FIVE SMOOTH STONES - The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherds Bag

FIVE SMOOTH STONES — The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherd’s Bag

three and one-half years and could not find him in all this amount of time. It is interesting, though, that now Jezebel thinks that she can find him in one day and execute him. It was not going to happen. She did not know where he had been, and she did not know where he was now. So how did she get the message to him? Keep in mind she was a high-level witch-priestess who could conjure and send evil. The word translated “messenger” in verse 2 is the word “angel” in the Hebrew. What is an angel of evil? It is a demon. She did not know where Elijah was, but the demon she sent found him and brought fear and doubt, which caused him to run in fear. Recall he had already been hiding for years, but without fear; it had all been in faith. Sometimes, when we are weakened through sickness or exertion, we are more vulnerable. But a spirit of doubt and fear got through and caused fear to replace the faith in which he had been walking. This occurred after the greatest spiritual victory of his life and perhaps the greatest outward showing of confrontation over evil since the walls of Jericho came down. Yet he was afraid. Once energy is expended, it is possible to be in a weakened condition. Jesus under- stood when power went out from Him (Mark 5:30). He also was diligent about spending time with the Lord being refreshed and strengthened (Matthew14:23; John 6:15). It seems that Jezebel got a hit in on Elijah and he ran in fear. This caused him to make some irrational decisions and complaints. He left his servant behind, and then later complained to God that he was alone. He said he was the only one left standing for the Lord, after he had convinced the whole of the northern kingdom of Israel to fall on their faces and proclaim, “ The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God. ” (1 Kings 18:39). The Lord had compassion for Elijah and sent an angel to minister to him and refresh him. He spoke to him from a still small voice and encouraged him, and Elijah was granted one of the significant forty-day wilderness fasts with the Lord that is recorded in scripture. Significantly Moses (Law), Elijah (Prophets), and Jesus (New Covenant), each had to spend forty days in the wilderness fasting in order to complete their calling. Each of them had their test-

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