Message from the Monthly Flyer from February 2007

A person who is with God will always be the victor

A person who is on the side of God will always be the winner, no matter what comes against him.
Bible text: 1 Kings 19:1-2 “And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 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.”

King Ahab told his wife everything about what the prophet had done, how he had gathered the people on mount Carmel and had challenged her prophets. Each side built an altar. On the one side there were 450 prophets of the idols Baal and Asherah, who were paid by queen Jezebel. The one on the other side was a man who built an altar to the God of Israel.
Each one was supposed to sacrifice to his God, and the God who answered with fire would be the one who is the true living God.

The prophets of Baal were the first ones to begin. The cried out aloud, prayed, and continued with their noise throughout the whole day as they called out to their god. Nothing happened, there was no sign from Baal in heaven and no fire. When they grew tired, Elijah asked them, whether their god happened to be on vacation or was too busy to help them.

As things continued without nothing taking place, Elijah went ahead and did something. He built an altar out of 12 stones, laid wood upon it and placed the sacrifice on top of it. If that was not enough, he asked for 12 buckets of water and poured it over the sacrifice; there was so much that the altar was literally standing in water. Everyone was watching and wondering how ever could it burn with all that water? However, Elijah was no ordinary man, he was a prophet of God and did exactly what God wanted. The others were idol worshippers and were playacting with their religion; that was reason enough for God to curse the land. There was a great drought, everything was dry and withered; there had already been no rain for three years. However, this would all be changing - Elijah knew that.

When Elijah was finished with his work, he stood up in front of the people. It was very was quiet and everyone was wondering what he was now going to do. For the people were confused and had lost their direction. No longer did they know who God really was, whether it was Baal or the God of Bible. They heard how Elijah cried out in the direction of heaven, “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. 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. 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!” (1 Kings 18:37-39)

Elijah told the people to kill the false prophets, and they went and took a hold of them and killed them all. Shortly afterwards, God caused it to rain again in the whole of Israel; it came down like a flood. After three years of drought, the rivers, streams, and lakes were filled again.

God was able to bless them because they had turned to Him and no longer carried on with the idol worship in their lives. The deception which stemmed from the idol worshippers ended with their deaths. The people were aware that God was still the same, no matter what they had been taught in their schools.

It is necessary to turn with your whole heart to Him and to forsake your idols; then He will command the rain to come, and also the blessing which HE has promised. Nobody expected Elijah to win, yet nevertheless, he was the winner; for he did that what God wanted. Elijah outlived Jezebel, whose body was eaten by the dogs in the end.

Every church who forgets their God will experience the same as Jezebel, but this time around, however, it will be the hounds of hell; for God will not be mocked. Every individual who has mocked will be reminded of his words. A person will reap that what he sows, this is what the Scripture tells us.

God gave the people who were confused and going the wrong way another chance. It is exactly the same today. You have the opportunity to take a hold of the gospel. Why should you perish like the doubters and be judged with the ungodly? Malachi 4:2 “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings…” rw