What To Do Til The Cloud Shows Up | Shane Britt
by Shane Britt
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: 1 Kings 18:40-46

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/shane-britt--what-to-do-til-the-cloud-shows-up
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
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If you have your Bibles, turn with me. Turn with me to First Kings chapter 18. First Kings chapter 18 and verse number 40. First Kings chapter 18 and verse 40. And Elijah said unto them, "Take the prophet Sabel. Let none of them," somebody say, "none of them." >> None of them escape. And they took them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishan, and slew them there. And Elijah said unto Ahab, "Get thee up, eat, and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain." So Ahab went up to eat and to drink, and Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. He cast himself down upon the earth, put his face between his knees and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." And he went up and looked and said, "There is nothing." Has anybody ever been in that situation before? You prayed and you just didn't see the result that you wanted. And he said, "Go again seven times." And it came to pass on the seventh time that he said, "Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea like a man's hand." And he said, "Go up, and say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not." And it came to pass in the meanwhile that the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain and Ahab rode and went to Jezrael. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezrael. I just want to preach to you from this subject tonight. What to do till the cloud shows up. >> What to do till the cloud shows up. Does anybody feel what I'm already feeling in this house tonight? I feel something going to break through in the Holy Ghost tonight. Hallelujah. If you're going to help me clap your hands under the Lord one more time. Hallelujah, Lord. We need you. We thank you, Lord, for your anointing. We thank you for your word. Bless your people. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You may be seated. If you won't sit down on what God is going to do over the next few moments of time, >> we enter the powerful scene in First Kings chapter 18. A moment of divine confrontation, one of spiritual triumph, one of prophetic persistence after the dramatic showdown on Mount Carmel between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal. We see the demonstration of the supernatural. We see fire fall from heaven, confounding those prophets and those naysayers and all of those that believe false gods. And God would go on record once again that he is God and God all by himself. He is not some junior God. He's not some second person in a fictitional trinity. Uh but he is God and God all by himself. The statement has been made. The verdict has been written and given. And now we see the prophet executing vengeance upon the false prophets that challenged him on that day. And Elijah, according to scripture, would take those prophets of Baal and he would take them down to the brook Keshi where they would be slain. But then on the surface that just seems like some minor occasion, but when you look at the word Kishan, it means winding or twisting stream. That name may only to some reflect geography, but I just believe that it states and it emphasizes a reflection that crooked and false religion and idolatrous thinking must die. It was at this twisted brook that Elijah made a decisive break with deception. The false voices had to die before there would be a manifestation of prophetic utterance where God would break three and a half years of no rain. >> You may say, "Pastor, what what what what are you trying to say?" Let me just make it plain to you Alabama style. Some things must be cut off before spiritual blessings uh from God can be poured out. I said, I've come to tell this great church, uh, we cannot, uh, we cannot walk in rainuh while entertaining bail. Uh, we cannot see the hand of God as long as we're being entertained by false doctrine, false religion. Could I get a witness in this house? I've come to tell somebody, as long as the wrong voices are speaking in your ears, uh, you can't hear what God's trying to say. Be careful when you entertain the wrong voices. >> I'm going to say that again. Be careful when you entertain the wrong voices. The voices I've come to prophesy and preach that say you can't. >> You may be the only one in your family. You may be the first generation to embrace truth uh but I come against the spirit that says uh you can't uh or you're crazy or you won't make it or your family's going to fall. I rise on this Sunday night to freshly remind you that the devil is still a liar and the truth's not in him. Some of you have been fighting all manner of tormenting spirits. But I'm rising on this night to tell you it's time for you to put your foot. It's time for you to put your foot on the neck of the enemy. It's time for you to take a trip to Kishan. >> It's time to say you got to die. >> You've told me your last lie. >> You spoke your last thought into my mind that tells me I'm a failure. There's just some mindsets. >> There's just some thinking. >> There's just some attitudes that's got to die. >> Kishan must become a reality for you. >> It's got to be a place of decision. >> It's got to be a place where you walk to and you say, "As for me in my house, >> we going to serve the Lord." Pastor, as I prayed last night, I felt in the Holy Ghost that there would be pastors, >> pastor's wives, evangelists, >> PKs that felt like throwing in the towel >> when