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Home » Who Was Elijah in the Bible? Meet God’s Prophet of Fire
The word Elijah against a fiery colored background

Who Was Elijah in the Bible? Meet God’s Prophet of Fire

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The Bible says, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours" (James 5:17); it also says he confronted idolatry, performed miracles, spoke God's judgment, and changed his world. This may seem like a tall order, but today's believers have a similar opportunity. Just as God spoke to Elijah in the Bible for the benefit of many, His Spirit of truth resides in us so that we may proclaim the Good News (2 Corinthians 4:1-7). God can use anything in this world to share His message, but He chooses to use ordinary people.

Fear. Discouragement. Unanswered prayer. When Elijah wasn’t confronting evil and performing miracles, he was more like us than you’d imagine.

Read:

Elijah’s Fiery Faith
Elijah’s Preparation
Why Was Baal Worship Happening in Israel?
Elijah's Mountaintop Miracle
Why Would Elijah Ask God for Fire During a Drought?
Elijah's Escape From Jezebel
Elijah’s Crisis of Faith
Elijah’s Unanswered Prayer
4 Partial Truths Led to Elijah's Discouragement
Elijah’s New Assignment
Elijah’s Spiritual Legacy

Watch:

The Life of Elijah: Someone Like You (30:25)
God Protected Elijah by Hiding Him (1:33)

Elijah's Fiery Faith

Alexander Whyte described Elijah as a man who was always in a passion about something, whether it manifested as anger against Ahab and Jezebel, fury against idolatry, contempt for the priests of Baal, or prayer for his people, or a passion for the glory of God. And, God says, he was a man of like passions to our own.1

You might know Elijah as the prophet who called down fire on Mount Carmel and left earth in a chariot of fire, but he also had a fire in his belly. His passion for God's glory and Israel's repentance prompted a showdown with King Ahab and the prophets of Baal that was the boldest confrontation by any prophet since Moses challenged Egypt's pharaoh. It started when Elijah proclaimed a devastating drought (1 Kings 17:1). In Israel's agricultural economy, this meant famine and even death. For the Canaanites who believed Baal controlled the rain, Elijah's prophecy declared war against their god.

If that weren't enough, Elijah's prophecy invoked God's promise recorded in Leviticus 26: "If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season" (verses 3-4). Israel still bore God's name, but the nation had forgotten the God of the covenant and credited idols for its prosperity. As a result, God withdrew His blessing. The drought was the first step toward setting the record straight.

Meme: Elijah's prophecy declared war against the Canaanites' god

In Revelation, Jesus rebuked a church for being lukewarm. He said the Laodicean church made Him sick because they were "neither cold nor hot" (Revelation 3:15-16). To first-century readers, hot and cold were measures of vitality and usefulness. The hot springs at Hierapolis were effective for healing and restoration, while the cold water at Colossae quenched people's thirst. However, lukewarm water was distasteful and unsatisfying, much like the faith of Ahab and the Israelites.

Lukewarm faith does not fool Almighty God. Only those who follow Him with intense passion will receive spiritual blessings and meaningful assignments.

Elijah's Preparation

God knew a rebellious king like Ahab would not take Elijah's challenge lying down. So, after Elijah predicted the drought, the Lord sent him into hiding for three years. During this time, God appointed the Brook Cherith and the city of Zarephath to be his hiding places.

 

Seclusion.

Facing an enemy often teaches us to trust God's power rather than our own, but Elijah's hiding was not wrong. God told him to hide! (1 Kings 17:2-3) Hiding with God is obedient; hiding from God is rebellious. On three different occasions, the psalmist referred to God's protective hiding:

  • "Hide me under the shadow of Your wings" (Psalm 17:8).
  • "You shall hide [those who fear and trust You] in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues" (Psalm 31:20).
  • "You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7).

There are times to be courageous, and there are times of preparation. Discerning the difference requires sensitivity to God's leading. Adam and Jonah attempted the impossible task of hiding from God (Genesis 3:10; Jonah 1:3). For Elijah, hiding was God's way of preparing him. It allowed him to receive God's guidance and experience His provision.

When God calls someone to ministry, He often secludes them for a while. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). The Lord loves to hide His people alone so that He can have their undivided attention. This time prepared Elijah for future service by helping him to grow in faith and patience.

