Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 3

When Jehoshaphat had been king of Judah for eighteen years, Jehoram became king of Israel. He didn't make God happy, but he wasn't as bad as Ahab had been. He did take down all the statues of Baal, but he followed in the ways of Jeroboam.

Mesha was king of Moab. Moab was under Israel's control, so Mesha provided Israel with lots of sheep. After Ahab died, Moab rebelled.

King Jehoram took a census of Israel, then he sent messengers to Jehoshaphat and asked him if he would help him get the Moabites back under control. Jehoshaphat agreed and asked where he would like to meet. Jehoram said, "Edom."

Edom joined forces with Israel and Judah in the quest to get Moab back. So, all three kings and their men started travelling. After seven days, there was no water for the men or animals. It had not rained. Jehoram claimed that God must want all three of the kings together so Moab can defeat them and take all their territories. Jehoshaphat said, "Really? Let's ask Him. Is there a prophet anywhere close by?"

One of Jehoram's servants said, "There is Elisha. He was Elijah's apprentice." So Jehoram sent for Elisha.

When Elisha got there, he said, "Why me? What is wrong with all your other god's prophets?"

Jehoram told Elisha what was going on, and Elisha said, "I swear. If it weren't for the respect I have for Jehoshaphat, I wouldn't even be here. Bring me some music so I can think." They did.

When Elisha felt the Spirit of the Lord, he told them, "Dig some ditches. God is not going to send rain, but he will make sure your people and animals are watered. Furthermore, God is going to deliver Moab into your hands. When He does, you are to destroy every city there. You are to stopped all the wells, cut down all the good trees, and put stones in the land to make it useless.

The next morning, the ditches were filled with water. The Moabites heard the kings were coming, so they readied themselves for battle. They went to the border and camped. When they got up, the water that God had given the kings reflected red, like blood. The Moabites thought that maybe the kings were dead, so they ventured into the kings' camps. When they got to the camps, the Israelites suddenly got up and started fighting them, startling them so badly that they retreated, killing each other on the way.

They did all they were told to do, except in Kir-haraseth, where they left the stones for the sling-shooters who destroyed the land for them.

The king of Moab went after the king of Edom with seven-hundred men when he saw he could not defeat Israel, but to no avail. He was so desperate that he offered his son that would have inherited Moab as a sacrifice to his god on the wall. Israel was so indignant over this that they turned and went home.

============

One Godly man in a group that is ungodly can be influential in how God blesses or curses an event. When God is on your side, you can't lose. So, when you feel like you are alone in your beliefs, and you wonder if prayer is the answer, take heart. God is still with you. God will bring you through any situation in any environment, surrounded by any type of people. Pray: for God IS listening.


================

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 2

Elijah and Elisha went to Gilgal. Elijah told Elisha to stay there, because he had to go to Bethel, but Elisha refused. When they got there, other prophets were there and they came to Elisha and said, "Do you know that God is going to take Elijah today?" Elisha said, "Yes, I know. Be quiet."

Then Elijah told Elisha to stay in Bethel because God had sent him to Jericho. Elisha refused. The prophets of Jericho met Elisha and told him, "Do you know that God is going to take Elijah today?" Elisha said, "Yes, I know. Be quiet."

Then Elijah told Elisha to stay in Jericho because God had sent him to Jordan. Again, Elisha refused. When they got to the Jordan river, fifty prophets were watching as Elisha wrapped up his mantle and hit the waters of the river with it, and it divided and they crossed over on dry ground.

Elijah asked his friend, Elisha, "Is there anything I can do for you before God takes me?" And, Elisha answered, "I want a double portion of the spirit that you have." Elijah said, "That is a hard thing to give. But, if you see me taken up by God, then you shall have what you have asked for."

Then, as they walked and talked a little further, a chariot of fire with horses of fire came down and took Elijah up in a whirlwind. Elijah's mantle fell as he went up, so Elisha went and got it, and he hit the waters of the Jordan saying, "Is the God of Elijah here?" The waters parted and he went over.

The fifty prophets that had seen them walk over the Jordan came and met Elisha and said, "Let us go to look for Elijah. Maybe the Lord put him down somewhere else." But, Elisha said, "That isn't necessary," but they kept insisting, so Elisha told them to go ahead and look. They searched for three days but did not find Elijah. Then, they came back to Elisha, who said, "I told you it wouldn't be necessary. He is gone!"

