FEAR LOOKS FOR OZ…? SUPER SAINTS? OZ IS ONLY OZ TO THOSE THAT DON’T LIVE IN OZ…
NOW? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAN?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (2 part)
DO WE HONESTLY BELIEVE THERE IS A NOW FAITH? DOES FEAR DRIVE OUR HOPE AND LIMIT THE MOVE OF A MIGHTY GOD? BE HONEST DO WE EXERCISE NOW FAITH?
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
DOROTHY was on a journey, she was looking for someone to do what she could not do. She had some friend journey with her, EVERYONE IS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING BEYOND THEIR ABILITY. SO ARE YOU? Her friends the TIN MAN, needed a HEART? There was nothing he could do to change this? The LION needed COURAGE as FEAR RULED his daily life? NOTHING HE COULD DO? Then there was a HOPELESS SCARE CROW, he needed a BRAIN. Seems many in Washington and Hollywood need a brain.
DOROTHY HEARD THERE IS A SOLUTION… If we can make it to OZ, we can find the wizard, HE CAN FIX ALL OUR PROBLEMS… After all the journey THERE WAS A SOLUTION: the ANSWER , THE SOLUTION WAS WITHIN THE WHOLE TIME. FEARS IS LOOKING FOR OZ… A utopia, a magic power, someone else can handle our problems.
GET REAL! OZ GIVES GROUND TO FEAR, AS WE WILL NOT ACCEPT OUR ROLE IN FIND SOLUTIONS… WE REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE WHERE WE ARE BECAUSE OF OTHER PEOPLE. IN OZ, WE CAN DISTORT THE PROBLEMS TO ALLOW EVERYTHING TO BREED FEAR AND MAKE SOMEONE ELSE RESPONCIBLE TO CORRECT OUR PROBLEMS… THEIR WHOLE JOURNEY WAS ABOUT FEAR AND HOW WE MUST LEARN TO OVERCOME FEAR!
WE TEND TO SEE BIBLE CHARACTERS, TV PREACHERS AND BOOK WRITERS AS SUPER HUMANS AND SUPER SPIRITUAL GIANTS… OUR HUMAN PERSPECTIVES TEND TO THINK MOVIE STARS, SPORTS HEROES, AND
TEXT: James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
James 5:17 (MSG) Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years.
NOW, FEAR? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN FEAR RULES?? WHY?
A RECENT SURVEY STUDIED CHILDREN. In kindergarten 100% of kids loved everyone in their class including their teachers. By elementary school students liked about 75% of their classmates. By middle school the rate of like/dislike had grown to 50/50%. By graduation seniors disliked 85% of their class mates and like about 15%? Seniors liked 2 of their teachers at the end of the year?
LIFE? WHAT HAPPENED?
I READ ABOUT JOY. The average child laughs 400 times a day. By the age of 12 there is a decline in laughter. The average adult laughs 15 to 20 times a day.
The question might be: Does one quit laughing because of fear and they get old? Or does one get old because they allow fear to grow and they quit laughing?
NOW, GIVE ROOTS TO FEAR… WHAT HAPPENED? FEAR CAN RELEASE TROUBLE? IT WAS OK UNTIL FEAR IS RELEASED?
I read about five siblings that got home from school about one hour before their working mom. They were to finish their homework and then they could watch TV. Usually the mom would stop by the grocery store and get food for supper. The norm was she was greeted by a lot of noise from the TV and the kids playing. This one day the mom was so amazed the house was so very quiet and not one child greeted her at the door.
So the mom opened the door and there was not one sound. The children were no placed to be found. She kept searching and then she heard some noise from the back porch. She stepped out on the back porch and all five children were sitting in a perfect circle. One child said: LOOK, MOM, WE FOUND 5 BABY CATS. The mom stepped back in the kitchen and placed the groceries on the kitchen table and she returned to the back porch.
All five of the children were holding and petting five very cute --- BABY SKUNKS.
The mother started screaming in fear at the top of her voice: RUN, CHILDREN, RUN. RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! The five children could hear the panic in the mother’s voice and they grabbed the “five cats” and ran as fast as they could. All five kid’s grabbed their kittens ran in fear in five different directions.
NOW: The mother was in great alarm, she yelled even louder. The children were visibly shaking. So as they ran they held tight to their baby cats. They started squeezing the cats to protect them. All five of the baby cats made this a day to remember. All five children had an aroma they would never forget. Seems as the cats were squeezed they did what was natural for them to do. The screaming, the fear, the running, the screaming revealed them baby cats are REAL SKUNKS.
I GUESS FEAR REVEALS WHAT WE REALLY ARE ALL ABOUT?
ASSIGN CHEERLEADER GIVE ME A BIG: V-I-C-T-O-R-Y.
BEWARE WHEN WE TASTE GREAT VICTORY THERE COULD BE A GREAT SEASON OF TESTING AHEAD… COME NOW AND LET US LEARN OF GREAT VISTORY? TO THE VICTOR BELONGS THE SPOILS USED TO BE THE POLITICAN’S CRY… Seem we all love victory… we really love VICTORS…
1. V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, GREAT VICTORY, ELIJAH THE PREACHER PRAYS AND THERE ARE 3 ½ YEARS OF EXTREME DROUGHT. THIS MUST BE OZ?
