Holy Spirit Empowerment & Encouragement: November 2016


96lioness

QUEEN LIONESS!!!
Serving God and following Jesus Christ is a costly commitment. Your belief and profession of Jesus Christ, your obedience to God, and your faith will bring about results that contradict the attributes of Whom you serve. One of these results is exile. As you mature in Christ and live a life of servitude to God, you’ll find yourself in exile amongst family, friends, co-workers, and even those who claim to “know” God. But if we are truly the children of God, and if we truly are partakers in the suffering of our Savior Jesus Christ, we know that there is truth in God’s Word in Romans 12:2. As we die more and more to sin and live more and more in God’s righteousness, we are now able to empty ourselves of ourselves and receive God’s revelation and divine will for our lives. So, when you look at it with a renewed mind, is exile really that bad for a child of God?

John was exiled on the island of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelations 1:9). In his exile, however, he did not suffer as that an evil-doer or a criminal, but instead was caught in God’s presence (Rev. 1:10). And it was in his exile that not only did Jesus Christ Himself reveal to John one of the greatest revelations of all times, but it was also revealed to John that he was not alone in suffering persecutions. Jesus revealed to him that he had fellow brethren who not only shared his sufferings but also his grace, as pointed out in the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia (Rev. 2: 8-11 and Rev. 3: 7-13). Greater still, John saw how the servants of God did overcome our enemy, the devil, and he saw the new Heaven and new earth. John rejoiced at the declaring of Jesus Christ that He would indeed come quickly.

Lace up those boots again, brothers and sisters! Grab your safety harness, rope, and lanyard. Take up your compass (Bible) so you won’t get lost, and be sure you have your binoculars so you can clearly see the mighty movement of God. We’re about to climb Mount Carmel, and see just how exile worked for Elijah.
 
Last edited:
Mount Carmel

Anchor: 1 Kings 18: 16-39​


In this particular chapter, we learn that Ahab, king of Israel, was a man that did great evil in the sight of God: he was a devout idolater who worshipped Baal. Married to the infamous Jezebel, Ahab was so loyal and dedicated in his idolatry that he, along with Jezebel, harshly impressed upon the chosen people of God such idolatry. Elijah, commanded by God, went before Ahab and forewarned that famine and drought would come upon the land (more than likely because of his worship to Baal). In an effort to silence any voice that spoke against the king’s idolatry, Jezebel had the prophets of God hunted down and slaughtered, and many others went into hiding. Elijah was one of such.

Just as John (the disciple of Christ) did not suffer in exile, neither did Elijah. In fact, it was God Himself who told Elijah to go and hide. In obedience, Elijah hid in a cave and found himself well cared for by ravens. Even when his water supply dried out, God still provided for Elijah by telling him to seek shelter with a widowed woman and her son. At the right time, God called Elijah out of hiding and told him to meet with Ahab, the man who wanted him killed. Again, in obedience, Elijah did. When he came face-to-face with Ahab, Elijah simply told Ahab to meet him on Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal. Once there, it was time for Elijah to show the children of Israel their weakness in faith to God and to witness the limited power of Ahab versus the ever-lasting, real power of God. When called upon to bring fire, the 450 prophets of Baal failed, even as they danced, hollered, and gashed themselves with knives. Baal, a deaf, dumb idol, did not respond, let alone provide a small spark. However, when the lone-standing prophet of God, Elijah, prayed, God answered and fire immediately fell from the sky. God, through His prophet Elijah, once again demonstrated to His children that His existence and powers are indeed real and are without question.

In climbing our mountains and in our quest to be closer to God, we will no doubt find ourselves in exile. But don’t ever be weary in climbing your mountain. It is during your exile that you will truly learn to trust God completely for everything. It is during your exile that God will present His Spirit to you. It is during your exile that you receive His strength and power so that you will be able to face your persecutors when you are called by Him out of exile. Remember, that while you may be in exile, you will never be alone; God is with you. Rejoice; as John received revelation that he was not alone in his sufferings of grace (churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia), Elijah later received revelation from God that he was not alone in his sufferings of faith, as he (Elijah) was shown that God has at least 7000 faithful Israelites who retained their integrity (I Kings 19:18). As we saw on Patmos and on Mount Carmel, it is in our exile and our hiding that God will reveal to us that there are in fact more good and faithful people in the world than we think there are.

“God’s faithful ones are often His hidden ones”-Matthew Henry Commentary.

Be blessed.

Reference:

Damon Williams, writer, “The Ultimate Climb: Hiking Up to Meet God”. Vacation Bible School (Adult).
 
Last edited:
Click here to visit HBCUSportsStore
Back
Top