The men of the city came to Elisha and said, "This is a good city, but the water is so bad even the plants can't drink it." So Elisha had them bring him a cruse of salt. He threw the salt into the water and said, "The Lord has healed these waters," and it was.

On his way back to Bethel, forty children came out taunting him about his bald head. Elisha cursed them in the name of God and two female bears came out and tore all the children to pieces.

He left there and went to Mt. Carmel, then he went to Samaria.

==========

If you follow a mentor who is god-fearing, and you learn from them, when they leave this world, you can be blessed with as much, if not more, knowledge and spirit as they have. This is due to the experience that you have, coupled with the experiences you learn from them.

The prophets knew that Elijah had been taken, they knew he was going to be, but they refused to believe it until they saw for themselves. This wasn't a bad thing, because it served to build the testimony Elisha had. For instance, if you get cancer, and you pray for healing, and you know without a shadow of a doubt that God has healed you, it is still good to get the doctor's to check you over so you can testify to them how God has healed you.

When God leaves you to take over someone else's job, it is always best to do it well as well, if not better than your predecessor.

=========

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1

After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled. Ahaziah got sick and sent people to ask his god, Baal-zebub if he would get well.

Elijah, who was sent by God, stopped the men on their way. He said, "Your king is going to die because he chooses to ask Baal when there is already a God he can ask."

They went back to Ahaziah, who wanted to know why they had returned. They told him what Elijah had said, but not knowing him, said he was a "man of God." Ahaziah wanted to know what he looked like, and they described him as being rough and hairy.

So Ahaziah sent fifty men and their officer to find him and bring him back. They found Elijah sitting on a hill, and said, "Hey you! Man of God! The king wants you to come down, now!"

Elijah said, "If, as you say, I am a man of God, then may fire come down and burn all of you up!" and it did. Ahaziah sent fifty more men and their captain who met the same fate. Then he sent fifty more and their captain. When they found Elijah, the captain said,

"You have already killed two groups of men. Please spare my life and come down!"

So, Elijah went back with them. He told Ahaziah the same thing he told the men that were going to see Baal-zebub, and Ahaziah died.

Jehoram reigned in his place because Ahaziah had no son.

======

Until the soldiers were willing to acknowledge that God had such power, and treat Elijah with respect because of God, God did not tell Elijah to go with them. The third group came in respect, so God told Elijah to go with them.

If you do not give God respect, He will take it.

===========

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 22

Three years later, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, went to visit King Ahab of Israel. Ahab had been complaining about the fact that Syria still had control of Ramath in Gilead, and he didn't feel like it was the Syrian's to control. He asked Jehoshaphat to ally himself with Israel in taking Ramoth back. Jehoshaphat agreed, but he said, "We need to inquire with God to make sure this is the right thing to do."

So Ahab gathered together about 400 prophets, and told them the situation, and asked for their advice. Jehoshaphat, still doubtful asked, "Is this all you have for prophets?"

Ahab answered him with, "Well, there is one more. Micaiah the prophet; but, he always has bad things to say about me."

"Say it isn't true!" Jehoshaphat proclaimed (I'm sure he was rolling his eyes and grinning) "Surely not." So, Ahab had one of his officers go get Micaiah.

Both kings sat at the entrance gate of Samaria, listening to the prophets prophesy about how they would defeat the Syrians, as they waited for Micaiah. Zedekiah was one of those prophets.

Micaiah came, and said, "I am not going to tell you anything other than what God tells me."

Ahab said, "Yeah, yeah. What's new?"

So, Micaiah told him, "If you go, you are going to die."

Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, "See. I told you so."

Furthermore, Micaiah told him that the Lord had sent a lying spirit to all these prophets before him.

Zedekiah slapped Micaiah on the face and said, "And what kind of spirit did he send with you?"

Micaiah held his composure and said, "You'll see, when you are hiding in fear."

So Ahab told his men to carry Micaiah to his son Joash, who was governor of Ammon, and have him locked up until he returned. Micaiah shot back, "The Lord has not said anything about you coming back!"

Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to Ramoth, where Ahab decided he would disguise himself, while Jehoshaphat did not. The king of Syria told his men to only fight with Ahab, and kill him and no one else if they could help it.

