Two Things You Can Do Right Now To Stabilize Your Faith

Earlier this week we talked about how when it mattered most, Elijah showed up and his faith was on fire. He stood against over 850 false prophets by himself. Deeply believing in faith that revival would happen in his nation. He diligently sought God, and he believed that God would send fire to the Earth and prove His presence. He also believed that God would respond to the people's spiritual alignment by sending a physical reward of restoration and renewal to the land. Through Elijah's strong faith, faith on fire, God ended the drought and famine. He brought rain and healing to their nation!

We can glean a great deal from Elijah when it comes to having stable faith; a faith that is not double-minded. Here are four takeaways from his experience on Mount Carmel that help us learn how to stabilize our faith:

1. YOU MUST BE WILLING TO SAY WHAT YOU HEAR

Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” -1 Kings 18:41 (NKJV)

2. REALIZE OTHERS MAY NOT SEE WHAT YOU HEAR (Elijah) said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” -1 Kings 18:43 (NKJV)

3. NEVER FORGET, MIRACLES USUALLY START SMALL

Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” - 1 Kings 18:44 (NKJV) 4. FAITH LOOKS AGAIN

(Elijah) said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times, he said, “GO AGAIN.”

-1 Kings 18:43-44 (NKJV)

Maybe you’ve thought things like, I know God would do it for him… but I don’t think He would do it for me. Or I know that God would do that for that family, but I don’t think He’d do it for mine. We begin to think we heard God wrong, or maybe we missed something. Our faith begins to become double-minded and unstable, and before we realize it we are making God sick. Our faith should not waiver! Our faith needs to be stable and be a look again type of faith.

Here are two things you can do right away to activate stable faith in YOUR LIFE NOW:

1. Create a culture that looks AGAIN

Set the example. Elijah required those around him to look again, even though they continued to see nothing each time they went to look for a visual that correlated with what he said he was hearing. When you have a promise from God’s word, don’t be afraid to look again or challenge the people in your circle of influence to look again. Don’t miss your miracle by walking away right about the time it is getting ready to be revealed on the horizon.

2. Speak the word AGAIN and AGAIN

And Elijah came to all the people and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. -1 Kings 18:21 (NKJV)

We learn from this passage that a sign of backslidden faith was silence. The people couldn’t even state which God they served. Meanwhile, Elijah was stating over and over, that he heard God’s rain on the horizon, so someone should go look again!

When you stop decreeing the Word in faith, it might be an indication that you are backsliding in your faith and the enemy is choking your voice. He wants to squeeze the life out of your voice so you will NOT speak the word of God over your life. After all, even Jesus stated in Mark 4, “The cares of this world choke the word and make it unfruitful.”

I challenge you to look again! We need to have faith like Elijah that is on fire to see revival in our nation and stable enough to see it through. And, if we listen closely, like Elijah, we will also hear the sound of an abundance of rain:

“Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, and he will cause the rain to come down for you- The former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am… the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, you old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on my servants...I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 23-29NKJV)

We will all walk through what feels like seasons of drought and famine in our lives, but we must press on, pursue God, and stay focused on God in great faith. Keep seeking God with a diligent heart. Don’t stop looking again!

Something good is about to happen! https://youtu.be/vjLKClOF-Is

1. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? This decision is the first step in receiving the anointing in your life. If you are ready to give your life to Jesus, we would love to celebrate with you at 3trees.com.

2. Do you need to rededicate your life to Jesus? If yes, please connect with us at 3trees.com.

3. Do you feel God prompting you to take your next steps? If yes, BEGIN is waiting for you! You can walk through our ONLINE BEGIN class at 3trees.com/begin

4. Would you like to make a difference in our community? Join our captivate team! Visit 3trees.com to find out how you can participate in community outreach opportunities.

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE| MESSAGE NOTES

Three Ways You Can Be Certain Something Good Is About To Happen

Have you ever experienced a time when you believed something good could happen, but it seemed far away from your present time and place that it was hard to believe and have faith?

In 1 Kings, Chapter 18, there is a nation that has completely rebelled from God. The people lack God-consciousness, and very few know the truth about God. In response, God sends drought and famine to this nation. Things are incredibly bad, but the people still will not return to God, despite the horrible circumstances they find themselves in. Instead, they continue to get further and further away from God.

Elijah is one of the few people who are preaching the truth. He seeks God’s guidance and receives a vision for revival. So he invites all the false prophets and pagan worshipers to meet him on Mount Carmel. Upon arrival, Elijah realizes that he is the only one who represents God, and he is up against 450 false prophets. Can you imagine being outnumbered by 450 to one?

But, something good is about to happen!

God is ready to show up and send a message to this nation. He wants them to know that He is real and He is available to them. He wants the people to experience Him undeniably!

Elijah declares, “Let the god that is real answer with fire.” So then, he builds an altar to God, as the false prophets build an altar to their pagan idols. The false prophets put on a really good show. They start cutting themselves, yelling incantations, and making all sorts of weird sacrifices. BUT despite their best efforts...nothing happens. Elijah, however, has a miracle take place!

Something good happened!

I believe the biographical sketch of Elijah’s experience on Mount Carmel also reveals to us, THREE WAYS WE CAN KNOW SOMETHING GOOD IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN:

1. God is requiring you to put something MEANINGFUL on the altar.

A causal experience with God is no longer enough, and you feel the prompting of God to go to the next level.

