1 Kings 18
40Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked.
"There is nothing there," he said.
Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." (persistent prayer - push)
44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea."
So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' "
45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Elijah outruns Ahab back to Jezreel - Ahab is in a chariot!
Now that’s fast! I wonder what his 40 time is?
Elijah runs 6 miles back to the city - why? b/c the clouds are getting dark, the wind is blowin’ maybe thunder in the sky - the storm is here.
Remember in week 2 of our study Elijah confronted Ahab about leading the people of Israel into sin and idolatry.
He then tells Ahab, there’s not gonna be rain or even dew for the next few years expect by my word. Elijah is saying, “These are the consequences God has laid out buddy”
so now here we are a few years later and the rain is here by Elijah’s word (his prayer to God) and the reason he took off to the city was to give Ahab another chance to turn away from his sin. Our God is the God of the 2nd chance, & 3rd, 4th, 5th, 100th - His grace and love for us is enormous!
His greatest desire is to be close to you and for us to draw close to Him. We cannot even begin to fathom the love He has for us - all of our thoughts that we have of His love for us are just like a teaspoon of the ocean. It is astronomical beyond measure.
It is big enough to forgive Ahab and all that he has done.
It is big enough for you - if you ever wondered, or questioned that - let’s just lay that to be bed right now.
Nothing can separate you from God. No sin, no thoughts,
no attitudes, nothing!
“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion.” Isaiah 30:18
whatever the sin may be, if we come to Him and ask for forgiveness - it is gone!
“as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
His grace and love for us is enormous!
1 Kings 19
1 “Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
eewwww scary! You see Ahab went right to Jezebel - That happens to us from time to time - we know we should go to God, but instead we look to ourselves or someone else.
Ahab goes to Jez. and now she is hot! fiery mad! (I’m not sure there’s anything worse, nothing scarier than a mad woman!
Bulldog foamin at the mouth, Cobra head straight up staring at me, stuck in a cage w/ a Grizzly, I’ll take any of those!)
She’s mad, she’s mad b/c she has lost all of her ‘YES’ men.
The guys who told her everything she wanted to hear, and prophesying her future glory & power.
She’s lost her ‘YES’ men & her pride has taken a hit. Plus now her authority has been damaged - opening up questions from others.
So b/c Jezebel couldn’t control Elijah’s actions, she decides, “fine then, I’ll just take him out, kill him.”
3 "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life."
Look at this - Elijah ran on his own this time - not by God’s
direction - a few weeks ago we talked about how God told Elijah to run, to flee for safety, b/c there are times in life we just need to “get the heck outta Dodge” b/c we can’t hang -
God knows that - we’re human, prone to mess up. So there are certain things in life we just need to avoid, to run from.
we looked at a few things God tells us to run from - if God says run, you better run - but here, today, Elijah ran on his own.
Elijah ran out of fear - fear will do that to us wont it?
Fear can cause us to abandon all logic, knowledge, even
common sense of what to do.. causing us to create these “what if” scenerios in our minds - instead of looking to God.
What is FEAR?
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
and that’s exactly how Elijah took this threat from Jezebel - appearing real.
What should we do w/ FEAR?
don’t look inward or outward - look upward.
Trust in God. Instead of listening to others or ourselves, listen to God.
“but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:33
‘is there something creating fear in your life? What are you doing w/ that? are you giving it to God?
You may say, "Yea Man, I'm prayin" - but is that truly where you're trust lies?
3 "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
Elijah now is experiencing the depths of fatigue and discouragement even after his 2 great spiritual victories: the defeat of the prophets of Baal and his answered prayer for rain.
Quite often discouragement sets in after great spiritual experiences, especially those requiring physical effort or great emotion
Fatigue, discouragement, depression all can follow these great victories in our lives, b/c we feel we have completed this huge task and now no longer have this sense of purpose anymore and on top of that you better believe the enemy Satan isn’t happy about this at all - so there becomes the spiritual attacks upon us, creating these depressed and discouraged emotions.
So what should we do when we find ourselves in one of these depressed or discouraged states.
How do we battle discouragement?
Rest
We need to take the time to rest.
5 "Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep."
Hey can I tell you this, for some of you here the most spiritual thing that you could do is take a nap. (Hey, not right now)
Get some rest.
Now there are others of you who may need to wake-up a little more often - but some of you need to take a break!
How about a little perspective - Even God took a day off, right.
On the 7th day He.... rested.
If God is resting.... then how arrogant are we if we think or say, “I don’t have the time to rest, I don;t have the time to take a break” - really?
If we don’t we’ll find ourselves right here w/ Elijah depressed and discouraged.
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.Trust in him at all times, O
people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
Psalm 62:5-8
Renew
v.5-11 “All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
If we find ourselves in a depressed or discouraged place we need to find renewal in the Lord.
God says, come to me, again don’t look inward or outward but look upward so that you may be renewed to continue on.
That’s what God was doing w/ Elijah.
"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:31
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
If we feel beaten down, we don’t think we could take another step forward - We can be renewed, have this new found strength in God alone to keep on keepin on.
“who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. Ps. 103:4-6
It is in Him.
Refocus
v.9-15
“And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?".... 11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there...
and God gives specific instructions.
In order to lead Elijah out of this depression and discouragement, 1st God says, get some rest, then come before me to be renewed, now God is getting him refocused.
Elijah I have more for you, God is getting him refocused.
It’s time to return to your mission, there’s still work for you to do.
God’s word to us all is there’s more work to do. Back to the task at hand. Now w/ this new found strength and power from God Elijah moved ahead boldly.
So can we. Regardless of what’s going on. If we force ourselves to slow down and rest - in that time come before the Lord to be renewed we too will have the power and strength to move forward to keep going.
“I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us.” Philippians 3:13-15
God is calling us to live for Him
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