WHAT TO DO IN A DROUGHT

Group Agenda:

  1. Pray In
  2. Ask each person which service they watched on Sunday?  9am, 11am, or 1pm?
  3. Go over the lesson (Below)
  4. Ask everyone “What is one thing you learned today?”
  5. Give offering on the app
  6. Encourage P12 Leaders to meet with their group (and remind them to take attendance on Friday)
  7. Ask for prayer requests and pray out

WHAT TO DO IN A DROUGHT

In 1 Kings 18, the Bible tells us the story of how God ended a period of drought and brought a dramatic breakthrough of rain.  

Drought: a period of dryness, a lack of water, a prolonged or chronic shortage or lack of something expected or desired.

A period of drought often comes before our breakthrough.  In the drought season, in the moments before breakthrough, we need to do the following:

 

1) RECOGNIZE THE KEY PEOPLE THAT GOD WILL BRING INTO YOUR LIFE.  

1 Kings 18:41 (MSG) Elijah said to Ahab, “Up on your feet! Eat and drink—celebrate! Rain is on the way; I hear it coming.”

When you’re in a drought, God will bring a key person in your life to help guide & lead you.  Elijah was Ahab’s “key person.” 

A key person will bring key insights and wisdom into your life.  They can see things that you don’t.  They will see farther ahead than you can.  They will say what no one else is saying.

QUESTION – Who is a “key person” in your life? 

The problem is that most people have trouble recognizing the key people in their life.  They can be hearing great wisdom but fail to receive anything meaningful from it

Once we’ve been able to identify the key people God has sent, it’s even more important to make sure that we are receiving from them.  When you’re in a drought, you need to make sure that you…

 

2) RECEIVE INSTRUCTION FROM THE KEY PEOPLE GOD SENDS.

How can we receive and master the instructions we’re given?

THE GROWTH PROCESS:  HEAR – LEARN – APPLY – PASS IT ON

2 Timothy 2:2 (NLT) – You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

The best way to learn something is to pass it on immediately.  If you’re not passing it on, you will not grow as fast as you can or ought to.  

Quote: “If you write it, you own it.  If you teach it, you master it.” – Marco Garcia

You will never completely learn something until you have applied it and passed it on to someone.  

QUESTION – How can you tell when someone has really learned something and made it their own?

A super important way to know if someone has caught what you’ve taught them is to ask them to repeat it back to you.  When they can repeat back what you’ve said, you know they’ve got it.  

We can see this principle at work in the New Testament.  How do we know the disciples learned what Christ taught?  We have written repetition of all that He said and did.  

We need to be sure to pass on the instruction we receive.  But it’s also super important that we make sure that our words align with upcoming breakthrough.  

 

3) SPEAK LIFE

Your season won’t change unless your words change.

A. Life and death are in the tongue.  

Proverbs 18:21 (NLT) – The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

A closely linked picture of “life” is the season of Spring.

QUESTION: What words come to mind for you when you think of Spring?

Some of the words we might think of are: new life, fruitfulness, growth, reproduction, etc.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah spoke life.  He declared that the drought was coming to a close – that rain was coming.

Rain signifies refreshing, new life, reviving, the primary source that brings the harvest, purification, etc.

It takes boldness to declare life in a dead place.  It takes courage to declare rain is coming in the middle of a drought.

B. Be thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) – Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

We need to be grateful for the good things, especially in the drought season.  

Wherever you see appreciation or gratitude, you’ll see growth and breakthrough.  Where there’s a lack of gratitude, there’s a lack of growth.  

Negativity will only keep you in the drought season and destroy your ability to receive a breakthrough.

C. The word of life is a “grace word.”  

The word of life – “Rain is on the way; I hear it coming!” – that Elijah declares over Ahab is a “grace word.”  It has nothing to do with what Ahab has done – he’s been an evil king – he doesn’t deserve the rain or an end to this drought.  

