Welcome to Week Two of Elijah: Spiritual Stamina in Every Season! We will be exploring one of my all-time favorite stories in the Old Testament this week as we camp out at Mt. Carmel. Once upon a time, I used to think it was Mt. Caramel, but no, we won’t be indulging in the sweet, sticky goodness that goes so well with chocolate. This is about the most profound moment of decision where the Israelites must choose once and for all who is their God.

Israel has been sitting on the fence long enough, and it is time to force their hand to choose who they are going to serve. Is God truly God, or is Baal the legit one? The drought had lingered on for over three years now, and Israel has suffered the dire consequences of their foolish idol worship. Perhaps conditions have become severe enough at this point that they will finally realize that Baal certainly isn’t going to come through for them or rescue them from this devastating drought. Serving Jezebel’s gods has not brought the prosperity or peace they had hoped. Perhaps they have suffered enough to want to fall on their faces and return to the one true living God. Or, will they remain steeped in their blindness and persist in their foolish pursuit of a make believe god who can do nothing for them?

Elijah called on Ahab to bring the hundreds of Baal and Asherah prophets to come together for the showdown of a lifetime. What happens next is so exciting and wonderful and relevant and powerful that I can hardly wait to talk about it with you this week!

For now, lets take a few moments to review points we have uncovered in our daily lessons this week and from chapter 18 in 1 Kings, and we will come back to the exciting conclusion at Mt. Carmel at the end. No matter where you are in your study, you will truly enjoy this week’s discussion!

Day One: Assurance

As chapter 18 unfolds, we meet a new character in this narrative and learn some powerful truths we can apply in the body of Christ as well.

During these drought years, Ahab and Jezebel have searched and searched for Elijah in hopes to kill this “trouble maker” of Israel who they had deemed the culprit of their economic woes. They had no tolerance for this man of God who stood opposed to their devotion to the false god, Baal. During this time, however, Ahab had a dedicated servant of God Himself right under his nose who served him faithfully. His name was Obadiah.

Elijah and Obadiah were both devoted servants of the Most High God, but they found themselves in quite dissimilar situations that required different types of serving. While Elijah was more of an “in your face” type of prophet, which was exactly what was needed to confront the out of control Baal worship in the land of Israel, Obadiah needed to serve in a more subtle, behind the scenes way in order for God to use him to accomplish his specific purpose. It was important for Obadiah to maintain the trust of Ahab in order for God to use him to protect and care for the 100 of the Lord’s prophets that Ahab had tried to kill. God had called Obadiah to exude a subtle Godly influence within the palace, and he would not have been able to do that if he had tried to copy Elijah’s method instead. Simply put, he needed to be who God had called him to be.

We also see in this storyline that Obadiah needed some reassurance from Elijah, and Elijah willingly offered it. He wasn’t afraid to ask for it, and Elijah was sensitive and caring enough to provide what Obadiah needed.

As we pondered this part of the story in our study, we took note of the various people we know within the body of Christ who serve in a myriad of ways. We quickly tend to notice the ones up front who teach, preach, or sing, but we often fail to see the ones who fly under the radar yet make some of the most impact in our churches or communities. For example, the ones who cook or serve food for the homeless shelters, the parking greeters or ushers in the church, the ones who donate supplies anonymously to the children’s ministry, or the ones who arrange chairs in the sanctuary or clean the bathrooms. We many not always notice these faithful servants, but we would have a very hard time functioning without them!

We also may forget to value those who serve in even more unique situations. For example, they may selflessly care for a special needs child or elderly parent full time, or there are some who radiate the love of Christ to others around them in the hospitals or nursing homes where they are staying long term. We cannot undervalue their contribution to the Kingdom of God.

“Perhaps some relatives, coworkers, or friends will be more likely to understand the gospel through faithful actions than overt preaching. Of course, we do not want to make excuses for not being bold about our faith. Instead let us genuinely seek to be led by the Holy Spirit in what will best communicate God’s love to others.”

“We need to remember that there is not only one kind of faithful servant. Some are quiet, doing their work behind the scenes, while others are in public view. One kind is not holier than the other. We are all called to be faithful to God’s instructions for us. We can spend a lot of time pointing our fingers at others who serve differently when, instead, we should be affirming and cheering one another on in our faith.”