Submission.

Elijah's protection depended on him surrendering to God's leading. He had to be in the right place, at the right time. If Elijah had fled to the wrong place, the ravens would not have brought him food. When God sent Elijah to Zarephath later, he wouldn't have found the kind widow if he hadn't followed God's instructions.

Traveling from the Brook Cherith to Zarephath required careful obedience. Zarephath lay one hundred miles northwest of the Brook Cherith in a land crawling with Jezebel's assassins. In biblical Hebrew, the word Zarephath means "smelting pot," which describes Elijah's journey there. Smelting is a metallurgy process that melts down ore to split a base metal from impurities. God refined Elijah by separating him from Israel and sending him to Zarephath.

Meme: Elijah needed a renewed understanding of God's sovereignty and power

Even as a prophet, Elijah needed a renewed understanding of God's sovereignty and power. His survival in the land of Sidon depended on his obedience. The same principle applies today: God meets our needs when we are in His will.

Why Was Baal Worship Happening in Israel?

The road to Zarephath was treacherous, and the city was no better. It was the very place where Baal worship began! Don't miss this—God led Elijah to hide in the hometown of the idol he sought to destroy.

The worship of Baal and Asherah continued in this part of Israel because some of God's people had failed to drive out the Canaanites long ago (Judges 1:31-32). Their failure to follow God's instructions resulted in the incomplete conquest of the Promised Land, the incomplete eradication of Baal worship, and the incomplete obedience of future generations of God's people. Partial submission to God's will is never enough.

Disobeying God has unpredictable and sometimes disastrous results. In Matthew 7:26, Jesus said, "Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand." No matter how unfamiliar our path may be, we can trust the One who will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). Spiritual valleys lead to higher places for those who stay close to the Lord.

Elijah's Mountaintop Miracle

Elijah's three-year period of hiding ended with a spectacular showdown against Jezebel's prophets on top of Mount Carmel. After calling together the people of Israel and the prophets of Baal, he declared,

How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him…. I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God (1 Kings 18:21-24).

Whenever it rains in Palestine, it rains first at Mount Carmel. The mountain is high enough into the clouds that the moisture collection causes rain to drop on the mountain before it falls anywhere else. And at that time, the peak separated Israel (the land of God) from Phoenicia (the land of Baal). Mount Carmel was the ideal location for a contest between Israel's God and Canaan's gods.

While the location made sense, it is strange that Elijah would ask God for fire to fall after three years of drought. However, Elijah knew fire could accomplish what water could not: a radical transformation in the hearts of God's chosen people. Before rain could pour down in mercy, a holy fire had to descend in wrath. Sometimes God sends the last thing we think we need.

Meme: Sometimes God sends the last thing we think we need

Why Would Elijah Ask God for Fire During a Drought?

Witnessing God's power through something as unwelcome as fire allowed Israel to respond to God's holiness outside of His blessing. Had He immediately supplied rain, which they desperately needed, their response might have been self-serving. The fire also reminded the Israelites of the stories handed down by prior generations that connected God's mighty acts with blazing fire. They knew:

  • God spoke to Moses through a burning bush (Exodus 3:2).
  • The Lord guided Israel by night in a pillar of fire as they traveled to the Promised Land (Exodus 13:21).
  • God descended upon Mount Sinai in a fire when He called Moses to the mountaintop before giving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:18).
  • The fire of God consumed the burnt offering at the Tent of Meeting when His glory appeared (Leviticus 9:23-24).
  • Heavenly fire exacted God's judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24), Egypt (Exodus 9:24), Israel's golden calf (Exodus 32:20), Nadab and Abihu's strange fire (Leviticus 10:1), Israel's complaints at Taberah (Numbers 11:1-3), Korah's insubordination (Numbers 16:35), and Jericho's destruction (Joshua 6:24).

The writer of Hebrews cautions us to "serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:28-29). We live in an age of grace, but that does not give us the freedom to ignore God's holiness.

Elijah's Escape From Jezebel

When believers stand tall for the Lord, Satan attacks from every side, and so it was for Elijah. He knew Ahab saw him as a necessary tool to bring back the rain while the drought lasted. Once the rain returned, however, Ahab no longer needed him. Fear replaced Elijah's faith when he took his eyes off the Lord and directed them to his circumstances.