When the Syrians saw Jehoshaphat from a distance, dressed like a king, they thought it was Ahab until they got close to him. Then they turned away. There were small battles as they searched for Ahab, and someone hit Ahab with an arrow between the shoulders. Ahab immediately took the safety of hiding in one of his chariots. Later that evening, he died, having bled to death.

They took him to Samaria and buried him there, and washed his chariot in a local pool of water. The dogs licked up the excess blood around the pool, bringing to pass the prophesy of Elijah. Ahab's son, Ahaziah, took his place.

Jehoshaphat walked in the ways of the Lord, even though he didn't take down the high places where some of the people of Judah still worshipped other gods. He built ships to go to Ophir for gold, but they broke down before they could get there, and he wouldn't let Ahaziah's men go with them. He died in Jerusalem and his son, Jehoram, ruled in his place.

Ahaziah served Baal, and this angered God.

========

What God says is going to come to pass. Just because you don't like what is being said to you doesn't make it any less the truth. And, any warning given to you should be heeded, whether you agree with them or not. There is only one God in control, and He expects total loyalty.

Why I Hate Politics...

Believe it or not, I hate politics. In my opinion, politics is just another word for compromise. Politicians will compromise anything for a vote.

I mean look, we have men who lose elections as Democrats, then deciding, "Maybe I'd won if I were a Republican." It doesn't matter whether they are Democrat or Republican if their point of view sucks.

I watch the presidential campaign with disgust. They take one line from any speech their opponent makes and twist it to suit their own purpose, which is, of course, to win. Is it no wonder that We The People don't trust our own government anymore?

Then, when they get in office, they are so busy fighting the opposite party that they forget the promises they made and who they are as a person, and they completely forget about what We The People want.

A lady told me today that if I vote for anyone other than Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, then I am wasting my vote. I told her that to vote for Mitt Romney or Barack Obama would be a wasted vote. I added that no vote for what you truly believe is a waste.

When did we get so immature as a nation? We have one of the oldest Constitutions on the planet. When did we start voting for who gets more points knocking out their opponent instead of the things that we truly believe to be important? Are we going through a national senility?

How can we expect our children to grow up and act like adults when they see the people that are supposed to be our leaders acting so childish?

I think it is time that we, somehow, find a way to break off a switch from the tree of liberty and teach those guys a lesson in politics. We the People need to take control of our country and stop letting the babies run the household. If We The People don't do this soon, we may not have anything to take control of.

Creativity

I just got this post on my Facebook feed that said this:

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

I never quite thought of it like that; but, it is true. Every day brings new challenges, and in order to learn new things and become greater than we are, we have to be willing to take risks.

If we take risks, we might fail; but, then we'd have experience on our side when we decide to take another one. Each new experience makes us better as a person.

God wants us to be creative. He gave us the ability to create anything with the tools that He gave us to work with. Nothing is created without God, because God is the creator of the world in which we live, and all the natural things of it; but, in order for us to create anything of value, we must be willing to take risks.

We must be willing to look back and say, "I've made a mistake" when we take those risks that turn out to be bad for us. We must be willing to be okay with the possibility that we will be wrong again before we can move forward.

It is the same when it comes to salvation. We must first be willing to admit that we are sinners. We are wrong. We have made mistakes. Then, we must be willing to go forward with the possibility of making more mistakes, before we can achieve perfection.

God wants us to be perfect, but He knows and understands that we are not. There was only one perfect man, and God sent him to us so that we would understand that it is okay to make mistakes, as long as we are trying to be better.

The fear of being wrong can be summed up in one word: Pride. Pridefulness is the opposite of humbleness. God wants us to be humble, not proud. If we are humbled, then He can shape us and mold us into what HE wants us to be. Pride would never allow us to change, to grow, to be any different, or any better.

To sum it all up, it is okay to be creative. It is okay to use the wrong color, or hit your thumb with the hammer, or have a wreck, or fall down, or trip, or burn the cake. At least you tried. That is all God asks of any of us.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 21

Naboth had a vineyard in Jezreel, by Ahab's palace. Because of the location, Ahab offered to buy it from him for more than it was worth; but, Naboth would not sell it because it was an inheritance. Ahab became depressed about it and wouldn't eat.

Jezebel, his wife wanted to know what was wrong and Ahab told her. She did the wifely thing and babied him, then said, "Don't you worry. I'll make sure you get that land."

