When your story is history, and your story is His story, your story will become ministry and prophecy.
In this message, Pastor Jamie shares lessons for our lives from the biblical story of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal.
1 Kings 18:1, 17-21
POINT #1: Idolatry adds a limp to our walk with God.
An idol is anything that takes the place of God in your life, and all idols are downgrades.
When you add an idol into your walk with God, you can’t go as far as you want, you can’t go as fast as you want.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
Worship is your attention and your affection that leads to action.
Jesus is coming back for a bride, not a harem.
Exclusivity is the key to intimacy. God deserves to be our one and only, not just one of many.
1 Kings 18:23-29
POINT #2 Our idols will always end up hurting us.
Idolatry causes us to engage in harmful, destructive behavior. It starts out fun, but in the end, you end up bleeding.
1 Corinthians 10:6-11
God loves you and wants what’s best for you and idols are not what is best for you.
1 Kings 18:31-35, 36-40
During a drought, water was costly. Worship should cost something. Don’t give God your leftovers.
POINT #3: Idols and their supporters must be completely destroyed in our life.
1 Corinthians 10:12-14 “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 14 So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.”
The 4-step process of destroying idols:
Recognize, repent, remove, replace.
Recognize: what has turned my relationship with God from a walk to a limp?
Repent: (turn) change your thinking so that you can change your direction.
Remove: make an effort to remove the people, places and things that are harming you
Replace: replace the bad relationships, bad environments and bad behaviors with Godly things.
What story are you writing?