And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
--1 Kings 19:4
Maybe you feel like Elijah today. In our Scripture verse above, he was so depressed and distraught that he actually prayed that God would take his life!
What set Elijah up for such depression? What sets you up for emotional turmoil?
Depression can set in after a great spiritual high. Depression hit Elijah after the mountaintop experience recorded in 1 Kings 18, when he stood against the prophets of Baal.
Right after he did this, the bottom fell out! Elijah fell off his spiritual perch because like you and me, he was most vulnerable after great victory.
That’s why the Bible says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
After the spiritual victory, Elijah was physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained. So when word came that Jezebel the queen wanted him dead, he ran for his life.
And here’s the key: Elijah took his eyes off God. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that God told him to run. Elijah took off on his own.
Don’t take your eyes off of God for a second. Maybe you’ve experience spiritual victory time and time again. Don’t let your guard down and begin acting on your own. Trust God every step of the way.
If you’ve experienced a spiritual high, remember that you’re a target for satan.
Friday, February 01, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
2 Peter 3:11–13
In November of 1922, Howard Carter faced a crisis. He had been working in Egypt, excavating ancient tombs and burial places since before the First World War. For a number of years he had been sponsored by Lord Carnarvon, but the wealthy English noble had grown tired of the lack of results. He informed Carter that he would not pay for another year of digging in the Valley of the Kings without a notable discovery. Then a young water boy stumbled on what he thought was a stone, but turned out to be the top of a staircase cut into the rock. Those steps led to the tomb of Tutankhamun, King Tut, which was still intact after more than three thousand years. It was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in all of history. The treasures found within remain one of the most popular attractions in the world.
Carter did not give up because he was looking for something he believed to be of great value. Since the first century, God’s people have been looking forward to the fulfillment of the promise the angels made to the disciples after Jesus ascended to Heaven. “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). If we abandon our hope for the Lord’s return, we will not live as He has commanded.
Today's Growth Principle:
We must never lose sight of the fact that the Lord could return at any moment.
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