Spirit of Elijah at Mount Carmel 12-30-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. May Your Holy Spirit prepare the way of the Lord in my heart for a greater passion of the Holy Fire of Your Presence in my life every day. … “So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:20-21). Of all the holy places I wanted to see and all the holy encounters I wanted to experience on my second journey to the land of Israel, coming to the high place on top of Mount Carmel was my deepest burning desire. I wanted to stand where Elijah stood, preach what Elijah preached, and pray what Elijah prayed when You opened up Your heavens and rained down Your fire. And by the grace of God, who gives us the desires of our hearts, today I have. You anointed Elijah with boldness to proclaim the truth, courage to fearlessly stand firm in the face of governmental and religious compromise and persecution, and faith to believe that You are the God who confirms Your Word by Your Spirit with Your power. And on the rocks of the very mountain where I stood today, You moved in Elijah’s heart with a zealous passion to call the people to turn their hearts to You: “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your bidding. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (v. 18:36-37). Elijah preached and prayed under the anointed mantle of God, with fire in his bones and passion in heart. “Then the fire of the Lord fell” (v. 18:38). They say for centuries this place was called by Arabs and Jews alike, El Muhraqa, meaning “the place of burning,” marked by the black stains of Your consuming fire on the rocks of this mountain. When Your fire fell that day, the hearts Your people turned to put their hope and trust in You alone as God. “When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God” (v. 18:39). O Lord God, let Your fire fall in my heart every day. Anoint me with the mantle of Elijah, the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord to preach and pray with a fiery zeal and burning passion to see hearts turn to You. Confirm Your Word in Your power by Your Spirit. I take up this mantle, by the power of Your grace, in trusting submission to Your will, because I believe You’ve put this on my heart to honor You with my life this way. I join my heart with Yours and with those You are anointing in our day, for our generation and those to follow, with “the Spirit of Elijah” (2 Kings 2:15). May You use the lives all You call to prepare the way of the Lord in the power of Your Spirit, turning the hearts of Your people to You and one another in the right relationship of love before the day of Your coming. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6, NKJV). Yes, Lord. Let the fire fall. Let my heart and the hearts of all who are willing to be consumed by the fire of Your love for us. Prepare the way for the coming of Your Spirit in our hearts this day and every day, until the day You come as King of kings and Lord of lords in final glory. There is no God but You. You are “the God who answers by fire” (1 Kings 18:24). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for us on our journey through the Holy Land of Israel. I'm thrilled to have a chance to publicly share words and prayers of the love of Christ everywhere our little group goes, as we walk where Jesus walked and experience the historical sites of our faith and encounter the spiritual presence of our God. I pray for your encounters with God as you walk with him in your journey. Thank you for joining with me in mine. God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502