Jezebel then forged letters to the elders of Israel, demanding Naboth's life, citing blasphemy as the reason. So, they stoned and killed Naboth.

Jezebel went and told her husband, "You can have the land now, Naboth is dead."

So Ahab went to secure the land, meeting Elijah on the way. Elijah chastised him, "Shame on you for killing another man to get his property."

"How did you know?"

"You can't hide anything from God. And, because you did this, you and your children and your wife will die and be eaten by the dogs...unless you die outside the city, then you'll be eaten by the birds."

This depressed Ahab again. He went and dressed in humble clothes and quietly went about his business.

God told Elijah, "Because he is acting sorrowful, I will not do what I said in his lifetime. I'll wait, so he doesn't have to see his children destroyed."

======

You may not think so, but the sins you commit effect your family for generations. You cannot escape God's judgment, but you can delay it with your repentance. This is why it is important to teach your children to follow God. If they follow God with their whole hearts, they will not have to pay for your sins.

You may be saying, "That is unfair. Why should they pay for my sins anyway?"

The reality is, today, we are still paying for the sins of Adam and Eve. We have already been judged guilty. That is why Jesus came, so that we can have a clean slate, and so that we don't have to pay for any sins, except the ones we commit if we don't repent.

======

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 20

Benhadad, king of Syria, prepared for war and besieged Samaria. Then he sent messengers to Ahab of Israel and said, "Everything is mine. I want your wives, your children, your servants and your cattle." Ahab sent what he requested. Then Benhadad sent messengers saying, "Tomorrow, at this time, I will come and get everything else of value to you."

Ahab called a meeting with the elders of Israel, who said, "Don't listen to him." So Ahab sent messengers back to Benhadad saying, "You have got all you are going to get from me."

Benhadad was angered and said, "My forces are bigger than yours. You don't really want to fight, do you?"

Ahab then said, "Don't boast too proudly."

Benhadad and his men were in the bars, drinking. When he got this message, he said, "Okay, he wants a fight, we'll give him one. Get your men ready!"

A prophet came to Ahab and said, "God said that you will win this fight so all will know He is God!"

Ahab said, "Yeah. Right. And, who is going to lead the battles?"

"The princes of the tribes of Israel." The prophet answered.

"And, who, pray tell, is going to lead them?"

"You are."

Ahab gathered his army together while Benhadad and his men were still getting drunk in the bars. Then he sent them to Benhadad. Benhadad heard that some young men were coming from Samaria, and ordered his men to take them alive. This gave the princes the opportunity to kill Benhadad's men. The Syrians fled and Benhadad escaped.

The prophet came back and told Ahab, "Mark my word, they will be back by next year so get prepared."

In the meanwhile, the Syrians claimed that the reason they were defeated was because the Israel God was God of the hills and not God of the plains, and had they fought in the plains, they would have defeated Israel. So Benhadad regrouped and drafted more men to replace the ones who were killed, and went to the plains of the city of Aphek to fight against Israel. There were so many Syrians that Israel looked like two little flocks of goats in the midst of them.

Then a man of God came to Ahab and said, "God wants to show these Syrians that He is the God of the plains as well as the God of the hills. You will defeat them today."

They camped for seven days, then they fought. Israel killed a hundred thousand Syrians in one day, and the twenty-seven thousand that were left fled into the city and were killed when a wall fell on them. Benhadad was still alive because he fled into the middle of the city.

His servants told him that Israelite kings were known for their good heart and mercy, and if he was apologetic and humbled, Ahab might let him live. So they went to talk to Ahab for him. Ahab said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother..."

They played on this and said, "Yes. You shouldn't kill your brother."

So, Ahab invited Benhadad to join him in his chariot to talk. Benhadad agreed to give Ahab back all the land that his father took from Ahab's father, so Ahab let him go.

A prophet went up to his neighbor and said, "Hit me!" When the man refused, the prophet said, "You will be killed by a lion because you didn't obey God." A lion killed him. Then he went to another man and said, "Hit me!" So the man hit him.

Then the prophet disguised himself to look like a man who had just come from battle and waited for Ahab to come by. When Ahab came by, the prophet said, "I was in the middle of the battle when an enemy POW was brought to me. I was told that if he got away, it would either be my life or a talent of silver. I was busy fighting and not paying attention and he got away."

Ahab said, "Then you have to pay."

