We all know people who claim to be Christian, but if you look at how they live their lives you can’t tell much difference between them and the rest of the world. They dress like the world, talk like the world, and eat and drink like the world. They might show up for church on Sunday, wearing their best clothes and best smile. They lift their hands in the praise songs and as soon as church is over and they are back in the car, they look just like the world again.
In 1 Kings 18, we find Elijah who challenges the Israelites to decide what God they are going to follow. Throughout Israel’s history, they had a tendency of worshipping false gods. At this particular time, the false god was Baal. Elijah tells Ahab to gather all of Israel to Mount Carmel along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah and he then issues his challenge. He pits himself as the loan prophet of God against all the prophets of Baal. He tells the people two built two altars and bring two bulls – one for him and one for all the prophets of Baal. They each prepare the bull for sacrifice and lay the wood on the altar – but Elijah tells them to not put any fire on the sacrifice. Instead the prophets of Baal would call on their God to send down fire and Elijah would call on his God for fire. The God that answered by sending fire to consume the sacrifice would be identified as the one true God. The people all agreed that this was a good solution. They prepared their altar and bull and laid the wood on it. Elijah then let the prophets of Baal go first. They called on Baal from morning till noon – but there was no answer and no fire. They began leaping around the altar – still no answer. Then around noon Elijah calls out, mocking them, telling them to cry louder because maybe he is meditating or busy or away on a journey or sleeping. So they cry out to Baal louder and begin cutting themselves until blood gushed out on them – but no answer from Baal and no fire.
Now it’s Elijah’s turn. He calls all the people near him. He takes 12 stones and rebuild the altar of the Lord and dug a trench around it. He put the wood on the altar, but the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he told the people to fill four waterpots with water and pour it on the sacrifice and wood. They did this three times, filling the trench around the altar in the process. Then Elijah steps up and prays: “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and dust. It licked up all the water that was in the trench. Only one prayer. God answered.
Today, we still must decide if we will follow God – or someone/something else. You can’t travel down both paths. You are either all in or all out. Which are you?
We all must decide if we will follow God – or someone/something else. You can’t travel down two paths. You are either all in or all out. Which are you?
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God, Love and Marshmallow Wars: This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel
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Julia is CEO of Wellspring Christian Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and couples develop a passionate relationship with God. A public speaker, conference trainer, event planner, and blog writer, Julia is a two-time graduate from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor in Psychology and a masters in Professional Counseling. Saved as a child and raised in church and in a Christian home and private Christian School as a Pastor’s kid, Julia has taught Sunday school, led music, played the piano, served as Children’s Director, and engaged her gifts in many other areas of church life. Previously employed with the Florida Baptist Convention, Julia organized events and led conferences for church ministry assistants.
Julia enjoys sharing her journey as a growing Christian with others looking for a deeper connection with God. Through Bible study and her own life experiences, God has given Julia a passion to help couples understand God’s design for marriage while they learn to place God first in their marriage, cultivate meaningful relationships, build intimacy, and address the tougher issues that come in every marriage so that they can experience a marriage that honors and glorifies God. Julia also loves mentoring, teaching, and working with women to help them learn to live as Godly women.
With her history and experience growing up in both small and large churches, Julia enjoys bringing top level quality events to churches of all sizes. Her father largely pastored small churches and therefore she understands that these vital parts of the believing community need to be good stewards of the resources God provides them with. This knowledge inspires her passion for being available with a fresh perspective for those who want to provide their congregations with meaningful spiritual growth opportunities.
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