When God’s blessings are declared in your life – you can’t look at your past – your own record – to decide if you can or should receive it.  You can’t earn heaven, life, or forgiveness.  It’s all about grace.  

A key person will speak grace over your life.  They’ll say things like – “You messed up, right?  Okay.  Let’s move on.  Let’s get going.”

If you look only at your past record of failures and don’t receive the gift, you’ll end up partnering with the devil – agreeing with what he has to say about you.

QUESTION:  Have you ever partnered up with the devil and what he’s been saying about you?

Stop partnering with what the devil has been saying about you.  Start speaking what God says about you.

  

4) LEARN TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE

There are three types of people when it comes to hearing God’s voice:

  1. The people who don’t want to hear.
  2. The people who hear but don’t understand.
  3. The people who hear and understand. 

We need to put ourselves in the category of those who hear and understand.

A. STUDY GOD’S WORD

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If we want to increase our ability to hear, we need to be able to identify the source:

  1. Your voice
  2. The devil’s voice
  3. God’s voice

The more I expose myself to the Word, the more I’m tuned into His voice.  We must develop the discipline of reading and studying the Word on a daily basis.  

You can get to know God so well that when you hear something untrue or contrary to His character or Word you can identify it.  God will never contradict Himself.  Whatever He says will always align with His written word.

Romans 12:2 (ESV) – Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The key is your thinking.

Fear is built by hearing the same thing over and over and over again.  For instance, reading or listening to the same news stories over and over again about Coronavirus will cause you to fear.  

Faith is built in exactly the same way –  hearing the same thing over and over and over again.

Quote: “You know, when I’m tired of hearing it, I know my staff has gotten it.  And when my staff is tired of hearing it, I know the press corps has gotten it.  And when the press corps is tired of hearing it, I know the nation has gotten it.” – Richard Nixon.

Every single Christian should have daily, set-apart time to study God’s Word.  You can never hear it enough. 

Three Things You Can Do to Maximize Your Bible Study Time:

  1. Choose a reading plan.  Don’t just bounce around from topic to topic.  Instead, choose a book or portion of Scripture to read all the way through.  This will provide context to each passage that will enrich your understanding.
  2. Study to learn.  Highlight portions of Scripture that you stand out and those that you need to dig deeper into at a later time.  If you come across something that’s difficult to understand, find resources to help you learn more.
  3. Start journaling.  Write down the revelations and questions that come up as you read the Word.  Document your thoughts and prayers that arise as you read.  Don’t just read the Word, interact with it.

The Spirit-led life is a life filled with God’s Word.  Filling your life with His Word is what teaches you to hear and heed the Spirit.  Make it a top priority in your life.

 

OFFERING – May 2020

There will come a time when we’ve given our very last offering.  Our life on earth will come to a close, and we will be left with one of two thoughts: “I wish I’d given more and done more.” or  “I did all that I could.”

I once heard a story of a rich lady and her maid.  They both died around the same time and went to heaven.  An angel took the rich lady on a tour of heaven.  She was amazed to see that her maid’s home in heaven was an amazing mansion, perfect in every way.  She thought to herself, “If this is my maid’s house, I can’t wait to see what my house looks like!  It’s sure to be incredible!”  As the tour continued, she noted that the houses were getting smaller and smaller.  Finally they arrive at a very small home, hardly more than a shack.  “What’s this?” she asked.   To which the angel replied, “This is what we were able to build for you with the materials that you sent on ahead to us.  Sadly, there wasn’t much to work with.”

You’ll never regret investing in heaven and investing in people.  The only regret you’ll have in heaven is not giving enough.  

Luke 21:1-4 (NLT) – While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Jesus made it clear that it’s not about the amount we give.  It’s about the percentage we are willing to invest.  Let’s invest all we have into the Kingdom.

How to Give:

1. Open the app and click give.
2. Change the fund to P12
3. Set up your tithe on recurring giving