And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said,

Things start going wrong for Elijah when he does not respond to this threat on his life by seeking God. He never prays to God, doesn’t even consult God in prayer. He just tells God how he is feeling and that he has had it now, ITS ENOUGH HE SAYS! For the last 31/2 years he has lived his life totally dependent upon God and His guidance, but now at this very

critical moment in his life God is never mentioned, he never gives it a second thought to ask God about this threat!

Elijah simply stops talking to the ONLY ONE who has seen him through all that he has gone through these past 31/2 years. BUT EVEN THOUGH HE DOESN’T HAVE THE STRENGTH LEFT WITHIN HIMSELF TO TURN TO GOD, GOD DOES NOT TURN AWAY FROM HIM! GOD DOES NOT LEAVE ELIJAH TO GET THROUGH IT AS WE WILL SEE ON HIS OWN! TIMOTHY TELLS US THAT EVEN WHEN WE ARE FAITHLESS HE STILL REMAINS FAITHFUL!

IT IS REALLY SOMETHING HOW THAT ELIJAH ASKS TO DIE WHEN GOD HAD PLANNED THAT HE NEVER HAVE TO DIE!

YOU CAN’T SEE YOUR FUTURE AS GOD SEES IT WHEN YOU CAN’T EVEN SEE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE PRESENT SITUATION OF YOUR LIFE!

THE WORSE THING THAT YOU CAN DO IS TO DO SELF-EXAMINATION OF YOUR LIFE DURING THE MOST SPIRITUALLY DOWN TIME IN YOUR LIFE!

THE WORSE PERSON YOU CAN TALK TO WHEN YOU ARE DISCOURAGED, DEPRESSED AND DISHEARTENED IS YOU! THE SECOND WORSE PERSON YOU CAN TALK WITH IS ANOTHER DISCOURAGED PERSON!

PESSIMISM HAS TAKEN OVER IN ELIJAH’S HEART! DOUBT, GLOOM, DESPAIR AND DESPONDENCY HAVE REPLACED FAITH, HOPE, COURAGE AND OPTIMISM! WATCH OUT WHAT YOU SAY TO YOURSELF DURING THE DOWN TIMES OF LIFE IT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT WILL NOT BE THE TRUTH!

STOP CONSULTING WITH SELF, STOP TALKING TO YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HEAR THAT KIND, GENTLE, ENCOURAGING, LOVING VOICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVING YOU STRENGTH AND COURAGE FOR YOUR JOURNEY IN THIS LIFE!

IN CONSULTING WITH SELF WE BEGIN TO BE OVERCOME WITH A PESSIMISTIC ATTITUDE AND THROW UP OUR HANDS AND DECLARE LIKE ELIJAH DID

A pessimist is someone who can look at the land of milk and honey and see only calories and cholesterol.

A pessimist says whatever goes up must come down but don’t expect it to come down where you can find it.

The pessimist is like the soldiers looking at the giant Goliath and thought HE WAS TO BIG TO HIT AND CONQUER while the optimist is like David who looking at Goliath thought HE WAS TO BIG TO MISS AND CONQUER! The soldiers, the pessimist, compared Goliath size to themselves which made Goliath look enormous, but David the optimist compared Goliath size to God which made Goliath look extremely small!

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity while and optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. (Winston Churchill)

A pessimist grumbles that roses have thorns while an optimist is grateful that thorns have roses!

Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.

And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the

journey is too great for you.” So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him,

So he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. a voice came to him, and said,

And he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

SUDDENLY an angel touched Elijah as he lay in isolation under the juniper tree

SUDDENLY the voice of the Lord came to Elijah while standing at the entrance of the cave

is found 71 times in the scripture in the NKJV suddenly has to do with something taking place unexpectedly, surprisingly, abruptly, quickly without announcement of its coming, it happens seemingly out of nowhere, in a moments time something changes.

Keep on going on because things can change and they can change suddenly!

The road that you are on though it may seem hard to travel now can suddenly change!

The burden that you carry can seem hard to bear now, but suddenly it can be lifted!

You will find that the SUDDENLY of God can be an absolutely transformational and life altering experience.

You will find that your suddenly experience will always have a positive effect not only on your life but on someone else’s life experience!

Are you acquainted with our “Suddenly God”? Throughout the Bible the Lord intervened suddenly in the middle of horrific circumstances as well as in daily life. God has a never-ending supply of suddenly breakthroughs for all of us. Do you need wisdom, healing, strength, insight, deliverance, burdens lifted? Whatever it is, God has the answer and He is willing, able and ready to help. He knows what you need and He can suddenly make the difference in your life!

Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

And there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? “And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Suddenly Paul went from the greatest persecutor of the church to the greatest promoter of the church!

Suddenly Paul’s hatred for the church was changed into a great love for the church!

Suddenly Paul’s passion to kill those who would dare follow the Lord was changed into a passion to live for that same Lord!

Suddenly Paul’s power of his message against the church was changed into the power of the gospel message for the church.

Suddenly Paul’s shame of the gospel message was changed into him declaring I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION

Suddenly Paul’s philosophy of life was met with the GIVER OF LIFE HIMSELF!

Suddenly Paul’s fiery religious zeal was met with the fire baptizing Christ

Suddenly Paul’s bragging of being the Chief of the Pharisees is changed into is humbly confessing, I am the chief of all sinners!”

Suddenly one man’s life was radically changed and that change in turn would end up changing the entire world!

And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the

doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”

Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their

stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

THE SUDDENLY THAT RELEASED PAUL AND SILAS FROM PRISON RELEASED THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY FROM THEIR PERSONAL PRISON OF SIN! SUDDENLY LIFE HAS CHANGED FOR ALL

OF THEM!

TALK ABOUT A SUDDENLY!! NOTICE THE SUDDENLY HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF PRAYING AND SINGING PRAISES TO GOD WHILE STILL IN PRISON! WE TO OFTEN PRAISE AND SING TO THE LORD AFTER THE

BREAKTHROUGH, AFTER THE ANSWERED PRAYER, BUT PAUL AND SILAS SANG BEFORE THE DELIVERANCE AND SUDDENLY HAPPENED!

OUR GOD IS THE SAME ONE PAUL AND SILAS CALLED UPON, SO JUST AS IN PAUL’S DAY, THE LORD HAS A SUDDENLY BREAKTHROUGH FOR YOU. PERHAPS IT WILL HAPPEN ON JUST A REGULAR OLD HUM DRUM DAY WHEN YOU, TOO, WILL EXPERIENCE A SUDDENLY GOD MOMENT.