Straight Talk
The Lord strengthens those who put their trust in Him. If we are not grounded in the Word of God and seeking Him daily as our source of strength and knowledge for the future, we, too, can easily fall prey to the lure of the occult.
Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
The Lord strengthens those who put their trust in Him. If we are not grounded in the Word of God and seeking Him daily as our source of strength and knowledge for the future, we, too, can easily fall prey to the lure of the occult.
Few in the history of the Church possessed this quality of passionate heroism in greater measure than Martin Luther. It's been asserted that he was, perhaps, as fearless a man as ever lived.
If you are a child of God, He will not cast you out of His family. But if you are stubbornly refusing to obey Him, continuing to walk your own way, He will bring severe discipline upon you. He loves you too much to ignore your actions.
God has not designed us to live like hermits in a cave. He has designed us to live in friendship, fellowship, and community with others. That's why the Church, the Body of Christ, is so very important, for it is there that we are drawn together in love and mutual encouragement.
God showed Elijah that he still had a job to do—that there was still a place for him. Disillusioned and exhausted though he was, he was still God's man and God's choice for "such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).
Why did Elijah fear Jezebel's intimidating threats? Why did he run away from his long-standing priority of serving God and hide in fear under the shadow of that solitary tree, deep in the wilderness?
So, this Christmas season I pray that the warmth of the Saviour’s love will spread itself over you as never before.
In the first verse in 1 Kings 18, there is an eloquent phrase: "The word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year." Three years! That's an incredibly long time to go without rain. We can't imagine it, can we? But God was up to something.
All over this world, around us every day, are people who are looking for the truth to be lived out in the lives of those who claim it. Just as the widow watched Elijah, there are people watching you. They hear what you say you believe, but they are watching to see what you do.
If you wish to be a man or woman of God, it is essential that you face the impossible situations of life with faith, as Elijah did. If you are a young person who desires to live a godly life that will leave its mark upon this world, you must learn early to stand in the shadow of your Saviour, trusting Him to work through the trials you encounter, through the extreme circumstances you cannot handle.