THE STAND WE TAKE

 

THE STAND WE TAKE

I Kings 17:1

In today’s verse, Elijah bursts on the scene. We don’t know anything about Elijah’s background other than he was from a city called Tisbe in Gilead. Elijah went to King Ahab and prophesied that there would be no rainfall in Israel for the next few years unless he said otherwise. King Ahab was known for his evil ways. God had enough, and He sent Elijah to confront him. Elijah stood in the gap and confronted Ahab.

We, too, need to take a public stand for Christ. We must not be silent. Everyone needs to at least hear the Gospel message, and the only way they will hear will be if we tell them. It is not enough to open our doors on Sundays for worship and hope some of the lost will wander in; we must go into the world where they are at and tell them. We must stand in the gap for Christ against the multitudes who try to keep Him out of the public arena and their lives.

We need to take a powerful stand. We must not back down. We must not compromise the truth when we are being challenged by those who don’t believe. We must let our voices be heard! We have the greatest news ever known by man! We have a life-changing message. We have the only hope for mankind. We have the way to resolve the conflicts of the world that swirl all around us.

We need to take a penetrating stand. Heb. 4:12-13 God’s Word can penetrate the darkest of sinners. It can move the worst of sinners to confess their sins and repent. It can guide the worst of us on how to change his ways and thoughts to please God. The Word of God taken to heart leaves no stone unturned. It hits us where we need hit the most.

We need to take a personal stand. Elijah told Ahab, “I serve the Lord.” We must not straddle the fence and hope that someone else will take a stand. We must serve the Lord in our evil world. We must be salt and light wherever we are at. We are Christ’s ambassadors. We must let all who see us see Christ in and through us.

If you love the Lord, you will serve Him and stand in the gap for Him wherever you are at in the world.