James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
As we continue our journey through the life of Elijah, let us take heart in this: Elijah was a man just like us. He was not born with heroic strength or unshakable resolve. He knew weakness, fear, and moments of failure—the same struggles we face. And yet, this one man, by faith, stood alone against a tide of sin and idolatry. By faith, he turned a nation back to God.
This is what makes Elijah’s story so captivating. He did not rely on some hidden, mystical power that is beyond our reach. Nor was he made of stronger stuff than the rest of us. If that were true, his story would discourage us — a model we could never follow, an ideal forever beyond our grasp. But no! Elijah was, in himself, a man just like us. It was faith in God that made him a pillar of strength, a torch that burned brightly for truth. And the same faith is available to you and me today.
All power belongs to God, and He longs to pour His Resurrection power in and through us. The Holy Spirit channels that power into our lives in proportion to our faith and our readiness to receive it. Oh, that we would have hearts as open as Elijah’s—willing to be filled, willing to believe, willing to act!
But know this: before Elijah stood in boldness on Mount Carmel, he first had to be shaped by God at Cherith and refined at Zarephath. So it will be for us. God invites us into His school of faith — a place where our trust is deepened, our self-reliance is broken, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Only then can we be ready to do great exploits for God and truth.
Let Elijah’s life remind us that God is not looking for heroes made of stronger clay — He is seeking men and women who simply believe. The same power that turned a nation back to God through Elijah is available to us today. We do not need greater strength; we need greater faith. We do not need more ability; we need more surrender. The God who worked through Elijah stands ready to work through you. Will you let Him? Let this be our prayer: “Lord, take my weakness and fill it with Your power. Shape me, teach me, and use me, that I may stand for You in this generation as Elijah did in his.”
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]David is called a “man after God’s own heart.” Considering that he lusted after his neighbor’s wife, committed adultery with her, and had her husband murdered, the Lord’s description of him is remarkable. How could a man who was convicted a murderer and an adulterer also be called one after God’s own heart?
Judges 6 begins with an angel talking to Gideon saying, “thou mighty man of valor!” However, in this passage Gideon isn’t feeling very valiant — he’s consumed with his circumstances — how poor his family is and how he’s the least of his fathers’ house. He doesn’t feel he’s done anything worthy of being called valiant, yet the angel still addresses him “mighty man of valor!”
When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians, he was speaking to a church that was surrounded with sexual immorality. The city of Corinth was a haven of hedonism where many temples hosted hundreds of prostitutes which were visited by vast multitudes of foreigners. In the ancient world, the term “Corinthianize” indicated a life of sexual promiscuity.
This one of several theophanies found in the Old Testament of the “preincarnate” Yeshua (Jesus). In this story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These three men refused to bow and worship another God besides the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. While they knew that God was able to deliver them, they also knew that He might choose not to do so–and whether He delivered them or not had no influence on their loyalty to Him. These three faithful Hebrews were convinced that idolatry was a non-starter for them, no matter what! Their unquestionable loyalty brought wrath upon their heads. Nebuchadnezzar’s violent rage moved him to increase the furnace fires seven times!
Every time I turn on the news it seems the new buzzword is – CHANGE! So how can we just shift gears and change? Let’s learn a lesson about basic automotive mechanics. Generally a car has between 4 and 5 gears. The first gear maximizes power in exchange for speed. As you move through the gears, you can continue to go faster, yet without using any more power, and before you know it – you have to look at the speedometer – cause nobody wants a speeding ticket!
You know how sometimes we get a phone call from someone who didn’t intend to dial us? And what do we usually say? Sorry, you have the wrong number.
The word “midst”, in the Greek, is ‘meros’ which literally means “the middle”. In the ‘meros’ of the throne in heaven is the Lamb of God. The very focus of heaven — the center of attention — is the Lamb of God!