Posted by: pastorapbell | April 19, 2011

as we re-focus on the Lord of Lords and King of Kings

We can do one of two things in life; focus on the enemy or listen to the Spirit of God. The brief story of Elijah suggests that his focus was always on God. When he was threatened by Jezebel he went to God on the mountain. After hearing from God he went on a mission to anoint his successor and the one who would carry on his ministry. Elijah challenged structural evil and confronted it with the prophetic word. We must realise that when we are faced with evil people there is always a spirit behind them. Ahab wanted it both ways. He wanted to hear what the God of Israel wanted his people to do and he also wanted to hear what Jezebel’s god of corn and food was saying. What Elijah stood for was the one true and living God and even though Ahab the king of the day saw the power and might of God, like Pharaoh before him he hardened his heart and tried to live in both camps. This is at the heart of multi-faith which is prevalent in the world today. Because others worship their god’s, people who worship the Judeo-Christian God, Yahweh must accommodate them to be politically correct. This violates the very first commandment in the bible, namely, “You should have no other God before me”, “You shall not bow down to any other God or worship them” (Deut. 5:6ff paraphrased). When one commandment is broken all the others are violated also. So the word for today is this. Serve the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and serve him only as revealed to us as Jesus Christ his messiah and king. We can accommodate different cultures but must encourage them to forsake their idols that are the works of men and turn to the one true living God, Yahweh as only he can save us from our sins.

Read 1Kings 19:11-21.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 18, 2011

as the prophet confronts and overcome the evil we face daily!

Any prophet of the Lord will face challenges and these challenges seem to be greatest after a great victory. After rebuilding the temple of the Lord, Elijah told Ahab to go home and avoid the rain if he could which was coming to end the 3 ½ year drought (1Knigs 18:41-46). Elijah sent his servant to look for the cloud that would signify that the rain was coming. Although it took seven ‘goes’ to see the rain storm, it came and the word of Elijah was confirmed by the Lord. Immediately after this Ahab arrives home and tells Jezebel everything that Elijah had done. How he rebuilt the altar of the Lord, called down fire from heaven to consume the soaking wet sacrifice and how he killed all the prophets who were eating at her table. Jezebel was mad and sent a message to Elijah essentially saying that ‘if I don’t kill you by tomorrow about this time, then may the gods kill me.’ This threat came directly after two great miracles, calling down fire for heaven and ending the drought. On hearing these words, Elijah was distraught and went into hiding to seek God for an answer. It is at times like these when we really need to know the God we serve.   Everyone with a prophetic calling will face the force of evil at some point in their ministry. However, the pattern that Elijah laid down is still a valid option. Get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and seek God. God came to Elijah in a still small voice and he will come to you today in a similar fashion. He will give you instructions about what to do and how to overcome the spirit of Jezebel that is still prevalent today. Read Matthew 7:1-7 and try not cast your pearl before pigs!

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 15, 2011

as we become a prophet after the order of Elijah!

There are certain things about Elijah’s life that seems puzzling. Firstly he appears to be someone who is intimate with God so much so that when his enemies are seeking for him they cannot find him. So when Obadiah met up with Elijah in 1Kings 18 he claims that he could not go to present himself to Ahab because when he delivers the message he would not be able to find him. This suggests that Elijah could somehow transport himself from one place to another at will. I believe that this is similar to the story of a Chinese brother, bother Yun. In his book the Heavenly Man, whilst imprisoned for preaching the gospel, he walked out of the prison through the front doors as if he was invisible. It would seem that when an individual commits their ways to the Lord the glory overshadowing an individual can shield them from the appearance of evil. It is apparent that Elijah was prone to mood swings (19:4) and wanted to die at one stage.  But this would not be his portion and I pray today that this will not be your portion as you trust the Lord. He had a mentee to prepare so that the work of the Lord could continue. My challenge to us today is this; do we have someone who is pouring into our lives so that we in turn can pour into someone else’s life? Let us remain in the glory zone so that when the enemy oppresses us we become invisible before their very eyes.