I encourage you to intentionally look for ways to encourage and affirm each other in the faith and help to build up the gifts in others. Remember, we are “on the same team serving a powerful God.”

Day Two: Sitting on the Fence

It’s time for the show down! Elijah and Ahab meet face to face for the first time since the beginning of the drought, and Ahab has it all twisted. He points his fingers at Elijah and says, “Is it really you? The ‘trouble-maker’ of Israel?”

All this time, and Ahab still doesn’t get it. He blames Elijah for Israel’s troubles, but he cannot see past the surface to the very root of the problem. It wasn’t Elijah’s proclamation that there would be no rain in Israel that stirred up this mess, but it was Ahab’s idol worship. Ahab, and of course, his wife, Jezebel, were the real trouble makers, not Elijah. But, aren’t we all sometimes blind to our own shortcomings?

How often do we point fingers at someone else or get stumped on the outward appearance of a problem, but we fail to dig down to the true cause of our problems? There are always deeper, underlining issues at the heart of the problems all around us. This brings up a few examples I thought of personally.

Perhaps we don’t have enough money to pay a bill, and we turn an angry fist at God for not meeting our needs. However, when we dig a little deeper, the Holy Spirit may reveal a need for us to learn how to manage our spending habits and be better stewards of what He has already provided. Our anger was unfounded.

Another situation may be that someone was unable to attend a party you worked so hard to plan. Instead of automatically assuming that person doesn’t like you or is a jumbo-jerk, make it your default setting to give the benefit of doubt and show grace. Maybe that person had a personal situation that couldn’t have been avoided. It doesn’t mean that you should allow someone to walk all over you, but we must be self-aware enough to truly listen and to evaluate situations more objectively.

We could also extend this concept more outwardly. When we see division in our nation or churches, we can easily point fingers at specific groups of people as the cause. This fuels terrible prejudice. However, when we dig a little deeper, we realize that the real root of division is a heart that is far from God’s heart, and deeper than that, the root is sin. Pride, hatred, ignorance, and division all find their roots in sin and are ultimately fueled by the devil himself. Instead of pointing fingers at the perceived enemy on the surface, we need to stand together and fight our common enemy, Satan. We do this by standing together in love and by submitting to God.

Something that Melissa explained in day 2 is the important of self-awareness and seeing through someone else’s perspective. I encourage you to study this part again and again. What a difference it would make in our interactions with others!

We have a tendency to view our world through the lens of our personal experiences. Often pain, abuse, or hidden baggage can skew a person’s perspective and cause them to react disproportionately to what is really going on. Rather than focusing on the facts of what has happened, we may create a different story from our own perspective that doesn’t match. For example, if someone is late to a meeting, instead of trying to understand their situation, we may jump to the conclusion that they don’t care about our time or respect us. How quickly we can assume the worst and escalate the situation because of our lack of self-awareness.

Instead, we need to learn to ask ourselves good questions to help us understand the other person’s point of view. And, even if the worst is correct, we don’t have to allow it to upset us. A good rule of thumb is to assume the best in others. Listen with the intent to truly understand rather than to defend yourself. Let’s learn to recognize our own shortcomings and humbly make things right when needed instead of being so quick to make everyone else out to be the problem.

The Ultimatum

Finally, Elijah gives Ahab the ultimatum. No more sitting on the fence, trying to worship Baal and expecting God’s blessings at the same time. It is time, once and for all, to make the choice: Who is the real God? If God is God, then worship Him. But, if Baal, is God, then worship him.

We must make the same choice. We cannot call ourselves followers of God and yet live according to our fleshly whims or our culture’s standards. We cannot claim the name of Christ yet live completely contrary to His teachings. It is hypocritical for our beliefs and our behaviors to contradict. If we claim to belong to Christ, we must choose to live for Him. However, that is not to be a legalistic life of bondage in which our outward behavior must be perfect in order to be right with Him. We are only holy because of His holiness. The Holy Spirit will lead us to match up our outside with what He has done on the inside, but we must make the choice to obey.

