Leadership
Prophets Who Were Our Examples
Elijah
A man who stood up against evil King Ahab and wife his wife Jezebel, who brought the first idol worship to Israel {Baal}
Elijah warned Ahab and Jezebel of a drought that was coming to Israel and that the drought would only end when Elija said so. They both became mad at Elijah and wanted to kill him.
Elijah fled and as he did, God took good care of him. God had a raven feed him. Then God lead Elijah to a widow named Zarephath, who was depleted of her oil and flower. A miracle happened to that Elijah, the widow and her son could eat.
Elijah said, as he fixed his eyes, "God loves you even in your bad days."
Best Days:
After the tree years of drought, God told Elijah to go to Ahab. God would make it rain. But first Elijah wanted to show Israel that God is God and that Baal was a fake God.
It was a great day because...
1. God assigned this day for Elijah. He would perform one of the greatest miracles ever seen on earth.
2. Elijah feared God and obeyed. Elijah had to have courage to face Ahab. To tell King Ahab to summons Jezebel's favorites, the 850 false prophets of Baal and Asherah, to Mt. Carmel. Elijah had to have courage to challenge Baal's prophets, as they commanded their false God to bring fire from their God to burn their sacrifices and mock them as they danced and did so.
3. Elijah believed God when Baal failed. Then, Elijah stood bold in his faith in God having an ox on the altar. He asked God Himself to bring fire down on the altar. God not only consumed the animal and the wood, but also the water, the dirt, and even the stone. God's actions won the hearts of the people in Israel, who proclaimed that "The Lord--is God!" and slew the prophets at Elijah's command.
4. God gave strength to Elijah. After God showed his power on Mount Carmel, Elijah waited on God to bring rain. When the rain came, there was a mighty storm. King Ahab drove his chariot to Jezebel to keep from getting stuck in the mud. Elijah was strengthened by God,and was able to tuck hiss robe into his belt and run to Jezebel ahead of Ahab--swiftly at
a distance of 17 miles!
"The day God used me to bring fire down to consume the sacrifice and scourge the land of the false prophets was the greatest day of my life! Elijah explains. "You must understand
the entire nation had turned their backs on God. After Mt. Carmel where the miracle took place, They would no longer be able to deny Him. My heart longed for the people to turn back to God." Elijah's voice cracked as he said these words and became silent for a moment.
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Prophets Who Were Our Examples
Part 3
Elijah ...
Don't give up...
When we give up on ourselves, God does not! Please remember that when you feel down and discouraged.
You never have to doubt the Lord, because He has an unconditional love for you--truly, completely.
You may feel lots of guilt when you blow it or make mistakes, but you have a forgiving God. Just turn to Jesus and repent.
Failures make a person feel to quit or give up. But honestly, these are times you can learn from them and grow. They can be seen as stepping stones to your next level that God wants to take you to. So both good and times are necessary.
God loves you consistently and will not give up on you. He loves you just as much in your failures or under your own broom tree. He is faithful to you all the way.
Elijah's Prayer:
Elijah prayed for people, and learned from the Lord God Almighty. He said, "Put the fire of your Spirit into your servants, show your power to the world., through them as you did in me in Mt. Carmel". When the days are bad, and they feel down, speak to them with Your whisper. Encourage them AMEN
Leaders Lessons:
As we understand Elijah, we can imagine his voice in that room how he prayed from his heart, because he experienced it himself. There was power in his prayer.
There are so many things we can ask Elijah. His experiences and insights. We can learn many leadership lessons. We can reflect on them all.
1. Leaders are human - God worked through Elijah with supernatural power, which he could not achieve on his own.
He couldn't do it without Him.
2.Leaders can greatly impact lives, and they make positive and influences in many lives as they lead.
3. Discouraged leaders should get back into leadership.
Leaders lose focus sometimes of what God wants them to stay focused on and do. They get distracted on other than the main things they should do. Elijah worked best when he lead in Mt. Carmel.
Because he lost focus and got discouraged, he needed to regroup so to speak, and God even blessed him to encourage him again. So that he could get up and move in God's anointing. Good leaders stay focused on their calling.
Some people actually think that if a leader makes a mistake or blows it, or gets discouraged, that they are no good and should quit. They sometimes think that the leaders will never be able to lead again. But guess what? God does not think like them!
Everyone goes through good and bad times. God will always restore you if you turn to Him. You can ask him anytime. He is there for you when nobody else may be. He will pick you up and dust you off and move you forward. But you need to agree and do it.
God instructed Elijah to go back where he came, God had things for Him to do. We should always keep working for God, whatever He asks of us. We should never finish unless God says so.
