He was asked why he refused to auction off the tool of discouragement. His answer we are told was simple. He said, “With this one tool I can accomplish everything I want to accomplish.”
This is the most powerful weapon that Satan has, and he is a master at knowing how to use it skillfully!
• Elijah got so discouraged that he thought of death as a better alternative to life
• We are told that President Abraham Lincoln had severe problems with discouragement. Of course, being married to Mrs. Lincoln was no plus in his life.
• Martin Luther, the reformer, had severe problems with discouragement. We are told that he got so discouraged one time that his wife dressed up in black. He asked her where was she going and she told him she was going to a funeral. He said, “Who died?” She said, “God died!” He said, “God isn’t dead!” She said, “The way you have been acting I thought perhaps He had died!”
Some of the greatest men and women who ever lived have had to battle discouragement. According to the American Psychiatric Association, it is a problem with:
• One of every ten men
• One of every four women
The devil knows that discouragement is a powerful weapon. He is busy using it:
• TO DESTROY MARRIAGES
We are told that over half the people in this country are headed for the divorce courts, simply because they have become discouraged and do not know how to deal with the problems.
• TO DESTROY CHURCHES
Some of the people in church are losing this battle with discouragement. Others are jumping from church to church like some do in their marriages, trying to find the perfect church to satisfy them.
• TO DESTROY THE YOUTH OF THIS NATION
Suicide is a major problem among teenagers these days. The number one tool that Satan is using today seems to be the tool of discouragement.
When Elijah was here on earth, he was probably one of the greatest servants of the Lord. But notice WHEN Satan tried to stop this servant of God. It was, as some would say, WHEN HE WAS ON A ROLL!
When we are on a roll, it can be a very dangerous time in our life. Why? Because no matter how good things might be going today, not too far down the road bad times will be coming. For example:
• A BUSINESS might be booming, and it would be great if it continued to do well, but in the business world, all good things come to an end eventually.
• A CHURCH might be booming today, and it would be great if it continued to boom, but you can rest assured that bad times will eventually come.
• A person might enjoy GOOD HEALTH today, and it would be great if that good health would continue, but you can rest assured that bad health will eventually be coming.
Just because things are going great now does not mean they will always be that way!
WHY DID LIFE TURN SOUR ON THIS GREAT MAN OF GOD? Satan knew he had to stop this man, and the best way to do this was to use his weapon of DISCOURAGEMENT.
Notice when he used this weapon against Elijah. It was …
I. WHEN HE TOOK A STAND FOR GOD
Look at 1 Kings 18:21-42, we read that Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest. The God that answered by fire would be declared to be the true and living God. He allowed them to go first, but when it came his turn, God sent the fire down and consumed the sacrifice before their eyes.
Notice, Elijah’s severe problems came when he took a stand for God. It never fails. You can go along with the ungodly and they will:
• Believe your lies
• Laugh at your jokes
• Smile to your face and pat you on the back
But when you take a stand for godliness, they will rise up against you every time.
Many who have taken a stand for the Lord were shocked when the devil jumped on them with both feet and tried to destroy them. But why should this surprise us? Why is it that we think we can take a stand for the Lord and the devil is not going to do everything he can do to try and stop us?
He is not worried about people sitting in the pews who are not taking a godly stand. The people he is concerned about are those:
• That are faithful unto the Lord. Every time the church doors are open they are there.
• That have a good testimony. People know they are not playing church, they are serious about serving the Lord.
• That look for opportunities to advance the Lord’s work.
• That are steady as a rock, they are not one thing one day and something else the next.
Satan knows that if he does not stop this crowd, they will stop him! This godly man was a threat to the devil and he wanted to stop him.
He was greatly outnumbered but that did not stop Elijah. Look at the courage of this man of God. This man of God took on 450 prophets of Baal face to face. What a stand!
A man or woman of God should not allow numbers to intimidate them.
• A person might be the only member of his family that is saved, but if he is a man of God, he will take a stand.
• A person might be the only one on his job that is saved, but if he is a man of God, he will not back down because he is outnumbered.
• A pastor might have the only church in his city that is still preaching the Word of God, but a man of God does not back down because he is outnumbered.
Elijah was outnumbered by the prophets of Baal 450 to 1.
But look at what stopped him. IT WAS NOT WHEN HE TOOK A STAND FOR GOD, it was …
II. WHEN HE STARTED RUNNING
1 Kings 18:46 “And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.”
Now we see a different Elijah.
• When He STOOD, God stood with him
• When he RAN, he STOOD with his fears
This courageous man of God is now scared to death! Why? Because old Jezebel sent word to him that she was going to take his life. Look at verse 2, we read, “Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.”
The devil wanted to discourage this man of God. Jezebel sent this message to Elijah, and when he received it he almost had a nervous breakdown. Why?
• Because he knew she was a wicked woman
• Because he knew she was a powerful woman
• Because he knew she would do everything within her power to carry out her threat
But no matter how wicked and powerful she might have been, she was not more powerful than the God Elijah served.
Listen, we have a right to be fearful and discouraged when we allow our ENEMIES to become bigger than the GOD WE SERVE! When he allowed that old wicked Jezebel to become bigger than the God he served, he had a problem!
• This is the same man in 1 Kings 18:21 that stood before God’s people and said, “…How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him….”
• This is the same man that God used to bring Judgment by fire in 2 Kings 1:12. We read, “And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”
• This is the same man that God used to raised the dead in 1 Kings 17:21, “And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.”
