There’s a story in 1 Kings chapter 18 that I want to share with you today. First, to just give you some context, I’ll be talking a little bit before I get to the actual reading of the scripture. But if you could just lean in because I’m going to tell you something and share something with you that I don’t want you to forget. I don’t want you to forget it throughout this year and into the future—some parallels between this text and things that are going on in our world right now.

## Context: The Nation of Israel

To give you context for what I’m about to share and read, the nation of Israel was a divided nation. They had been taken over by people who hated the God of Israel and were worshiping Baal.

Now, Baal worship was not your typical religion. It was not like Islam or Judaism or Christianity. It wasn’t like that. Baal was—listen carefully—it was a thrown-together variety of mystical, theoretical, strange beliefs conjured up, thrown together, and then followed religiously, demanding devotion.

The main effect of Baal worship—it was idol worship, but many different kinds of idols entered into the equation. But the main effect was to create chaos and darkness and evil against world order. And anyone who didn’t go along with it, with the beliefs and the ideology—kings and politicians were caught up in it.

And remember, these had come out of Israel, so Yahweh would have been the Lord and Jehovah had been the Lord. But now through time they were looking for something else. They were seduced by the trends and the ideas of that kind of—it caught on and you just kind of could see in Israel how it just swept through the nation.

And so these kings and politicians that get caught up in it, they socialized with what I call the disruptors and they appointed unqualified people to positions of power who were big on Baal. Like just big on Baal.

And in fact, this is when you’ve heard the name—whether you know your Bible or not, you’ve heard it even in slang—but the name Jezebel. Like people refer, “She’s a Jezebel.” Well, there was an evil woman in the Bible in 1 Kings whose name was Jezebel.

Jezebel had no credentials to be in any level of authority. She had no reason to be in charge. But through all of this crazy havoc, she came into power. And then she wreaked havoc on the nation of Israel and it was a bloodbath. I mean, she did what she wanted and people like her did what they wanted without restraint.

## The Spirit of Baal Today

And I’m telling you this way because there’s been a spirit of Baal loosed on our world—strange, theoretical, deceptive, mystical beliefs that have been conjured up and just thrown together. Marxism, wokeism, intersectionality, critical race theory—I could go on, but I think you get the idea—all assigned to create chaos and darkness and confusion and evil, all assigned basically by the spirit of darkness to disrupt order: civil order, family order, financial order.

And this spirit propagates, creates chaos and devastation in people’s lives. So that’s the snapshot I wanted to give you of what was going on in scripture, 1 Kings 18.

But on top of all that, there was a severe famine in the land that lasted almost four years. Are you still with me? Everybody following?

And Elijah, a prophet of God, visited the king whose name was Ahab. And he said to him, he said, “I hear the sound of an abundance of rain.”

Now, there were no clouds in the sky. The ground was dry. It was parched. No real rain for weeks, months, years. But here Elijah was forecasting rain.

## Start Forecasting Favor

And I want to encourage you today, even if you don’t see any evidence of favor coming, to get started right now forecasting favor. Get started right now forecasting favor in your life for 2025.

When Sheila and I moved to the Northwest, we were just kids—early 20s—and our congregation was small, so was our budget. And so as a treat, one of our favorite things to do was to eat at restaurants on the water. We both grew up in the Midwest and we were fascinated by the beauty of the Northwest and the ocean water. And so getting to go to a waterfront restaurant, that’s pretty special. Still is.

But the only problem was that we couldn’t afford to actually eat there. So we would go to the patio and we would share a dessert. And sometimes we would invite another couple along if they agreed to share dessert with us. And we did that a number of times and we would laugh at ourselves as we would even suggest the idea of doing it. But we would do it and then we would have fun and laugh as, you know, the tray of steak and seafood, the waiter would bring them by. And here we are trying to make that dessert last as long as it could.

And I remember, you know, I would say to her, “Someday. Someday we’re going to have a meal here.”

And I look back now and remember those moments and those days when I was just forecasting favor. “It’s not always going to be like this.”