they got to movement. >> But I can tell you what I feel in the Holy Ghost, but what they did not realize that God was escorting them to their personal brook. where they would kill what I call the quits, where we kill the giving up attitude, where we give up and say, "You know what, God? I refuse to quit. I'll get back in that pull pit and preach one more Sunday. I'll teach one more Bible study. >> I'll witness. I'll get the van cranked back up and hit the streets >> instead of throwing in the towel. It's about to become the weapon. You let the devil know I ain't going nowhere. >> See, some of you in the spirit, you done threw the towel in. >> It's a sign of defeat. >> It's a sign of victory for him. But I dare some of you in the Holy Ghost on this Sunday night to say, you know what? It takes everything within me, >> but I'm picking it back up again. Devil, I'm taking a trip. You need to say I'm here and I'm going to settle the score. You see, the devil should have got some of y'all this morning or or Saturday night, but you made it to the sanctuary. You made it to the brook. And you need to let the devil know, I'm here. I feel a rally towel getting into somebody's hand. I'm feeling a liberation in the Some of you are about to get your dance back. Some of you are about to get your song back. You're going to get that desire. Some of you are about to get on your feet again. Some of you are about to say, "Pastor, put me back in the game. Put me back in. I'm ready. You will endure the trial, ma'am. >> You will endure the trial, sir. >> Just take a trip to Brook Keyhot. >> And silence the voices. >> That's what you do >> to the cloud chosen. >> All right. >> That twisted thinking and ungodly influences, they got to die. It was amazing to me as I read the story that once the voices were silent, >> God would speak after the death of negativity. >> All right. >> What happens next is supernatural. Yes. >> The God of heaven who just spoke to him one time to pray a prayer and it locked the heavens up for three and a half years. >> Would open his ears one more time. >> One more time. >> Elijah hears a sound nobody else hears. >> It ain't rained in three and a half years. I just believe that the skies were clear >> and the ground was dry. But when the man of God hears something in the spirit, >> see what I like about a prophet, what I like about Elijah, he doesn't wait for proof to speak. >> He declares by faith what he know is on its way. He declares by faith, I know it's coming. I just have I hear something nobody else may hear. I've come to tell some daddy, you're hearing something tonight nobody else hears. I'm speaking to some young person. You're hearing something. Nobody else is hearing it. But you just know. >> I don't know what God's doing, but I just hear something. >> I feel something. >> I can't I can't put Have you ever said, "I can't put my finger on it. But what I love, brother, brother brother Hammond, he said, "Ahab, you better get ready." >> Yeah, >> not because of what he seen, >> but because of what he hear. >> We're so programmed. If I see it, I'll believe it. What about stepping into a realm of faith where you can still speak faith when the cl when the skies are clear and the ground is dry? >> Can you stand in the face of adversity with skeletons laying all around you from a trip to Kan and say, >> "I prophesy rain into this situation. All I see is drought. All I see is a parched ground. But can you prophesy >> when your when your situation is dry? Here's what I felt today. It's time in the Holy Ghost FAC. It's time visiting pastors, pastor's wives. It's time to get our mouth. They must match our faith. >> When's the last time your mouth matched your faith? >> When's the last time you looked at a mountain and you saw it and you say, "It's time to pack up your It's time to get out of the way." >> When's the last time you spoke what God says about the situation? Oh, even when it hasn't appeared yet, I know you ain't seen him come through the back door yet. But I hear something. I know you hadn't got the miracle diagnosis report where God stepped on the scene and healed your body. But I've come as a as a man of God in this house to tell you, I hear something. I hear something. It's not the normal. It's not what you think. It's better than what you think. I know you may have another round of chemo ahead of you, but I hear something. >> I hear something. >> I hear something. >> What did you do to the cloud shows up? Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel >> and he cast himself down upon the earth >> and put his face between his knees. I feel like I'm preaching to somebody tonight. This is about where you're at. >> Elijah doesn't go to celebrating. He goes to interceding. See, when you hear something, it ought to drive you to your knees in prayer >> because his posture face between knees is one of intense, humble, and desperative prayer. He's not casually asking, but I believe there was a travail that came over Elijah. One that would say, "God, I hear something, but I hadn't seen the manifestation. God, I hear something rumbling. It seems like it's a long way off, >> but I just heard a sound. See, when you hear something, it ought to send us to our knees in prayer. When's the last time you got in a posture of desperation? When's the last time you put your face between your knees, you come by the church when nobody knew you were here? Pastor didn't know you came. leadership team didn't know you came, but some got a hold of you, said, "I just need to come by the church and just walk through the sanctuary. I just Nobody knew I was here, but I just come through and I I'm in desperation mode." Sometimes you got to get in