Character Profile: Elijah's Courage, Part 2
Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 'Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. . . .' So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. - 1 Kings 17:2-5 (NKJV)
Elijah confronted King Ahab and pronounced God's judgment on him. And then God immediately told him to . . . go and hide? If I were Elijah, you might have heard me say, Lord, are you kidding? Don't you realize who I am? I've got the boldness of a lion. I'm not going to tuck tail and hide from this heathen-hearted king! But we don't hear Elijah say anything like that. No, instead, he went and did according to the word of the LORD. Elijah didn't balk; he obeyed.
There's an important lesson here. Rather than boasting in his own boldness, Elijah understood that his boldness was based on his relationship with God, which, in turn, was based on his obedience to God. Apart from obedience, Elijah's lion-like boldness would have soon lost its teeth, and so he wisely did what he was told, even though it didn't outwardly seem like a very courageous thing to do.
Remember this: obedience to God is always the course of courage. It may not always look like it, but when we obey the Lord, it protects and strengthens our ties with Him, which provides us with an unparalleled confidence in Him. Nothing produces more courage than that.
If you pursue what your heart tells you to do, you will become a coward in the final analysis. But if you do as Elijah did and follow what God tells you, you will inherit His courageous character.
'No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.' (Luke 16:13 NKJV)
DIG - What's the relationship between being obedient to God and being courageous?
DISCOVER - Is your ability to be courageous being inhibited by an area of disobedience in your life?
DISPLAY - Ask Him to give you the ability to obey.
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At the age of 24, Bob Coy left a coveted position in the music industry to serve as an associate pastor with Calvary Chapel of Las Vegas. In 1985, Bob and his wife, Diane, moved to Fort Lauderdale and began Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale. As senior pastor, he has become well known for his unique style in expounding the Scriptures, making them come alive and relate to those of us living in the 21st century. His teaching style emphasizes the believer's "life application" of the highest standards of God's truth while his delivery captures the loving heart of God's Spirit.
Pastor Bob has had the rare privilege of watching God's miraculous hand move in the individual lives of those in the fellowship as well as the corporate body as a whole. From the first meeting in a living room with four in attendance, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale has now become home to over 17,000 men and women from the tri-county area, and ranks as the eighth largest church in the country. Though many have tried to attribute its rapid growth to numerous reasons, no one is more surprised by the phenomenon than Pastor Bob, who gives total credit and all the glory to God alone.
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