After playing a leading role in one of the most spectacular displays of God's power in human history, Elijah hid from Ahab's wife, Queen Jezebel, when she threatened to kill him. And unlike his flight to the Brook Cherith, there is no indication in Scripture that he consulted God before hiding. His fear became a snare (Proverbs 29:25).

With his frustration tank full and his emotional gauge on empty, Elijah fled to Beersheba and then the wilderness (1 King 18:46; 19:3). He outran a chariot on the seventeen-mile trek from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel. Then he ran more than 75 miles to Beersheba. Fatigue makes cowards of us all, and Elijah's exhaustion overwhelmed him.

Elijah's Crisis of Faith

Elijah lost faith when his people were on the threshold of revival. Feelings of failure kept him from claiming victory. Had he failed? Not exactly. According to John Maxwell, "To accept failure as final is to finally be a failure." So, failure is a state of mind.

Meme: God did not give up on Elijah, and He will not give up on you

Elijah's story reminds me of the apostle Peter. At Jesus' command, Peter stepped out of a boat to walk on a stormy sea. But the Bible says, "When he [Peter] saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!'" (Matthew 14:30) Like Elijah, Peter faltered after a magnificent display of God's power, proving that God's "power works best in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT). We do not need extraordinary faith; we only need to place our weak faith in a supernatural God.

When we're in the process of long-term success, the devil tells us we have failed. He uses discouragement to neutralize us and accomplish his purpose in our life. We cannot give him this kind of foothold. God did not give up on Elijah, and He will not give up on you and me.

You Might Also Enjoy:


• Will Elijah Return During the Tribulation?
• 4 Lessons From Elijah and the Prophets of Baal
• When You Feel Discouraged, Do This Immediately

Elijah's Unanswered Prayer

Elijah sat under a broom tree and prayed his fourth prayer recorded in Scripture when he finally finished running. He asked God to take his life. Why? "I am no better than my fathers," he moaned (1 Kings 19:4). After three years of preparing for Mount Carmel, Elijah wasn't ready for what came next.

Elijah did not die that day. In fact, he never died! Years later, a chariot of fire took him to heaven in a whirlwind. God knew Elijah's emotions were out of touch with reality, and he needed rest. Aren't you glad God sifts our prayers and interprets them with His perfect wisdom? And in the process of filtering, He knows better than to answer some of our pleas.

4 Partial Truths Led to Elijah's Discouragement

Anything other than the total truth is an untruth, and discouragement selects its own facts. Elijah focused on things that made his situation seem worse, which allowed the enemy to sow seeds of doubt. First Kings 19:14 outlines four half-truths Elijah believed.

  1. He was zealous for the Lord (until he panicked under Queen Jezebel's persecution).
  2. The Israelites had forsaken God's covenant (until the victory on Mount Carmel).
  3. He was the only prophet left (except for Obadiah and his one hundred hideaways).
  4. He was up against the world (or, more like, Jezebel). He suggested the whole nation was trying to kill him when, in fact, it was only the queen. "By turning a queen into an entire kingdom, the prophet was magnifying his troubles, nursing his sense of self-pity."2

Have you ever considered that valleys find their definition in the high places surrounding them? In much the same way, trials often accompany our triumphs. But we can view the valley's depth as a promise of the height of blessing to come. Anticipating tough times helps us to be armed and ready.

Although Charles Haddon Spurgeon was one of the greatest preachers in history, he struggled with valleys of depression in his life and ministry. He explained, "Depression comes over me whenever the Lord is preparing a larger blessing for my ministry; the cloud is black before it breaks, and overshadows before it yields its deluge of mercy. Depression has now become to me as a prophet in rough clothing." 3 Spurgeon could not avoid the doldrums, but He trusted God for better times ahead.

When we get discouraged or depressed, sometimes we need to be physically reinvigorated or need a good counselor. Other times, we need to be alone with our Bibles and God. We need to shut out the distractions while inviting God into our mess. Discouragement presents an opportunity to draw near Him, lean into His counsel, and search our hearts.