Read 1Kings 18:20-40

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 14, 2011

as we rebuild the faith to overcome demonic systems

Because Elijah was a man of faith he was able to speak the prophetic word with understanding and demonstrate the power of God to those who serve other gods. On Mount Carmel Elijah ordered Ahab to get all the people of his kingdom to come up to the mountain to decide who the true and living God really is. This was the challenge: the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal were to select one of the two bulls prepared for the challenge and were asked to prepare it, cut it in pieces and lay it on the altar. They were then asked not to light a fire under the sacrifice but to call on their god to consume the offering. After pleading with their god from sun up to sun down, nothing happened. They cut themselves until the blood gushed out from them v.28, but still nothing happened [there are people who still do this today, see the Shi-ites in Iran]. During their frenzy Elijah mocked them and asked them to shout out louder so that their god can hear them.  This still did not awaken their god Baal, to consume the sacrifice. To show that the one true God is God, Elijah had his sacrifice placed on the altar. Before doing this he repaired the altar v.30. This was broken down by the people who welcomed Baal as their god.  He then took 12 stones, one for each tribe of Israel and built the altar. This was symbolic of the restoration or order in the house as the kings of Israel had caused confusion and chaos by following other gods and false religions (like in Britain today). He then made a trench around the altar and doused the sacrifice with water until the water collected in it. After this he prayer the following: O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that you are the God of Israel, that I am your servant and that I have done all these things at your bidding. Answer me O Lord, answer me, so that the people may know that you are God v.36/7. The fire of God came and consumed the sacrifice. Today, we need to challenge the prophets who are enticing the people to worship other gods and stand on the word of Yahweh. This is where we need supernatural wisdom, knowledge and understanding to operate all strata of society. So pray with me, “Lord Jesus we know that the gods of other religions are being put on an equal footing in society with you, but today we ask you to raise up people like Elijah who will declare your glory with humility and display your supernatural power even among those who don’t believe, in Jesus’ name amen.” Meditate on chapter 18.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 12, 2011

as we look for another restaurant!

When Elijah challenged Ahab to bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah for a contest on Mount Carmel, he was proclaiming to Ahab that Yahweh does not look on numbers but on the sincerity of the heart of those who worship. Also since all the other prophets of Yahweh were either dead or in hiding Elijah would face the 850 false prophets alone. One of Elijah’s most striking statement was the Ahab should bring these 850 prophets to prove themselves since they were comfortable eating at Jezebel’s table. This brings into sharp focus the whole nature and relevance of eating food offered to idols and other gods. Today we have in our nation the advent of Halal food which is prevalent in every high street up and down the country. These outlets are selling meet which has been offered to the god of Islam, Allah, with a portion of the proceeds going toward their building funds and the spreading of the Islamic religion. Should we as Christians and Disciples of Christ be supporting these folks? Should we join those eating at Jezebel’s table or should we be like Elijah and take a stand.  Sign the petition to stop the Islamisation of Britain and pray for strategies to bring back Christian principle and worship of the one true God back to our nation. Let us be like Elijah and call on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to send fire to consume the sacrifices we offer to him.

Read 18:18-20.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 11, 2011

as miracles, signs and wonders become the norm

One of Elijah’s most noted act was his challenge of the prophets of Baal and the King of Israel who sought their advice to a show down on Mount Carmel. After predicting a drought Elijah’s confidence and relationship with God was such that every word he uttered God honoured it.  It was during the drought that the Lord sent him to live with a widow in Zarephath who would take care of him and look after his needs for the three years of the drought. Amazingly, whilst the prophet Elijah was in the house of the widow the Lord blessed and prospered her. The blessing of the Lord operates by association. As you associate with those who are blessed, you will also be blessed. When Elijah the man God arrived in the widow’s home, she had nothing except a jar of meal, and a jug of oil. During the three years he lived there, neither the cornmeal nor the oil ran out. Also, miracles just kept on happening in her home. At one stage her son died and Elijah charge God with this death 17v.20. The Lord put it in his spirit of lay on the boy three times and call back his spirit from the other realm. The spirit of the boy came back into his body and the boy was presented alive to his mother.

Today if we want to see miracles, signs and wonders wrought by God through us, we need to emulate Elijah. As we spend time in God’s presence we will hear him speaking directly to us. If we are to challenge the demonically controlled systems we face on a day to day basis, we need the insight of Elijah and the wisdom of the Lord Jesus to guide and direct us. Let us become the prophetic voice for our generation. These are indeed the days of Elijah, a time to declare the word of the Lord! Read 1Kings 18:1-40.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 8, 2011

as we look at some of the traits of Elijah the prophet of the Lord

Elijah seems from the outset to be a loner, one who operates on his own and does his own thing. We are only given a snapshot of his life as he challenges the idolatry and apostasy that was rife during his ministry. To stand up a challenge any demonic system we first need to understand and recognise the spirit behind it. Although Elijah was challenging King Ahab to revert to worshipping Yahweh, the driving force behind Ahab was his Baal worshipping wife, Jezebel. She had a major impact on Elijah’s life and her scheming and demonic activities nearly caused him to have a nervous breakdown (1Kings 19).  However Elijah was completely restored and became a household name among his people so much so that he mentioned by name in the Gospels and in the book of Revelation, and place is set for him in every Jewish home at Passover.

