Heralds Digest

   “ And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” 1 Kings 18 : 36 , 38 KJV The experience of Elijah in chapter 18 and his escapade in chapter 19 show the difference between fire faith and freebie faith. In the absence of consistent fellowship with God’s words, what is left of all believers is a mere freebie faith that cannot stand the slightest threat of a dog like Jezebel. Therefore, the fire faith of Elijah in chapter 18 was based on “ that I have done all these things at thy word ”. And when the undecided people saw the fire faith in action, they responded “ The LORD, he is ...

  “ Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again .”” I Kings 18 : 37 NKJV The primary objective of all provoked proclaimers of the gospel is the turning of halted hearts to holy hearts. This is because the slightest displeasure or discouragement in life can halt any heart’s relationship with the Holy God. For example, when Elijah’s heart himself became halted, he ran away from Jezebel and turned to God for a suicide mission, rather than seeking God for sustenance. But here, Elijah’s humbleness was focussed on turning the halted hearts of Ahab and the people of Israel from the worship of Baals to the worship of God. It implies that halted hearts do not have any proven benefits in support of their patronage of idols or man-made gods, including materialism, socialism, and populism. Their actions and dispositions are merely a reflection of faithlessness, a statement of unbelief, and a declarati...