Elijah's New Assignment

Through all Elijah's bouts with discouragement, God never failed him. And He didn't thunder into Elijah's life with booming condemnation. Instead, the Lord sent angels to minister to him. Then, He whispered a new assignment. God instructed Elijah to anoint three men who would complete the job He had given to Elijah. It is as if God said, "It's all right, Elijah. I know you're tired. I'll get somebody else to finish up."

For as long as we are on this earth, God will have work for us to do. But God's new plan for Elijah confirms that we are not indispensable. If we don't complete our assignments, we will miss the rewards of obedience, but God will call someone else. Although Elijah continued to serve the Lord by prophesying and training Elisha (1 Kings 19:21), the other three men completed the work of removing Baal worship from Israel.

Meme: When was the last time you leaned in to hear God's whisper?

Discerning God's still, small voice in our noisy world takes effort. When someone whispers, we must lean into it if we want to hear. It might mean turning off some things and turning down others. When was the last time you leaned in to hear God's whisper?

Elijah's Spiritual Legacy

The prophet Elijah accomplished extraordinary things through God's quiet, behind-the-scenes activity in his life. During one of the darkest hours of his nation's history, Elijah prayed earnestly (James 5:16-18), and God prepared him to stand on the mountain with his hands held up high in victory. Long before he was in public, Elijah was privately before God.

Why Did Elijah Need to Pray for Rain?

John Wesley said that God does nothing but in answer to prayer. God dignifies us by letting us participate in the next thing on His agenda. He sometimes stirs us to pray; we sometimes feel it is our idea and begin pleading with Him to work.... When God reveals something prophetically, He is bringing into the present moment what has not yet transpired.4

Elijah succumbed to fear at times, but he also demonstrated courage. When God delayed sending rain, Elijah continued to pray. After his seventh prayer, a small cloud appeared in the distance. It was all the encouragement he needed. Elijah instructed Ahab to prepare his chariot and leave before the rain prevented him (1 Kings 18:44). Because Elijah remained close to God in prayer, he heard the sound of rain before it was visible or even a cloud in the sky.

Another man might have swelled with pride, but Elijah gave all credit to the Lord. His most public miracle, calling down heaven's fire on that mountain, caused people to praise God, not him. Scripture says, "When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, 'The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!'" (1 Kings 18:39) Throughout his ministry, Elijah honored God first. We can live in the spirit and power of this prophet if we follow the humble example of Elijah in the Bible.


Sources:

1Quoted in J. Oswald Sanders, Bible Men of the Faith (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1970), 127.
2Philip Graham Ryken, 1 Kings (Phillipsburg: P & R Publishing, 2011), Kindle edition.
3C.H. Spurgeon, “The Minister’s Fainting Fits” from Lectures to My Students (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1970), 155-156.
4R.T. Kendall, These Are the Days of Elijah (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2013), 105.

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Creation Care

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28

Marine litter is a huge ecological problem. Many countries’ coastlines are littered with plastic and debris, and there is an “island” of plastic more than the twice the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean where currents have accumulated the debris. Fish become entangled in discarded fishing nets and lines, with bellies full of plastic debris they have swallowed.

Such images are in stark contrast to the pristine beauty and glory of Eden as presented in Genesis. Though mankind was given the mandate to “have dominion over” (that is, to care for) all of creation, we have not done a good job. When God’s mandates go unfulfilled on earth, God’s glory is diminished. And that mandate extends to our personal life as well. Paul writes that we belong to God and we are to glorify Him with our care and use of our body.

When you see opportunities to care for creation—nature or your own body—do so as a way of glorifying the Creator.

The creation is both a monument of God’s power, and a looking-glass in which we may see his wisdom.
Thomas Watson

Steadfast

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Paul’s letter to the people at Corinth was an exhortation to remain steadfast. The church in Corinth was an undisciplined church, and he was letting them know that even though the culture around them was in flux, their faith in Jesus Christ needed to remain focused and sure. It is true for us today also. How can we remain steadfast in our faith and avoid the pressures of this ever-changing world? By devoting time each day to the study of God’s Word.

As we read the Bible and immerse ourselves in God’s truth and character, our lives are changed—we become more like Him. God’s Word is a powerful litmus test for our souls and actions. As our lives center on God, giving priority to hearing His voice and reading His Word, we become bolder in sharing our faith.

