Emmanuel Almond Ministries

…Arise and eat;

because the journey is too great for thee.

^{1 KINGS 19: 7}

Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name (PSA 103:1). For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods (PSA 95:3). Know ye that the LORD he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture (PSA 100:3). Yes, that’s why LORD Jesus said, ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (JOH 10:27). But do we follow Him?

LORD Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep (JOH 10:14). What a blessing it is for us that the Mighty one who ‘hath made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heaven by His understanding” (JER 51:15), the Word who created all things (JOH 1:3), also ‘fearfully and wonderfully made us’ (PSA 139:14). Hallelujah! And now thus saith the LORD that created thee, and He that formed thee, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” (ISAI 43:1). Wow! The great God who created the heavens and the earth and the seas, the sun, the moon, the stars, the universe and the galaxies knows us by name!! Isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it awesome? Isn’t it simply up-lifting? It is even more amazing that the Word says that ‘the very hairs of our head is numbered’ (MATH 10:30) and that ‘there shall not a hair of our head perish’ (MATH 10:30). Oh, what an AWESOME and MIGHTY GOD we have. Hallelujah. Cheer up, the Word says that ‘How precious are His thoughts unto me. And if I count them, they are more in number than the sand!! (PSA 139: 17). Yes, that’s why the psalmist says ‘what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (PSA 8:4). O Holy God you are so merciful, gracious (PSA 103:8/11, EXOD 34:6) and loving. JER 31:3 says, ‘He loves us with an everlasting love and that He draws us with loving kindness’. 1 PET 5:7 says, “He careth for us”. Hallelujah. That’s why the psalmist says in PSA 103:1- ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name’.

But, today, are we really following the good shepherd? Do we know the good shepherd personally? The one who willingly gave His life for His sheep? Do we bless His Holy name? No. We don’t really follow Him all the time. We don’t know Him personally. We don’t really bless His Holy name. We don’t trust in Him. We lean unto our own understanding. We don’t acknowledge Him nor ask Him to direct our path – (Ref: PROV 3: 5-7, JER 9:23). We, who are His sheep, think that we know more than The Good Shepherd!

That is why we get dejected, so easily, when we are encountered by problems in our day to day life. That is why we fear when things go against our wishes and our plans. That is why we do not have that peace that passeth all understanding. That is why we keep backsliding and go astray from The Good Shepherd. Friends, even though, today, we may know and profess that we are His sheep and that we know Him (Jesus Christ) as our personal Saviour, yet in fact we do not really know Him as we should. Yes, we do not really seek him with all our heart, with all our mind and with all our strength. For if we do then we should understand the power in His Word. Then we should really know the Truth. And the Truth should set us free. Yes, we do not really love Him as we should. That’s why there is so much fear in us. For the Word says, ‘there is no fear in love; perfect love casts out fear” (1 JOH 4:18). That is why we too cry- out or think like the great prophet Elijah, saying, ‘let me die! It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am no better than my forefathers” (1KING 19:4).

Yes, Elijah, though a mighty prophet, ‘was a man subject to like passions as we are’ (JAMES 5:17). Elijah knew the one true God. He was a true child of God and a powerful prophet. He had witnessed God’s great power and miracles in his own life. Yet when the pressures of life got to him, the great prophet gets frustrated and slips. But, cheer up. ‘Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised’ (HEB 10:23). Yes, ‘for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance’ (ROM 11:29). ‘Once He has sworn by His holiness He will not lie’ (PSA 89:35). Yes, ‘The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand’ (ISAI 14:24). ‘For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it?’ (ISAI 14:27). Yes, that’s why when our foot slips, His mercy holds us up’(PSA 94:18)! ‘For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust’ (PSA 103:14). So, ‘The LORD perfects that which concerns us (PSA 138:8). Hallelujah. The bible says, ‘The Good Shepherd knows His sheep. And He gives us eternal life that we shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck us out of His hand’ (JOH 10:14/28). Amen. Yes, ‘God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect’. (HEB 11:40).