desperation mode. And you got to say, "God, I got to have a breakthrough." You see, when you get to praying and you mix your mouth with your faith that you believe God's going to come through on time, just like he has before, I just believe Elijah got a good baptism of persuasion. Uh that he said, "If I'll pray, uh the cloud's going to eventually appear. If I pray, God's going to show up. If I do what I >> If I do what I know to do, see, sometimes doing what you know to do isn't always fun. >> It ain't always exciting. Sometimes it's just good old faithfulness. >> Coming to midweek Bible study, >> coming to Sunday morning church, >> coming to Sunday night church, coming to prayer meeting, going on visit. Sometimes it's not glamorous and it's not fun. But when you're desperate, >> something on the inside of you says, "If I keep doing this long enough, >> I heard a man tell me not long ago, if you'll do the right things long enough, something good will eventually happen." >> Some of you been faithful for years. Some of you been faithful for months and weeks and God hadn't showed. Don't you quit now, baby. You're just saying square your shoulders. I'm going to stay and pray till the clouds show. You can't run me out of the church. This is where I belong. This is my place. Uh this is where I'll take my family to heaven from. I come against the spirit of backsliding in the name of Jesus. Uh you're just one prayer meeting away. You're just one more time. See, some of you have ran about six times >> and nothing's happened. >> Some of you have sent somebody else to look for you and nothing's happened. >> Come on, preacher. >> But you're on the seventh time. >> I said you're on the seventh time. >> And what you're seeing right now, >> it don't look very big. All right. >> It just looks like a man's hand. >> But I've come to help somebody tonight. >> Just because God promised it >> doesn't mean you don't need to pray it through. >> Elijah heard the rain, prophesied the rain, but still had to pray until the cloud showed up. If they see saints of the most high, don't you stop on the sixth time when God hadn't revealed his hand yet. >> I just believe God's hand is in his pocket wondering, are they willing to go one more time? Are they wi are they willing to pray just one? Are they willing to look when it don't make sense? Are you willing to send that faith out to scan the horizon? >> Are you willing to send your faith out >> and to look when that cloud was revealed after the seventh time it was small? It may look little. It may look little, >> but Pastor Carpenter, it was a small cloud to everybody else. >> But it was a sign >> that a shift had begun. >> Can I tell some mama in this room, some of you have got text messages over the last several days >> from your children? Some of you will get them in days to come. And it may look small to everybody else. It may look small, but that son may call you and say, "Mama, I need you to pray for me." That daughter that's been wewarded and said they'd never come back to a Pentecostal. They may call you and say, "Mama, God's been God's been dealing with me. Uh God's been stirring my heart." And I say to FAC, uh, you're just one prayer meeting. Uh, you're just one prayer away from something so small. Something so small revealing itself. I don't know if y'all do this here, >> but I've got my >> I've got my path of life teacher, minister, man of God here. We got 17 new converts going through path of life. >> You know what? We celebrate small things. >> See, we celebrate going one day without alcohol. We celebrate one week without me. Until you've been a drug addict, until you've been hooked on drugs, you don't understand what it what I went one week without looking at pornography. We about to have a party, baby. We're about to have something because it's in the small. It's in the small when you start seeing little things. When you start seeing small things show up, you better get ready. >> There's a shift happening. >> God's getting ready. >> It's just a small cloud. >> Get your party hat on. >> Get your whistles ready. >> It's a sign. >> And the Lord was Don't despise small beginnings. The small cloud was the start >> of a downfall. >> You mean something so small? Yeah. I just believe this is the way God works. He gives you a glimpse before the flood. And then I thought, you know, did you know the nearest sea to Elijah and his servant was approximately 9 miles away, pastor, what I what I caught in scripture, you may have heard this before, but just act like you ain't never heard it. The posture of prayer was toward what he needed. He said, "I want you to pray toward the sea." >> So when you raise your head, you're looking at the direction of which your miracles go. >> When you put your head between your knees, let your posture be toward what you need. Let your posture be. And that's what Elijah was doing. >> It was 9 miles away. But when you take into consider, somebody better get ready to run around here. When you take in consideration that a storm cloud can move >> 30 to 40 miles per hour >> at that cloud >> that looks so little >> from nine miles away. When a wind from elsewhere gets behind it and starts escorting it to your location, it's only about 15 minutes. It looks small 9 miles away. It looked minute, but what Elijah had a revelation of this three and a half year drought was really only 15 minutes away from being broken. I don't know who I'm preaching to, but some of your prayers, could it be they're only 15 minutes from being? Could it be there's a wind blowing? Could it be there's something's moving, something's shaking? It just looks like the hand of a man. >> It just looks like a cotton ball. >> But