Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

We can do one of two things in life; focus on the enemy or listen to the Spirit of God. The brief story of Elijah suggests that his focus was always on God. When he was threatened by Jezebel he went to God on the mountain. After hearing from God he went on a mission to anoint his successor and the one who would carry on his ministry. Elijah challenged structural evil and confronted it with the prophetic word. We must realise that when we are faced with evil people there is always a spirit behind them. Ahab wanted it both ways. He wanted to hear what the God of Israel wanted his people to do and he also wanted to hear what Jezebel’s god of corn and food was saying. What Elijah stood for was the one true and living God and even though Ahab the king of the day saw the power and might of God, like Pharaoh before him he hardened his heart and tried to live in both camps. This is at the heart of multi-faith which is prevalent in the world today. Because others worship their god’s, people who worship the Judeo-Christian God, Yahweh must accommodate them to be politically correct. This violates the very first commandment in the bible, namely, “You should have no other God before me”, “You shall not bow down to any other God or worship them” (Deut. 5:6ff paraphrased). When one commandment is broken all the others are violated also. So the word for today is this. Serve the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and serve him only as revealed to us as Jesus Christ his messiah and king. We can accommodate different cultures but must encourage them to forsake their idols that are the works of men and turn to the one true living God, Yahweh as only he can save us from our sins.

Read 1Kings 19:11-21.