Heroes of the Faith – WK 4 – Elijah Devotionals (with scripture)

Monday, July 22, 2024, Read Exodus 20:1-6 - And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
It’s hard to hear that God is “a jealous God.” We think of jealousy as being a negative attribute and equate it with being envious or covetous. But when you consider all that God has done for us to the point of sending Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sins and give us eternal life, then it makes sense that God is jealous for us. He doesn’t want anything to get in the way of His relationship with us, especially useless idols that promise us the world, but leave us empty, broken, and ashamed. Yes, God is a jealous God because He loves us too much to let us settle for anything less.

Tuesday, July 23, 2024, Read Deuteronomy 28:1,15, & 20 - “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. . . . However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees, . . . 20 the Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him.”
The choice is always ours. We can choose to obey God and follow His commands, or we can choose to go our own way with no regard for God or His ways. But with choices come consequences. God desires for us to experience the abundant and eternal life that comes from living in right relationship with Him. The consequence of obedience is blessing. But when we choose to go the other way, be sure of this, God’s blessing will NOT go with you. You will experience the devasting consequences of sin which ultimately leads to eternal separation from God. The choice is always ours.

Wednesday, July 24, 2024, Read 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 - “The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent His prophets to warn them, for He had compassion on his people . . . . 16 But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.”
The book of 2 Chronicles ends with this very sad commentary. Though God, because of His compassion for His people, repeatedly sent prophets to warn Israel to turn away from their sin of idolatry and turn back to Him, Israel refused to listen. Not only that, but they also mocked God’s messengers and despised their words. They did this for so long that God’s anger could no longer be restrained. His people would now experience the full consequences for their sin. How many times does God have to warn you before you will heed His voice, turn from your sin, and experience the joy of His salvation?

Thursday, July 25, 2024, Read James 5:13-18 - 3 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.!”
Elijah serves as our example when it comes to prayer. Though he was a human, just like you and me, His right relationship with God and his determination to bring glory and honor to God alone made all the difference when he bowed in prayer. Prayer is essential to our spiritual health and wellbeing. It has been called the oxygen for our souls. Do you love God? Do you desire to see Him work in and through your life? Do you want Him to do great things for His glory? Then spend some time with God in prayer today. It will make all the difference, just ask Elijah.  

Friday, July 26, 2024, Read 1 Kings 18:21 - “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, then follow him.”
The Bible tells us that a person who wavers between two opinions “is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:6-8). It’s time to make a choice. Is the LORD God or is Baal God? Baal represents anything and everything that threatens to take the place of God in our lives. Stop wavering. Make your choice. And then be willing to live with the consequences.