Days of Elijah pt5—Confront the Enemies of Your Faith

[1Ki 18:20-40 NASB95]

God calls us to confront the enemies of our faith. Those enemies can be internal or external. They can be spiritual, emotional, biological, financial, or relational. These enemies might be global, national, or individualized.

The enemies of your faith are trying to get you to stop serving Jesus and distract you from fulfilling your call.

Elijah confronted Ahab and the priests of Baal. Ahab and the priests of Baal have all but destroyed the faith of the people of Israel. There was a small remnant of God-fearing people. The rest of the people were mixed in their devotion to God. God called Elijah to confront the enemies of the faith.

How does God want us to confront the enemies of our faith?

Elijah gives us a blueprint for confronting the enemies of our faith.

God wants us to be totally devoted to Him.

V. 21

[Jos 24:15 NASB95]

[Mat 6:24 NASB95]

FB – to be separate means fearing God, hating sin, false teaching, injustice, improper relationships with hypocrites, and total devotion to God’s perspective.

[Luk 9:62 NASB95]

[Jhn 21:22 NASB95]

No more trying to serve the world, the flesh, and the devil. No more looking around at other people or considering other options. Single focus.

God wants us to be bold in confronting the enemy.

V. 27

Elijah was mocking the enemies of the faith. Maybe “a euphemism for bodily elimination.” (Patterson and Austel)

[Mar 11:17 NASB95]

Remember David when he confronted Goliath.

It is time to be bold as a lion about confronting the enemies of our faith.

God wants us to live with unlimited faith in Him.

V. 30-35

Elijah created an adverse situation for fire: water. This was done to demonstrate the power of God in any situation.

[Eph 3:20-21 NASB95]

Take limits off of God. [Psa 78:41 NASB95] (to set marks or limits. Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon) (marked, outlined, sketched, designed – Klein Dictionary)

God wants us to pray intense prayers.

V. 36-38

“It was no whim of his to chastise the nation with a drought. It was no scheme of his, concocted in his own brain that he should put the Godhead of Jehovah or of Baal to the test by a sacrifice to be consumed by miraculous fire.” (Spurgeon)

This intense prayer had the following:

Acknowledged God

Declared his position before God.

Based upon the Word of God.

Was declarative, “Hear me… hear me…”

Was not just about him but also focused upon the Lord and others.

No more small prayers. [Psa 81:10 NASB95]

When confronting the enemies of our faith, God wants us to be totally devoted to Him in boldness, unlimited faith, and intense prayers.