As Jesus was entering Jericho, he gave a blind man the ability to see.

The keys to receiving a miracle...

1. SEIZE THE MOMENT

- The blind man called out to Jesus as the "Son of David" 

2. TAME YOUR FEAR

- You cannot have fear and faith

- Jesus cares about us all of the same

3. ANNOUNCE YOUR FAITH

- Jesus stopped for the blind man. Bold, persistent faith gets the attention of Jesus

- Jesus asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus already knew he was blind. He asked the question to teach the blind man that he needed to announce his needs

- The blind man said, "LORD, I want to see" 

4. RECEIVE YOUR MIRACLE

- Jesus said, "Receive your sight, your faith has healed you." Jesus restored his sight

5. TAKE THE NEXT STEP

- The man now follows Jesus. When you receive your miracle, continue to follow Jesus. If you only follow Jesus for what he does, you are not a true believer. You have to follow Jesus for who he is

- Never stop giving the LORD thanks for what He does

When you are sinking...

1. You can't see your way

2. You feel you are on your own 

3. You feel you are out of your comfort zone

4. Strong forces are against you

5. You are struggling but failing

... What does Jesus do?

1. He prays for you before it happens

2. He notices your struggle

3. He comes at your moment of desperation

4. He shows you His true identity

What should you do when you are sinking?

1. Have courage because Jesus is with you - moving forward despite of the fear

2. Take a risk in faith - It is safer to be where Jesus is in the storm than in the safety of a boat without Jesus

3. Stay focused on Jesus - or else you will sink. There will always be critics telling you what you can or cannot do, but keep your eyes on Jesus or else fear would creep in

4. Don't doubt - believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts. Never negotiate with the devil, go to the bible

5. Praise God - give him thanks

Elijah was a prophet in the time of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. King Ahab worshipped the false God, Ba'al and put a bounty out to kill Elijah. 

These are the phases of his faith:

1. Kerith: The RAVINE

God hides Elijah in this ravine but the ravine dries up because there was no rain in the land. Why does God let our brooks dry up?

- To keep you from DEPENDING on the brook. You don't know God is all you need until God is all you have

- To move you to a BETTER PLACE

- To prove that God has not FORGOTTEN YOU. When you feel like your situation isn't changinv, God still cares about you

2. Journey North: The ROAD OF UNCERTAINTY

God wantes Elijah to go back to Queen Jezebel's hometown, Zarephath and meet a widow there. Why? We have to remember that...

- The path to a miracle is always through UNCOMFORTABLE TERRITORY

- The source of a miracle is often UNEXPECTED

- The pattern for a miracle is COMMAND, PROMISE, RISK. Elijah had to have faith to go back 

3. Zarephath: THE REFINERY OF DIFFICULTY

When Elijah went to Zarephath, the widow was there and he asked for water and bread. She did not have enough food. Elijah said, "Do not be afraid" and told the widow to still make a bread for him and then for herself and her son. The Lord said her jar of flour and jug of oil will never run out. She made bread every day and the food never ran out. 

Over time, her son grew sick and died. Elijah took the sick boy and stretched himself three times, crying to the LORD. The boy 's life returned to him. We don't believe in miracles today, but we should consider this...

- Miracles are not as much about US as they are about GOD

- Your STARTING POINT matters. Don't start off complaining about your pain. Don't worship God for what He does, you should worship God for who He is

- Everything in the universe is either CAUSED by God or ALLOWED by God, no third category. Evil wants to destroy us, but God who causes and allows can also change things for us. All we have to do is ask for these miracles. 

Verse: 1 Kings 17:1