Listening and Obedience to the voice of God for your Ministry!

The prophet Elijah was a great servant of God who has marked his time and even today we can take a lesson from him in our walk with the Lord. Just now( 04/10/2014) I meditated 1Kings17, the story of this prophet and the teaching I received in this chapter is the listening and the obeying the voice of  God, and the result that that brought in the ministry of Elijah.
First, Elie served God in the proclamation of the word of God to King Ahab, then God said to him, go near the torrent you will drink the water of the torrent (the torrent is a stream of impetuous water, which swells rapidly and which is often dry it is caused by heavy rains).
The water of the torrent is an impure water at consumption since it falls from heaven on the earth and sweeps all the impurities of the soil, the torrent takes everything in its path, and it is this water that Elijah has drunk he did not reasoned by saying no! this is an impure water I can not drink, but he obeyed because He who gave this order is able to put a wood in water of mara to make it  drinkable (Ex15v23) ​​and change water into wine etc..

God said: And I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. The raven is an unclean animal that feeds on carrion and all kinds of food, however, it's this impure bird which God ordains to feed Elijah.
The prophet Elijah did not say no! it is the uncleans birds I can not eat what comes out of their beaks, Elijah knew his God was able to declare pur what was impure, Elijah recognized the sovereignty and power of his God (how many of us recognize if it is not on lips?)
After passing these tests in listening and obeying God said to Elijah:

Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

Zidon was a Phoenician city whose people were idolatrous and hostile the people of Israel it's of Zidon that came queen Jezebel, wife of king Ahab who worshiped the god Baal (god of Zidon).

Elijah did not say no! Zidon is enemy territory, I can not go, but Elijah knew that his God is the Lord of armies (Sabaoth), and that He would be with him, so he did not have to be afraid.

God said, I have commanded a widow woman to sustain thee.

A woman widow who had her last meal before dying of hunger with his son, so nothing for Elijah.

Elijah did not say no! there is nothing to eat here, God has not sent me there is an error, I can not stay here otherwise I'll die. Elie did not panic, but he knew that his God is YHWH Yire who provides, and call into existence the things that do not exist. It is at this time that Elijah'll experience the gift of faith, and so he'll begin his ministry of power to perform miracles in the name of the Lord.

First, to multiply the flour and oil, later, raise a dead, Elijah becomes a witness at this moment of the great God he serves, and the widow of Zarephath, will make this statement: Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.

When we hear the prophecy of our ministry, we jump for joy, but more often we find it difficult to enter fully into our ministry because of our flesh which still governs us, and sometimes we stagnate for years and are frustrated, but we must know that between prophecy and its fulfillment, there is a long road to make, our flesh must die, our faith must be tested and even very tested, for if God calls us to do great things, we also have very great tests to cross in order to be clothed the mantle of ministry which we are called upon to perform.

The prophet Elijah must to confront the prophets of Baal who had power and who also performed miracles like the devil is an imitator, but God wanted released His people from these false prophets and idolatry that had invaded Israel, So it was necessary that Elijah be prepared for this and clothed with power of God because it was the forces of darkness that he must confronted, so he must be delivered from all that was darkness in him, and purified to be the light that dispels the darkness.

The prophet Elijah was always where the Lord wanted him to be, he was with the person with whom the Lord wanted him to be order to receive the power of God,  Abraham was where God wanted him and the woman Sarah that God had given him and this is with the son of this woman that the promise of God has been fulfilled, and not with Hagar and her son, Moses was where God wanted him to be and the person (his brother Aaron) with who God wanted him to be in order to fulfill the promise of God to liberate his people from Egypt, the people of Israel must be born of Jacob, and not from Esau who was the elder, Joseph began with visions and dreams, but he had not yet the interpretation, he had to be hated and sold into slavery by his brothers, and unfairly accused and thrown into prison, It's in prison that the interpretation of dreams will be given him, and it is there that he began to serve God by interpreting the dreams of his fellow prisoners, later he interprets the dreams of Pharaoh who earned him the elevation to the post of governor of Egypt.

LET US  BE GUIDED BY ONE WHO CALLED US TO HIS SERVICE, LET'S BE HUMBLE AS LITTLE CHILDREN IN HIS PRESENCE.

Ps 115v3: But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

GOD MAKE WHAT HE WANTS AND WITH WHO HE WANTS.

God bless you! Hawa Esther Maiga.