“Every day we make either/or choices: we will choose food that is healthy or unhealthy, we will be active or sedentary, we will scroll through social media and read about others’ lives or go out and live our own, we will count our blessings or our problems, we will pray and study God’s Word or we will find other things to fill our time. God calls us to make the choice to fall in love with Him. When we set our hearts and minds to love Him, the disciplines of following Him become less tiring. We find spiritual stamina building as we choose to imitate His faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. Yet rather than try to do it on our own, we invite the Holy Spirit to do it in and through us.”

Day Three: Choosing to Challenge

We looked today at the appeal of false gods that drew Israel to worship Baal, and what may cause us today to compromise and settle for counterfeit gods instead of the real thing. The promise of prosperity or indulgence of the flesh can be enticing, but these outward substitutes can never fulfill the longing we have deep within our souls. Only God can fill that part of us!

Perhaps the people of Israel were beginning to see that Baal wasn’t all that he was cracked up to be. Where is the prosperity and quality of life they had expected? But, what would happen to them if they defied the king and turned back to God? Or, were they so blinded that they just couldn’t see? This situation wasn’t cut and dry. The show down on Mt. Carmel would finally reveal the truth once and for all.

Here is what Elijah proposed. He had Ahab summon the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah to Mt. Carmel for a face off. They also brought two bulls for a sacrifice, and Elijah allowed them to choose whichever bull they wanted. They were to cut up their bull and lay the pieces on the altar. Then they would each call upon their gods. Whoever answers with fire is the true God.

Here are three concepts we can glean from this part of the story:

You are not alone.

It sure seemed that the odds were against Elijah as he was standing alone, but Elijah wasn’t worried. He understood that God’s math always surpasses ours! It went like this:

1 + God > 450 + counterfeit

You see, when the odds seem stacked against us, and we feel like we are in the line of fire all alone, we never really are. God has promised and has proven over and over again that He will never ever leave us or forsake us. We are backed and empowered by God Almighty Himself!

We can write our own math equation similar to Elijah’s:

You + God > your challenge

…and be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20b NLT

For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5b NLT

Truth rises eventually.

I have seen this phrase proven true numerous times, “Time and truth will tell.” This applies to anything that puts up a false front and claims to be true. What is genuine will rise to the top and prove to actually be true in time. When false accusations arise, watch the truth come to light. It’s a glorious thing!

When false gods promise fulfillment, we eventually discover that they can never satisfy. Anything that we have put our trust in apart from God will eventually fall apart. Only God will stand the test of time and prove true every time.

 “God asks us to trust Him, believing that He will prove Himself real at just the right time.”

“God will bring the truth to light at just the right time.”

God calls us to challenge counterfeits that keep us from an intimate relationship with Him.

“Sometimes God leads us, like Elijah, to confront the counterfeits we see in the lives of others. But more often God calls us to challenge the counterfeits that deceive and entrap us personally.”

Before confronting another person’s counterfeits, let us consider these points:

• First begin with self. Challenge self and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any counterfeits we have held on to. We can never have the perspective to correct another person until we have humbly and sincerely allowed the Holy Spirit to deal with our own hearts first.
• Humbly evaluate motive. Be sure we are being led by God and not our own sense of self-righteousness. Do we really want to restore the person or fuel our need to be right? Do we really want them to experience God’s love and grace, or do we want to heap shame and condemnation on them to make ourselves feel better?
• What is our approach? Have we truly been in prayer and submissive to the leading of the Holy Spirit? Are we exuding love? Are our words, attitude, tone, body language, and general approach demonstrating love, humility, sincerity and truth? Are we coming across as truly caring for the person and genuinely desiring their restoration?
• Is the timing right? Instead of leaning on our unstable emotions, we must yield to God’s timetable. Sometimes He asks us to wait while He prepares the person’s heart.
• Do you have a relationship with the person that has established trust and where your words would be welcome? Not just anyone can simply speak into someone else’s life on a whim.

Day Four: Believing in Something

Today the storyline gets more exciting! I love this part! The prophets of Baal prepared their sacrifice, laid it upon the altar, and they began to call upon their god. The cried out to him, danced, and hobbled around the altar from morning until noon, and nothing happened. Well, DUH! What do you expect?

