1 Kings 18:20-40
If the Lord Is God, Then Follow Him

In obedience to the Lord, Elijah engaged in a dramatic showdown with the prophets of Baal. Pastor Dave gave us three takeaways.

There is a difference between testing the Lord and obeying. Elijah obeyed God; too often, we test God. Dave defined testing God this way: We initiate a course of action and then demand that God obey us when things don’t go well. The reason may be that we’re lazy. Asking God for direction and waiting to act until we get it takes time and effort. It requires focused prayer, searching Scripture, seeking godly counsel. We can’t be bothered and plow ahead, assuming that God is our get-out-of-jail-free card (metaphorically speaking) if things go wrong. Talk to the Lord about times you’ve tested Him instead of obeying Him. Ask in advance for Holy Spirit conviction the next time you’re on the verge of doing it again.

Stop living two lives. The people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel thought they could serve both Yahweh and Baal. Dave drew a parallel to people he called “two-faced” who claim to be Christians but live in a totally secular manner. He pointed out that no one wakes up in the morning and makes the conscious choice to be a hypocrite. Rather, he or she is lulled into thinking Christ and (fill in the blank) is possible; compromises accumulate. Before the Lord, confess that peace, joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment are found in Christ alone. Realize that seeking those things in drugs or alcohol, relationships, status, possessions, sports, food, entertainment, or (fill in the blank) is doomed to failure.

Repent and remove the evil. The people who witnessed the victory of Yahweh over the counterfeit god Baal repented. “Yahweh – He is God!” they cried. But Elijah also removed the evil by rounding up the prophets of Baal and slaughtering them. Don’t toy with evil, Dave urged. Jesus taught that, if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out; if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. (Matthew 5:29-30) Neither Dave nor Jesus is recommending violence or self-mutilation. The point is that we must be ready to take drastic action to remove evil from our lives, overcoming the part of us that cries, “No, not that! That’s impossible!” Let’s humble ourselves before the Lord and ask: Where do You see the taint of evil in my life? What would you have me do to remove it? Give me the determination and strength to obey You!

Calvary Family

We’ve been praying for weeks for our Fall FunFest outreach. Take time today to thank Him for providing for every need, for the beautiful weather, and for the many families that were blessed by the event.

Lift up people who hang out on the fringes of our fellowship. Perhaps they attend worship services sporadically, avoid talking to people because it feels awkward, and don’t attend life groups or special events. Ask the Lord to draw them in, to help them take the risk of engaging with us. Ask Him to remind us to warmly welcome people we don’t know, to take the risk of initiating conversation with a stranger.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

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