As I was reading my Bible this morning, I was getting really worked up. :) I just wanted to jump and shout...God is such an awesome God!! If you happen to be reading my blog, and you don't know the Lord, I have some questions for you...
If what you are doing in life is not working...if you are miserable much of the time...always searching for answers...unhappy with relationships...worried and fearful...why don't you turn from your ways to the One who has the answers you are looking for.
In 1 Kings chapter 18, Elijah said basically the same thing to all the people following after Baal (a false god).
"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." 1 Kings 18:21If you are finding the peace you need by doing Yoga, practicing breathing techniques,and taking antidepressants, great! Follow that! If the love novels you are reading and the soap operas you are watching are helping your marriage, wonderful! If you are finding that month after month, year after year, your marriage just keeps getting better and better, great! If the vacations, coffee with the girls away from the kids, and a busy life, full of events, are filling you will joy unspeakable, then by all means continue on! But, I know something...they aren't enough for you! How can I know this when I don't even know who you are? I know because I know the One who made you, and He made you to need Him. There is nothing in this world that will satisfy all the desires of your heart...except Him! The "things" of this world that we put our hope in and use to replace God in our life, are all false gods.
Elijah continued to challenge the people. He decided to have a contest to see which God was really the true God.
"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." 1 Kings 18:24So the contest was to see which God would send fire and burn the offering. The prophets of Baal called on their god from morning until noon, but nothing happened. Then Elijah began to mock them and tell them that maybe they should cry louder. Maybe their god was on vacation, or maybe he was sleeping. So they cried louder and cut themselves, gushing blood all over, hoping to prove their god was the true god. But evening came and still nothing happened.
We are like that...we like to continue in the same foolishness (false gods) that we started with, instead of admitting that what we are doing isn't working. We think... maybe if I just get a better psychologist, or maybe I just need a longer vacation. We think that if we just keep trying, we are sure to find the answers to life's problems in this world....somewhere. Wrong! Jesus Christ is the only answer!!
Elijah was so confident in his God that he told the people to drench the sacrifice and the wood in water...not once...not twice, but THREE times!! Then he cried out to God and asked Him to send fire to consume the offering that the people may know that He was the One True God. And the Lord did!
And what did the people do? They came to their senses and cried, "The Lord, He is the God! The Lord, He is the God!" (vs. 39)
If I were standing in front of you right now, I would grab you by the shoulder and shake you and say (loudly)...once you know His forgiveness from sin, once you see Him working in your heart, your life, your marriage, your children, you too, like me, will want to shout, "The Lord, He is the God! The Lord, He is the God" There is nothing too hard for Him and no problem that He cannot solve! You may be "soaking wet" in sin, but God's love can still burn it up! Stop wasting your life away trying to find what you are looking for in this world. This world belongs to the devil, is full of wickedness and has nothing to offer you! Jesus is what you are looking for! He loves you and has an awesome plan for your life! Repent and trust Him!
