King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Saturday, June 27, 2020
Chapters: I Kings 18-19
Message: Choose Your God
Hello My Friend,
It is no doubt that a nation under God is a blessed nation, but what happens when a nation removes God from it, one word, judgment. So, what does the Christian do who is in the middle of the war between God and Satan over that nation? We choose God. Just because our nation is falling apart and we are faced with this pandemic and all this evil around us that does not mean that we are to follow suit or give up and die. We are God’s people! We can endure all things through Christ, and in the midst of a crooked and corrupt nation we can be blessed and prosperous, even during the most difficult times. The choice is ours, who you will follow, Christ or Satan, who is every other god and idol made by man, [Joshua 24:14-15 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.]
This passage came to mind as I was reading the chapters for today. With all the evil that is going around all over the world, not just one nation, but all nations that were once chosen by God, people are scared and actually turning to spiritual guidance to find some hope. Satan is all too willing to use his influence to guide these lost souls and even many weaker Christians into worshiping a man made god. Now, for three years there was a draught in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, in that time, Jezebel turned the entire kingdom to Baal, and executed prophets, and anyone caught worshiping God. Obadiah was the governor, he feared God, hid, and cared for one hundred prophets, he was sent out by Ahab to find food for the horses when Elijah appeared.
[I Kings 18:1,3-5,7-10 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: 4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. 7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? 8 And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 10 As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.]
[he took an oath of the kingdom and nation,] Ahab had been on the hunt for Elijah since the famine began, convinced that it was Elijah’s fault for the draught. That is what the devil does, he loves to put it in peoples minds that it is God’s people who cause all the evils in this world. Obadiah feared for his life to go up to Ahab and tell him that Elijah was there after he not be there, but Elijah assures Obadiah that he has nothing to fear.
[I Kings 18:15-19,22-24 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day. 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. 19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table. 22 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. 23 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: 24 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 the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.] Elijah is doing the same thing that Joshua did, and asking them to choose whether or not they will follow God or Baal. All the people gathered together to watch this duel, the God who could bring down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice would be the one true God.
[I 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. 27 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. 28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 29 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.]
[or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.] This is too funny, can you just picture what this would have looked like, four hundred and fifty men crying out to the god they had been worshiping and obedient to for the past few years, attempting to wake it up. They even resorted to cutting themselves, but nothing. Then Elijah pretty much said, “Move over boys, let me show you what the one and only God can do.” Elijah, confident in God bringing rain, made it even more of a challenge by pouring that precious water on the sacrifice.
[I Kings 18:31-33,36-39 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: 32 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. 33 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. 36 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. 37 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. 38 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. 39 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.]
[And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD:] Do you see how he built it for God? This is the key to seeing God working in our lives, we are to do everything with God in mind. [O LORD, hear me,] There is not one day that I do not ask God to hear my prayer, as confident as I am that God does hear every prayer, I am not going to assume I am good enough that He would hear me.
[1 Kings 19:1-4,7-9 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2 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. 3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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?]
[because the journey is too great for thee.] This journey that God has us on is too great for us to walk on our own, we need to be fed spiritually, day and night. And let me tell you, Christ is more than food for our soul, He is the bread of life, the fountain of living waters, and when we come to Him spiritually, He takes care of the mind, and body as well. Satan loves to intimidate us, especially if we have sin in our lives in an attempt to get us to believe that God is done with us, and we are useless. Let me tell you, the just fall seven times and get back up, and that is only because Christ is with them. He will never leave nor forsake us, and will even use that fall for good, including bringing more people to Him through our faithfulness, [II Corinthians 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.]
Today’s Prayer: God, This day I choose You, and I choose You through my faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ, You are alone are the one and only Almighty God, and You are my God. This world is so deaf from hearing You that it loves to convince us that if we turn to it they will provide us with our needs, but what this really is is a war between You and Satan, he wants nothing more than to see our nation burn in all his evil. Lord, Lead us and guide us, give us Your power, mercy, grace, protection, and peace as we endure the evils that come with Your judgments. Keep us safe, hide us, and put Your hedge of protection around us from all these evils. Let us never forget that You will always supply us with everything we need. Jesus feed us with Your bread, and quench us with Your water to nourish our spirits, minds, and bodies. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus’. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://readytofollow.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus Missions: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/welcome/
I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readytofollowJesus/
Copyright © 2020 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.