Joshua had the confidence and courage to lead God’s people into the Promised Land because He believed in God’s promise and presence. We serve the same God who said: “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

You can place your steadfast trust in Him.

When we find a man meditating on the words of God, my friends, that man is full of boldness and is successful.
Dwight L. Moody

Ready and Willing

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9

A leper approached Jesus and said, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus touched the man, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed”—and he was healed (Mark 1:40-42).

That event is a beautiful example of the willingness of God. In fact, there are no instances of Jesus being asked to help or heal and Him answering, “I am not willing.” There is a place where the Bible says God is “not willing,” and that is 2 Peter 3:9. In writing about the timing of the Day of the Lord (the end of the age), Peter says God is waiting for all who will be saved to come to Him. He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Said another way, God is willing for any who want to be saved to come to Him (John 6:37; 7:37). The question is never whether God is willing but whether man is willing.

Have you responded to God’s willing invitation to come to Him?

God is far more willing to save sinners than sinners are to be saved.
J. C. Ryle

Treasure!

I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure.
Psalm 119:162

Earlier this year, a volunteer for a charity in Arizona was going through books donated for a sale. One was an old copy of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The volunteer decided the dilapidated volume wasn’t worth saving and was about to throw it away when she thumbed through it and found a hidden chamber. Someone had used a knife to cut a hole in the middle of the book. Inside was $4,000!

That’s nothing compared to the treasure you’ll find when opening the covers of the Bible. Perhaps it would help to think of it in those terms. Use your imagination to see every word of Scripture turning to gold as you read it. Think of every promise as a precious stone. See the words about Jesus in the Gospels as sparkling like diamonds. Visualize your daily Bible study time like a miser running his hands through a chest of gold.

The treasury of Scripture will enrich your mind, refocus your goals, replace your doubts, and redirect your path—but only if you read it and heed it. Start today!

To get the best use out of [the Bible] for daily life,...Give it the best and freshest, not the most tired and dull, hour of the day.
M. S. Kimber in The Sunday School World, 1893

Hello Heaven!

I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside.
2 Peter 1:13-14, NIV

Peter wrote his final letter shortly before his execution. He wasn’t discouraged; he was looking forward to the future. He spoke of “looking forward to these things.” and “[looking] for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13-14).

Life is full of hardships and heaviness. We have the promises of God to help us in difficult days, and we have the Holy Spirit within us. We have a purpose for being here—to refresh the memory of others regarding the things of the Lord. But we’ll soon put aside the tent of our earthly body, and what a relief! Goodbye hardship and heaviness. Goodbye trials and troubles. Hello Jesus! Hello heaven! Hello golden streets, glorified bodies, endless days, and the fresh air of New Jerusalem!

During difficult times, the hope of eternity gives us strength. If you’re prone to worry yourself to sleep each night, turn your thoughts upward and close your eyes thinking of heaven and its eternal throne.

A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They’re building a palace for me over there.
Harriet Buell, in her hymn “A Child of the King”

Overcoming Temptation

Temptation. Whether we realize it or not, it is part of our past, and it will be part of our future. The moment we resolve to stand strong and walk away is when temptation grows most intense. That is why Scripture is of paramount importance. God's Word contains the answer to resisting temptation before it's too late. Consider these verses:

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full–grown, brings forth death (James 1:13–15).

Some people wonder about the value of the Old Testament in a Christian's life. The apostle Paul addressed that question in 1 Corinthians 10:11—"Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition." To what things was Paul referring? He listed them in verses 7–10. They are idolatry, immorality, infidelity, and disloyalty.

Temptation is not sin; yielding to temptation is.

With that background, Paul exhorted believers not to make the same choices the Israelites made—not to provoke God's discipline by willfully sinning. None of us is above God's discipline if we engage in sin. We must look for and take "the way of escape" God provides in every situation where temptation is found (verse 13). To think our temptation is unique is to believe a lie. "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man" (verse 13). There are no "new" temptations in life.

The apostle James argued that if temptation becomes serious, it is because we have allowed it to do so. Our own "desires" entice us away from God and desire "gives birth to sin" (James 1:13–15). God doesn't tempt us, but He may allow temptation to enter our lives in order to give us opportunities to make obedient and mature choices.

Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and He took the same means of escape that is available to us—obedience to God's Word (Matthew 4:1–11; Hebrews 5:8). Temptation is not sin; yielding to temptation is. There is always a righteous choice to be made if we are willing to seek it.

Victory in Him

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57

To first-century leaders in the Roman world, the imagery was familiar: A victorious Roman general returning from battle leading his soldiers and their captives into the city. Citizens lined the streets applauding while the aroma of celebratory incense filled the air. Paul uses that image to say that Christ leads His followers in a victory procession through every difficulty in life (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).

The Christian’s victory is through Christ. The victory over the world, the flesh, the devil, and sin was won by the Cross and the empty tomb. He did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We have victory now and for eternity only because of the victory Christ won for us. Therefore, if we are to experience victory in this life, it will come only as we depend on Him. As Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, the life we now live is the life of Christ in us as we keep our faith in Him.

If you need a victory in your life, begin every day by renewing your faith in Christ in whom all our victories are to be realized.

The spiritual battle, the loss of victory, is always in the thought-world.
Francis Schaeffer

Faithful Fathers: Abraham

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
James 2:23

We can imagine a child writing an appreciative and sentimental memoir about her “perfect father,” understanding that “perfect” was not intended to be taken literally. But how about a book titled The Righteous Father? The patriarch Isaac could have written that book about his father, Abraham.

Righteous doesn’t mean sinless, of course. We know that Abraham wasn’t perfect. But he did manifest some qualities that every father should emulate. First, he believed the promises of God about the future God had planned for him (Hebrews 11:8-12). And when he believed God, “[God] accounted it to [Abraham] for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). Again, not perfect or sinless, but in a right standing with God. Second, as a result of Abraham’s trust in God, he became a “friend of God” (Isaiah 41:8). Could any father set a more worthy example to his children or grandchildren than that of being friends with God? Living in right standing with God? That means communing with Him, walking with Him, living for Him, and above all, trusting Him and His promises.

Follow Abraham’s example as a faithful father by deepening your friendship with God.

Friendship is the marriage of affections.
Thomas Watson

Modern Idolatry

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:5

Colossians 3:1 tells us to “seek those things which are above, where Christ is.” In verse 5 we’re told to put to death the passions that come from below—"fornication, uncleanness, passion, and evil desire.” Then the Lord added the sin of greed or covetousness to the list, calling it idolatry.

That verse changes our view of idolatry. It’s not just bowing down to a small carved statue or a pagan worshiper offering incense at a shrine to Buddha. It’s the act of becoming too attached to the material things of the world—falling more in love with the things on earth than on things in heaven.

This has nothing to do with how much money you do or don’t have—a poverty-stricken person can covet just as much as a billionaire. It has everything to do with what’s at the center of our affections. Is it Christ? Is it things above? Or is it things below?

Make sure Christ is at the center of your life and that your love for Him eclipses everything else!

You don’t have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them…. Whatever you love more than God is your idol.
D. L. Moody

New Beginnings: Ezekiel

In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
Ezekiel 1:1, NIV

We often need fresh starts after enduring bitter disappointments. As a young man, Ezekiel had dedicated himself to be a priest. He was from a priestly family, and he undoubtedly looked forward to serving God in Jerusalem’s temple. Priests began their temple duty at the age of thirty. But when he was about twenty-five, Ezekiel was seized and taken to Babylon, and he never saw the temple again. When his thirtieth birthday came, he must have struggled with questions of “why” and “if only.”

That’s just when God appeared to him as he was among the exiles by the Kebar River. Ezekiel looked up and saw remarkable visions of God—the throne of God surrounded by angelic beings. Amid the strange and apocalyptic vision described in Ezekiel 1, God called the thirty-year-old exile to be a powerful prophet.

Oh, to see the glory of the Lord while in the midst of the disappointments in life. When we think life has collapsed around us, the God of glory appears above us. God always has a plan, and our false starts become His fresh starts.

Ezekiel is the prophet of the glory of the Lord…. Ezekiel looked beyond the sufferings of Christ to the glory that should follow.
J. Vernon McGee

The Conspicuous Hand

The Lord your God cares.
Deuteronomy 11:12

In a letter to Brigadier General Thomas Nelson, George Washington marveled at how God’s hand had protected him and given success to the cause of liberty: “The hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and… has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.”

