Sharing a copy of what I shared in the Filipino Service last Saturday, 12th November 2016.
Offering Message: Giving What’s Possible In Exchange For The Impossible
1 Kings 18
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
The word of the Lord came to Elijah for him to challenge 450 prophets of the pagan god, Baal.
There at Mt. Carmel, the altar and the bull sacrifice was laid.
1. The challenge was to light up the sacrifice BUT without the use of fire.
2. The prophets called upon Baal from morning til noon but nothing happened. They even leaped around the altar but still, not even a spark. They cried aloud and cut themselves til blood gushed out. (They were desperate).
3. This continued til evening. No fire, no voice, no answer to their plea.
So now it was Elijah’s turn to call upon the name of the one true God.
To make it more challenging, he asked the people to pour water into the altar.
In verse 33 he commanded, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 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. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
Did you ever wonder where that water came from? In a time of drought and famine, water becomes an even greater necessity. At the top of a mountain, water won’t be readily available. Probably, just probably… People came to climb the mountain with their own water for personal use.
When the prophet commanded that the altar be filled with numerous pots of water, his statement must have implied:
“If you want to see the supernatural, be prepared to give the little that you have.”
“If you want to see the impossible take place, offer that sacrifice.”
“The miraculous won’t happen while you’re withholding it from God”
So what happened after Elijah prayed?
Signs and wonders took place to confirm that the God of Elijah was the only one true God. Holy fire consumed the sacrifice!
The impossible happened because the people were willing to give what was possible for them. It was not easy but it was possible!
[NOTE: Due to the sensitivity of what I shared on stage, I won’t be able to include my personal testimony here. But I believe people had been very blessed it.]
As I made the decision to give God what wasn’t easy.. but was definitely POSSIBLE, He in turn took the POSSIBLE to come up with the IMPOSSIBLE – from natural into supernatural!
So let us not be hesitant to give to the Lord our very best today.
LET US PRAY.
As we give to You Lord today at the time of evening sacrifice, we also declare like Elijah did..
LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God and we are Your servants, and that we have done all these things at Your Word.
Hear us, O LORD, hear us, that the people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again, back to Your House, back to Your eternal purposes.
In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
