Next Mountain [Part 1]

Alan Wright, pastor, Bible teacher and author of his latest book, the power to bless.

It might be a little bit longer than you thought it might be a little more uncomfortable than you thought it might be a little more frustrating that you thought it might be that you feel like you been in traffic. It might be that you're just ready to get out of it, but there's been a be a point where you feel like you pulled back onto the main road. Your full speed ahead arrow headed in the direction that God is why one word hold excited for you to hear the teaching today the series 2nd wind is presented with an old church North Carolina not able to throughout the entire how to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. A copy of Pastor Alan's book lover of my soul. This can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastoralan.org that's pastor out and.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is are you ready for some good news with God. The valley isn't a detour nor a destination. It's preparation for the next mountain. When you look at the story of Elijah, who has a mountaintop experience at Mount caramel and then in the valley, on the other side of it becomes strangely depressed has to learn to set his eyes for the next mountain. We are in a series on perseverance. I've called it. Second, when like a runner who experiences that moment where it seems like he or she just run out of energy.

The muscles begin the freeze up the breath doesn't seem to be there and something happens physiologically, where an athlete can catch a second win in or something like that in the spirit that I think we all need as we are coming to this long year of pandemic. Some people suffer greatly. Some have had major inconveniences but all of us are tired of it and where we are.

We are tired of of just the weight of everything being so different and what I want to show you today from Elijah's story is that you can go through difficult times where it looks like maybe you've gotten off of the path but you actually still on it in God's plan and he can give you the energy that you need to take the next mountain what my wife got stuck in construction traffic this week.

It was over on Meadowlark which they decided a few years ago that in Winston-Salem Meadowlark Drive they were going to expand this stream so they have started the construction and that she's creeping along at about two or 3 miles an hour when she saw a very strange site that called her eyes. It was the backside of a construction sign and that backside of the sign in huge letters that are name right WRI GHD right across the back of a head who is quite sensitive to the ways the Lord will speak to his thought. What's my name, do it on the back of the sign. Where had her attention, and all these different construction signs but just one of them had the name right on the backside of it. So she's creeping along creeping along in the going so slow that when she gets to the other side. She's able to look back and see what was on that construction sign and it was this type of arrow this not really indicating a detour, exactly, is not like you're going detour in your way out of your way is just that you got a swing out wide to the right for a little bit and then you come back, but the arrow on the sign is pointing in the same direction that you are heading and just in seeing the sign she just felt the Lord speaking to her and she came in she shared it with me and she shared it was some of the leadership for the awakenings women's ministry that there might be a word and that picture I bore witness to this that that that picture that what we been through and what maybe you feel like you going through is something that it at any moment feels like I've gotten off the road a little bit.

I'm not. I don't like him exactly on the road that I was in the way I'm supposed to be, but arrow in God's mind is still pointing in the same direction and you're still going to get there.

It just is different. It just a little different route than you thought it might be a little bit longer than you thought it might be a little more uncomfortable than you thought it might be a little more frustrating than you thought it might be that you feel like you been in traffic.

It might be that you're just writing to get out of it, but there's been a be a point where you feel like you pulled back onto the main road and your full speed ahead arrow headed in the direction that God is pointing what one word out of the bag with a construction site is right okay.see you read my name down there that what you got a message for me in the message I think is not just for Anna for me. I think it might be for any of us who are emerging with some of the weariness and some of the worry that is come out of pandemic or we going to be able to keep going in the right right direction and the answer from God today and Elijah's story is absolutely and I want to show you that it's very possible that the feelings that you have feelings of weariness, exhaustion or even depression, that those feelings do not mark the reality that the arrow the direction the purposes of God that marks your life. So the purposes of God are going to prevail in the story of Elijah is astounding. He is a character that is a historical figure who is so deemed to be like him, like a bigger than life figure in the mind of Israel that he is expected is expected back and he and he appears in the transfiguration with Moses and Jesus.

Here is one who is used supernaturally in such a dramatic way that some of the most extraordinary miracles in the Bible happened to the prophet Elijah. Well Elijah has this particularly powerful experience on the top of Mount caramel were all the profits of the pagan deity all have come, come, gather together for 50 of them to have a sort of showdown asserted competition with Elijah and the battle is going to be demonstrated in this too alters that are put out there and the agreement is whoever's God is the real God will consume the altar with fire balls. Profits cry unto the Lord. They lacerate themselves.

