Old African Story

Every morning in Africa when the sun comes up, a gazelle awakens and knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion, or it will perish. Every morning in Africa when the sun comes up, a lion awakens and knows that it must run faster then the slowest gazelle, or it will go hungry. It doesn't make any difference if you are the gazelle or a lion. Every morning in Africa when the sun comes up, you had better be running.

My own personal needs and watching the recent events in a Church has forced me to search myself and to ask God for answers.

God has shown me that the answer may lie in the fact that many Christians do not know who they really are. They know who they are as group but do not know themselves as individuals. God has helped me develop some information gathering tools to help identify where the pressure is coming from.

Our Program is designed in the following manner

Bible Based

The pastoral exam

• Helps identify stress in the performance of your ministry

Self Exam

• Helps identify the sources of stress from an internal view. The condition of your thinking is the key

An approach that will transfer knowledge and skills that stay with you for a lifetime.

This is an excerpt from our Stress Seminar Is described in the Old Testament as the "man of God" who reads the signs of the times, who is awake to danger, who warns and admonishes without fear or favor, and who is more ready to call the king to order than to bow the knee in homage. He appears and disappears with dramatic suddenness, and always his presence denotes trouble for the reigning house. His dress is like that of John the Baptist, a cloak of camel hair; his head unshorn. He has an iron constitution--and strong nervous energy. He can out-pace a horse and fast for days on end. There is an air of mystery that surrounds this meteoric character. Throughout the scripture narrative he is a man of action and has a very special and unique relationship with God.

He was known as the "troubler of Israel".

(1 Kings 19 NCV) King Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how Elijah had

killed all the prophets with a sword. {2} So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying,

"May the gods punish me terribly if by this time tomorrow I don't kill you just as you killed

those prophets. {3} When Elijah heard this, he was afraid and ran for his life, taking his

servant with him. When they came to Beersheba Elijah left his servant there. {4} Then Elijah

walked for a whole day into the desert. He sat down under a bush and asked to die. "I

have had enough, LORD," he prayed. "Let me die. I am no better than my ancestors." {5}

Then he lay down under the tree and slept. Suddenly an angel came to him and touched

him. "Get up and eat," the angel said. {6} Elijah saw near his head a loaf baked over

coals and a jar of water, so he ate and drank. Then he went back to sleep. {7} Later the

Lord's angel came to him a second time. The angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat.

If you don't, the journey will be too hard for you."

(8} So Elijah got up and ate and drank. The food made him strong enough to walk for forty

days and nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. {9} There Elijah went into a cave and

stayed all night. Then the LORD spoke his word to him: "Elijah! Why are you here?" {10} He

answered, "LORD God All-powerful, I have always served you as well as I could. But the

people of Israel have broken their agreement with you, destroyed your altars, and killed your

prophets with swords. I am the only prophet left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."

{11} The LORD said to Elijah, "Go, stand in front of me on the mountain, and I will pass by

you." Then a very strong wind blew until it caused the mountains to fall apart and large

rocks to break in front of the LORD. But the LORD was not in the wind. After the

wind, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. {12} After the

earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a

quiet, gentle sound. {13} When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat and went

out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice said to him, "Elijah! Why are you

here?" {14} He answered, "LORD God All-Powerful, I have always served you as well as I

could. But the people of Israel have broken their agreement with you, destroyed your altars,

and killed your prophets with swords. I am the only prophet left, and now they are trying to

kill me, too."

{15} The LORD said to him, "Go back on the road that leads to the desert around

Damascus. Enter that city, and pour olive oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram. {16}

Then pour oil on Jehu son of Nimshi to make him king over Israel. Next, pour oil on Elisha

son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to make him a prophet in your place. {17} Jehu will kill

anyone who escapes from Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes from

Jehu's sword. {18} I have seven thousand people left in Israel who have never bowed

down before Baal and whose mouths have never kissed his idol." {19} So Elijah

left that place and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field with a team of oxen. He

owned twelve teams of oxen and was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah came up to Elisha,

took off his coat, and put it on Elisha.

(1 Ki 19:21 NCV) So Elisha went back and took his pair of oxen and killed them. He used

their wooden yoke for a fire. Then he cooked the meat and gave it to the people. After they

ate it, Elisha left and followed Elijah and became his helper.

Miracles Elijah had been involved in:

Declared a long drought in--------1 Kings 17:1

Multiplies widow's flour and oil--1 Kings 17:7-16

Resurrects widow's son-------------1 Kings 17:17-24

Calls down fire from heaven-------1 Kings 18:1-40

Sends a rain storm-------------------1 Kings 18:41-45

Elijah's ministry begin around 874 BC (Ahab becomes king in 874 BC and Jehoshaphat 873 BC)

But from the words of the queen he becomes afraid.

State of Mind

This was a righteousness man determined to do the work of God.

Righteousness means, in the Bible, not merely right conduct, but right thinking on all subjects, in every department of life. We as human beings have dominion or power over our thoughts to think as we will; and thus, indirectly, we make or break our lives by the way in which we think Jesus constantly told us in the new Testament that we have no direct power over outer things, because these outer things are but consequences, or if you like, resultant pictures of what is inside us. If it were possible for us to affect our environment without changing our thoughts it would mean that we could think one thing and produce another; and this would be contrary to the law of this universe.

The Great Law of the universe, is just this--that what you think in your mind you will produce in your experience. As within, so without. You cannot think one thing and produce another.

Behavior observations:

1. Are dependent on others for direction----- V-3 Jezebel was now giving him direction, she was in charge.

2. Believe in chance, luck, fate, and destiny

3. Blame others for your problems-----V10 God I have served you but Israel disobeys and kills the prophets

4. Worry much of the time----V 4,10,14,

5. Feel empty and shallow----V4 Let me die, I am no better then my ancestors.

6. Lack initiative---His initiative was now gone

7. Eat compulsively

8. Feel helpless---V10,13

9. Experience inadequate intimate relationships V-21

10. Feel demeaned---V4, 10

11. Focus on external factors V4, (View of the Past) Return to the Resource Page


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