The prophet undisguised himself and said, "God has said the same of you. You had Benhadad and you should have destroyed him, but you let him go. God wanted him destroyed. Now you will pay."

Ahab was not happy as he returned to Samaria.

===============

When God gives you the means to accomplish a goal, and you leave business unfinished, it will destroy you. He gives you friends, talents, abilities, and opens doors that will put you where you can best serve His purpose. If you refuse to use all that He has given you to the best of your ability, He will make you pay for what He has given you.

Don't let your dreams go to waste. Show Him you can be trusted with all He has given you. He wants the glory.

==========

Praise be to God!

I live to wake up praising Him. I praise Him because He made me. I praise him because He lives. I praise Him because He gives life and He gives hope and He gives love and He gives...period!

This morning, I got to wake up and praise Him because I am in a new home, that has more and costs less than where I came from. I still need a few pieces of furniture, but I praise Him because I know He will provide. He always does.

Then I got to praise Him because right there, on my facebook feed was a picture of Haley Jane and her baby, Jackson. I praised Him because He heals. He gives life. He makes the dead come alive. He answers prayers.

I praise Him because I have the opportunity to do something great for Him. I have the opportunity to influence others for Him. I praise Him, again, because He provides.

I praise Him because I live. I live to praise Him. He made me so I can, and if I don't, I am not happy. He makes me happy.

I praise Him simply because He is my God, and I am His child!

I live to praise Him.

====================

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 19

Ahab went and told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, and how he had killed all of the prophets of Baal. This angered Jezebel, who swore to kill Elijah by the next day. So, Elijah ran to Beer-sheba and left his servant there, then he ran another day into the wilderness.

Tired and depressed, Elijah came to a juniper tree and sat down under it and began to pray that God would just go ahead and take him. He wanted to die. He fell asleep. Then, an Angel of the Lord woke him up and said, "Get up. Eat." When he looked, there was a cake baked for him on the campfire, and some water for him to drink in a flask.

So, he ate; and, he drank. Then, he fell asleep again.

The Angel woke him again, telling him, "Eat, drink. You have a long journey ahead of you. You need your strength."
After the second meal, Elijah had enough strength to travel 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb (the same mountain Moses saw the burning bush). He found a cave and set up camp there. God came to Elijah and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Elijah said, "I did all I did for you, and I am the only one left. Everyone wants to kill me."

God told him to go and stand on the mountain, so he did.

As he stood there, a great wind came. It was so strong it broke rocks. But, Elijah didn't see God in the wind. Then there was an earthquake. Elijah didn't see God in the earthquake. Then, there was fire. God wasn't in the fire, either. Then, it got quiet.

Elijah heard a small, still voice that said, "Why are you here, Elijah?"

Elijah repeated the same answer he gave before.

God told him, "Go back. On your way, stop in Damascus and annoint Hazael to be king of Syria. Then, annoint Jehu to be king of Israel. Then, annoint Elisha to take your place. There are still seven-thousand people in Israel who have not bowed down to Baal. The rest, Hazael will slay, and whoever he misses, Jehu will slay, and who he misses, Elisha will get."

Elijah, true to his nature, did as he was told. He found Elisha plowing with twelve oxen. He placed his mantle on Elisha and walked away. Elisha called after him, "Wait! Let me say goodbye to my family and I will come with you!"

Elijah waved him off with, "I haven't done anything for you to want to follow me."

Elisha cooked the oxen in a going away party with his family, then he caught up with Elijah and gave him support.

====================

God knows what you are going through. He already has plans in motion to make the world a better place for His children; but, sometimes, God wants to hear what His children are going through in their words, out of their hearts.

Notice that Elijah didn't get angry with God for putting him in this predicament. He simply stated the obvious: "I did this for you. Now, look where I am."

God had Elijah stand on the mountain and watch all these natural phenomenom take place. These were all out of Elijah's control. God wasn't in the wind -- just like He wasn't in Hurricane Katrina. He wasn't in the earthquake -- just like He wasn't in the earthquake that hit Haiti. He wasn't in the fire, either -- just like He isn't in the fires in Colorado, California, or West Texas.

Instead, God waited until it got quiet to say, "Hey, I'm right here. I haven't left. I wasn't in the wind, the earthquake or the fire, or anything else you may have witnessed before, because I was right here with you the whole time."