And you know what? I’m still forecasting favor. I said I’m still forecasting favor.

When we ran out of room in a building, I was forecasting favor that we’re going to have a bigger building. Here we are. I was forecasting favor that we’re going to have more than one location. And now we got a location in DuPont, we got a location in Bellevue. It didn’t just—it didn’t just happen by itself. There’s a group of us that are forecasting favor way back there and believing God: “You’re going to help us to have land and buildings and resources and be able to spread the gospel in our city and our community.”

Now here we are over in Yakima, over on the east side, and we’re digging, we’re turning the dirt over, and we’re forecasting favor in Yakima. We’re forecasting a new building is going to be there for the glory of God over on the east side. I can hear Yakima all yelling right now, making some noise because we’re forecasting and speaking favor over West Valley. Amen.

## The Standoff on Mount Carmel

Okay, let me get back because I haven’t even got to my verse yet. Did you notice that the conflict that I was describing from Baal worshipers and God’s people—well, there was finally a standoff, is what happened, on Mount Carmel. You can read about this in 1 Kings 18 between Elijah and 450 prophets of Baal. And it was a standoff to see whose God was really God, who God would really speak.

And it didn’t end well for Baal. It didn’t end well for Baal’s followers. And it broke—here’s what it did—it broke the spirit of Baal and deception off of the people’s minds. And God’s people turned back to God.

And you can read about it. It was powerful. It’s like when this thing really broke, it broke. And when it was over, it was over. And the people who had run after the mythology and run after all of the tendencies and culture and, you know, social ideas and all of that—when that thing broke, it broke. And people started running back to God and they started—God’s people started repenting.

## 1 Kings 18:39-45

And so I want to read now—we’re going to get to where I want to read. Verse 39, 1 Kings 18. It says:

“When the people saw it, they fell to their faces on the ground shouting, ‘Jehovah is God! Jehovah is God!’ And then Elijah told them to grab the prophets of Baal. ‘Don’t let a single one escape,’ he commanded. They seized them. Elijah took them to the brook, killed them there. ‘No more. This is not going to be going on.'”

Elijah said to Ahab, “Go and enjoy”—so he turns to the king Ahab and he says—”Go and enjoy a good meal because I hear a storm, a mighty rain.”

And so Ahab prepared a feast and Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and got down on his knees with his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “I’m going to pray”—everybody shout “pray”—”So while I pray, you go look. And you go look out toward the sea.”

And he did. Gehazi was his name. And he returned to Elijah and he told him, “I don’t see anything, boss. I don’t see anything. There ain’t nothing out there.”

And Elijah, being a man of faith, forecasting favor, he said, “Go again.”

And Gehazi came back. Same report. “Not seeing anything, boss.”

And Gehazi put his head back down between his knees and he kept praying. This happened seven times.

Finally, on the seventh time—you know, whether the servant was just tired of running and decided he was going to see things in the faith realm or whether it was really there, I don’t know. But the bottom line is he came back with a good report. And he said, “I saw a little cloud. It’s about the size of a man’s hand”—almost like, “Don’t get too excited. It’s not like a big storm coming. Like, I just saw a little cloud, size of a man’s hand, rising up from the sea.”

Elijah, on the other hand, he’s pumped now. He shouts out, he says, “Now hurry up and go tell Ahab and tell him to get in his chariot, get down the mountain or he’ll be stopped by the rain!”

Somebody say “get ready.” Look at your neighbor and say “get ready for favor.” Tell your other neighbor “get ready for favor.” Say “it’s coming.” Come on, tell somebody “it’s coming.” I’m not joking with you. “It’s coming.”

Tell Gehazi, tell the king—like get going, get moving. Something new is happening. Power, Baal has been broken off the nation. People are returning to God. The weather forecast is changing. Things we’ve been praying for are on the horizon. Things we’ve been believing for—I can see a little bit of it starting to happen.

Come on, is anybody in the house with me today who says, “I see a little bit of something going on”?

