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ELIJAH AND YOU
Elijah was one of
the most potent Prophets in the Old Testament. Most would
imagine him to be this perfect man as He walked with God,
performing Miracles right and left.
I would like to share a story from the Bible with you that
affects EVERY one of you in your Christian walk.
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1 Kings 18:21-22
And Elijah came unto all the people, and
said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the
LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow
him. And the people answered him not a word. Then
said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain
a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four
hundred and fifty men.
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So Elijah asks
the people how long they will continue to live as tho they
have two gods. There was just him representing the Lord at
this gathering and 450 prophets of the false god, baal. He
was outnumbered but not overpowered. He had FAITH.
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1 Kings 18:23-25
Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and
let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut
it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire
under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay
it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on
the name of your gods, and I will call on the name
of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let
him be God. And all the people answered and said, It
is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of
Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and
dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the
name of your gods, but put no fire under.
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So, Elijah
challenges these wanna be prophets of a false god to a
contest to see who the REAL God is. He suggested he prepare
a sacrifice for the Lord and they sacrifice one to their
false god and see who responded.
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1 Kings 18:26-29
And they took the bullock which was given
them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of
Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal,
hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that
answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was
made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah
mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god;
either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in
a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be
awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves
after their manner with knives and lancets, till the
blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass,
when midday was past, and they prophesied until the
time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that
there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any
that regarded.
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So, Elijah lets
the 450 false prophets go first. They chanted and carried
on, but it was a no show by their god. Elijah mocked em and
said maybe your god is busy talking with someone else or on
a journey or maybe sleeping. They began to cut themselves in
a vain attempt to grab their false god’s attention, but to
no avail ... Cuz he was not there.
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1 Kings 18:30-35
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come
near unto me. And all the people came near unto him.
And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was
broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones,
according to the number of the tribes of the sons of
Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying,
Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he
built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made
a trench about the altar, as great as would contain
two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order,
and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the
wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and
pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And
he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the
second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And
they did it the third time. And the water ran round
about the altar; and he filled the trench also with
water.
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So Elijah
prepares His offering to the Lord. As you can imagine
everybody and their momma was watching to see what would
happen. Would God REALLY respond? Had they REALLY been
following a false god and abandoned the only true God?
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1 Kings 18:36-39
And it came to pass at the time of the
offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the
prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham,
Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that
thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant,
and that I have done all these things at thy word.
Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know
that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast
turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the
LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the
wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up
the water that was in the trench. And when all the
people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they
said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the
God.
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God answered in
an awesome display and before the eyes of all the people …
At the word of His prophet, God performed and suddenly the
people knew who the one and ONLY God truly was. Imagine the
ambiance of that very moment in the hearts of the people.
Imagine the JOY that Elijah must have felt to see His God
react in this manner.
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1 Kings 18:40-42
And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets
of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took
them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook
Kishon, and slew them there. And Elijah said unto
Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a
sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to
eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of
Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and
put his face between his knees,
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The false
prophets were killed. Then Elijah told Ahab that it would
rain. This is after a 3 and a half year drought that Elijah
had prophesied 3 and a half years earlier.
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1 Kings 18:43-46
And said to his servant, Go up now, look
toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and
said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven
times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that
he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of
the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say
unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down
that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in
the mean while, that the heaven was black with
clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And
Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the
LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and
ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. |
AGAIN … God
responded to the word of His prophet. God brought forth a
cloud shaped as a man’s hand and it did RAIN. Pretty amazing
God we have huh?
Now here comes
the interesting part ...
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1 Kings 19:1-2
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and
withal how he had slain all the prophets with the
sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah,
saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if
I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to
morrow about this time.
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So king Ahab goes
back and tells queen Jezebel what Elijah did and this
angered her and she sent a message to Elijah saying I am
gonna get ya. One would think he would say, “Yeah right,
bring it on lady” especially after what just happened and
what he had seen the Lord do for him. But … Elijah did NOT
react that way.
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1 Kings 19:3-4
And when he (Elijah) saw that, he arose, and
went (ran) for his life, and came to Beersheba,
which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant
there. But he himself went a day's journey into the
wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper
tree: and he requested for himself that he might
die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away
my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
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Elijah ran and
hid in fear and asked God to allow him to die saying enough
is enough. We all know just how he felt at times in our
lives ya know? We all get tired and weary from the trials
and tribulations that we are to endure even after we have
seen the MIRACLES that God has performed for us in our
lives, during our past. And just like God will be there for
you again and again ... He came to Elijah’s rescue yet
again.
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1 Kings 19:5
And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree,
behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto
him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold,
there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of
water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and
laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came
again the second time, and touched him, and said,
Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for
thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went
in the strength of that meat forty days and forty
nights unto Horeb the mount of God. |
Of course God was
STILL there and sent an angel to hook him up with some food
and that meal lasted him 40 days and nights.
Can our God cook
or what?
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1 Kings 19:9-12
And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged
there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to
him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here,
Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for
the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel
have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine
altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and
I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to
take it away. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon
the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD
passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the
mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the
LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after
the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the
earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the
LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still
small voice.
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What can one say
but WOW … The point of why I am sharing this story is to
show you that we are all just human. Even those who God
chooses to be His PROPHETS are just humans that are used as
His tools.
I would like for
you to consider this TRUTH every time you fall down and are
CON-vinced by the whispers from the enemy, from your own
guilt and shame and/or from others that saw the fall that
you are not worthy to serve the Lord.
We are just human
and tho we strive to do our best, we fall and it always
seems someone is there to point it out for us. If you are
one of those who go around doing this to people or know
someone who does, I want you to remember the words of Jesus
…
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John 8:3-7
And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a
woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her
in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman
was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in
the law commanded us, that such should be stoned:
but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him,
that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus
stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the
ground, as though he heard them not. So when they
continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said
unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him
first cast a stone at her. |
We ALL fall
short. We all have our faults. We all have our vices. We all
sin. We all fall down as we sojourn down this VERY difficult
Christian path being renewed within DAY by DAY. Even Elijah
fell.
But,
the cool thing is that, like with Elijah ... God oft times
sends an angel to uplift us. God also oft times uses His
children to be that angel.
We have EACH OTHER.
We can always offer to reach out for another instead of
stepping on their necks. WE can choose rather to be the
angels that come and share the Spiritual food (Word of God )
to replenish their weary soul.
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Galatians 6:1
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which
are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of
meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be
tempted. |
Take care and have a SON-derful day.
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DID YOU ENJOY THIS STUDY AND FIND THE TRUTH WITHIN? WOULD YOU
LIKE TO ASSIST US IN SEEING THAT EVERYONE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCOVER THIS
TRUTH?
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