The storms of our lives sometimes seem overbearing. We run, we hide, we fight, we cry, and sometimes we laugh because that's all we can do. But, when it's quiet, and we are alone, with only God to talk to, we realize how blessed we are that throughout it all, we are still standing, shaky knees and all, because God is right here with us.

========================

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 18

After three years, God told Elijah to go back to Ahab, "And I will send rain." So, Elijah went.

Obadiah was the governor of Ahab's household. He had much respect for God--so much so, that when Jezebel cut off all the prophets, and was having them put to death, he hid a hundred of God's prophets in caves, feeding them.

Ahab sent Obadiah to search the land for grass to feed the animals. While Obadiah was searching, he met Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he fell on his face and said, "Elijah!...is that you?"

Elijah said, "Yes. Go tell Ahab I want to see him."

"There is no way I am going to tell Ahab you are here! After you last seen him, he sent everyone in search of you. We had to swear by the kingdom that we hadn't seen you when we couldn't find you. If we said we saw you and you weren't there when he got here, he will kill me."

Elijah promised he would see Ahab that day, so Obadiah went to tell Ahab, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, "Are you the one causing all this trouble in Israel?"
to which Elijah replied, "I have caused no trouble. You are the one causing all the trouble by not following God. Now, I want a meeting with all of Israel at Mt. Carmel. Make sure you bring all 450 prophets of Baal, including the prophets of the grove.

So Ahab did as Elijah wanted. When they got there, Elijah stood before them and said, "How long will you ride the fence? If the Lord is your God then serve Him and only Him; but if Baal is your god, then serve him." No one spoke a word. So Elijah continued, "I am the only prophet of God left. There are 450 of Baal's prophets here. Let's see which God is the true God. Go get a young bull. Build an altar. Put wood on it, then let the true god light the fire to burn the sacrifice. I will pray to my God. You pray to yours. I will let Baal's prophets go first."

The people agreed.

Baal's prophets prayed, chanted, danced, yelled, leaped and made a big thing of it, but there god never brought fire for the altar. They kept trying. Finally, around noon, Elijah began making fun of them:

"Yell louder!" he said. "After all, he IS a god, is he not? Maybe he's busy talking to someone else. Maybe he's chasing someone. Maybe he can't hear you because he is on a trip somewhere? Hey! Maybe...maybe he's ASLEEP and you need to yell louder to wake him up!"

They kept trying until time for the evening sacrifice. Then it was Elijah's turn.

He called all the people to come near him. Then, he repaired the altar that was broken by Baal's prophets in their frenzy to get their god to answer. Then, he dug a trench around the altar and told the people to pour water all over the altar, the wood, the sacrifice and fill the trench so that it was all soaked wet.

Then Elijah prayed: "Dear Lord, let these people know that you are the only true God and that what I have said is truth!"

Fire came down and devoured the sacrifice, the altar, the wood and all the water around it.

The people of Israel bowed down, saying, "The Lord is God, the ONLY God!"

They took all the prophets of Baal and killed them. Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Eat, drink; rain is going to come now!"

Elijah went to the top of Mt. Carmel and sat with his head between his knees and told his servant, "Go, look toward the sea for rain." The servant went, and came back, saying, "I don't see anything." Elijah told him to go and come back seven times. On the seventh time, the servant came back and said, "I see a cloud!"

Elijah said, "Hurry, go tell Ahab to get his chariot and run to safety! It's going to storm!" Ahab ran to Jezreel with Elijah leading the way.

=================

There is only one God. When He makes Himself known, He leaves no doubt as to who He is or what He is about. When He gives, He gives abundantly. When He provides, He provides enough--but He refuses to bless those who do not serve His purpose. He does not let His children down, but He does not claim those who do not follow Him as His own.

What gods are you following? Who do you serve. I take Joshua's lead: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

================

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 17

Elijah the Tishbite of Gilead told Ahab, "As the Lord God lives, there shall not be any rain for years. There will not be any dew, either." Then, God told Elijah, "Go and hide by the brook Cherith.

He did, and the ravens brought him meat morning and night, and he drank from the brook until the brook dried up because of the drought.

Then God told Elijah to go to Zaraphath in Zidon, "I have commanded a widow woman there to care for you." So he went.

When he got there, the widow was gathering sticks, so he called to her, "Could you get me a drink of water?" When she went after the water he called after her, "I'd like something to eat, too!"

