From the archives of Oral Roberts
After three years of drought and famine, the day came when God said, “Get up, Elijah, and go see King Ahab.”
When Elijah came face-to-face with Ahab, he said, “Get your prophets. Let’s have a showdown about who God is.” Before all the people, Elijah declared, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him” (I Kings 18:21). And the people didn’t say a word.
Then Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal by saying, “Prepare a bull for sacrifice on an altar, and put wood under the sacrifice. I’ll do the same. And then you call on the name of your gods and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the one who answers by fire and consumers the sacrifice, let him be God.” The prophets of Baal agreed. They made their sacrifice and all day they cried out to their god, leaped around their altar, cut themselves with knives and lancets, and nothing happened.
Then Elijah called the people together and had them rebuild the altar of God. He put wood on the altar, laid out the sacrifice, and then had the people fill four barrels of water and pour it on the sacrifice and the wood. He had the people repeat this three times until the water flowed off the altar and down the sides of it and filled a trench around the altar. As the time for the evening sacrifice approached, Elijah prayed, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am they servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear 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” (I Kings 18:36,37). And the fire fell! When the people saw it, they fell on their faces, cried out to the Lord, and the prophets of Baal were put to death.
As you await your miracle… in that time between planting your seeds of faith and reaping a harvest… the Lord may ask you to have a showdown with the devil. He may ask you to take a stand and say, “Devil, that’s enough. Stop it! Take your hands off God’s property. You will have no more hold on my life.” Be bold in your faith ― especially in the growing time; the time after you’ve planted your seed to God and before God multiplies the harvest. And be not weary in your well doing for you shall reap in due season if you faint not (Galatians 6:9).