oh, you don't know what's in that cotton ball. You don't know what's wrapped up inside of it. >> Your miracle and your breakthrough is closer than you think. >> What you see starting in your life, though small, may be the early sign and signal of rain you've been praying for. What is it? It's nine miles away. I know. But you forgot to calculate the win. You forgot to calculate God's timing. >> You you forgot to calculate God's wisdom. >> You see what you do to the cloud shows up >> is you pray >> when it don't make sense. >> You pray when everybody says, >> "I don't know why you're even praying for that. It ain't never going to happen." >> But see, when you see Amen. >> What I see, >> what you see in the spirit, what I see in the spirit, >> that something happens to the man of God. >> And I feel like that's what's about to happen. >> That the hand of the Lord was on a light >> and he girded up his loins and something got a hold of him. >> I believe Elijah knew, guys, we got to get out of here. Yes, >> we better buckle up. >> What's surprising and amazing all at the same time, they're on a mountain one minute, they're at a brook the next minute, but the brook had to have been dry when they went to slay because they were in a three and a half year drought. But Elijah had enough discernment and perception that God's been holding back this cloud for my prayer. God's been holding back this moment for me to pray and for my servant to to go and witness this. And for the voices that have tried to prevent this from happening and confusing the people, I'm now going to show them my providence and my power. >> Something got a hold of the man of God. Ahab in his chariot. But when he got a revelation of what housed or what was housed in that little cloud, I don't know if you've tried to outrun a chariot lately. I haven't. But the scripture said, >> he outran it. Something got a hold of the man of God that said, "I know what's See, y'all don't understand. I know what's coming." If God wasn't ready to move, if God wasn't ready to break the silence, if God wasn't ready to send a downpour, uh he would have never showed me the cloud. But the cloud was sign enough, uh the cloud was proof enough for me to believe, uh that my day and this trial for this area, it's the trial of your family and the trial of your faith. I feel like stepping on the side uh with the Lord tonight to tell you it's over. >> What you've been fighting is over. >> But what are you willing to do? >> What are you willing to do? If I could have some ushers come up here and help me just stand up here in the front. Some of you just come on up here. All the ushers, you got something? Some of you have got some of these. See, I just need a few bold people that would walk up here and say, "You don't know what I've been through. You don't know." But I'm telling you, in the Holy Ghost, if you had take a cloud, it's just a resemblance of your faith. That's it. Step out of your step out of your seat. There's something about to break in this house. Some of you been waiting and God saying, "Will you step out and will you run ahead because God's getting ready to send down? >> This isn't just a cotton ball. I just wish you would stay up here with me. If you got a cloud, just stay up here with me. Just stay up here with me in the altar. >> You're coming from everywhere. That's it. Make room. Step up here. Just step as close as you can. When you get that cotton ball that represents your breakthrough, when you get that cotton ball that represent the miracle. When you get that cotton ball, it rep it represents direction. Some of you right now, God's getting ready to give you the strength to run ahead. >> You barely been getting by, but God's spirit is about to equip you. And you're not just going to barely get by. You're not going to just barely make it through life, but God's about to equip you with super. I know it's not natural for a man, a human to outrun a chariot that's hooked to a horse. It's not it's not natural. >> But when you're so convinced that the miracle is only about 15 minutes away, >> I'm going to do what I feel. Everybody got your cloud? If you need one, press in. I know we got about 6 or 800 of them. But here's what I feel in the Holy Ghost. I know we don't have much running room. We may have to go up and down, but I'm going to run for you. What you what you hold in your hand, ma'am, is just a cloud. But in this cloud is deliverance, >> direction, provision, >> freedom, >> hope, >> a new outlook on life, a past that's been washed away by the blood of Jesus. You're not the same person that you used to be. You're not the same individual. You're not walking in the same shoes you once walked in. Oh, but when you hold that cloud, you see everything that you need. It represents everything you need. But here's what I'm about to do. At the count of three, I'm just going to run from here to the other side, and I'm going to give you a representation of what I felt. that Elijah did when Ahab was saddling up his horses, getting his chariot ready. I just believe he moved a little too slow for for Elijah. >> I believe Ahab was having a trouble trying to perceive what all the man of God was saying. But Elijah saw more than what he needed to verify >> that God was already beginning to shift. On the count of three, I want you to look at your cloud because it represents you. It represents your need. And as I run from this side to the next, I want you to lift that cloud in the air. And if you feel like leaping, I want you to leap. If you feel like praying in the spirit, I want you to pray in the spirit. But I wish to God there would be a divine release uh that would come over this church. It would send