So, cheer up dear friend in Christ. The God of Elijah is alive. For the Word says ‘I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed’ (MAL 3:6). Yes, He changeth not. That’s why HEB 13:8 says, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever’. Amen. ‘He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending’ (REV 1:8). Yes this same God is talking to you today saying ‘Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for you’. Cheer up. God has a great purpose and plan in your life. He has so much to do through you. So why do you think that his purpose would not be fulfilled in your life? Why do you think that it is too late? Why do you think that enough is enough? Why do you think and say ‘LORD just leave me alone for I can’t do anything? The Word says ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me’ (PHIL 4:13). Yes, we can do all things through Jesus Christ. For, ‘behold the days have come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised in your life’ (JER 33:14).

Dear friend in Christ, are you ready for God to perform that good thing? When God gave Elijah the commission, He also wanted Elijah to obey. Elijah had to eat! Today, God wants you to eat! Not just food for the belly, but food for your soul. The Word says, ‘man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’ (DEUT 8:3, MATH 4:4). The Word says, ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God’ (2 TIM 3:16). Yes, there is health and life’ (PROV 4:22) in His Word. ‘His Word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path’ (PSA 119: 105). Yes, it is The Word of God that will give us the strength to take this great journey ahead of us. It is the Word of God that will give us the wisdom and knowledge to take those vital decisions for our life. It is the Word of God that will protect us from the evil one and will help us to overcome the schemes of the enemy.

But, today, are we giving enough importance to The Word of God? The bible says, ‘In the beginning was The Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’ (JOH1:1). So, arise and eat. Meditate upon The Word. Eat it in the morning. Eat it at noon time. Eat it at night. Eat it whenever you can. Then ye shall go in the strength of the Lord. ‘Then you will arise and shine, your light will shine and the glory of the LORD will rise upon you’ (ISAI 60:1). Then you will ‘call upon Him and He will show you great and mighty things’ (JER 33:3) and ‘you shall be a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear of all the good that the LORD does to you’ (JER 33:9). Yes, that is the journey our Loving LORD has in store for you. Are you ready to eat? Once you eat you can begin your journey in confidence. ‘Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He will never suffer the righteous to be moved’ (PSA 55:22). For, The LORD will instruct and teach you in the way you should go (PSA 32:8). For, “thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go’ (ISAI 48:17). Yes, ‘He has spoken, yea, He has called you, He shall make your way prosperous’ (ISAI 48:15). Then you will not fear what flesh can do unto you for you will praise God and His Word (PSA 56:4). ‘When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of LORD shall lift up a standard against him’ (ISAI 59:19). And the LORD will open your eyes, saying, ‘Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them’ (2 KING 6:16). Yes, ‘even if a thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; it shall not come near you. ‘Only with your eyes you will behold the reward of the wicked (PSA 91:7/8). You will know ‘if God be for you who can be against you (ROM 8:31). Yes, for ‘you are of God, and have overcome them; because greater is He that is in you, than he in the world’ (1 JOH 4:4). ’Because you have set your love upon Him, therefore He will deliver you. He will set you on high, because you know His name’ (PSA 91:14). Hallelujah.

That name is the name above all names - Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Hallelujah. The one who, willingly, gave His life for you and for me. Yes, ‘every knee will have to bow down, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth’ (PHIL 2:10). And ‘every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is LORD’ (PHIL 2:11). Yes friends, you cannot be saved in any other name (ACTS 4:12). There is only one way to - It is Jesus Christ. Yes, there is only one way to heaven. And it is through Jesus Christ. Yes, The LORD himself said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life (JOH 14:6). Yes, ‘He is the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD of LORDS’ (REV 19:16). ‘He is the KING eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God’ (1 TIM 1:17) to whom honour and glory belongs for ever and ever. This great God – Jesus Christ – will guide you on your journey. Fear not. Just praise God and arise and eat for the journey is too great for you. For this day will He begin to magnify you (JOSH 3:7), for thus says the Word ‘Behold, I make a covenant; before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, not in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD; (EX 34:10). ‘For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us’ (2 COR 1:20),

‘Now unto Him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the Only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever, Amen.’ (JUDE 25).