Focus: Go Again and Again! (Pt.1)

Text: 1Kgs.18:43

"And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, GO AGAIN SEVEN TIMES."

For there is a sound of the abundance of rain, but Elijah's servant went out and checked out the weather, and he returned to his master with a negative weather report. 

He said to Elijah, "There is nothing." In other words, 'I see no sign of rain. What I saw did not in any way tally with your declaration of an imminent rain.' It was in that instant that Elijah said to him, "Go again seven times." Six times, he returned with the same negative report, "There is nothing." Then, he came back the seventh time with a different report. He says, "Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand" (1Kgs.18:44). Now he saw something - from nothing to something, and from no sign of rain to a sign of it. Elijah asked Ahab to get home fast to avoid the rain falling on him. The Scripture declares, "And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel" (1Kgs.18:45). What a prophetic word from Elijah! What a divine providence! What a God! From no sign of rain to a heavy downpour just in a matter of moments. From a prophetic momentum to a prophetic fulfillment.

Let us pick one point out from this story, which is that success is not automatic. It is a vital point that we need to stress and emphasize.

Success requires being confident, consistent and persistent in whatever you do. Faith in God is a fundamental to being successful in any field of endeavor or pursuit.

You are not a failure for having failed many times. A person is only a failure if he fails to keep trying until he succeeds. Success may not be immediate, but it finally comes if you persevere. There is a seventh time effort. There is always a seventh time step of faith that yields the kind of result that shatters your records of failure. What Elijah said to his servant, I say to you now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, "Go again seven times." Keep going until you succeed! Keep making efforts until your efforts translate into success. Keep taking those steps of faith until you see the divine sign of rain, of the size of a man's hand. Keep working and taking giant steps until prophetic declaration becomes prophetic demonstration. "Go again seven times." 

Seven is a perfect number in the Scripture of truth. It is a complete number. Don't stop until you succeed. Don't stop believing until you succeed. Don't stop obeying the leading of the Spirit until you start seeing the signs of success. The Lord Jesus Christ tells His disciples, "Keep asking, and you will receive. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door shall be opened to you." 

It's a continuous action. It's a persistent and persevering prayer. It is total effort, not partial commitment, that yields the effects of success.

One more lesson is that nothing is as sweet as succeeding in life and in whatever you do.

Success is sure when God is behind it. Success is guaranteed when God's glory is the goal of it. Another has said that "success is certain when the Lord has promised it." Israel witnessed the sound of an abundance of rain, and so will you. God has empowered you for success, and nothing will stop you from being successful in your corner of the world. "Go again seven times."

by Bishop Moses E. Peter