Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder, and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets, and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually.
what depression discouragement despair
often brings is distorted information
Elijah is by himself depression gets
worse if there’s nobody in your life to
change your thinking see if you feeling
sorry for yourself and you’re talking to
yourself that’s a bad conversation for
yourself you already feeling sorry and
there’s nobody to talk to but you about
you regarding you to tell you what you
ought to do and you aren’t in a place to
even hear you correctly then your
discussion with yourself is helping
yourself to become worse off about you
so god then it is the picture and tells
him did I just tell me how you feel stop
talking says delete talk to yourself you
were getting depressed or suicidal start
talking to me okay now I’m gonna show
you the wind in the rain and all that
stuff y’all talk to me because you
it’s given you I don’t want you to kill
you stop talking you to you and go talk
to me God has an angel for you he’s got
a person for you he has himself for you
he gave realize you all three of those
to give him a supernatural experience to
lift him out of his depression and one
of the reasons that the church exists is
to have people available in your life
when you are down who can embrace you
minister to you lift you up and he can
use you to do the same thing for
somebody else because when we are
depressed
we need another perspective that doesn’t
deny the reality of how we feel but what
it does it doesn’t let you live
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we are looking at the life of Elijah to
its Discoverer the supernatural and I
don’t want you to miss the point I want
you to get this and today we’re going to
be introduced to him and learn about a
lesson about God’s supernatural
provision the context in which Elijah
appears on the scene he appears in first
Kings chapter 17 we’re told in verse 1
now Elijah the Tishbite who was of the
Settlers of Gilead tsch be or if you
were from there you’d be called a
tishbite was the place Elijah was from
now we don’t know a lot about Elijah he
just kind of breaks in on the scene and
he comes like out of nowhere his name
means Yahweh is my god that tells us a
little bit about his mother and father
who named them they were obviously
people of faith that they would name him
that way
prophets as Elijah was showed up because
there was a spiritual issue among God’s
people that needed to be addressed
prophets were there to bring God’s
message in the midst typically of
spiritual decline while the scenario
that brings Elijah on the scene is
summarized for us in chapter 16 verses
32 and 33 so he erected an altar that is
King Ahab erected an altar for bail in
the House of bail which he built in
Samaria they have also made the Asherah
this a hab did more to provoke the Lord
God of Israel than all the kings of
Israel who were before him so the
context that brings Elisha on the scene
is idolatry they have the
has begun worshipping bail and he brings
the rest of Israel to worship bail with
him he not only worships bail he
worships bales girlfriend Asherah
because bail and Asherah are kind of
like boyfriend and girlfriend work
together to bring fertility to Israel
they look to this Idol to bring
fertility to Israel let me define an
idol again so that you understand its
meaning an idol is an unauthorized that
now person place or thing
it’s an unauthorized now that you look
to to meet the needs in your life you’re
looking to it idols work just something
that was there it was you’re looking to
that something that was there to do
something for you so in places around
the world people will worship the Sun
and the moon and the stars and the water
and the trees but then I just worshiping
that the worshipping that they’re doing
that because they’re hoping their
worship of that thing bring something to
them now you and I over here we don’t
worship those kind of idols we worship
American idols we worship people in
popularity and and power and prestige
and possessions because we look to it to
meet a need when you look to an
unauthorized noun or when you look to an
authorized noun in an unauthorized way
you have an idol you don’t need a tree
they could be an actor and actress and
entertainer it could be your bank
account it could be your house it could
be the people living in your house when
you look to them in an unproduced
created an idol so before we go any
further
are there any adalat is in the house
so Elijah comes in verse one and he says
they have the King as the Lord the God
of Israel lives before whom I stand
surely there shall be neither do nor
rain these years except by my word Oh
Ahab God told me to tell you heaven is
going to close no do no rain and it’s
not going to be for a day a month or a
year it’s gonna be four years that’s
gonna be a downturn in the agricultural
economy okay who’s your daddy now who’s
your God now let’s see what bale can do
now let’s see what a Chinook can do now
God attacks Israel at the place of their
idolatry because they were looking for
bail and Asherah to bring about
fertility even in the land so that
whatever you are worshiping because it’s
unauthorized or it’s authorized and
you’re worshiping it’s in an
unauthorized way don’t be surprised when
God shuts it down to let you know that
is an idol so he removes the provision
now the word of the Lord comes to Elijah
in verse two saying go away from here
and turn eastward and hide yourself at
the brook of cherith which is in the
east of Jordan it shall be that you will
drink of the brook and I have commanded
the Ravens to provide for you then as I
word provide so I’m going to use the
natural provision of a brook but I will
provide for you another way
supernaturally because I’m going to call
on the Raven catering service
to supply you food morning and evening
they’re going to give you bread and meat
that’s called a sandwich
they’re going to give you bread and meat
morning and evening now that ain’t
normal a brook that you can drink from
that’s normal but having birds fly in
