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:
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.