• This is the same man that prayed for rain in 1 Kings 18:45, “And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.”
Now this same man is scared to death! All these wonderful things had happened in the life of this man. But now it is as if he forgot how God had bless him and used him.
Everything was going great in the Life of Elijah until we come to 1 Kings chapter 19.
• Up to chapter 18, all Elijah could hear was the voice of God.
• After chapter 18, all Elijah could hear were the threats of Jezebel.
This great man of God could no longer see how God had blessed him in the past, all he could hear were the words from Jezebel, threatening to kill him.
WHAT HAPPENED? He became discouraged. Look at 1 Kings 19:4 “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”
This is one depressed man. He WANTED TO DIE! Did you know that sometimes the pain in life can be so severe that death looks good?
• There are people who suffer so much physical pain that they literally beg God to kill them
• There are people who suffer so much emotional pain that they literally beg God kill them
He was praying for God to kill him. Aren’t you glad God does not answer all the stupid prayers we pray? Especially when we are discouraged and we want some relief.
Now Elijah was not STANDING, he was LAYING DOWN UNDER A JUNIPER TREE. Look at what the Bible tells us he had to do before he could get back on his feet again.
(1) HE NEEDED SOME SLEEP
Look at 1 Kings 19:5 “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.”
Many good men and women of God have become discouraged because they did not get the amount of rest they needed. A lack of rest:
• Affects the smartest children in school
• Affects the best employees on their jobs
• Affects the most talented in their performance
• Affects the best athletes
And it affects Christians also.
Listen, when we:
• Sit down and go to sleep, our body is telling us that we need some rest
• Are driving down the road and can hardly keep our eyes open, our body is telling us that we need some rest
I am not really convinced that Thomas Edison did us a favor with the electric light bulb. Before we had the electric light, when the Lord let the sun go down people went to bed. But today with the electric light, people will stay up into the early hours of the morning before they go to sleep. Then to keep from getting sleepy:
• They will take “No Doze” tablets
• They will drink anything with caffeine
• They will stay as active as they can so they will not doze off
Then after years and years of this physical abuse, they wonder why they are tired, sleepy and discouraged.
LET ME TELL YOU WHY! It is because some people are too dumb to know when to go to sleep. Elijah needed some REST!
(2) HE NEEDED SOME NUTRITION
Look at verses 6-8, we read, “And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”
It is not enough to eat something, it is essential that you eat something that will supply your body the nutrition it needs. There are foods today that we buy, and the package they are wrapped in has more nutrition than the food we are buying.
Elijah was very discouraged. The Bible says, “And he did eat and drink, and laid down again…”
(3) HE NEEDED SOME SPIRITUAL FOOD
He needed the Lord to speak to him. Look at verse 9, “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him….”
The reason that some Christians today are so discouraged is because:
• They allow their neighbors to talk to them
• Their friends talk to them
• The people on television talk to them
And when all these people get done talking to them, not one thing has been said to build them up. NOT ONE THING!
But when we come to church and allow God to talk to us through His Word, we will leave a different person.
I am not a great preacher (and I do not want anyone to say amen to that!) but I know this; as I preach the Word of God I have heard people say, “Preacher, when I came to church this morning I was so discouraged, but now as I leave I feel like a new man!”
WHAT HAPPENED? I will tell you what happened. They allowed God to talk to them and when God was finished talking they realized:
• God can take care of their problems
• They do not needs drugs and alcohol to solve problems, they have a God that cares about them
God talked to him and he got the spiritual food he needed.
(4) HE NEEDED SOME SYMPATHY
1 Kings 19:10, “And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
Elijah was having his own little pity party - “…I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
Listen, I am not advocating a pity party. I do not believe there is a place in the Christian life for a pity party.
Illus: I agree with Bruce Larson who said, “Jesus never gave people sympathy. He wept with those who wept; He laughed with those who laughed. But He never said, ‘Oh, you poor thing. Isn't it awful?’ We are not to encourage people who are feeling sorry for themselves. Rather, we are to help them examine the possibilities for changing their situation or their attitude.” (In Faith for the Journey. Christianity Today, Vol. 32, no. 2.)
There are times when we get the stuffings beat out of us and the last thing we need is for some one to tell us - QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF!
We need someone who will come along and BE ON OUR SIDE and can feel the pain we are suffering.
Illus: An old Jewish Proverb said it this way:
• Among those who stand, do not sit
• Among those who sit, do not stand
• Among those who laugh, do not weep
• Among those who weep, do not laugh
Illus: Chuck Swindoll said, “Discouraged people don't need critics. They hurt enough already. They don't need more guilt or piled-on distress. They need encouragement. They need a refuge. A willing, caring, available someone.”
Illus: Someone said, “Instead of putting others in their place, try putting yourself in their place.”
Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
After Elijah got some rest, nutrition, spiritual food, and sympathy, God told Elijah it was time to get over this and get back into service.
Look at Verse 15, “And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.”
Conclusion:
Listen, we all get knocked down, but the secret is to NOT STAY DOWN!
If you are discouraged today and on the RUN, the devil has you exactly where he wants you. Spend some time before the Lord and get rested up, filled up, encouraged up and get back doing what God has called you to do!
Notice when the Devil tried to discourage Elijah. It was…
I. WHEN HE TOOK A STAND FOR GOD
II. WHEN HE STARTED RUNNING
