don't stop. Say neighbor pray until something. How many of y'all better able have been enjoying the 6 a.m. Zoom prayer.
How many of you did you make it through one week as much as you could. Oh well little rough sometime when the alarm clock said 55. And I said oh but I just went to sleep about four or five hours ago. But the Lord said gotta get up brother it's time to pray.
And in those prayers I've been praying and saying Lord need to do. That's why I didn't the Lord said listen are you committed to reaching out to me until oh God oh my God. I know you want me to move right now. But are you gonna stay here even if I don't move.
I said Lord I think you because I really want the deliverance. I really want the church to be blessed. I really want the revival to take place. And Lord if I gotta stay here for more than a week or two or three or four.
Lord help me. Help me to stay here until it happens. Help me to stay here until somebody's healed. Help me to stay here until the children hearts are pricked and they cry out and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Help me to stay here until people come on for the street and come into the sanctuary and they feel the glory of God. And their hearts are pricked and their souls are converted. I don't know about you but I will make up in my mind. I'm gonna stay right here until God does it.
I'm gonna I'm not gonna miss this blessing. I'm not gonna let the devil trick me into missing this blessing. There is a sign of abundance of rain weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. And if you feel weak say, Lord help me to hold on until my joy comes.
Cause when my joy comes I'm gonna have the strength that I need to run through a truth. Come on wisdom saints. After a while God's gonna give you the ability to run through a truth. I know you'll think your leaping days are over but I'm here to tell you your leaping days aren't over.
You're going before us all over. You're going to leap and I don't just mean physically. Some of y'all think you're too old to work in the kingdom and it's time to retire but there are souls that God has for you to reach out to. And when folks start coming down this middle aisle and they start lifting up their hands and saying what can I do to be safe.
It's going to be because the Lord anointed your lips to reach out to somebody and tell them Jesus can deliver you. You're gonna bring forth fruit in your old age. My God I feel like preaching but I'm gonna turn and lose this morning. But let me just tell y'all.
Amen I know you've been through much but I'm here to tell you God is not through with you yet. Sister Hudson God is not through with you yet. There's still much land to possess. There's still much work to do.
You might not be able to run like me but that's all right because if you can do the work of the Lord in the kingdom that'll put some pepper in your step. You'll get jarred not off of a song but you'll get jarred off of the holy ghost using you. Amen to be a blessing to somebody that doesn't know the Lord and that's what God wants us to hold on to. In his time he will he will Elijah prayed until until the Lord sent a blessing and you say what you're talking about preaching me running.
The Bible says after that rain came it was such a refreshing to Elijah's spirit. I wish I had time this morning. But Ahab he heard Elijah say get on your chariot and get down to Jezreel because it's gonna rain brother. It's coming Elijah wouldn't know Ahab wouldn't move him quick enough.
You talk about horsepower. Holy ghost will give you a horsepower. They have had them horses and those chariots and he was trying to run but the Bible said that the spirit of God got a hold of Elijah. He curried up his garment.
I ran the chariot. Yes he did. How many of you say Lord give me some holy ghost horsepower. Shut time.
How many need a blessing from the Lord? Come on and meet me in this middle hour. Just want to pray for your briefly. Like the Lord would sustain us to pray without ceasing.
To pray until something happens. God will. He is able and he will. But I want you all here in this line for prayer.
I want you to bring your faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Hallelujah. It's the evidence of things not seen.
If you have faith the size of a grain of a mustessee. Jesus said with that amount which doesn't seem like a lot. But Jesus said you don't need a lot. You never need a lot of you.
You always need a lot of him. He's the Lord orchestrated his church to be focused on his church. It's not our church. Jesus said upon this rock I will build my church.
God establishes every assembly as part of his church. And if God establishes a church he will never let it fall to the ground. Whoo glory. That's why you want to make sure you're where God puts you.
If you are his sheep he's going to put you in his flock. Hallelujah. We need him. How many need him this morning?
How many going to bring their faith? Say Lord whatever I need. I believe that you are able. And Lord if I come through this line and I don't see right away what I need I'm just going to thank you that you gave me the strength to come again.
I don't mean to belabor the time but I was thinking about Bishop Geddes telling the story of Sister Parr in Las Vegas. The sister that was sick out there. And she said she had an affliction that she needed the Lord to heal. And she cut coming in the prayer line.
I think she said she came a hundred times or so. It doesn't matter how many. That's not the point. The point is you keep doing it until because you never know which one of those times is going to be God's time.
You just want to be there when he's there. Hallelujah. Faith. Faith.
Just a little bit of faith. You don't need a lot. Use what you eat. Come on and sing for us.