Today, as we ask the Lord to develop the prophetic anointing in us, let us remember that there are potent demonic forces that are sent to destroy whatever God has provided for you. The spirit of Jezebel is still operating with us today. As we step out for God so the diabolical forces will come against us to subvert God’s will for us. Elijah saw in the spirit and passed on this gifting to Elisha. Today we can see in the spirit and thus fulfil the call to become the prophetic  voice in our generation. Read 1Kings 17:8-24.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 7, 2011

as we develop the gifting of the Shamar Prophet

Elijah the Prophet of the Lord burst on the scene at the time when the people of God were doing their own thing and worshipping other gods. At this point in their history they had kings like other nations, lived in their own houses and were materially very comfortable. Contrary to the laws of God as given to Moses, they inter-married and rather than leading their partners to live for Yahweh they embraced their gods. This situation is rather like that in Britain today. Rather than lifting up the name of Jesus the saviour of the world, we are embarking on the notion of a multi-faith nation to appease those who serve other gods and have great wealth. The challenge for Elijah was this: King Ahab was completely under the spell of his queen Jezebel and she was an ardent worshipper of Baal, the god of food, fertility, rain and so on. So moved by the Holy Spirit, Elijah spoke the prophetic word to Ahab, that until he commanded the rain to come there would be a drought in the land.  This was a direct challenge to his new god who was supposed to be the god of rain. Elijah was able to speak the words of Yahweh to Ahab because he spent time hearing from God and time in His presence. As we will see, Elijah will face many challenges, but his ability to speak what he has heard allowed him to perform many mighty deeds in the name of the one true God, Yahweh. Today, although we live in a multi-cultural, multi-faith society, let us listen to the voice of our God so that we can speak to those in power to turn this country back towards the creator of the universe, Jesus the saviour of humanity. We need the prophets of the Lord to arise for such a time as this. Read 1Kings 17:1-7.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 6, 2011

as we mitigate against abuse of the gift

To develop a prophetic anointing the individual has to learn from a mentor and have their own personal relationship with Lord. There are safeguards that every budding prophet must mitigate against. It is easy to succumb to the whims and wishes of interested parties particularly if they are wealthy and become benefactor. I will use two characters from scripture to highlight this problem. In the first instance we see a prophet called Balaam who is given this gift by God. However he is asked to use his gift to curse God’s people (Numbers 22:5ff) in return for financial remuneration. He was nearly killed by an angel of the Lord because of the abuse of his gift. On the contrary we see in 2Kings 5 another prophet, Elisha who was approached by a commanding officer of a foreign army to be healed of his leprosy. After speaking the word of God to him and effecting his healing, the officer wanted to pay him and give him gifts. Because of his desire to stay neutral, he refused his presents. He recognised that when God gives a gift, it is to be used wisely or else it can be abused even if the motives of the recipient is honourable, we are told to avoid the very appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22KJV). In this story the servant of the prophet, i.e. the trainee prophet takes the money and merchandise from the commander thinking he could fool the prophet and keep it for himself. The prophet knew what was going on and declares that the disease of leprosy which the commander was cured of would affect him and his descendants continually, which occurred as declared by the prophet(2 Kings 5:19-27).

Today, although we are encouraged by the apostle Paul to desire to prophesy, when we do, remember that our integrity is worth more than our gifts. To be a truly influential prophet we must be reliable, honest and have integrity, else the words we speak can come back to haunt us.  Read Numbers 22 & 2kings 5.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 5, 2011

as we receive the prophets anointing by association

Who we associate with dictates what sort of spirit we inherit. Those we associate with have a massive influence on us. They affect our attitude, our mannerisms and our future. To develop a prophetic gift we need to associate with a prophet. Moses was instructed by God to gather the 70 elders together so that God cold take some of the anointing from him and place it on the elders. This spiritual transference is first tangible evidence in scripture that transference by association is a means of spirits going from one generation to another.  Although the Patriarchs gave us the practice of passing the blessing onto their children by placing their hands on their heads and blessing them, their spirits were never expressively passed on to those associating with them.  The people who were chosen to associate with Moses were recipient of some of the anointing on Moses. His spirit would live on in them and some of them like Joshua would achieve great things as directed by God.

This development by association is carried on through scripture and Moses enshrined it in the first commandments given by God; if you worship other gods then you will be punished and this curse will flow down to your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren (Exodus 20:6).  On the contrary if you obey the Lord’s commands, the blessing derived from that will flow down from you to a thousand generations. i.e. the blessings will be never ending.

The anointing of association is still relevant today. Many of the great preachers and modern day prophets associated with a mentor who had the gifting they desired. We are encouraged to desire spiritual gifts (1cor 12) but we must be sensitive in the use of our gifting. With great blessings comes great responsibility so whatever gift God has given you remember to use it for his glory and not your own.   Read Numbers 11.

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