## Psalm 5:12

Psalm 5, and verse 12. The psalmist says this. Says, “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous. You surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

Such confidence here from that writer. Like he doesn’t say “sometimes, Lord” or “maybe, Lord.” He’s like, “Surely, Lord, one thing I know—you bless. You bless your people. One thing I know, God, is that you surround them. You surround us with your favor.”

What’s he doing here? He’s forecasting favor—that favor is surrounding my life.

## Three Reasons We’re Entering a Season of Uncommon Favor

Last week I shared three reasons why I believe that we’re entering a season of uncommon favor—a year where we can expect to see things that I call what I call upside down turned right side up. Everybody say “right side up.”

And one of the things I said, if you remember, is a huge transfer of wealth—largest one ever in history—is happening over the next 20 years.

The second thing I said is a major power shift is underway in media, entertainment, music, movies, government, everywhere.

And the third one is—and I’m just telling you as I sense it and see it—is that a lot of the professional guard of government, and this can happen in any occupation, by the way—they get redundant about your job and you forget why you do what you do. A pastor can do that. A doctor can do that. Sometimes you go to a doctor and a doctor, he’s seen so many patients now and you might have a serious illness, but you can tell you’re just another number for them. They’ve been doing this so long, they try to be nice, but really they’re just in a routine.

And something’s happening in government right now where ordinary people are starting to move into positions of government and people who have been in government are being replaced by people who have a real concern to serve other people, to serve the nation, and to serve the well-being of families and households and to see nations—not just the US, but nations of the world—like to see things stirred up and get back to knowing why we’re here and doing what we’re doing. I’m talking about government level.

So government for the people—that’s a third thing that I cited—is that there’s a shift happening.

## Five Things in the Year of the Lord’s Favor

And parallel that with the five things that happened in the year of the Lord’s favor I talked about last week. And that is that:
1. Debt gets cancelled
2. Captives are set free
3. What’s been lost is recovered
4. What’s been broken is restored
5. Many who had left return

Can anybody handle a little Jubilee happening—come on—in 2025? Could anybody get a little bit excited about Jubilee happening in your home, in your house, in your marriage, in your finances, in your church, in your nation?

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

Well, this is what we’re forecasting over our lives this year. You look at these things and this is where we’re starting. I feel like the Lord really gave me this to say these things and talk about these things at the outset of this year. And that’s why I said earlier, I want you to listen carefully. I want you to write some of this down. I want you to take this in.

Because forecasting favor doesn’t mean everything’s going to be easy. Just because you have a favor in front of you doesn’t mean you also don’t have adversity and challenges, difficulty, opposition. How many of you know that not only is God real, but so is the devil? And the enemy is fighting against everything that is good and that God sends and that God wants to do in your life right now.

You’ve got an enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He doesn’t want you to experience God’s plan and God’s best for your life and for your future.

But I really feel like God said, “Share this with the church and let’s go this direction with this this year. And let’s not just take this in a casual way. Let’s get serious about a year of recovering what the enemy has stolen from us.”

## A Year of Freedom

I’m talking about a year of freedom from mental, emotional, spiritual bondage—bondage of fear broken off of people’s lives, worry, bondage of negativity.

There’s people right now, you’re in one of our spaces, one of our rooms right now, and you have a bondage of negativity. Good things can happen to you and rather than celebrating it, you’re like, “Well, I just don’t know though that I want to get too excited about it because, you know, you got another—”

We sang that song today about miracles, open doors, another one’s on the way. Well, there’s some people who are like, “Troubles and problems, another one’s on the way. Struggles, opposition, friends breaking up with me, another one’s on the way. I can’t trust nobody anymore. It’s just another heartbreak is on the way.”

And God wants to set you free from that. Come on. I said God wants to set you free.

There’s some people who struggle with anxiety and God wants to free you from that stress and that anxiety. It’s rooted in false beliefs and deceptions, and God wants to bring freedom to your life.