a signal to the gates of hell that they shall not prevail and that you are a child of the king and you. But I feel it. There it is. Would you let that rise in the name of Jesus? One, two, three. That's it. Let that praise go forth. Why don't you connect to somebody? Connect to somebody near you. Maybe they need your hand on their shoulder. Maybe you need to put your hand on their shoulder and say, "You can make it, sir. You can make it, ma'am. I can see the cloud. That's it. Some of you are tapping into it. Why don't you run ahead of where God is positioning you and pointing you? You've been praying for it. Why don't you get excited about it? Why don't you believe him? That's it. Ministry team, that's it. If you need a miracle, I raise your hand up with your clap. If you need family members to come back to God, you got back grandchildren. You got excellent kill. It's just a little clown. I know. Yeah. Heat. with it showing up right now. It's showing up. It's showing up in your family. It's showing up in your finances. It's showing up in your ministry. And I got a new heart, a new mind. And I got the new one now. I got a new thing coming. >> I got a new heart. >> Some of you need to lay your hands on your head. >> You need to say, "My come into agreement." Come into agreement with this world. Heat. Heat. I got a new one now. I got a new I got a new I got a new thing. I got a new thing. I got a new thing. I got a new thing. I got a new thing. I got a new thing. I got a new thing coming. I got a new thing. I got a new >> Some of you are on the edge of a breakthrough right now. Some of you said, "It sounds good. The words have sounded great, but I don't know if it's for me." Let me tell you what you need to do right now. If the voices of negativity are saying you can't, you won't, or you never will, you need to let this altar service become Keshan for you. You need to let this altar service become a brook. What happened to Cesura? When Deborah Deborah would meet Cisora and would put a nail in the temple at Keshan, that old lion voice would be slaughtered and slain. And I just feel like some of your demons from your past that have spoken to your mind, God's getting ready to put a nail into the forehead of every lion's spirit. If God can do it for Deborah, if God can do it all by himself and that old demon of Cesar would be slain, I just wonder if a man or a woman at a brook called Kisha would say enough is enough. I'm slaying it one last time. It'll never rise to its feet again. I'm cutting the neck off of this thing. It'll never speak to feet. It'll never speak to me loud. There's an old well getting ready to spring forth in you. I said there's an old well that's about to spring forth. You're about to pray in the spirit and put principalities and powers and you're about to put the devil on the run. They're getting ready to sing, but I want you to start declaring, "There's a new thing coming for me. There's a new thing coming in my mouth. There's a new thing coming in my family. Uh I'm sick of the old. I'm slaying every voice. Uh and I will rise with newness of life. I declare freedom for my family. I declare freedom for my home. I declare freedom for my daughters. I declare freedom for my sons. I declare what your word has spoken. No matter what I feel or what I see, I declare chain is broke. I'm going to be free. I declare freedom for my Iare. I declare freedom for my daughter. I declare freedom for my son. I never matter what I see. I'm going to be Oh my god. Take that. Take that hand standing beside you if it's appropriate. That's it. Come on, daddy. Come on, daddy. Come on, mother. Come on. Fight. Fight in prayer. Fight in there. Fight for those babies. Fight for that family. I can see some of you feel like worshiping. You ought to just worship God in whatever way you feel. If you feel like leaping, if you feel like shouting, if you feel like running, make a path. Express your confidence in God. I can hear the sound. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. our way. You always found out my way breaking down yesterday. I got a new thing coming. Tell this giant in my face. You're not greater than my faith. That's good me when I say I got a new thing coming. I got a new thing coming. I got a new I got a new fresh and I got a new one now. Got a new thing coming. I got a new heart. I got a new one now. I got a new I got a new rest. I got a new power. I got a new I got I got a new I got a new I got a new day. I got a new thing. I got a new thing. A new building. I got a new thing coming. A new thing's coming. New I can see a cloud everywhere. I can't Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. See it all. Darkness power to the day. Mountains get out of my way. Breaking out of yesterday. I got to do things in my face. You're not greater than my face. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. I can't I no matter what I feel when I see I will be free. Would you lift that cloud up to the sky right now? And would you let that word just settle down in your heart and your mind with your eyes closed? Would you just pray that prayer with me before we dismiss tonight? I receive that word, Lord. Lord, I receive that word. Come on, speak it over your situation. Make it personal, right? I receive that word over my family. I receive that word over a prodal. I receive that word over my miracle. I receive, come on, lift your voice up for just another moment. I receive that word tonight. I receive that word over my situation in Jesus mighty name. And if you believe that it's going to come to pass, would you clap your hands to him and praise him, Lord. We thank you for your word tonight. We thank you for your word tonight.