Bashan Ministries - Nothing becomes something

Are you in waiting mode

expecting something God spoke about

a long, long, long, very long time ago

so long it seems as if it is all a dream or a figment of your imagination?

If so, then you are not alone. It may not sound appealing at the moment but there is a phrase, “In due season” to factor in.

If God has said something, it is a done deal and we can make our “faith declaration”, expecting it happen—but to qualify that statement, God has to say it first.
Elijah said what God said and we shall look at this in our presentation.
Before we commence, allow me to pass on what Paul said about harvesting what we sow

...those who are taught the Word must share all good things with their teacher; a sharing of wealth takes place between them.
Make no mistake about it, God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest.
The harvest you reap reveals the seed that was planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect to experience a harvest of corruption.
If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap the beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.
And don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming! Take advantage of every opportunity to be a blessing to others,especially to our brothers and sisters in the family of faith! Galatians 6:6-10

This is a spiritual law that never changes. If we plant good seed, we shall reap a good crop, but if we do not correct a wrong situation, a harvest will definitely come that we may not like.
As we shall see, Elijah was a great man of God, but he planted seed that disqualified him from ministry. If that shocked you, I shall explain later.
Please take note that Paul said, Those who are taught the Word must share all good things with their teacher, but how does a student teach their teacher? That’s food for thought. The only answer that comes to my mind is via the Holy Spirit.

Rightly divide the word of truth

The Holy Spirit reveals truth to everyone who wants to receive truth. It applies especially to those who teach, but He may share a few things with one person and a few different things to another and as they share and pray over it and weigh it up, a composite picture emerges. This is happening in increasing ways today as people are starting to “wake up” and ask questions.

If they do not get them in their churches, the genuinely hungry ones look elsewhere as independent research figures reveal. Barna is one such source.
The situation in Elijah’s day is little different to our day. The false gods had infiltrated the lives of God’s people who had succumbed to the evil leadership of Aḥaḇ and Izeḇel. A spiritual force had been unleashed by this pair and this is a principle that is still at work today. Paul spoke of principalities, powers, and evil forces of wickedness everywhere in Ephesians 6. We need not fear a thing because of the supernatural provision God has given us. Let us now see what happened.

Show yourself

In 1 Kings chapter seventeen, Elijah suddenly appeared in the court and spoke to the king and I cannot find anything that explains where he came from and why he arrived.
I suspect however that God sent him and told to go and show yourself.

He declared very boldly and plainly that it would not rain again—until he said it would. That is very presumptuous of anyone unless they really know what they are talking about and that they have a scriptural basis on which to speak. He had a scriptural precedent to follow, knowing God’s heart on the matter of our part of keeping covenant in passages like Deuteronomy 11:14-17 and 28:12-24. He was saying what God had already said and to be able to do that, we need to know the word.

Elijah did not have to do anything other than to show himself and deliver his message. He then left. There is a good lesson for us in that.

Rather that instructing him to do something great and wonderful—something that could draw attention to himself as we are prone to do, God told him to go and hide his face and to go Eastward to the Brook Cherith. The East often speaks of a new day.
Something new was about to happen, but not immediately. Cherith means cutting. What is happening in our day is a cutting off of certain things, of habits and routines and more. A new day is dawning. We need to adapt to change and this change involves supernatural provision. This is more important than I once thought. Our world is rapidly changing and as a result, the things we once did successfully may no longer apply.

God then sent him on a new assignment and fresh provision comes with a new assignment.

I’ve learned that if we initiate a project, no matter how good and necessary it may be, unless God commissioned it, He is not obliged to pay for it. God sent ravens to bring him meat and bread, but ravens eat meat and they do not bake bread.
hat provision was temporary and the brook eventually dried up. The widow at Zarephath may have been the one who had baked that bread and cooked those steaks. What she sowed, she reaped and reaped “in due season”. Elijah was obeying the last instruction God had given him. That... is what is most important and he was there for at least 3 years.

Another assignment

Look a little closer at the account, starting in chapter 17. Unless I am mistaken, what happened next is his fourth (recorded) assignment.

God now sent him back to Ahab.