God wants to bring freedom in our lives from confusion. There’s been way too much confusion that’s got loosed in the world where people are—they’re confused about like the simplest of things. A boy is a boy. A girl is a girl.

“Well, I’m just confused.” Be free. Get set free. There is no other gender. It doesn’t matter what Facebook says or whatever. Like God wants to bring again to our nation, to your life—he wants to set us free and give us clarity.

Proclaim this a year of getting back to common sense. Oh, come on, clap your hands for a little common sense. Bring on the common sense.

A year of returning to God, year of returning to God’s ways, returning to God’s house, a year of returning to God’s plan.

I’m proclaiming on behalf of people—some of you today and maybe it’s your friends, your sons, your daughters—just a year where the drifting ends. You know the drift that started back there somewhere and now you’re not where you once were in your relationship with God. You’re just like a piece of wood drifting out on the lake. A speedboat comes by, it pushes the board over here, and you know, something else happens and the board’s over here and you never know where it’s going to—there’s a lot of people, your lives are like that.

And I’m declaring this year, I’m forecasting favor that will stabilize you, that will bring you back to a place where you are anchored in the things of God, your faith in God, your confidence in God. Come on, you will know where your strength is coming from—that you are a child of God.

## A Year of Financial Growth

I’m proclaiming a year of financial growth and progress. I’m going to say that again: a year of financial growth and progress, a year of getting past the setback, a year of harvest, a year of good returns.

If you’re not in alignment with God’s plan for you financially, come on, get ready. Get that giving plan going. Get that tithing habit going. Get back into the flow of what God’s word teaches and get ready. Somebody shout “get ready.” Come on, get ready. Get ready.

Do what Jacob did when Jacob was—I read it to you today in Book of Genesis—when he said, “God, of all that you give me, I’ll give you a tenth.” Well, he was right in that point of his life—he didn’t have anything. Some of you right now, you’re like, “I’m—what do you have to lose?” “Well, I can’t afford to tithe.” No, you can’t afford not to tithe.

What do you have to lose to start honoring God with the first part of all of your increase and to just say, “God, of everything you give me, every $10 you give me, I’m going to give you a dollar”? And then just keep doing that for every 10 God gives you.

And what are you saying, Pastor Kevin? I’m saying I believe that this year some of you are going to experience a year of financial favor and I want to encourage you—just get ready for it. Just get ready for it.

God is going to open up the windows of heaven in new, unique, and special ways over people’s lives. And he’s going to surprise some of you who have been in a position where you felt locked down, you felt like you couldn’t find a way forward. And this is a year of the Lord’s favor. This is a time where heavens are opening up and things are shifting and changing in the spiritual first of all, but then in the natural. And God’s going to do some things that will surprise you.

I’m believing that God’s bringing people into some of your lives right now that is the door opener for you—that some of you have been standing outside a door and you’ve been banging on it and knocking on it and praying for it to open. And somebody—God’s going to send somebody—and all of a sudden they’re just going to turn that knob. That door is going to open. You’re going to find yourself in a brand new position. You’re going to find yourself in a brand new opportunity. You’re going to find yourself in a brand new role.

Come on, you’re going to find yourself experiencing favor. Oh man, I think some of you need to get more excited!

Yeah! Forecasting favor. Forecasting favor. Get ready for it.

## Get in Alignment

I mentioned, you know, getting ready and getting in alignment. It’s kind of like with your body—if your body is out of alignment, you go to the chiropractor and they’ll tell you, you know, “This is causing you other issues—your organs, your kidneys, whatever—just because you need to get lined up here. You’re out of alignment and things go whacko.”

And hear me when I tell you this: Some people are like, “Well, if God—if God wants to bless me, God will bless me.” Well, God does want to bless you, so there’s no if about that. But we have a responsibility to get our lives and our actions and our choices in alignment with the teaching of God’s word and to prepare ourselves for what God has in mind for us.