with a sandwich twice a day having
waiters fly in on schedule everyday in a
drop that ain’t normal oh but it’s worse
than that you see in Deuteronomy chapter
14 verses 11 to 14 God tells his people
don’t mess with Ravens they are unclean
birds Deuteronomy 14 11 to 14 Ravens are
unclean you may not eat them you don’t
mess with them cuz they are unclean well
what does that tell you about God’s
provision that ought to tell you that
God can use hell to bring heaven to you
see you never want to box God in because
while God does not sin and God does not
tell you to sin he often uses sin and
uses sinful people to provide for his
people so the beautiful thing about
God’s provision is that you never want
to box him in and you don’t want to be
so spiritual that you miss him using
Ravens to address the need in your life
those are unclean birds they were
prohibited birds but God is so God that
even the devil has to be under his rule
he says I want you to I want you to go
to the brook cuz I got them I got some
birds I got you back I got some birds
that are gonna cover you at this place
called Chaleff now this ought to free up
a little bit because that means the
sky’s the limit the world’s the limit
now what this means in order to have a
supernatural Raven feeding you and have
birds listening to God to feed you that
means that God must be your only source
your job is not your source your bank is
not your source your employer is not
your source God is your only source
everything else is a resource a
mechanism that God uses and you must
free him up to use whatever resource he
wants to use even if it comes from
something you wouldn’t normally
understand it coming from so he’s there
chaff eating two meals a day drinking
some fresh water I mean he’s he’s doing
okay in a bad situation but now we come
to verse 7 it happened after a while
that the brook dried up because there
was no rain in the land so now he
becomes a recipient of the very judgment
everybody else is experiencing so
following this when he first gave it God
provided supernaturally but now the
economy is affecting him the
circumstances in the land are affecting
the downturn is affecting him and things
dry up so don’t have anybody tell you
serve the Lord and things don’t get dry
serve the Lord and you don’t lose your
job serve the Lord and your bank account
doesn’t get drink serve the Lord and
things don’t break down and dip into the
savings that you didn’t plan to use for
that don’t let anybody tell you that if
you’re in God’s will he was in God’s
will that things don’t still dry up said
the brook dried up it was judgment on
the land and he lived in the atmosphere
of the judgment so he was affected to
verse 8 then the word of the Lord came
to him wasn’t word Lord come to him when
things dried up okay the word the Lord
came him and told him where to go for
the catering service the raven catering
service so he’s eating sandwiches every
day twice a day he’s drinking his water
all of a sudden what’s happening in
society is now affecting him and now the
word of the Lord
comes to him again okay let me explain
something when God allows things to dry
up in your life it is because he’s
moving you to a different provider when
God allows things to dry up in your life
it is because he has a different plan so
God says to him go to Zarephath arise
verse 9 go to Zarephath with Blanc’s to
sight in and stay there
behold I have commanded a widow there to
provide for you okay I have problems
with this first of all Zarephath is the
bail belt you know this is the Bible
Belt that was the bail bail that was the
center of bail worship is Zarephath in
Sidon
God will often test your faith by
sending you places you don’t prefer to
go cuz it doesn’t make sense has a widow
who’s down their last meal as you’re
gonna see more help me she can’t help
herself but God said I commanded the
widow and she’s gonna be your new
provider but he was close enough to God
to hear his voice hmm so he arose
because Elisha is a man of faith so he’s
not gonna just listen to God to say Amen
he got up he arose and went to Zarephath
and when he came to the gate of the city
behold a woman was there gathering
sticks and he called out to her and said
please get me a little water in a job
that I may drink and she was going to
get it he called and said please bring
me a piece of bread in your hand so why
does he say this to a woman well God
said it’s gonna be a widow he comes to
the city he sees a woman but is this the
woman are there other women how do I
know that this is the one so he says
well give me some water give me some
bread to see if this was the one that
God had to provide for him but she said
as the Lord your God lives
I have no bread only a handful of flour
in the bowl and a little oil in the jaw
and behold I’m gathering a few sticks
that I may go in and prepare for me and
my son that we may eat it and wait man
I’m confused
didn’t didn’t we just read God had
commanded the woman in fact elijah says
to her in verse 13 do not feel so she’s
scared I don’t see the command cuz she’s
scared to death cuz she’s down the last
meal here’s this man asking for stuff he
says make me verse 13 a little bread
cake from it first and bring it out to
me and after
you may make one for yourself and for
your son he tells her this is what I
need you to do I need you to make me my
bread first and then and then you take
care of you and your son and when you do
this is what God’s going to do
he says for thus the Lord God of Israel
says the bowl of flour shall not be
exhausted nor the jar of all be empty
until the day that the Lord sends rain
on the face of the earth he gives her a
promise from God all this woman has is a
promise and a final meal the question is
whether she gonna believe the preacher
but not because he’s a preacher but
because he’s saying does say at the Lord
what was he challenging her to do he was
challenging her to put God first she was
he was challenging her to faith cuz oh
he had was a promise from a preacher but
his job wants to get her to act in faith
for her because she was gonna be the
beneficiary of a faith he was going to
be – because she was gonna make a bread
