In First Kings, chapter 18, the Samaritans had been in a great famine. For three and a half years, there had been no rain. The people barely had food; they were barely surviving. The prophet Elijah showed up and said to King Ahab, "I hear the sound of the abundance of rain!" When he said that, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There was no sign of rain at all, yet he chose to believe what he heard in his spirit in spite of what he saw. With his eyes he saw drought, famine and barrenness, but down in his spirit he heard the sound of the abundance of rain.
This is what faith is all about. You've got to believe what you hear in your heart even when what you see is just the opposite. You hear abundance, but you may see lack. You hear health, but you may see sickness. You hear rain, but you may look around and see drought. I'm sure Ahab thought, "Old Elijah, the heat must be getting to him because there's not a cloud in the sky. It's not going to rain."
It's easy to talk yourself out of what God wants to do. God is saying, "There's about to be an abundance of favor in your life. The drought is coming to an end. You're going to see healing, restoration, new opportunities and new growth."
Now don't be like King Ahab and look around, "No, I don't think so." "The medical report is still bad." "My child is still acting up." "I'll never meet the right person." No, why don't you be like Elijah and have a boldness to believe what God has deposited in your heart? Why don't you start declaring, "The rain is coming? Favor is coming. This is my year to bloom, to blossom and flourish!"
Elijah went on top of Mount Carmel. He asked his assistant to go look on the other side of the mountain to see if there's any sign of rain. He put action behind his faith. He was expecting it to change. The assistant came back and said, "No, Elijah. There's not a cloud in the sky. It's not going to rain."
Elijah didn't get discouraged. He didn't think, "Well, I must have heard God wrong." He told him to go back and look again. He went and came back with the same report, "Nothing. No clouds." This happened six times. But on the seventh time, he saw a cloud.
Remember, if you're going to see abundance, you can't let people talk you out of what God has placed in your heart. Don't let words of doubt and discouragement take root. People don't determine your destiny; God does. What you hear in your spirit is more powerful than any negative words that have been spoken over you. If you will listen carefully, you'll hear the sound of abundance, the sound of increase, the sound of new levels. That's the Creator of the universe calling out your seeds of greatness. God does not want you to stay where you are. He's got new levels. Trust Him and know that the rain of His blessing is coming!
"And Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.'" (1 Kings 18:41, NIV)