GOD CAN MAKE THE
POWERFUL POWERLESS.
His
Words and You 002 20may2013
When
Elijah challenged the Baal Prophets, they accepted the challenge as they were
confident that their god (idol) would do whatever they asked of it. So they
went onto the competition.
- And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God." So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken." - 1 Kings 18:21-24.
But
God cut off the Baal’s prophets expectation. God made their assumed powerful
idol powerless. Baal could not even hear, talk less do what they asked of him.
- So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it." So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
- And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. - 1 Kings 18:25-29
Then
God showed Himself as the all powerful.
- Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name." Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood." Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
- 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 Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 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."
- Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" 1 Kings 18:30-39
The Baal prophets were
destroyed -
- And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. 1 Kings 18:40
When
God says
- “No weapon formed against you shall prosper ---“, Isa 54:17
Know
that such weapon has been performing before, are still performing and will
still be performing otherwise they won’t be producing them. But as far as they
are intended to compete with God, they will be rendered powerless.
When
God says
- “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.” - 2 Chron 20:15
He
means every word of the statement. Nobody competes with God and win, not even
the devil their master. So, let the battle be the Lord’s battle and the tested
and trusted weapons of the enemy will be rendered powerless as far as you are
concerned.
But
if you still cling onto the battle, and still helping yourself with the
instruments which the enemy know how to use better than you, then you are in
for trouble. Because our God won’t want to share His glory with anybody, He
watches you as you display your power and energy. If you do not get to Him,
before the enemy gets to you, you are done for.
Remember
Jesus’ words, when He was leaving the earth –
- “Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” - John 17:12
Do
not be a son of perdition, so you will not perish.
When
David was going into battle with Goliath, he did not use the conventional
weapons, if he had, the enemy would have killed him. But instead -
- “--- he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand.” - 1 Sam 17:40
Such
instruments the enemy considered immature for a battle against him, he even
considered David stupid -
- So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?" - 1 Sam 17:43
He
was only seeing the stick, the sling and stones, not knowing that the hosts of
heaven are already in the arena surrounding him (Goliath). The heavenly host
only waited for David to go into action, then they completed the work and the
powerful became powerless.
David
did not go to the battle as someone who trust in his own strength, he was only
used but God to disgrace Goliath and the Philistines –
- Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands." - 1 Sam 17:45-47
This
same David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but he did not, because God did
not ask him to do so. He had to wait until God killed Saul Himself. Note that
David had already grown in fame and known to be a warrior that he would have built
up an army to challenge Saul in battle and probably would have won.
The
battle is not yours, release it to the Lord, wait for instructions from Him
before doing anything and see how your enemies will be disgraced.
God
will render all the powerful ones tormenting you life, your studies, your
parents, your children, your work and everything concerning you powerless in
Jesus’ name – Amen!
Olufemi Samuel Ogundele
His Words and You Ministries
e-mail – olufemi@hiswordsandyou.com