She turned around and said, "I barely have enough for one more meal. That is what I was fixing to do, gather sticks and cook one more meal for me and my son and then we were going to die."

Elijah said, "Don't be afraid. Go and cook your meal, but cook mine first. God has said you will not run out until it rains." She did as she was told and they all ate well until the drought was over.

Then the woman's son got sick and died. She took him to Elijah and demanded, "Why did you come here? Did you come to call my sins into rememberance so God would slay my son?" So he took the boy to his room and stretched over him three times, praying, "Why did you slay this woman's son? She has been nothing but good to me! Please bring life back into him!" And God heard him and He did.

Elijah took the boy to his mother and said, "He is alive." She then said, "I believe you truly are from the Lord, now."

**************

Elijah did everything the Lord asked him to do; so, when Elijah prayed, God listened. This is probably why God wanted Elijah to go and hide after delivering His message to Ahab. Ahab knew that Elijah had the Lord's ear. If he had kept Elijah there, Ahab may have forced Elijah to pray for rain, and God would have heard and done as He was asked. God didn't want that to happen.

In Genesis, Chapter 18, the Angel of the Lord came to Abraham and told him what He would do to Sodom and Gomorrah. He also told Abraham that if there was just one righteous man there, he would spare the cities. So, Lot had to leave. This time it was Elijah leaving.

The woman's son became ill because, after all the woman had seen, she still did not believe. Elijah bringing him back was God's way of saying, "Yes, Virginia, I do exist."

Sometimes God uses tragedy to prove His presence, because that is the only way He can get our attention. He wants us all to know, "Hey, I'm right here!"

===============

Bad Luck

by Shonda Ponder

It seems like ever since I got this laptop computer, I've had nothing but bad luck. First, my power cord goes out a week after I get it. A great guy I haven't seen in years, but was a facebook friend, was kind enough to bring me another one.

Then, I run out of juice on my internet connection and have to buy another $90.00 worth of power. sigh. Then, my router breaks. There goes $90 down the drain. Then we move so I can get connection, and the guy at Liberty Motel decides to cut me off because he heard untrue rumors. So, I buy another router, but then my BF finally talks to the man and convinces him that all I do is work and play on the internet. Without internet, I am not happy. Without work, I am miserable. That is all I do (besides smoke cigarettes, drink tea, and go to church when I can). So he cuts it back on...after I buy the router.

Then, my screen gets busted. I spent the last four days up in arms about my new computer. I cried. I was upset. But, I got up this morning and went, determined to do something about it. My laptop is now a desktop with an old dell monitor for the screen; but, at least it's working...and it only cost me $6.99, and cab and bus fare to get it.

I am so afraid of what is about to happen next.

However, when I was walking to the Salvation Army store from Best Buy, after finding out I would be better off buying another laptop than fixing my screen, I stepped wrong on the curb as I was walking onto the Salvation Army store parking lot. I fell, twisting my foot as I went down. Once on the ground, I lay there for a moment, mentally checking myself out and a Salvation Army employee came out to help me up.

"Are you okay?" he said.

"Yes," I answered. "I think so. I think I just need to gather the courage to get back up." I laughed a little. He helped me up. I took a few steps. Nothing was broken. I smiled and I thanked him and walked away.

I guess that's all I need. Just the courage to keep going.

August Prayer Requests

Please pray for Judy Long. She tripped on a rock and busted her elbow and will probably need surgery.

Remember me in prayer I am in the I.C.U. at Audubon. Hospital. -- Mike Scoggins

Please pray for Terrye Woods who has pneumonia from a cold and pray for her parents who also got her cold.

My son Daren is Graduating today from Army Training Boot Camp. I'm so very PROUD of him. Tomorrow he will leave Ft.Jackson SC. To start his AIT Combat Medic training in Texas at Ft. Sam. Please keep him and all the other Private's in your prayers as they go on their journey's to different place's.. -- Susan Coker

Allan Mears' sister, Linda Richnow, died. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

Please be in prayer for my cousins Phillip and Sarah Alexander in Bloomburg, Texas. They lost their son in an accident today. -- Bobby W. Mauldin

Please pray for Tyler Lee. He is searching for direction in his life and needs all the encouragement he can get.