In the middle of life’s battles, we’re tempted to question God’s ordering of our circumstances, but every follower of Christ can look back and see the conspicuous hand of God’s Providence. He is committed to caring for us, watching over us, and giving us strength when we are within His will.

Moses reminded the Israelites that God was taking them into a land of hills and valleys, of water and streams, “a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:11-12).

That’s the way He cares for us too—every day, all year long, always.

[The Lord] loves, and cares, and sympathizes, and understands, and seeks, and saves, and forgives, and helps, and encourages, and walks by our side… taking care of us in life when we can’t take care of ourselves.
W. A. Criswell

God of Second Chances

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”
Jonah 3:1-2

It was not uncommon in the Old Testament for “the word of the Lord” to come to God’s prophets again and again. It happened to Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Haggai, Zechariah, and others. And it also happened to Jonah: The word of the Lord came to Jonah the first time (Jonah 1:1) and then the second time (Jonah 3:1). With the other prophets, the “second time” meant additional prophetic utterances they were to deliver. But with Jonah, the “second time” was because Jonah had failed to speak God’s word the first time. Jonah was a disobedient prophet.

God commissioned Jonah to go east to Assyria, to the capital of Nineveh and deliver a message of judgment. But Jonah fled west toward Spain because he feared the Assyrians. You know the story—Jonah ended up in the sea where he was swallowed by a great fish. Jonah repented and called on the Lord and was delivered. God gave him a second chance.

Don’t let your past keep you from trusting God for a second (or third, or fourth) chance. The God of grace loves to forgive.

Forgiveness is to be set loose from sins.
G. Campbell Morgan

All You Need Is Love: Forgiveness

When Jesus saw [the friends’] faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Mark 2:5

The hardest part of forgiving another person is acting like the offense never occurred. But that is what forgiving someone means—restoring relationships to the status they enjoyed before the offense took place. It’s one thing to say, “I forgive you,” but it’s another to act like all the effects of an offense are completely erased. After all, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, love is known by its actions more than its words.

Jesus faced this dilemma when He healed a paralytic man. When He told the man that his sins were forgiven (and by extension, he was healed), He was criticized. He was accused of blaspheming by saying He had the authority to forgive sins—something only God can do. So, Jesus proved He had the authority to say, “I forgive you,” by doing something harder. He healed the man’s paralysis. After all, as Jesus explained, actions speak louder than words (Mark 2:8-11).

We cannot go through life without being hurt by others, so we should learn to forgive. Even more, we should practice demonstrating our forgiveness by our acts of lovingkindness. Look for opportunities to do both.

Forgiveness is to be set loose from sins.
G. Campbell Morgan

A Whole Person

In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility.
Titus 2:7

In mathematics two of the basic kinds of numbers are integers and fractions: 2, 100, and 56 are integers, while ½, ¼, and 2.5 are fractions. Integers, from a Latin root meaning “whole” or “entire.” The word integrity comes from the same root; a person with integrity cannot be divided in beliefs or morality based on varying circumstances.

When the apostle Paul wrote to his young pastoral protégé, Timothy, he told him to show “integrity” in doctrine, to be incorruptible in belief and in actions. Paul wanted Timothy to hold fast to the truth of God, not allowing himself to be divided. A person of integrity obeys the whole counsel of God every day, in every circumstance. Daniel’s three friends in Babylon demonstrated integrity when they were threatened with being burned alive (Daniel 3:16-18). They told the king they would not divide their allegiance, that they would maintain their faith in God and His promises. That is integrity.

Are you a whole person or a fractioned person today? If your beliefs, and therefore your actions, have become divided, gather them back together as you commit to God and His Word.

Integrity of heart is indispensable.
John Calvin

New Earth

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
Revelation 21:1

A great misconception carried by many Christians has to do with the location of heaven. The word heaven itself implies that our eternal destiny is somewhere “up there” in the heavens. But the Bible says our eternal destiny is earthly, not heavenly. As Peter wrote, we look for a “new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

In his vision of the future, the apostle John saw that “new heaven and a new earth,” our new domain being pictured as the New Jerusalem “coming down out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:1-2). Somehow, at the end of the age, when Christ has returned to reign and inaugurate the eternal state, this earth will be renovated and a new earth will be the result—a new earth full of righteousness in which pain and sorrow will be absent. The beautiful imagery of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 lets us know that the new earth will be a place that reflects the glory of God throughout.

Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for you if you belong to Him (John 14:1-4). The New Jerusalem, on the new earth, is that place.

Let thy hope of heaven master thy fear of death.
William Gurnall

The Conspicuous Hand

The Lord your God cares.
Deuteronomy 11:12

In a letter to Brigadier General Thomas Nelson, George Washington marveled at how God’s hand had protected him and given success to the cause of liberty: “The hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and… has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.”

In the middle of life’s battles, we’re tempted to question God’s ordering of our circumstances, but every follower of Christ can look back and see the conspicuous hand of God’s Providence. He is committed to caring for us, watching over us, and giving us strength when we are within His will.

Moses reminded the Israelites that God was taking them into a land of hills and valleys, of water and streams, “a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:11-12).

That’s the way He cares for us too—every day, all year long, always.

[The Lord] loves, and cares, and sympathizes, and understands, and seeks, and saves, and forgives, and helps, and encourages, and walks by our side… taking care of us in life when we can’t take care of ourselves.
W. A. Criswell

The Need for Prayer

Now it came to pass in those days that [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Luke 6:12

Officially, church historians recognize seven ecumenical church councils held between A.D. 325 and A.D. 787. The first, the First Council of Nicaea, met to agree on the nature of Jesus of Nazareth as both Son of God and Son of Man, as both fully divine and fully human.

The humanity of Christ, while at the same time divine, is hard to understand. But thankfully, Scripture gives us illustrations: Like us, Jesus suffered, experienced hunger, required sleep, ate food, and had limits on His knowledge (Mark 13:32). One of the most striking and helpful illustrations of Jesus’ humanity was His prayer life. We might think that, if Jesus was truly divine, He would have had no need to pray for knowledge, guidance, or help. Yet He did, following the example of godly men like Daniel in Babylon (Daniel 2:16-18). Jesus repeatedly said that He only did what the Father showed Him to do (John 5:19), and prayer was His means.

If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to go to His Father in prayer for strengthening and guidance, how much more do we (Psalm 32:6)?

Prayer and a holy life are one.
E. M. Bounds

What Is Humility?

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5, NIV

What is humility? Is it the opposite of pride? If pride expands one’s importance, does humility deflate one’s importance? That’s the view given by most English dictionaries—a deemphasis on one’s own importance. But what is the biblical view of humility

If someone compliments you on a job well done, do you refuse to take credit or receive their compliment? Or do you graciously say, “Thank you,” in a spirit of genuine appreciation and humility? In Romans 12:3 Paul exhorts the believers not to think of themselves pridefully but rather to think of themselves “soberly”—that is, realistically or accurately. Paul’s topic is the grace given by God to each Christian to serve in the Body of Christ. We should neither overestimate the gift of God’s grace or underestimate it. Rather, we should think of it soberly and realistically—humbly—and minister accordingly. To think less of God’s gift would be to devalue it; to think realistically about it allows one to serve humbly.

How do you view yourself? With pride? With false humility? Or soberly and realistically according to the grace of God in your life?

A really humble man…will not be thinking about humility, he will not be thinking about himself at all.
C. S. Lewis

The Power of Confession

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.
Psalm 32:4

California is a dry state that needs water to be transported over many miles to population and agricultural centers. Snowfall in the winter and melting snow in the spring are critical factors in replenishing shrinking reservoirs. In periods of modern droughts, aerial photographs document the receding water levels in reservoirs around the state—shorelines growing wider and drier as water levels fall.

Such is the picture David paints with his words in Psalm 32—a drought of spiritual vitality brought on by his own sin. When he failed to confess his sin to God, his “bones grew old” and he groaned “all the day long” (verse 3). It was like his soul was being evaporated by the heat of his own guilt and shame. But then the rains of grace came and David confessed his sin and God forgave him (verse 5). And he encouraged his readers not to make the same mistake he had made (verses 9-10).

Confession and repentance reveal the access to restoration. Hiding sin does not remove it from God’s sight; but when we seek God’s forgiveness, the refreshing living water from the Father is poured out on us and we are restored—that is the power of confession.

The way to cover our sin is to uncover it by confession.
Richard Sibbes