cake for him so what does the lady do
verse 15 so she went and did according
to the word of Elijah which was the word
of the Lord and what happened it says
and she and her household ate for many
days the bowl of flour was not exhausted
nor did the job oil become empty
according to the word of the Lord which
he spoke through Elijah so now let me
give you the secret of your provision
Elijah we got to leave here because this
is right up I got a widow I know I know
this doesn’t make sense but I got a
widow over there she doesn’t have much
but she gonna take care of you so you do
what I told you you go over there and
you minister to her
you create faith in her and when you
create faith in her she don’t take care
of you but when she takes care of you
out of obedience to me because you
excited faith in her I’m gonna take her
or to put it in the words of scripture
Luke 6:38 give and it the thing you give
will be given back to you press down
overflowing because it says and they
will return it back to you the secret to
your provision is to be a provider for
somebody who needs what you need so that
God can use what they need that’s what
you need to bless them and return it
back to you the question is do you need
what God has to offer that’s the
question and this is not just about
money it can be relationships it can be
it can be helping hand it could be God
or pricking you to to reach out to
somebody who said because you need
encouragement so you decide well you
know I need encouragement so let me find
somebody who needs encouragement God
lead me to somebody who needs
encouragement so when I encourage them
you’ll bring somebody to encourage me
and you’ll work this thing around and so
godly this was not just about tithes and
offerings it is about God being able to
work through you to benefit somebody
else so he can come back to you and give
you the miracle you’ve been looking for
[Music]
it’s the supernatural circle of
provision he invoked her faith if I can
ever get you and me and us to move in
faith not talk in faith but to move in
faith then heaven opens up and God blows
your mind that somebody who makes less
than you can feed you and almost retire
at the same time we got some folks here
who live in by faith who are their
incomes who God is blessed we had one
sister who she just lived on some
subsistence she had three kids she’s a
widow and God brought a man who gave her
his house
you never know how God’s gonna come at
you you never know where it’s gonna come
from but you’ll never see it if he sees
idolatry you’ll see a famine in the land
and it may not be a famine of money
could be a famine of peace it could be a
fan of confidence it could be a famine
of of stability it can be a they’re all
kind of famines because you are doing
what the land does worshiping another
god and unauthorized worship so the
question on the floor is who’s your
source because I know what some of you
would thinking you’re thinking that’s
Old Testament that’s in the Old
Testament I don’t believe that works
today I don’t believe that principle
applies today so let me close by quoting
you Luke 4 verse 24 when Jesus is
rejected in his own hometown he says
truly I say to you no prophet is welcome
in his own hometown talking about
himself but I say to you the truth there
were many widows in Israel in the days
of Elijah when the skies were shut up
for three years and six months when a
great famine came over all the land and
yet Elijah was sent to none of them but
only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon
to a woman who was a widow girlfriend
had made it from the Old Testament all
the way to the New Testament with a new
prophet whose name is Jesus and Jesus
says let me reach back to the old
prophet he said there were a whole lot
of widows in Israel but God sent her to
only one and the one he sent the two
didn’t even go to church she was the
widow of Zarephath she was a Gentile but
because she was willing to act in faith
she was the only one who got the miracle
even though there were a lot of widows
who could have gotten the miracle but
they were living as idols but because
it’s one foreign woman was willing to
believe the Prophet a greater that
Elijah is
I am the Prophet so the question on the
floor is are you gonna be that unique
person that God supernaturally provides
for doesn’t he have somebody over there
over there over there over there and
over there and the rest of y’all just go
home
[Applause]
how many widows who are willing to trust
him does he have in a crowd and guess
what Jesus said one good one will do
you only have one source one provider
and that’s God he uses many different
resources or mechanisms through which he
makes the provision but never confuse
the resources that he uses as your
source when you do you’ve made your
resource God one source that’s why in
the life of Elijah he shifts sources of
one minute he uses an unclean Raven the
next minute he uses the widow of
Zarephath because God can shift sources
any time he chooses that’s why when you
get disappointed because he didn’t use
the same source that he used last time
it’s because we’ve gotten confused that
resources can vary if this job doesn’t
work out God can create another
opportunity elsewhere if this person
doesn’t come through he’s got more than
one person he can use if this bank
doesn’t cooperate he can he can come up
with another scenario
I mean God has the world of options open
to him so make sure you don’t make as an
idol your resources but you keep focused
on your provider and that is God and
when you keep focused on him and watch
his provision of meeting your needs like
he says in Philippians 4:19 my God is
able to meet your need because Paul
understood God alone is the source so
thank him that he is your source for
every area of your life keep your focus
on him thank him for the resources he’s
currently using but always leave that
door open for new resources he chooses
to use
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the Tony Evans Study Bible the what u.s.
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you
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