TURNING REVELATION INTO REALITY
“As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” 1 Kings 17:1 NKJV
Amid the swirling storms of unbelief that surround us, you and I are required to do the impossible. Jesus said, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead!” These are not requests, nor are they suggestions. They are commands. If you are a private in the army, and the general gives you a command, you best be obeying that command. Elijah, by the authority that revelation gave him, issued a decree of judgment over Israel that was absolutely impossible for him to accomplish. And yet, Elijah knew how to turn revelation into reality.
Think about the decree…no rain, not even dew! All life requires water. They say that in the recent drought that hit the US state of California over several years, a hundred million trees died. That occurred with some rain and snow! Here, no rain, and even no dew. The normal periods of rainy and dry seasons were stopped by Elijah’s decree.
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped… Josh 10:12-13 NKJV
In my mind this was an even greater impossibility than Elijah’s decree. Droughts do occur…there is a place in the central Saharan desert that has not received rain in twenty years. But what Joshua decreed has never occurred nor will again. Think! The whole universe is in motion, and is interconnected by the laws of gravity and physics. The whole universe stopped when Joshua made his command! Had only the earth stopped, our world would have been torn apart in a matter of minutes by the forces of the universe. The power of God in a mans decree stopped the universe…
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. Ex 14:21-22 NKJV
Here, it was not a prophetic word spoken, but a prophetic act. Elisha thrust a stick into a pond and it went right through the eye of the axe head, making it to float. A prophetic act, turning the impossible into reality.
Oh, and by the way, this is normal Christianity. This is what is supposed to happen! I don’t get as excited about miracles when they happen as I do get upset when they don’t happen, because that tells me something is wrong. Miracles follow the preaching of the Word. My friend Samuel says, if you want something, preach it!
And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. Matt 21:22 NKJV
Here is the key – you must believe that God talked to you, so much so that you are willing to stake your reputation, at the very least, on your belief that God talked to you. Elijah had to believe God was talking to him. Moses, Joshua and Elisha all had to be absolutely convinced that God was talking to them, and that they heard God clearly.
“Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job 2:9 NKJV
Satan will try to put people next to you to encourage you to lose your faith in God and faith in the revelation you received. They may even be your closest companions. Be careful who you get close to, and who you imitate!
You must believe that God has talked to you, has moved you, has led you.
The Lord talks to every born again one every day. My sheep hear My voice! Then why aren’t we seeing the miracles that Jesus said every one of His believers would do? Largely because we let ourselves get talked out of it, and get to the point that we don’t even ask God for revelation anymore.
Let’s practice getting revelation right now.
You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. Luke 21:12-16 NKJV
Read this paragraph, then go do it before reading on. What you are going to do is this – go find someone that you love, and get ready to talk to them by the spirit of God. As you are standing before them, ask God to give you a word, or a sentence, to speak to them. Look for it in your heart, not your head. Then speak it to them, and watch the reaction. Speak out everything God gives you. Stop reading this and do that right now! Be bold! Then come back…
Lord, give the dear reader right now words to speak that are straight from You that will bless others and glory Your name! Amen. Go get ‘em!
But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 1 Cor 14:3 NKJV
That word blessed them, didn’t it? You spoke it out in love and it blessed them. Now, understand this…it came to you by revelation. Recently I volunteered to give a testimony in church. I really didn’t know what to prepare for, because the circumstances changed as they frequently do. But just as I was asked to speak, the Lord put the right word in my spirit – I knew it! – and I was able to give a powerful word. You can do the same thing!
Now, do it again! ( it may take you a while to get through this article! But that’s ok…)
You’ve got to learn HOW God works in YOU. You do this by practice. Ask Him things, and get quiet and wait for the answer. Then test ‘the answer’ out. You lose the car keys. Don’t get upset (‘Upset’ seems to be the emotional ‘default setting’ for some people. Peace is the default setting for those who hear God)! Get quiet and ask God where they are. Wait until you know (you see revelation, hear it, taste it, smell it, feel it, or just know it, in your spirit), then go get them. Practice revelation!
Now how do you turn revelation into reality?
And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.” 1 Kings 18:1 NKJV
Elijah had to believe every day for three long years that there would be neither rain nor dew. Every time a cloud came over, he wagged his finger at the sky and said, “No, no, no!” This is where we fall down and fail. We get the revelation. But we don’t hold on to it with tenacity until it manifests. Some people have believed for miracles that didn’t happen in their lifetime, but in succeeding generations. Bulldog tenacity is an integral part of faith. Once you are convinced something is the will of God and for the glory of God, you never let it go until it is done. Elijah must have been so relieved when he finally got the revelation about the rain.
You can do miracles, converting revelation into reality, by your faith or by the gift of faith.
( to be continued! )
Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…