Reflections of a Believer
If you allow yourself to buy into the world’s narrative, you may begin to believe you are one of the few Christians left. After all, this world seems to be slipping faster and faster into chaos.
Before long, fear will grip your heart, and you will become like Elijah in 1 Kings 19. See, Elijah was a mighty man of God who had seen the hand of God at work. In 1 Kings 17, he commanded a drought, was fed by ravens, and supernaturally helped a widow and her son. In chapter 18, he faced off with a king that held obvious disdain for him and rebuked both the king and the people for being double-minded. (1 Kings 18:18-20) He then put to the sword the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18:40)
But in 1 Kings 19, it all began to fall apart. Elijah began to allow fear to grip his heart to the point he spoke to God, saying, “He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.” 1 Kings 19:10 NIV
See, fear had clouded his view on life. In fact, fear had caused self-pity to creep in. As Christians, many of us are in Elijah moments. And not the good ones either. We have allowed fear, which the Bible tells us is not of God (2 Timothy1:7), to overtake our thought process. We have begun to look at the negative in this world and feel like we are all alone, the only Christians left.
This is not of God!
In fact, God rebuked Elijah by saying, “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
1 Kings 19:18 NIV
See, sometimes, what we see in the natural is not the whole picture. Sometimes, especially when we allow fear to blind us, we begin to take our eyes off what God can do and place them on what man can do. It is then our view of life becomes jaded.
The truth is, although our feeds, the news, and our conversations, can all be flooded with the negatives of this world, we have a hope that is not of this world.
The Bible tells us, “May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. My brothers and sisters, I am sure that you are full of goodness. You are filled with knowledge and able to teach one another.”
Romans 15:13-14 NIRV
This is where our hope comes from; from God, not from man. Therefore, even if we were the last Christians left (which we aren’t) “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
So, the next time you begin to feel downcast, instead of feeling alone, read 1 Kings 18-19 and pray. Pray that God shows you where you can find like-minded friends, worshippers, and battle partners. Pray that God strengthens your resolve and your mind. And pray that God raises up more people because that is our great commission.
Father,
We come to you and ask you to open our eyes to your reality. We ask that you show us people who are of a like spirit. One’s who we can link in faith with and grow stronger in you. We pray that you are raising up leaders who will lead and guide us in the knowledge of you, producing in us a fruit that will impact the world for generations to come. Lord, help anyone who is battling their own mind right now. Allow them to see they are not alone.
Amen
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