A long time passed.
Then, in the third year, the word of Adonai came to Eliyahu: “Go, present yourself to Ach’av, and I will send rain down on the land.
1 Kings 18:1

God was sending him into a hot spot of trouble. Do not think that God will always send us to the “nice places” or to a place where they welcome you with open arms.

When Jesus sent the disciples on assignments, He told them that some people would receive them whereas others would not.

Elijah walked into trouble. Jezebel was killing all of God’s prophets, but Obadiah saved 100. We do not known who they were, but God did.

There may be times when you feel alone, as if you are the only one who is faithful to the Lord, but God has a remnant—a faithful few who have not compromised.

It does not matter if we seem to be only a handful.

All God needs is one person who is full of the Holy Ghost and speaks His word.

Gideon started off with a crowd, but God only wanted those few who qualified.

All Gideon had was his men with a clay pot, a candle and a sword that they could not wield, but they won a real victory.

On another occasion the enemy was attacking Israel and 4 men who were nobodies—unwanted castoffs, the dregs of society, shuffled down the road and God amplified their steps so loudly, the enemy fled.

By the way, those four men were lepers. The church didn’t want them!

When God sends you, it is possible that you can walk into a room and think you are alone, but the Holy Spirit is inside you, the blood of Jesus Christ is on you, the everlasting arms are surrounding and holding you, the word of God is in your mouth and heart, and at least one angel came with you.

Is that you?

In 1 Kings chapter eighteen, God told Elijah to go to the king and that He would send the rain. Something interesting happened. Ahab sent Obadiah one way to look for water and grasses for their animals and he went in another direction himself. When Obadiah found Elijah, he said that the Spirit of the Lord would carry him away. He knew something! That did happen later and when it did, Elisha and fifty other prophets knew it, but only one man “got it”.

This “knowing” is very important. The Hebrew word is nā·ḵǎr and it speaks about being able to perceive something and recognize something or someone. It acknowledges and respects or honors someone.
It describes how we can choose to behave in a certain manner according to a situation and in that regard, it mentions a double portion! In Deuteronomy 21, when a man had two wives and loved one more than the other, he was not to give preferential treatment to the son of the wife he loved more.
The other woman bore his first son and it is that son who was to receive the double portion.

Just before Elijah was taken up in the chariot, Elisha asked for the double! That is another story in itself, but suffice to say that it was not “twice as much” numerically. Elisha had been anointed, so he already “had his own”, but he wanted the anointing Elijah had to also come on him. An anointing can be transferred, yet not be diminished. God took of the anointing Moses had and placed it on the 70 elders and when someone did not like that (and it happens today), Moses said that he wished all of God’s people had it. This is God’s desire for us.

Elijah told Elisha to stay behind, but Elisha knew something and wouldn‘t give up. When it happened the other 50 prophets who also knew the same thing watched from a distance and missed out.
Can you imagine what may have happened if all 51 of them had received that anointing?
God has not changed, so it’s there for everyone—but only a few receive it.
My fervent desire is like that of Moses in that I wish all of God’s people receive it. What a difference we could make.

Elijah confronted the false gods that are still around today (they are in many churches) and the fire fell. I shall not say any more on that as I want to try to answer my opening question.

I heard something

Then Eliyahu said to Ach’av, “Get up, eat, and drink, because I hear the sound of heavy rain.” 1 Kings 18:4

There was no rain! He did not see anything, but said that he heard something. It could not have been rain, because that had not yet arrived, yet Elijah heard something. What was it?

And after many days it came to be that the word of came to Ěliyahu, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Aḥaḇ, and I give rain on the earth.” 1 Kings 18:1

It was God’s voice. God had said something and Elijah took Him at His word. This is not all unusual as Jesus stated quite openly that His sheep hear His voice. We have the added advantage in that we now have the full counsel of God and the Holy Spirit had not yet come in the manner Jesus spoke of. Elijah only had Torah and perhaps a few teachings from others like Joshua and Samuel. We should be better than them!

Acting on that one word from God, Elijah achieved amazing things and prayed as we do (or do we?).

