March
7, 2002
Thanksgiving...
Our Weapon of Warfare
This message is for God's people who are waiting on the Lord this season.
ELIJAH'S
JOURNEY
From
the moment Elijah gave the prophetic word to King Ahab (1 Kings 17:1), to the
time where we find him on top of Mount Carmel bent down to the ground between
his knees (1 Kings 18:41), His journey had taken many years. He had faced many
challenges and difficulties. He had to wait,
to hide, to run, to trust God for his provisions, to come face to face with his
enemy, to stand alone.
SPIRITUAL PARALLEL
Many
of God's people, in their quest to follow and pursue God's call in their lives
have had to walk the same path that Elijah took. Your journey too has been long
and filled with many obstacles. Like Elijah, these past years you have had to
learn to wait, to trust God, to wrestle with your enemy, to die to yourself, to
face persecution. You have felt like everything within you has been sucked out
from you, and there is no more energy left that you can give out.
"DONT
GIVE UP"
Today
as you stand on top of your own Mount Carmel, down on your knees, waiting for
God to give you a sign, like Elijah who had to command his servant seven times
before he saw a cloud as small as a man's hand rising from the sea, so the Lord
is saying to you, "Do not give up."
SHIFTING
TO A DIFFERENT GEAR
I felt the Holy Spirit challenging us that this is the season to shift to the
gear of THANKSGIVING.
"DONT
BE DISTRACTED"
No
matter how things look outwardly. Even when the vision you've been waiting for
seems farthest from you, even if everything around you is in turmoil, even when
your own loved ones don't believe in you anymore, even when all things
seem lost, God’s message to you this day,
"Don't be distracted by them."
FOCUS
ON GOD NOT THE CIRCUMSTANCES
Let us use THANKSGIVING as a weapon of warfare.
Let us continue to press in with a thankful heart as we wait for God to
move on our behalf. Let us set our heart and mind on God, on His nature and His
character, on His Power, His Glory and His Might, on His love and His
compassion, on His heart towards us which is for good and not for evil.
THE BATTLE IS HIS NOT OURS
You've
done your part. Now allow the Lord to do His part for you.
THANK
HIM, THANK HIM FOR OUR GOD IS WORTHY
Like
Job, let our heart’s cry today be "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken
away; may the name of the Lord be praised.(Job 1:21) Though He slay me, yet will
I hope in Him (Job 13:15)"
"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so
that I may show him the salvation of God." (Psalm 50:23)
Blessings,
Sis.
Ching Co
Cebu City
Philippines