A Threat vs The Believer

The school bell has rung, class is now in session.

When you feel threatened, the most natural response is to protect yourself. Protection may come in the form of fighting, running away, or being paralyzed by fear. All of these responses are common to the human psyche. In 906 b.c., a Prophet by the name of Elijah was threatened by Queen Jezebel, and he was so afraid that he ran away. The irony is that the threat came after a great victory, where Jezebel’s prophets were defeated in a showdown against the Prophet Elijah.

In the natural, this looked utterly ridiculous because Elijah had just called out Jezebel and her prophets, and was successful in defeating them. He had no reason to be afraid of her because God had shown Himself greater.

Essential Question: How often have you felt afraid of a threat (known or perceived)? Do you know as a believer that God will fight your battle(s) and handle threat(s) on your behalf?

A Threat and The Believer

As a Believer, we know according to God’s Word, that He is a Conquerer, Protector of those who belong to Him, and will avenge us from the enemy. We should never be afraid of those who are plotting, and scheming our demise behind the scenes, because what is done in secret, will be brought into the light.

After the threat on his life, and his purpose; Elijah took a day’s journey, and ended up sitting under a juniper tree wishing he was dead. The Prophet Elijah battled suicidal thoughts because the evil spirit behind Jezebel was so strong that it made him feel like dying. Whenever you reach this level of fear, you have to remind yourself that FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. It is an illusion that could only become a reality if you allow it to.

After he begged God to take his life, he slept. He was awaken and fed by ravens and later an angel.

The major point of encouragement I would like to give you is that in the midst of your crisis and attack, you will be taken care of despite yourself. God still provided for Elijah in his time of weakness and sustained him for his journey to Mount Horeb (the same place God met with Moses). It was there he spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness.

Retreat and Receive

When you are being mistreated, threatened or attacked, your response should be to retreat and spend time with the Lord. Retreat from all distractions so that you can receive instructions from God. The instructions Elijah received helped him prepare for his next steps. God was the one who eliminated “the threat” along with the person who “made the threat.” #terrible-ending (2 Kings 9: 30-37)

Threats have to go through God when it is directed at those who are true followers of Christ, and He will protect them.

All you need to do is:

Take time to go away into the wilderness and communion with Him, so that you can receive the instructions He has for your next steps.

Turn off the distractions in your life.

Close your ears to the evil threats (known or perceived) so that you can clearly hear from God. He often speaks in a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:12)

When Elijah left to go into the wilderness, he went into the region covered by King Jehoshaphat, which was out of the jurisdiction of King Ahab, and Queen Jezebel. He was not in any physical danger, but was still haunted by her threat. Threats should not be taken lightly, because they can be debilitating. The next time you experience a threat, take it to God.

The battle is not yours, but belongs to the Lord!

The school bell has rung, class dismissed.