Elijah mocks them is as a where's your God. Maybe you sleep in one of the funniest basilar the Bible. Elijah said what. Maybe he's using the bathroom you where sure got been doing think and then Elijah stands up there douses the altar with water just just showing off.

In this big showdown and it calls upon the name of the Lord and the Lord consumes altar with fire and all the 450 prophets of Baal are defeated and it is made clear that God, the Lord Jehovah Yahweh is the only true God and you would think that King Ahab. Having seen this who's married to his pagan wife Jezebel would go home to Jezebel.

The Queen and say jazz listen I saw it with my own eyes at Mount caramel the Lord Yahweh Elijah's God is the true God, and we do not want to mess with him. We need to just follow Yahweh, but instead we pick up reading it first Kings chapter 19 verse one Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Elijah had been miraculously fed by ravens prayed for there to be no rain and there wasn't had miracle of never ending flower raised a widow's son back to life defeated 450 prophets of Baal. It was like this is a cosmic mandate for Elijah. This is proof positive and Ahab instead of going to his wife and say let's worship the Lord. He is been wed to this pagan wife and instead to say let's get rid of the Asherah poles and let's quit all this, but all you and worship. This is the unrivaled God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob instead. Ahab is like a mouse of a husband and he whimpers to his woman, he says, look at everything Elijah has done and he is whimpering and whining to his Jezebel is that is taken to his knees and wonder he winds his calls to his consort until she takes up his calls to Helen right will have more teaching moment from today's important series/heard about it with your years he believed in my experience it-Allen writes the left book lover myself as a love story from beginning to end spiritual brown house, the perfect bike. The Bible tells not just on time and miles and the links to walk hand-in-hand for any man whose phone number. The woman tasted the sweetness of God's love for you is like pretty woman who asserts for 2525 what can only be found fully in God, Gary Chapman, my Dr. the five love languages size incredible reality that God pursues us in life comes to an lover of my cell ancient biblical accounts explode in the heart except Christ proposal and showing his embrace of gravel in his love. After the match made in lover of my soul right. The gospel is shared when you get Allen right ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanked him. Allen right ministries. These are the final days.

This offer is being made available to you this month, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past hour and.org.

Today's teaching now continues your once again is verse two. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying so may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as a life of one of them. By this time tomorrow when sin entered the world is so did Shane. And no sooner had Adam and Eve eaten the forbidden fruit that voice slithered into the garden and said look at yourself. You're flawed you can't be loved or accepted as you are. You need to cover yourselves, you need to hide yourself.

You aren't enough, you aren't good enough so they begin to cover themselves and humanity began the practice of hiding so many ways that we pretend so may ways that we try to cover ourselves are pretending to be what we're not maybe hiding in masking our pain and anxiety of shame with a substance or or or on activity or some tantalizing sin, but but for many and and and I've been in this More.

It is to the cover-up by proving that I'm good enough. So, look, here's Elijah and he's done it all and yet he's in this vulnerable moment because he's done it all in a voice of shame manifested in Jezebel's will see says essentially you did it and you did it seemingly all your best and all you could do and yet it wasn't there wasn't enough I think is really important to to recognize beloved that there is a kind of shame and anxiety that can come after our greatest moments of success even on those godly mountaintop experiences. I found it to be the case, and I see it not only here but other places in Scripture that there is a kind of effort from the devil to come against those that have had great moments with Lord. This voice of shame and it means that there's really no pinnacle that you can reach where you're suddenly immune from the spiritual battle there is not a place where you've accomplished enough, or even seen enough in done enough in Christ where your immune from the voice of shame that comes against you and this picture of Jezebel. This picture of shame, a controlling type type voice often people to speak of the Jezebel spirit you know whether there is a there is a particular kind of of of demonic spirit attached to this. I don't know but there is but there is an attitude there's a way of being that you can see in Jezebel. She she lives by vowels. This is what I'm going to do. I will get you. I will get them no matter what sheet she lives by her idols. Her determination is demonic.

She can't let it go because she just controlled by hell itself sees bound and determined she she domineer is her husband.

She she tries to snuggling close to leadership since you could exert her influence and she's after Elijah well. Hearing about these threats. Yet this is the great Elijah and this is the moment where you would think Elijah would essentially say is this what been what is he think I have just defeated 450 prophets of Baal.

