Go, Rise Up: Five Declarations From God for 2026

Go, Rise Up: Five Declarations From God for 2026 | Kevin GONCALVES PALHEIROS | Efficient Church

Introduction

In the first part of the series "Go hide, rise up, present yourself," we saw Elijah hidden by the brook Kerith: formation, being set apart, dying to self. Kevin Goncalves Palheiros continues the message with the prophet's second stage: "Rise up, go to Zarephath." The passage is 1 Kings 17:8-16, Elijah's encounter with the widow of Zarephath. But the pastor chooses to share the message as declarations for 2026, prophetic words to take hold of by faith. Five words to place over your life for the year ahead: mission, the Word, sanctification, fasting and prayer, an answered heart. You cannot rise up for Zarephath if you haven't first been hidden. And you cannot present yourself at Carmel without passing through the miracle of the flour and the oil.

Outline

1. In 2026, God will need a man or a woman for a great mission

God always calls someone when he has a great mission to accomplish. He could have delivered Israel from heaven; he chose to call Moses.
Moses went through three phases: doubt ("Who am I to go to Pharaoh?"), withdrawal and formation in the desert, then action.
You will be called in 2026 to a great mission, sized for you, in your own service. Serving God isn't reserved for pastors, elders, or leaders: every child of God is a servant.
Don't evaluate yourself negatively. God's answer to Moses still stands for you: "I will be with you" (Exodus 3:12).
The great mission Jesus entrusted to us includes laying hands on the sick so they may be healed and casting out demons in his name (Mark 16:17-18). That power already rests in you through the Holy Spirit.

2. In 2026, you will lean on his Word to prosper in your undertakings

When God calls Joshua after Moses' death, he gives him the great challenge of Jericho, the fortified city. He tells him: "Be strong and courageous" (Joshua 1:6).
God's recipe for Joshua comes down to two verbs: meditate on his Word day and night, and observe it, that is, put it into practice (Joshua 1:8). "Then you will prosper in your undertakings."
God doesn't want theologians who know the Bible from Genesis to Revelation without obeying him. He reminds Saul that "to obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22).
The Bible is not an amulet. Putting it under your pillow or in your car protects you from nothing. It carries power when it is meditated on, obeyed, filled with the Spirit who inspired it.
Christians who truly lean on the Word don't bend at the first wind. Those not anchored in it lose their balance at the slightest breeze.
Kevin cites the example of Pastor Lindaman: more than fifty years of ministry held up not by physical strength, but because his whole life was centered on Christ and built on the Word.

3. In 2026, you will sanctify yourself to see the miracles of God

Before the taking of Jericho, Joshua tells the people: "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you" (Joshua 3:5).
Being a Christian means having received Jesus. Being sanctified means setting yourself apart for him: saying no to what defiles the spirit and the body, saying yes to the things of God.
Many Christians cancel the anointing on their lives because outside of times of fellowship, they consume what defiles: what they watch, what they listen to, what they let into their home.
Your life at church and your life at home should be one continuous whole. The Holy Spirit does not mix with what defiles. That is often the root cause of a lack of peace, joy, and assurance.
If you want to see God shake down Jerichos in your family, your marriage, your work, sanctify yourself. Sort it out. Set yourself apart. You will see your glory rise and your victory arrive.

4. In 2026, you will win victories in your battles through fasting and prayer

Your spiritual life won't be a quiet life: it will be a battle, in health, family, marriage, children. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12).
Our enemy is not the brother or sister next to us. It's the devil. Let's stop the little battles among ourselves, or the adversary will bring us down. The struggle is spiritual (Ephesians 6:12).
When Haman decreed the extermination of the Jews, Esther didn't rely on her beauty or her influence over the king. She proclaimed a fast: "Gather all the Jews and fast for me; my maidens and I will fast as well" (Esther 4:16). That is where the victory was prepared.
Fasting is not a condition of salvation. But if you never fast, you miss out on a great power God releases through fasting joined with prayer.
Fasting weakens the flesh so the Spirit can take full space. He helps our weaknesses in prayer (Romans 8:26). He reveals hidden things for your family, for the church.
You're capable of sitting through four hours of a series without eating. You can fast half a day, then a day, then more. Start, and you will see.

