Newsletters

Unable to be Able
(The Forge Newsletter_January_2013)

7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 "Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food." …. 12 "As surely as the Lord your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." (1 Kings 17:7-12)

1. Drought leads us on to the next place
Why didn't God supply supernaturally the water as he provided bread and meat for Elijah? When God doesn't provided our provisions as he did before, it means that he wants us to move on to the next phase spiritually or even geographically. It is not right just to pray for rain but we need to listen to his heart in order to pursue his purposes. He may want us to dig ditches on the dried stream like Elisha told the people (2Kings 3:16) or move to Zarephath(צָרְפַת refinement). When we move on to a right place, which is quite often an unlikeable place, God refines and deepens us there for our next battle. (After this, Elijah encountered the widow's son's death and resurrection and Mt Carmel's battle.)

2. Receiving is giving and giving is receiving
Elijah went to Zarephath to be provided for by the widow but eventually the widow was provided for through Elijah. Sometimes God changes our roles. The receiver actually is giving the blessing of God and the giver actually is receiving it too.

3. God enables the unable to be able
God probably wanted to save the widow and her son, so he sent Elijah who had nothing except an empty stomach and was UNABLE to save them. But God told Elijah to go to the widow to be saved, even though she was UNABLE to provide food. Often God provides for our needs through unlikeable people and unlikely amounts, like the boy who gave two fish and five loaves and five thousand men were fed. On the other hand, it looks like God wants me to give away my last portion, when God sends me someone to provide what I need, as the widow had to give away her last portion of flour and oil.

4. God sends us to the unlikeable person to receive and to give
When we face the real situation and meet the unlikeable person, quite often we think, “Has God told me a lie or Have I misheard?” But we need to trust and obey God according to what we hear from him. Unless we pursue him with trust and obedience, we will miss him or her.

5. We can hear his heartbeat and give away, when we overcome our desperation
When Elijah went to Zarephath, the widow seemed that she hadn't been instructed by God about Elijah. Also she didn't have anything to supply what Elijah needed, rather she was ready to die. God said to Elijah that he had directed her to supply him with food, but she didn't realise that at all. Sometimes we don't know we are told from God to provide Elijah's need, because of our own desperate situation. Therefore we need to listen carefully beyond our own desperate situation. If we are ready to die, we may give away even our last portion.

[ Prayer & Intercession ]

God will destroy in order to build and plant
Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." (Joshua 5:13-14)

God is not on the side of institutional church or secular government but he is on his own side. He is not on the side of right or left but he has his own way. Recently several nations had elections and they now have new or re-elected leaders. Therefore many people are expecting a new bright future for their country, but reality is very different from their expectations.

There are new-elected leaders: the French president, the Egyptian president, the South Korean president; and re-elected leaders: the American president, the Venezuelan president, the Israeli prime-minister, etc.. Although the North Korean president is new, he is the successor of the previous one. Whether they are new or re-elected, there is no hope if the evil in their land is not destroyed by the sword of the Lord's Word. As we have heard and seen, many of these leaders are clearly against God and in agreement with the spirit of darkness, which determines their approach to issues such as same-sex marriage, sex education, abortion, divorce, etc..

“See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." (Jeremiah 1:10)

“The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfilment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.” (2Chronicles 36:21)

I do believe that God is going to destroy lands, in order to give the lands rest, and build and plant something new, if we do not repent and return to God. God wants our inner “lands” to be ruined (humbled and broken) so that he may renew our external lands, or as he did to Israel he will destroy our external lands so that our inner lands may be ruined, and in the end he will renew both lands, internal and external.

[ Prayer & News Update ]

6. The FORGE School of Faith – 2

We sensed last June, 2012 that God wanted us to launch the first school, in order to lay a faith foundation and redeem and restore the inheritance of Rees Howells. We had a wonderful time for two weeks at The FORGE School in Wales. It was beyond our expectation. (4 attendees' testimony video clip) God brought everything into a beautiful and wonderful picture of a new movement of God. God has envisioned, encouraged, challenged, healed and united us as the family of God. We foretasted a little of his full picture of a movement with a lifestyle of community, worship and intercession. Thank you so much for your prayers, gifts and participation in various ways.

“A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.” (Genesis 2:10) A few weeks ago, God really encouraged me through this scripture to extend this school to go out to the nations from Wales. Therefore we are going to hold 'The Forge School of Faith-2' for TWO WEEKS in Wales and for TWO WEEKS in the Middle East; an exciting opportunity.

Faith & Finance for Others
In order to cover expenses, and give everyone an opportunity to exercise our faith and provide not only for our own needs but also for others! We are asking everyone who wants to come, including members of the Forge Team, to contribute. (There may be fasting.)

Shalom Love!

Qday LEE
on behalf of the Forge team

12 Ropewalk Road, Llanelli, SA15 2AL, UK
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www.theforgewales.org.uk