I've just seen the Lord supernaturally come down and fire I'll call fire down on her. Also cares about one woman's threat. You'd think that this is the way he would react. So was really strange. In verse three to see then Elijah was afraid and he arose and ran for his life. For dinner Elijah. She's a fleet she's a nothing. She is a pagan she's she's just she's just a blustering voice relax. Go take a vacation down by the Dead Sea. You've put in some really good quality, prophetic ministry, take a few days off. You deserve it but whatever you do, Elijah. Don't be afraid of this woman instead. This profit that James says in his epistle is the model of faith whose prayers could change the atmosphere instead of having strength in this moment. Elijah feels all the faith, drain out of him. It's as if he didn't even know the Lord and instead it taken his shame and exhaustion to God. He decides that he's going to deal with it in isolation. Look at this verse three, he was afraid Rose ran for his life came to Beersheba Oaks Plaza Judah and look at this and left his servant there. We most needed fellowship he least wanted one of my mentors, Gordon Dalbey, a best-selling author once wrote these words, the effort to hide the truth of your inadequacy and barrier shame consumes you sabotages your destiny. When all here and listen to this, when all your energies focus on an enemy you have no energy or vision left to discern and fulfill the calling on your life. The enemy thereby defines you.

Hell therefore could aptly be described as trying to bear your own shame is living a lie forever sandbagging against the rising tide of truth and eternally exhausting distraction from your holy destiny. That's what happened to Elijah and and I think it's just it is in in a profound way reassuring to me to know that anyone, no matter how godly, how gifted how experienced in the Lord, or even how many miracles that he seen anyone can reach this kind of discouragement in the heat of spiritual battle. Here's what he did.

Verse four he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. He's isolating himself and came and sat down on her broom tree and he asked that he might die saying it's enough now, Lord, take away my life, I'm no better than my fathers and a laydown and he slept under broom tree what's going on here. The voice of shame says you gave it your best and it wasn't enough.

And there's still something out you gotta do. If you make an idol out of a certain goal or certain kind of success.

The devil use it against you.

The fact of the matter is that all of us no matter what milestones we reach were on a journey is vitally important just to stop here and just let this sink and no accomplishment will ever be great enough to set you free. No particular performance. No particular merit or award amount of money will ever do it will never prove yourself to everybody. You never be so popular that there will be somebody that criticizes you and the way out isn't through greater and greater mock caramels the way out. You see is different now and write today's good news message entitled the next mountain best is yet to come. As is the conclusion of this teaching is in our series 2nd wind and passed around his back with us in the studio, sharing his parting good news thought for the day. In just a moment found/heard about it with you. You believed in mind while experiencing the left book lover of myself as a love story from beginning to end spiritual bride of Christ, the perfect bike. The Bible tells my mom's in the links to walk hand-in-hand for anyone who is found in mother the woman tasted the sweetness of God's love for you is like pretty woman who asserts for 25254 can only be found fully my doctor the five love languages size incredible reality that God pursues us in life comes to lover of myself. Ancient biblical accounts explode in the extent this proposal and showing his embrace of gravel in his love.

After the match made in heaven, lover of my soul right gospel is shared when you get Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer now these are the final days. This offer is being made available to you this month, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past Rowan.org Baker in the studio as your pastor out in sporting good news thought for the day and will be lifted on a cliffhanger here. We do have the best yet to come. I think of this teaching as we conclude with our parting good news thought for the days we hang on.

Well, I think sometimes the great temptation of life when we've had a great victory like Elijah did a Mount caramel is to think that while I've already experienced that the height and then as soon as any other accusation soon as any other obstacle since the other any tribulation comes along, you can feel particularly despairing one like with Elijah. There's another mountain and on one of there's another journey that's even better than what was before and I think that's why God wants to encourage so we can become. If Elijah become depressed, so could we but listen to the Lord say, arise and eat for the journey ahead of you is a great one there still a great journey in front of you, take heart feed on my word feed on all my grace, God says he's got much more for Elijah's got much more for us.

I am so eager for Christians, especially for the body of Christ to experience this joy that can come the strength that can come simply for having persevered and to have a second wind means that God has something great for the body of Christ and and so will you. If you something great for the body of Christ.

I think there's a move of God and is going begin with us individually. So on blessing our listeners that you would be like Elijah and that you see that there's another mountain in front of you. There's another great destination. A great journey in front of you and may God give you as he did Elijah the second went. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online@pastor.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 if you only caught part of today's teaching. Not only can you listen again online but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources, and pastor.org that's pastor out.org.

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