5. In 2026, God will give you what your heart desires

In 1 Kings 3:5, God says to Solomon: "Ask what I shall give you." An almost reckless question. Solomon could have asked for riches, a temple, wives. He asked for wisdom to lead a people that was heavy to govern.
What makes this prayer powerful isn't the thing requested, it's what drives it: Solomon prayed according to God's will, Spirit-led.
Many of our prayers are "bread-and-butter" prayers: give me work, protect my children, bless my home. That's not wrong, but it isn't everything. True prayer submits to God's will (1 John 5:14).
If you pray according to your flesh, your desires will always be trivial: one more dress, one more bag, one more car. If you pray according to the Spirit, you will receive what glorifies Christ and does you good for eternity.
Spirit-led prayer makes you a man, a woman of prayer like Daniel, like Moses the friend of God. Your mouth opens under the Spirit, your flesh falls silent, and your walk of providence changes.

Key takeaways

Three stages with Elijah: hide (Kerith), rise up (Zarephath), present yourself (Carmel). You cannot skip the first one.
God always calls someone when he has a great mission. In 2026, he will call you at your level. His answer to your doubt is the same as it was to Moses: "I will be with you."
Strengthen yourself in the Word, meditate on it, obey it. No lasting success without obedience. The Bible is not an amulet, it's your food.
Sanctify yourself: set yourself apart from what defiles your spirit and your body. Without sanctification, no miracles at Jericho.
The battle is real. Fasting joined with prayer weakens the flesh and releases the Spirit. Start small, but start.
Pray according to God's will, not according to the whims of your flesh. That is how God will give you what your heart desires, because your heart will want what he wants.

Personal application

What mission has God already placed in your heart for 2026, even if it seems tiny? Will you carry it into doubt or into action?
What place does God's Word hold in your days? Is it a reading, or a meditation that leads to obedience?
What are you watching, listening to, or letting into your home that weakens God's anointing on your life? What do you need to cut this week?
Have you ever fasted? Can you start with half a day or a day this week, praying over a specific battle (family, work, addiction, trial)?
When you pray, does your list look like an order or an offering? Take ten minutes of silence before you speak, and let the Spirit direct your prayer.

Scriptures cited

Frequently asked questions

What do the three stages "go hide, rise up, present yourself" mean in Elijah's life?

In 1 Kings 17, Elijah receives three successive orders from God. "Go, hide yourself by the brook Kerith": a time of being set apart and formed. "Rise up, go to Zarephath": a time of obedience, movement, and concrete dependence on the miracle of the flour and the oil. "Go, present yourself": the time of public ministry on Mount Carmel. Kevin Goncalves Palheiros reminds us that you cannot rise up if you haven't first been hidden, and you cannot present yourself without having passed through Zarephath.

How do I pray according to God's will and not according to my flesh?

Praying according to God's will means letting the Holy Spirit direct your requests rather than your fleshly desires (one more thing, one more comfort). Solomon could have asked for riches or a long life; instead he asked for wisdom to lead the people well, and his prayer was Spirit-led. Take time to be still before God, let the Spirit shape your prayer, and ask for what glorifies Christ in your life (1 John 5:14).

Why fast in 2026 if it isn't a commandment for being saved?

Fasting is not a condition of salvation: you won't go to heaven because you fasted. But if you never fast, you miss out on a great power God releases through fasting and prayer. Fasting weakens the flesh so the Holy Spirit can take full space, as Esther fasted three days to win the victory for her people (Esther 4:16). You won't die from fasting half a day: start small, pray while fasting, and see.

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