<x-tad-bigger>Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread":
How can you distinguish between faith and presumption? between
“obeying the voice of the LORD” and fanaticism? Everything depends on
the answer, because if you don’t have “faith,” you will “perish” (John
3:16).
Noah had it, building a boat on dry land “at the word of the LORD.”
Abraham had it, leaving his Beverly Hills home in Ur of the Chaldees
to live in a tent the rest of his life; David had it, a mere stripling
armed with a slingshot and five pebbles facing “in the name of the
LORD” the well-armored Goliath; Elijah had it, drenching with water
the altar on Mt. Carmel, facing certain death at the hands of Ahab if
the Lord let him down with no fire to consume his sacrifice. Was
Elijah a man of great physical and personality stature, a knock-out
boxer in the LORD’s ring? Or was he a shy, retiring, trembling human
like you and I are?
I’d like to see a video actually shot on location on Mt. Carmel, but
the best we have is what the Bible says about him, and that is that he
was like you and me: “Elijah was the same kind of person as we are”
(James 5:17). Tempted to be afraid to stand alone? Yes! The faith of
Elijah is a million miles away from presumption; he trembled a long
time before the LORD, knelt to pray about the situation, day after
day, year after year until finally the Lord strengthened his
conviction to distinguish between Baal and Jehovah (precious few in
Israel had that discernment!), and then courage enough to go to Ahab
and give him the Lord’s ultimatum--take your choice, O king: Baal
worship and famine, or repentance and God’s blessing.
All during those 3-1/2 years he had to “pray earnestly” (James 5:17)
continually every day or he could never have taken the stand he did on
Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18). There were “7000” who had “not bowed the knee
to Baal,” yet not one had the courage to stand up when Elijah made his
challenge, Who is on the Lord’s side?! “The people answered him not a
word” (vs. 21). Blessed be the “7000,” yet all apparently still had
some cowardice deep in their souls! Revelation tells us “144,000”
Elijahs will each “bloom” alone where he/she is “planted,” in the last
days. O Lord, give us discernment to distinguish between fanaticism
and faith, and then courage to stand for the right though the heavens
fall!
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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