Fear has never won a battle against faith, and one woman found out just how true that is. One day the Lord spoke to Elijah about a woman in Zarephath. When he arrived at the gate of the city, he saw the woman gathering sticks. He asked her to bring him some water to drink and some bread to eat. This woman was filled with despair. She had no hope for the future and her faithless words affected her and her son. She was about to find a breakthrough.
Active faith unlocks favor. One day the Lord spoke to Elijah about a woman in Zarephath. When he arrived at the gate of the city, he saw the woman gathering sticks. He asked her to bring him some water to drink and some bread to eat.
Prophets are known as spokesmen for God. They hear, see, and say. They also instruct. When you read of their ministries, pay particular attention to the words they speak. The woman answered Elijah, “As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (1 Kings 17:12).
This woman was filled with despair. She had no hope for the future. She saw herself as a poor woman who was just barely getting by. Her faithless words affected her and her son. This is an important lesson; faithless words can damage your entire household. Her life was full of fear, the opposite of faith. This kind of fear comes through worry and faithless words.
Elijah answered her fear with words from the Lord. “And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 17:13-14).
Again we see faith-filled words used as weapons against fear. Fear has never won a battle against faith. Elijah said to her fear not, make me a cake first, and you will have more than enough. Some would say this was cruel of Elijah asking this poor woman to make him a cake first. This, however, is what it took for this woman to get a breakthrough in her life. She needed to follow the instruction. The instruction you obey determines the experience you have with God.
Jesus taught his Disciples how the Father would meet their needs. “He said, Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:31-33).
SPEAKING TO FEAR
Elijah used faith-filled words to speak into the woman’s fear. Words are paths, highways, bridges, and destinations. “And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Elijah” (1 Kings 17:15-16).
Gideon and the Zarephath woman had terrible self-images and negative, faithless, language. Their words filled them with fear, doubt, and unbelief. Each time the Holy Spirit spoke faith-filled words into fear and gave them instruction to follow. Finally, faith came by hearing and hearing by the word. They followed the instruction and got the victory.
Never make excuses. Remember, the sower sows the seed, and the seed knows what to do. Seeing yourself the way God sees you starts with speaking the words of God over your life. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). All change starts with words.
Never make excuses. Remember, the sower sows the seed, and the seed knows what to do. Seeing yourself the way God sees you starts with speaking the words of God over your life. All change starts with words and the woman in Zarephath found out just how true that is when active faith unlocked favor for her and her son.
© Your partner,
Apostle Jonas Clark
www.jonasclark.com