Elijah began mocking them. I giggled as I read Elijah’s remarks. He said that maybe their god was sleeping, or daydreaming, or relieving himself, or maybe had gone on a trip. Perhaps they needed to shout even louder. Well, that was all it took. They began shouting all the louder, and they cut themselves with knives, which was often a part of their worship. As the blood dripped from their flesh, they danced themselves into a frenzy all around the altar until evening. But, did all that hullabaloo make any difference? Again, DUH! Of course not. Baal cannot hear because he is nothing but a fake.

Maybe Elijah’s jeering was in part to have some fun, but I think Melissa had it right when she explained that Elijah wanted them to wear themselves out so that they wouldn’t come back later and suggest that maybe their god would have answered if they would have just done a little more. Elijah wanted to make sure they had done all they could do so they would see how futile their attempts really were. Then they would have no excuses. This would prepare the way for the one true God to do His thing!

When they were done, I am so fascinated to read how Elijah prepared for his turn. He rebuilt the altar and used twelve large stones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. It was time to include a little history lesson! He then dug a trench around the altar. Now, that must have really left them wondering!

After he carefully laid out the pieces of the sacrifice on the wood, he instructed the servants to pour four jars of water to soak the sacrifice and the wood, and to fill up the trench. And if that wasn’t enough, he had them do it three times! He made sure there was no mistaking the miracle God was about to perform. There was no fire hiding up Elijah’s sleeve, and there would be no doubt that when God sent fire, it would not have been possible by human effort or trickery.

Man, this is getting exciting! Stay tuned tomorrow for the finale of this exciting episode!

In today’s study, we also delved into the topic of believing in God and sharing our faith. As Christians, we believe Jesus is the only way to God, that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” With this belief, we also understand that every other god is false. Because of this, many jump to the conclusion that we are intolerant and full of hate. That is one of the reasons it seems that every other faith is tolerated in our country except for Christianity.

We must be careful about how we represent Christ to this world. Rather than coming across as condescending or judgmental, we need to show the love and compassion of Jesus. When our hearts are truly one with His, it will show in the way we treat others.

“We share the gospel message through our actions and words and often in how we respond to our own failures or trials.”

One reality in our culture is that it is OK to believe in anything as long as we believe passionately. However, the value is not in how passionately we believe, but it is in the validity of the one in whom we believe. “The intensity of our expression of belief is useless if the object of our belief is not real.” We saw that in the example of the prophets of Baal acting like fools to try to get their god to respond to them. Oh, they were passionate enough, but what good was it when they put their faith in a counterfeit god?

We can proceed with confidence, then, because our faith is in the one and only true living God. We can know for sure too because He reveals Himself in unmistakable ways if we will only take notice.

God reveals Himself through:

• Creation is evidence of our Creator. (Romans 1:20; Psalm 8:3, 4)
• The Bible (2 Timothy 3:16)
• God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10)
• Jesus (Matthew 11:27; Hebrews 1:1-2)

Be observant. See Him in nature. Meditate upon and fill up with His Word. Communicate with God. Listen. Refuse to entertain doubt or deception.

“By seeking God through nature, His Word, His Spirit, and His Son, we can develop a more accurate view of God and worship Him according to His design. And as we do, we will find our God to be faithful and true in our lives.”

Day Five: Undeniable

We now come to the exciting conclusion to our story. I love this part so much! Elijah didn’t have to act like a fool or beg God to answer. He merely spoke a concise prayer that asked God to prove Himself to the people. And, immediately, God hurled down fire from heaven, burning up the bull, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even the water in the trench! Talk about showing Himself mightily!

God knew it was the perfect time to reveal Himself to the people. They were ready. God didn’t cast them aside for their foolishness, but He used this as an opportunity to draw them back to Himself. And, that is exactly what happened. In verse 39, the people fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord – He is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” That is all they could say after what they experienced.

A couple of other points I don’t want you to miss here is the Elijah prepared the sacrifice at the usual time for the evening sacrifice. Melissa points out that God is a God of order who calls us to worship Him according to His instructions, not by what we feel like at the moment. It is not about our comfort or convenience, but it is about His holiness and worthiness. Worship is an act of obedience and submission to His ways, not our own.