2. 2.ELIJAH GETS IN THE EVIL KINGS FACE AND WARNS OF 3 ½ YEARS OF SHORTAGES, HUNGER, THEY ATE PIGEON MANURE, BABYS? NOT ONLY WILL THERE BE NOW RAIN, BUT THERE WILL BE NO DEW… WE KNOW TO THIS DAY ISRAEL DEPENDS ON THE DEW OF HERMAN. ARE WE IN OZ?
3. Another great V-I-C-T-O-R-Y? God orders Elijah! This must be OZ? God hides the PREACHER for safe keeping… ELIJAH finds safety at the BROOK CHERITH… Many were searching for him… GOD TAKES CARE OF HIS MAN…
4. The victory of having water when no one else had water! V-I-C-T-O-R-Y victory. OZ? Now faith test?
5. The birds stop bringing food, the water dries up. WHAT IS MY NOW FAITH THINKING? Test?
6. ELIJAH ARISE AND GO TO ZAREPHATH… A lady is picking up sticks, Elijah finds out it is her last meal? A handful of meal? Little oil in a cruse?
7. V-I-C-T-O-R-Y? Feed me first? God first, it will be ok. Make this now faith.
8. THE V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, THE MIRACLE OF THE MULTIPICATION OF THE OIL AND WINE. This must be OZ.
9. THE V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, OZ? The widow’s son dies? Wait God is in this, ELIJAH PRAYS AND THE SON LIVES! Wow what a v-i-c-t-o-r-y?
10. V-i-c-t-o-r-y… on MOUNNT CARMEL… ALL OF BAAL’S FALSE PROPHETS WAS CHALLENGED, BUILD AN ALTAR? All day nothing…ELIJAH SOAKS THE SACRIFICE IN BARRELS AND BARRELS OF WATER, HE PRAYS 63 WORDS AND THE FIRE OF GOD FALLS…
11. 450 FALSE PROPHETS ARE KILLED…
12. V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, GOD IS REVEALED AS THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD…
13. V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, ELIJAH SENDS HIS SERVANT TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN 7 TIMES, FINALLY A CLOUD THE SIZE OF THE MAN’S HAND.
14. ELIJAH RUNS 18 MILES AND BEATS THE KING HOME… RAIN, RAIN, LIFE.
AFTER ALL THE VICTORY GUESS WHAT FOLLOWS, THE REALITY OF OZ… Enough! I want to quit? No I want to die… JEZEBEL HAS THREATENED ME AND PROMISED TO KILL ME TODAY! Oz? Now faith eludes me?
Ahab is a hen-pecked husband. JEZEBEL TELLS AHAB THAT ELIJAH IS A FAKE, JEZEBEL HAS A NEW GOD… JEZEBEL MAKES A DECLARATION THE GOD OF ISRAEL IS DEAD AND USELESS. BAAL IS KNOW AS THE RAIN GOD? ELIJAH SAYS YOU WILL SEE--- GOD IS REAL… NO RAIN… JEZEBEL IS SO MAD…
1 Kings 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. 3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
THE JUNIPER TREE BECOMES THE DEPRESSION TEST OF GOD’S SERVANT. ELIJAH IS DISCOURAGED AND DEPRESSED. ELIJAH IS EXHAUSTED, HE HAS LACKED SLEEP, HE IS SO TIRED… I WANT TO DIE? BUT GOD HAS DIVINE PROVISION… FOOD THAT WILL LAST 40 DAYS… ELIJAH SLEPT AND REST…
1 Kings 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
AFTER REST AND RESTORATION GOD SENDS ELIJAH TO A FARM AND THERE HE FINDS ELISHA PLOWING. ELIJAH AND ELISHA MAKE A TEAM OF POWER…
1 Kings 19:19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
CONCLUSION: Evil Jezebel had Nabboth killed and took his farm… The dogs came and licked his blood. ELIJAH CLEARLY TELLS JEZEBEL AND AHAB, GOD WINS… BAAL LOSES… THEIR SIN CHOICE HAS A PAY DAY…
1 Kings 21:19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
1 KINGS 21: 23 And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
CONCLUSION: JEZEBEL THREATENED THE MAN OF GOD, AND ELIJAH WAS UP AND DOWN, BUT HE LEFT THE DOUBLE PORTION TO HIS SUCCESSOR AND GOD SENT A CHARIOT AND TOOK ELIJAH HOME WITH HIM…
YOUR ENEMIES WILL GET WHAT IS COMING TO THEM. It is said: WHEN BABIES AR BORN THEIR HANDS ARE OPENED. WHEN YOU DIE THE AVERAGE PERSON DIES WITH A CLENCHED FIST? WHY?
Unclench your fist. Bite your tongue. Release your bitterness and anger. Let God arise and scatter your enemies. Never forget Jesus is your Savior. God can fight your battles, just STAND STILL AND SEE… when people mess with God’s children they are really messing with God. Life is too short to be trapped in hate and unforgiveness.
CONISIDER YOUR WAYS! When is enough not enough? Can little be much? How about can much be little? Seems we can sow much and reap little. Consider your ways? COULD WE HAVE POCKETS WITH HOLES IN THEM? Will you find the plan of God for you and your family? Some will change? Some will throw in the towel and quit… Changing is coming? Never quit!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com Thank you for reading this, may God make this real to you?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? FEAR KILLS FAITH? QUIT LOOKING FOR OZ AND COME TO THE ALTAR.