You can’t just keep hitting your car on the curb, bumping into the curb with your wheels, and then expect the car just to go down the road straight. No, it’s out of alignment. And a lot of our lives right now—you love the Lord, maybe you come to church, I don’t know your personal condition—but I believe the Lord is speaking to us to say, “Get in alignment with my word and get ready. Get in alignment and get ready.”

Don’t take these 14 days for granted. If you haven’t fasted a meal yet, fast a meal. Fast a day. If you haven’t joined in with the group prayer at your location, check it out—when is it?—and pop in and go and be a part of the meetings and the prayer meetings that are going on right now.

7:14 a.m., 7:14 p.m., have that alarm set. 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people that are called by my name will humble themselves, seek my face, pray, then will I hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin. I will heal their land.”

Let the alarm go off. And you know, our alarm went off the other night in the evening and Sheila and I were in the same room and she started praying, you know, “Kingdom come, will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven.” And I’m thinking, “I’m thinking amen, glory. I’ll catch up with her in a minute.” She’s so fast, she’s so quick. We’re just praying.

And then but then I remembered, you know what the one thing I want to pray for—and I’m encouraging everybody else—is speak favor. So not just “Kingdom come,” “Favor of God, come”—come on my life, come on my family, come on my marriage, favor of God. We declare, we proclaim that the favor of God is coming. Come on, the favor of God is coming on my finances.

Can you clap your hands to the Lord right now and thank him because he is a God—come on—he is a God of good things, a God of favor?

## Prayer

Stand to your feet if you would at every location. I want to pray over you. I want to bless you. If you receive it, just put your hands up in the air. Nobody move, nobody leave. Just put your hands up in the air.

I declare that this will be a fresh season of God’s favor in your life and in our church. And I believe that God’s going to give us favor in our families, favor at work, favor with the boss, favor with the colleagues, the coworkers, favor with new opportunities, favor with increase, abundance, that there’s going to be right people—somebody say “right people,” somebody say amen—God, right people coming into our life.

Favor over our health. I pray in Jesus’ name favor over our body. I pray for strength. I pray for health. I pray freedom from chronic pain and freedom from addiction and every force that is trying to stop us. I pray freedom from confusion. And may the peace of God that passes all understanding fill our hearts, our lives.

I declare we’re experiencing a fresh season of God’s favor in 2025.

If you believe it, will you just celebrate it? Will you just celebrate it? Come on, will you celebrate it, church? Will you celebrate it? Come on, will you clap your hands? In Bellevue, clap your hands. In Yakima, come on, clap your hands if you will. Thank you, Jesus.

*”Miracle after miracle, open door after open door, here it comes, so get ready for another one, ’cause another one is on the way.”*

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Thank you, Jesus.

How about if you’re here today at any of our locations and you’re in a position where you’ve been talking about getting right with God, but you know you’re not right with God? You’ve said, “God, I’m going to turn my life over to you,” and you just keep on putting it off. Or maybe you’re one of those people who you’ve never made a move like this before in your life, but God has drawn you and you know it.

How about right now on this Sunday morning—second Sunday of a brand new year—how about you pray a prayer with me? We call it the prayer of new beginnings, prayer of salvation, and invite Jesus to be the leader and the Lord of your life.

Anybody here ready for that? Anybody in Yakima ready for that? Anybody in any of the locations ready for that? I just want you right now, if that’s you, sir, boldly raise your hand and say, “Count me in. Count me in. That prayer, I’m going to pray this with you, Pastor Kevin. I’m going to pray this. I need a new beginning.” Good, good, good, good, good, good. “I need a new beginning.” Good, good, good, good. Raise that hand. Come on, raise that hand up high.

And now say this out loud. Say:

“Lord Jesus, I belong to you. My heart, my mind, my life is your property. Yours. Forgive me of every sin. Forgive me. Come into my life and make me a brand new person. I’m believing you now for favor upon favor, blessing upon blessing, good things to come in my life and my future. I’ll never be the same again, in Jesus’ name.”

I welcome you to a brand new beginning. I welcome you to the family. Come on, church, let’s celebrate!