The second point that Melissa brings out is that Elijah makes a point to call out to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This may be to remind the people that God is a God of covenant who is forever faithful to His chosen people. Yes, He is the same God who provided for, blessed, called, delivered, and chose their ancestors, and He longs to be their God too.

While we talked last week about being persistent and praying bold prayers, we also learn from Elijah that we don’t have to pray fancy or frantic prayers to get God’s attention. We can just be ourselves and talk to God simply.

In Matthew 6, Jesus gave specific guidelines for prayer. One of those was that we are not to babble on and one with our prayers. He won’t answer merely because we use a lot of words or repeat ourselves again and again. He is not impressed! He already knows what we need before we even ask, so all we need to do is ask.

Philippians 4:6-7 gives us further instruction to pray with faith and thanksgiving when we present our requests to God. Tell God what you need and thank Him for what He has done. Don’t worry but instead, pray about everything. That shows me that we can have a personal relationship with God and that prayer is our mode of communication with Him.

Finally, James 5:13-18 tells us that we can pray in any situation, whether we are suffering or going through a happy time. When we are sick, we can go to the elders of the church and pray together for our healing. In addition, if we have committed any sins, we will be forgiven. We are also to pray for each other. James finally tells us that “the earnest prayers of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Wow, those Scriptures give a very different picture of prayer that gets results. It is not about shouting louder and louder or beating ourselves up before God to get his attention. Prayer is our connection to God, and it brings us His peace and His presence.

“Spiritual stamina without prayer is impossible!”

“Circumstances may or may not change, but pouring out our hearts to God and listening to Him changes our hearts and minds.”

“Whether you find yourself in a mountaintop experience where God’s presence is undeniable or at a low point where God feels a million miles away, you too can grow in spiritual stamina and faith as you continue to study, pray, and depend on God.”

 

Week 2 Discussion Questions

Ice Breaker: What are some of your favorite Easter memories as a child?

Question 1: Obadiah and Elijah were both devoted servants of the Lord, but they had different callings. Elijah was more up front in his ministry, but Obadiah served God more in the background. Describe someone you know who serves God faithfully but may not be noticed by many people. What are some ways we can serve God behind the scenes that won’t get us much or any recognition?

Question 2: Elijah countered Ahab’s accusation that he was the troubler of Israel by digging deeper and getting to the root of Israel’s problem. It was not the lack of rain, but it was the people’s lack of faithfulness to God that caused their problems. If we look around, we can see relational problems all around us. We can also see division in our nation and sometimes even in our churches. What we see on the surface is not usually what is the true cause of the strife. Let’s dig deeper into the heart and identify what some of the root causes of this division are all about. What are some of the things that are at the root of division?

Question 3: Sometimes God calls us to confront the counterfeits in others’ lives, like Elijah did. But more often, God calls us to challenge the counterfeits in our own lives that entrap or deceive us, luring our hearts away from Him. Before we confront another person, what are some things we need to ask ourselves or do first?

Question 4: We can so easily wander off track and find ourselves spending our time, talents, and treasures pursuing counterfeits. What are some practical ways we can draw nearer to God and see Him more clearly so that we will not be enticed by the counterfeits that can deceive our hearts and minds?

Question 5: We learn through Elijah’s story that spiritual stamina without prayer is impossible. We must talk to God and listen to God. This is prayer, and it is a gift that God offers to us. Is there a specific idea or practice regarding prayer that you sense God calling you to implement? (page 75) What is something you learned about prayer this week?

Question 6: What is something you learned this week that was especially meaningful to you?

Assignments for the Week

1. Click here to register, purchase the book, join our Facebook group, and subscribe to the blog to receive future updates.
2. Read 1 Kings 18:41-19:18
3. Read 1 Kings 16-22 (optional, reading through 1 and 2 Kings)
4. Study Week 3, pp. 80 – 114
5. Memorize Galatians 6:9

   So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

6. Participate in a small group in our Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study Facebook page. This week we will go over what we learned from Week 2.

 

I hope to see you in a small group this week. Have a blessed week!