This post is for those who were out of town Sunday at CRCC, as well as, the community that I only know in cyberspace. I preached on "The Secrets to Breakthrough." God has burned the story of "The Widow at Zarepheth" into my heart over the last year. 1 Kings 17:7-24 tells the story of God's provision through the most unlikely sources. What's funny is....about 5 people have told me pastors that they follow around the nation also preached on this passage this week. Must be a God thing! Here are a few points that I realize from the story:
1. Obedience is the watermark of being a Christ follower.
-This widow was told to provide for the prophet out of what little she had. The potential cost of her disobedience could have resulted in the death of her, her son and Elijah.
2. Stewardship is non-negotiable.
-All she had was a HANDFUL of flour and a LITTLE oil. When she took what was in her hand and stewarded it...there was enough supply to satisfy her family and Elijah. God is good at taking a depleted situation and injecting heaven's activity into it so that things begin to multiply.
3. Prayers offered in faith result in supernatural breakthrough. Not all prayers are partnered with faith. There was a prayer meeting recorded in the New Testament where a group was praying for Peter to be released from prison. He shows up at the door and interrupts their prayer meeting and they are shocked. I do not want to be so intoxicated with the activity of prayer that I am shocked when the answer is at the door.
The stories of people's personal breakthrough stories have been incredible. God is moving in mighty ways! I would love to hear your story of breakthrough.
You're point number 3 reminds me of a story our pastor in Olive Branch relayed to us about expecting God to deliver when we pray with faith: He began his ministry in a rural farming community in Mississippi, and one summer the lack of rain had become so severe that many farming families were really struggling to make ends meet. The men of his church decided the situation was so dire that it truly bore prayer intervention, and they organized a day of prayer for rain at their church. When one gentleman showed up with an umbrella the rest of the men there really gave him a hard time because it hadn't rained in months. The faithful man responded by sayin, "I don't know about y'all, but I came to pray for rain!"
Posted by: Matt | May 26, 2009 at 08:36 AM