Eliyahu was only a human being like us; yet he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and no rain fell on the Land for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the Land produced its crops. James 5:17-18

There are a few thing s to consider about such prayer. I’ve heard numerous discussions about prayer, using all kinds of expressions such as intercessory prayer, prayers of petition, prayers of confession including statements of faith and more and still really do not know how to pray.
We think that by praying loudly (some people yell), God hears us better, but He is not deaf! We think that the more we say and use good sounding phrases, the better it “impresses God”, but the Lord is not impressed by them. Another common attitude is repetition, thinking that the more we keep saying the words, the more “effective” we are. That is not always true. Isaiah 65:24 says:

Before they pray, I will answer; While they are still speaking, I will respond.

A study of Daniel reveals that God heard his very first words and sent the answer immediately, but it was temporarily delayed in the spirit dimension but the answer did arrive.

When Jesus spoke about praying, He told us to adopt a very simple approach and find a quiet place, our “closet” and talk to our heavenly Father there in secret. He often did that and other than in a couple of places, we really do not know what He said. It was a personal thing between Himself and His Father.

Our position and posture is often discussed. We can pray sitting down, walking around, kneeling, prostrating ourselves, using a prayer shawl, or using anointing oil and each one has its place, but not meet God’s criteria at the time. I cannot speak for anyone else, but I want to know if God hears me and if He shall answer. 1 John chapters 3 and 4 especially verses 18-24 and 1 John 5 especially verses 13-15 can answer that question. Every day has its own circumstance and condition. Things change. When Peter was sinking beneath the waves for example, he had no time to do a thing other than to cried out ‘Lord save me” and Jesus immediately stretched His hand out to save him. That’s how close He is.

There are times when we just do not know what to say or how to go about it and I am convinced that at such times we cannot find the words to express what needs to be said. I recall a time when I wanted to pray for a certain man I shall call Fred. The words just would not come, so I cried out to the Lord saying, “What about Fred?” He immediately replied, “Thank you. That’s all I needed”.

I am convinced that we clutter things up at times. Jesus spoke of prayer in Matthew 6, saying:

...So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from him. Then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly. Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.”
Matthew 6:34

Paul spoke about prayer in Romans chapter 8:26-27, telling us that when we just do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid.

The word Spirit is capitalized in numerous translations, so this must refer to Him—the Holy Ghost.
If you look at 1 Corinthians 14, he said that we can pray with our own natural understanding and pray in the spirit. This is mentioned in the part some Christians want to tear out of the bible because it mentions speaking in tongues and they do not believe in that. Paul added that when we do speak like that, we are not speaking to men but to God. I want God hear me. I want my spirit man to have a direct line of communication to the Divine without any interference of any kind, so by putting all these together, when I want to pray and just can’t because of my own natural limitations, I stop trying. I change channels and allow the Spirit of God to pray with and through me.

How can we pray without ceasing? That’s physically impossible. Our spirit man however can do that. How can we pray 100% in the will of God? The answer is to allow the Spirit of God to “pray through us”. That’s what Paul taught us.

Yes, I am digressing and spending much time in this, but we need to know and be certain of where we stand. If we listen to His prompts or instructions and pray accordingly, I am convinced that our prayer life can be really effective.

Elijah heard something. God spoke to him. He said that the rain was coming and THAT was what Elijah asked for.

8 steps

As I looked at 1 Kings chapter eighteen, I saw certain “steps” in getting the answer. I shall share only eight of them. They may help you.

Conclusion

There is much more to share yet. I have not even touched on what Elijah did next, nor on how God appointed Elisha to take over from Elijah.

I have not mentioned what happened when Elijah was taken up in that chariot and how his mantle came to be in the possession of his successor.
I have not touched on who could have been Elisha’s successor. What I shall say however is that I believe we are in a similar position today.
A changing of the guard is happening.

Therefore, if you have been in waiting mode and are becoming frustrated at what you may think is a delay, you are in good company and you are in for a treat. Your prayers have been heard and the answers are on the way. Elijah’s servant saw nothing. You may have been seeing nothing. There is no sign of your promised breakthrough. Opposition, perhaps unbelief and ridicule may have been your lot. You may have planted some good seed and there are no signs of growth. You have prayed for your promised rain and looked, but see nothing. You may have seen nothing 6 times, but the 7th time has arrived.

Your “nothing” is precisely what God has planned for and is working on.

Your “nothing” is about to become something...

I’ve really enjoyed making this presentation and I hope you will enjoy reading it.

Robert