Elijah - Leader Kit: Faith and Fire

Old Testament heroes are best known for their most celebrated moments: Moses dividing the Red Sea; David slaying Goliath; Gideon routing an insurmountable army; Joshua marching around the defiant walls of Jericho.

And Elijah--calling down fire on Mount Carmel.

Blinded by the remarkable narratives of our biblical heroes, we can forget they each had a backstory--months and years of development, even difficulty, which fortified their spiritual muscle and prepared them for the tasks that made their lives unforgettable.

Every serious believer longs to summon up the kind of boldness and faith that can stand firm on Mount Carmel and pray down heaven into impossible situations. Yet few are willing to go through the process required to get them there. Strength of faith, character, and boldness can only be shaped in the hidden fires of silence, sameness, solitude, and adversity. Those who patiently wait on God in the darkness emerge with their holy loyalty cemented, their courage emblazoned, and their confident belief in Him set afire.

Join Priscilla Shirer on this 7-session journey through the life and times of the prophet Elijah to discover how the fire on Mount Carmel was forged in the valley of famine. And how the emboldened, fiery faith you desire is being fashioned by God in your life right now.

Leader Kit Includes:

• One Bible study book with personal study segments to complete between 7 weeks of group sessions and a leader guide to lead discussion within small groups
• 2 DVDs with enriching teaching videos, approximately 30-40 minutes per session
• Card with 3 additional digital downloads of teaching videos

• Understand the value of seasons of growth and testing in your spiritual maturity.
• Be encouraged to wait on God's good work in your heart and mind, even in seasons when you feel like no one sees.
• Learn to trust in the goodness and faithfulness of God and His purposes for your life.

Video Sessions:

• Week 1: The Start of a Process (33:17)--In this first session, Priscilla introduces us to Elijah, a man of fiery faith. We often consider the exciting chapters of Elijah's story and the great things God did through his life. But before his courageous cry on Mt. Carmel, God took Elijah through a process of sometimes painful growth. In seasons, God does the same with each and every one of His children, so we can be used to bring glory to Him in this generation.

• Week 2: Preparation by Separation (37:11)--As we journey with Elijah to the brook at Cherith, Priscilla explains that God often initiates new seasons of ministry by calling us to step away from what we have known. While these seasons of separation may seem painful, they often usher us into a deeper relationship with God and show us what it feels like to be cared for by God alone.

• Week 3: Dealing with Deficiency (38:21)--Elijah is on to another challenge, this time with a widow in Zarephath. Priscilla unpacks what the story of this widow and God's intervention in her life have to teach us about dealing with deficiency in our own hearts and homes.

• Week 4: Don't Drop the Ball (29:01)--Priscilla explains the impact Obadiah had as the bridge-builder between King Ahab and Elijah and the way his influence carried forward God's purposes. In a similar way, we are called to carry God's message to the generations to come. When God volleys His will and purposes in our lives, we as a family of faith can't drop the ball.

• Week 5: Inviting the Fire (39:01)--We now join Elijah's story as he stands on the summit of Mount Carmel. As we read about His intentional cry to God and God's faithful response, Priscilla challenges us to walk forward with intentionality, boldness, and prayer in the challenges of life and the kingdom assignments God has for us.

• Week 6: Do You Hear What I Hear? (34:16)--As we read through 1 Kings 18, Priscilla leads us to a deeper understanding of how we can walk by faith and not sight. As we live through difficult circumstances in our own lives and the lives of those around us, we can persevere by asking God to show us the spiritual truths and promises that are as unchanging as God's character.

• Week 7: Faith, Failure, and a Future (13:41)--As we close our study of Elijah, we leave in the middle of his story. Elijah will go on to live, and sadly, many of his later actions fall short of obedience to God. Just as the heroes of the faith like Elijah, the people around us aren't perfect. In fact, they never were meant to be. The faithful men and women of the Bible and in our lives are always meant to point us to Jesus--the only perfect man that's ever lived. With this hope in Christ, we remember that God's not done writing our stories. May we be found faithful witnesses to God's goodness in the next chapter.