And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” Then with the stones, he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold 14 quarts of dry seed. And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and the wood.”

-1 Kings 18:31-33

Israel is in a three-year drought. As a result, there is a significant shortage of water taking place. You would have to go through incredible sacrifices such as travel, cost, pain, and adversity to obtain it. Not to mention Elijah had to get the water up to the top of the mountain once he acquired it! Therefore, in addition to the precious water, God also asked for a bull to be sacrificed, which was also meaningfully valuable in a land going through a famine.

And, yet God didn’t just ask for these valuable items once, but three times!

Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. - 1 Kings 18-34

Isn’t it just like God to invite you to go the extra mile? On the other side of Elijah’s sacrificial obedience, the altar and the trenches were overflowing with meaningful things. The result was that Earth had Heaven’s attention. Finally, something good was about to happen!

2. God is removing the opportunity for COINCIDENCE to take the CREDIT.

Sometimes the instructions we receive from God may not add up...they may not make sense, but God is setting up the stage so He can show up, and coincidence will not be able to steal His credit.

Elijah had said, “Let the god that is real answer with fire.” And he starts with an altar that is covered with water! What God told him to do doesn’t make sense. But God will make sure that this nation knows that there is no room for coincidence, and He is going to receive all the credit. Interestingly, the meaningful thing that God asked Elijah for was also the thing that was solidifying God’s opportunity to get the glory for that which was about to take place.

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.

-1 Kings 18:38

Only after something valuable had been given in obedience and all coincidence removed from the situation did something good happen! And, in this case, an entire nation experienced revival!

3. God is leading you to REVIEW your relationship with Him. Go back to the basics, go back to the fundamentals of your relationship with God.

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. -1 Kings 18:30 (NKJV)

Were they waiting on God, or was God waiting on them? They had been in a drought and famine for three years. They were in the middle of hellacious situations breaking forth in their nation, and horrible circumstances were taking place. Yet, NO ONE thought to fix the altar!

If you want something good to happen in your life, you have to be prepared to give something meaningful, and the most valuable thing you have to give is your time and energy. If nothing else, then God is calling you to put your time and energy on the altar. By doing so, you allow Him to work through the margin you have left. God will use you to impact lives! Good things start at the altar.

However, you can NOT repair the altar in your life without taking time to review it. Everyone has parts of their lives that need to be reviewed. Take a look at your life from all vantage points, and allow God to show you where your altar is broken down.

I invite you to view this message, “Something Good is About to Happen,” in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/nu8UpjkgdQM

Here are a few things to evaluate in your life:

1. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? This decision is the first step in receiving the anointing in your life. If you are ready to give your life to Jesus, we would love to celebrate with you at 3trees.com.

2. Do you need to rededicate your life to Jesus? Is it time to go back to the basics and renew your relationship with Jesus Christ? If yes, please connect with us at 3trees.com.

3. Do you feel God prompting you to take your next steps? If yes, BEGIN is waiting for you! You can walk through our ONLINE BEGIN class at 3trees.com/begin

4. If God finds our time and energy valuable, are you ready to make a sacrifice and donate a little of both to your community? Join our captivate team! Visit 3trees.com to find out how you can participate in community outreach opportunities.

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE| MESSAGE NOTES

People of the Bible: Elijah

Who was Elijah?

Elijah - 1 & 2 Kings

• He was a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel

• He lived during the reigns of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah

• He helped save Israel from the worship of Baal

Elijah emerged suddenly on the scene and proclaimed a drought because God’s people had been worshiping the Canaanite god, Baal. Elijah eventually meets up with 450 prophets of Baal and they hold a contest to see which of their gods is the one true God. The prophets of Baal and Elijah made separate altars and piled wood on top of them. They were to pray for their god to consume the altar with fire.

The prophets of Baal went first and they prayed for hours, but nothing happened. Elijah was so confident in God that he poured water over his wood then prayed. After Elijah’s first prayer, God sent fire from heaven and consumed Elijah’s altar. This proved to everyone in Israel that Baal was not God.

Because of this, all the prophets of Baal were killed. After the people accepted God as the only God, he ended the drought that Elijah had proclaimed and it began to rain.

This was an incredible victory for Elijah, but it was short lived. An evil queen named Jezebel ordered to have Elijah killed, which made him flee into hiding. While in hiding God renews Elijah’s faith and he becomes strong once again. He returns and speaks against King Ahab who had been unjustly. Elijah helped Israel see the moral laws of God and that everyone is subject to God, even the king.

Eventually Elijah was called up to heaven on a fiery chariot and he left his ministry to his predecessor, Elisha.

Elijah walked in close fellowship with God and had many experiences with Him. He was a champion for the monotheistic cause (belief in only one God). The name Elijah even meant, “Yahweh is God”. He performed many miracles in his life and is held in high regard all throughout Scripture. He even appears with Moses at Jesus’s transfiguration.

Near the time of Jesus, many people believed that Elijah would return to make a way for the Messiah. We later find out that John the Baptist fulfilled this role for Jesus. John the Baptist preached and lived in a similar way to Elijah. He preached the coming of the kingdom of God which prepared the way for Jesus and his ministry. Elijah, John the Baptist, and many others prepared people so they could experience and accept Jesus’s salvation which is available to all who believe in him.

Key Takeaways:

• God is the only true God

• We can be confident in God & His power

• Salvation is made available to us when we believe in Jesus and confess that He is Lord

Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about Elijah this Sunday, both in-person and online. Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.