Sheila Lester - Morning Star & Daughter of WV

SHEILA LESTER

Daughter of WV

February 18, 1997

...and the God that Answered by Fire

While praying for the city-wide renewal meeting with Bill Mares that began last night in Charleston, I began with prayer specifically for the four sponsoring churches.  I prayed that they would begin to experience within their midst, the renewal of God’s Spirit. I prayed also that the city of Charleston would know this same “renewal,” so that believers throughout the city would also be refreshed and renewed. At this point it seemed as if the Spirit Himself began to pray, even as the Word promises that He will intercede for us when we don’t know how to pray (Rom. 8: 26,27). I began to call out the names of city after city in the outlaying areas of Charleston. Then the names of cities and communities that came to my mind throughout all of West Virginia. When that list of names had been completely exhausted, I then began to call out to the Lord names of bordering cities in the states that surround us.  All these names were just flowing out of my mouth. There was no struggle to recall or to plan the strategy.  But by the Spirit, the prayer was encompassing the entire state of West Virginia, beginning with Charleston, and our bordering states. At this point I saw in my mind’s eye what looked like an antique map. It appeared to be on a heavy parchment type of paper and its color had yellowed. My focus was on West Virginia, when suddenly from the underneath side of the map, it began to smoke. The smoke was not all over the map, but instead it was confined to the city of Charleston. Then what had begun as only smoke burst into flames which quickly consumed the city of Charleston. But it did not stop there! The fire that had began continued to burn. After having burned Charleston within moments it had spread through not only the surrounding communities but throughout the entire state. And even as a natural fire when not contained will spread, I watched as this ‘thing’ that had begun only as a ‘glow' or a ‘smoldering ember’ in Charleston, had burned its way across the entirety of the U.S.

I then felt impressed to retrieve an old Bible which I had not used in years. When I did I found that there were two bookmarks left in it. I opened to one of the markers. The scripture I had underlined there years before was:

EZ. 12: 27 & 28

“Son of Man, behold, The house of Israel is saying, The vision that he sees is for many days to come, and prophesieth of the times that are far off. Therefore, say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, None of my words be delayed any longer, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God”.

I then turned to the second of the markers. Here I also found a portion of scripture which had been underlined many years before:

I KINGS 18:24

“....and the God that answered by fire, let him be God....”

I believe that God then began to give me understanding as to why He would choose to come in “fire”. –The ‘fire of God’ is the ‘power’ of God.-- I continued to read...

I Kings 18:37-39

“Here me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and wood and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was on the trench.

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, ‘The Lord, He is the God; the Lord,  He is the God.’”

WHY? Why would God deem it necessary to come with a demonstration of His power?

1. That the people may know He is God.

2. That their hearts may be turned back to Him.

HOW? How does this happen?

The ‘fire’ falls and consumes:

1. What we have freely offered the Lord, as represented by the burnt sacrifice.

2. Our idols, represented by the wood since most idols were carved from wood.

3. The hard or resistant places in us as seen in the stones.

4. Our weaknesses, we were formed from the dust.

5. And past works or experiences, or even yesterday’s manna that we are trying to live off of as depicted by the water remaining in the trenches.

The abundance of Rain

RESULT?      When people see it (EXPERIENCE IT) they will fall on their faces and confess Him as God!  It will produce “worship” of the one true God in their lives! (Verse 39)

God continued to speak to my heart.....

Verse 41, And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

Just like a forest fire burns out the old, it also causes an accelerated re-generation of the ‘new’ by causing seeds to explode open and thereby ready to receive the rain that they may quickly germinate, take root, and bear fruit.

God will send His abundance of rain... The former and the latter rains to bring about increased fruitfulness in us and to all who have been prepared by the ‘fire.’ Also, in a fire there are always new areas of growth because the seeds are sent far and wide during the fire. Therefore the increased fruitfulness that will come will not only be in us but also in new souls won for the Kingdom of God.