God Spoke To Elijah
God spoken, "Go out and stand on the mountain, in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by" A great and powerful wind tore mountains apart, rocks shattered before the Lord, and the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind, the earth quaked. The Lord was not in the quake. After the quake came, fire. The Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it he put his cloak over his face and stood at the mouth of the cave. I Kings 19:11-13
Can you Identify with Elijah? In what way?
Have you ever shared hard truth with someone? How did it end up?
Has God ever shown Himself to you in a certain way?
Have you ever experienced discouragement so that you wanted to quit or run?
Have you ever allowed discouragement to grip your heart making you think that God was disappointed in you?
What was the impact?
How do you allow yourself to hear the whisper of God?
What percentage of the time?
Are you willing to do it this week and connect with God?
Read 1 Kings 17:1-19; 21:1-29; 2 Kings 1:1-2:1-12
Prophets Who Were Our Examples
Part 2
Elijah
The Bad Days
"When I got back to Jezebel, I was excited. God called me and gifted me. an amazingly blessed me. He used me greatly and fulfilled His will. Elijah continues,
I thought that everything would change after that, that only good things would happen. I obeyed God. But soon my assumptions shattered.
"Ahab told Jezebel everything that happened , including the death of her beloved false prophets," Elijah says, his shoulders slumping in memory seems to weigh on him. "Jezebel immediately send a messenger who said she would vow to kill me." Elijah's head fell into his hands.
Elijah thought his days of conflict with Jezebel would be over, but they weren't.
He thought that the people of Israel would only worship the one true God--they didn't.
He thought that ministry with God would always be spectacular--it wasn't.
"So I ran" said, Elijah. "All my courage left me. After a few days , I left behind my servant, who would have helped me. I went into the desert to die alone." Elijah cntinues, "The best
days had turned into the worst of days. I told God I had enough and asked him to take my life."
Lessons Learned From Elijah
Elijah sat silently. Now I can see how he felt. The fall was felt twice as great because Elijah had fallen from such great height. No wonder he was discouraged. Elijah's expression changes. "But even on our worst days, God still loves us," he says, "You would do well to understand these truths.
God Never Disappoints Us!
"I was crushed. Here I was, a Prophet called by the Lord God almighty, yet I ran to Beersheba. I laid down under the broom tree, I didn't want to live. I was no better than my own ancestors. I'm a failure! I was disappointed in myself. But God was not disappointed in me. He never has been, or will be. And He never will be in you.
"Disappointment comes when something we do fails. It falls short that when we expected. But nothing falls short of God's expectations, because He knows all things. We can't surprise Him. Don't put your own disappointment in yourself on God. He does not see as we do, or through our eyes. He sees us through his own eyes. He loves us so much and wants the very best for us.
God Will Nourish Us When We Do Not Have Anything!
While I fell asleep under the broom tree wishing I would die, God sen a wonderful angel to care for me, giving me food and water. I should have thought that God would do this; just thinking back of how God fed me with ravens and the widow...
God's provision made me stronger again. Strong enough to tread 40 days and nights, all the way to Horeb, the mountains of God. When you are down and out, totally discouraged and depressed, and you hae nothing, look to GOd, He will care for you. .
God Connects With Us When We Are Alone
God always connects with us, especially when we are alone! When we go to the cave of Horeb , we feel utterly alone. Can you imagine how Elijah felt? Can you relate to him? He thought he was the only person in all of Israel who worshipped God. .
God did not let him stay alone. He invited Elijah to connect with Him by asking a question.. "What are you doing here Elijah?" That is all Elijah needed to pour his heart out to Him. God understood him. Before his experience on Mt. Horeb, and the fire came down from heaven and consumed the false prophets Elijah, Elijah thought he knew God. He knew the moment that fire came down that it was God! Elijah always expected God to show his power. But God spoke in a whisper.
God turned Elijahs lonliness and empty feelings and self-pity and all that aloneness, into a sense of fulfillment and contentment. God showed up when he was down. He can do that for you too. He can take your alone times and discouraged times and turn them into joy and peace.
God will connect with you too. God will do the spectacular every time, but we must know that sometimes he works in a whisper...
Leadership Nature
Often Misunderstood
Many times believers think that to follow Jesus they must become quiet, sheepish and withdrawn.
The problem is they think meekness is weakness.
As believers we are warriors for Christ! Many see their weaknesses.
But remember, that is when God's strength is made perfect in us!
(2 Corin. 12:9)
A believer should be a leader so they can lead others to Christ.
Being a leader is not being "Boss", or just being in a leadership position.
It surely does not mean to be controlling or pushing people.
Jesus taught us that it means to serve others (Matthew 20:25-28)
While there is a gift of leadership (Romans 12:8) you need not possess that gift. To exert your influence in a Christlike way.
Leadership is an influence--nothing more, nothing less.
If you live as the salt of the earth, you are being the light that Jesus commanded, and then you obey God's call to leadership.