Living in the Spacious Place: How to Defeat the Poverty Spirit Pt. 2

Sermon Notes
November 9, 2011

Sermon: Living in the Spacious Place: How to Defeat the Poverty Spirit Pt.2
Sermon Text: 1 Kings 17: 7-16

7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 “For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day of the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ 15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.

By design, the poverty spirit is there to keep you from entering the spacious place. It disguises itself in the form of friends and family members who say these things: “That house is too big for you”. “… I’m just looking out for your well-being” “That’s enough…”

In this text, we see that not only does the widow have a poverty spirit, but the land had a poverty spirit as well.
Working definition: A poverty spirit is when you believe your situation is bigger than your God.

Step 5: Rise to the Challenge (vs 9, 12)
God had already put a blessing on the woman’s life, she just hadn’t risen to the challenge. The same is true for us, if we are captivated by the poverty spirit it becomes difficult to believe and follow what God is telling us to do. If left to ourselves, we would be okay with being average. Learn to listen to your spirit and not your friends.

Step 6: Eradicate Your Routine (vs 13)
The widow had a daily routine. Routine means “rut”. You must change your routine. If your routine is to worry, you will only reap worry. Stop asking others for advice, more likely than not, they want you to remain where you are. If you have been waiting for something to happen and it hasn’t, check your routine. Your routine must put God first; He will make the rest happen.

Step 7: Prime the Pump (vs 13)
You must do something for God first. The source is limitless but it takes a little to access it. In the widow’s mind, the little seemed like a lot. Often times, we want God to give us limitless blessing but we have yet to give Him the little. Stop trying to hold on to the little. God will supply all of your needs.

Step 8: Promise Keeper (vs 16)
Our biggest issue with God is that we are not sure He is going to keep His promise. How God shows He is a Promise Keeper:
1. God swears on himself (Hebrews 6:13)
2. He puts the word above His name (Psalms 138:2)
2. He is not a man that He should lie. (Numbers 23:19)
3. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises. (2 Pet 3:9)

Yes, your back will be against the wall. This is what builds your faith. Every now and then there has to be a drought so you can see God work.