Today’s Reading:
1Kings 19:1-18 (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?” (v. 9)
I have found that it pays to get along with your wife. As an example of this, a man was tired of living with his wife. There seemed to be no way he could get away from her verbal harangues. At last he got so desperate that he decided that he would be happier in jail. He thought, “I’ll rob a bank and they’ll put me in jail.” So, he robbed a bank, was captured by the police, and the Judge gave him 6 months of “House Arrest!”
We are in a spiritual battle. In Hebrews twelve verse three, the writer expressed his concern about the early Christians "lest you be weary and faint in your minds." The word translated ‘faint’ means "to unloose," as of a bowstring. He was worried about people giving up their spiritual fight. Like unloading your gun in battle! Paul never lost his “fight” -- "the disposition or power to continue in the struggle." Paul wrote, "Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold on eternal life." (1 Tim. 6:12). What kind of spiritual fight have you been putting up in the last year? Have you become weak, passive, discouraged, wounded, perplexed?
Elijah’s great feats includes: a) Stopped the rain for three and a half years; b) Was supernaturally provided for during the famine; c) Call down fire from heaven on the sacrifice; d) Killed the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal; and e) Prayed down the rain again.
Despite all these, Elijah lost his “fight” by hoping for revival: i) Elijah had given his all at Mt. Carmel and expected the nation would give up idolatry, turn to God and experience a revival; ii) But Jezebel controlled Ahab, and Ahab the nation. So, the idols would safely sit on their pedestals; and iii) He felt like the only person still left serving the Lord! “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.” (v.14).
You may feel like the one like Elijah; are you stressed, defeated, depressed and discouraged? Kindly know that stress/pressures can rob us of our will power. We may be the only Christian in our family or on our job. Our efforts to win others or change the environment may seem fruitless. Our prayers may seem to go unanswered for a long time, causing us to lose faith and feel like giving up the fight.
As Elijah and Moses went to the mountain for solution, you need to go back to the place of your original revelation of Jesus! God is the same God. Go back to the Book of Acts, go back to the FUNDAMENTALS: prayer, Bible reading, worship, regular meeting with other believers in church, witnessing, and so on.
SUNDAY OWOLABI
Prayer:
O Lord, I receive grace to come out of all depressed, defeated, stressed and discouraged situation so that I can be restore to the state where you want me to be, in Jesus name.
O Lord, let me be able to recognise your voice, in Jesus name.
O Lord, I receive the will power to be obedience to your voice always, in Jesus name.
O Lord, let every depression and discouragement be removed in your Church especially the Leaders, in Jesus name.
O Lord, deliver Nigeria from every form of idolatry, in Jesus name
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