Please continue to remember Jordan Smith in your prayers. Jordan is 11 years old and is on my daughter Hannah's softball team. Jordan is in ICU at Children's Hospital. From what I've been told she got a staph infection and it went into her bloodstream. She is on a ventilator and they have put a feeding tube in. Please pray for this sweet girl and her family! --Lisa Marie Hodge

Prayer Requests

September, 2012
August 2012
July 2012

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 16

God told Jehu to tell Baasha that his house would meet the same fate as Jeroboam’s, for the same reason.

When Baasha died, his son, Elah reigned in his place. Asa had been king over Judah for 26 years when Elah began to reign in Israel.

Zimri, and half of Elah’s chariot drivers began to conspire against him. He killed Elah, and began reigning over Israel in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa of Judah. Zimri left none of Elah’s house alive. He killed them all.

Zimri reigned for one week when word got out that he had killed the king and his household. So Israel made Omri king, and Omri went after Zimri. So Zimri burned down the king’s house with himself inside, committing suicide.

Then there was a civil war. Some of Israel liked Tibni as king, and some wanted to keep Omri. So they fought, and Tibni died and Omri reigned.

Omri bought a hill for two talents of gold and named it Samaria. Omri did worse in the eyes of the Lord than any of his predecessors. Then he died, and Ahab, his son, ruled in his place.

Ahab was even more evil than Omri. He married a woman named Jezebel, and he went and worshipped Baal. He did more to provoke God's anger than anyone.

In his days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho.

==========================

A wise man once said that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. You can tell a non-believer what God is going to do, and when He does it, the non-believer will still not believe it. In Matthew 13:15 it says:


For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

It is simply out of spite that most people refuse to come to God, humble themselves before Him, and repent and ask for forgiveness. Only spite could turn away such blessings, such love.

Chick-Fil-A

Yesterday was a lesson that must be heeded. When you try to shut up what God says should be shouted from the mountaintops, God will move the mountain to make it heard.

Praise God that Freedom of Speech is taken seriously. Voltaire said it best when he said, "I may not like what you have to say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it." When they attacked what Dan Cathy had to say, we stood up for his right to say it. God took care of the rest.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 15

Jeroboam had been ruling for eighteen years when Abijam took the throne in Judah. Abijam and Jeroboam warred. Then, Abijam died after only being on the throne for two years, and his son Asa took his place.

Asa followed God. He cleansed the land of the sodomites (homosexuals) and took down all the idols of the land that his father put up. He even removed his mother Maachah from being queen because she built an idol in the grove. He tore down her idol and burnt it. He didn't remove the altars, but God found no fault in Asa all his life. Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, warred throughout his reign.

Baasha developed the city of Ramah and would not let Asa (or any from Judah) go out or come into the city. Asa sent all of the treasures of the House of God to Benhadad, the grandson of the King of Syria, who lived in Damascus, and said, "There has always been good relationship with me and you, and my father and yours, and I need you to break your treaty with the King of Israel so he will leave me alone." Benhadad did, and he attacked some of the cities in Israel. When Baasha found out why, he quit his work in Ramah and went to live in Tirzah. So Asa took all the materials Baasha was using to build in Ramah and used it to build Geba and Mizpah.

When Asa was old, he was diseased in his feet. (Maybe he had gout?) When he died, Jehoshophat ruled in his place.

Nadab, son of Jeroboam, ruled Israel two years after Asa took the throne. He did evil in the sight of God. Baasha had killed him, which is how he became king in Israel. He destroyed everyone that lived in the house of Jeroboam, as the prophet had predicted.

But Baasha also did as Jeroboam did and did not walk in the way of the Lord.

=============

God doesn't talk just to hear Himself speak. Asa's family inherited the throne because Asa walked in God's ways. But Jeroboam did not and was annhilated. Then Baasha turned around and did the same thing. Will Baasha be destroyed, too? We will have to read more to find out!

=============

August Thoughts for the Day

One Godly man in a group that is ungodly can be influential in how God blesses or curses an event. When God is on your side, you can't lose. So, when you feel like you are alone in your beliefs, and you wonder if prayer is the answer, take heart. God is still with you. God will bring you through any situation in any environment, surrounded by any type of people. Pray: for God IS listening.

What you do today affects your children tomorrow.

You can't truly praise the Lord until you've walked through the fire with Him.

Sometimes God uses tragedy to prove His presence, because that is the only way He can get our attention. He wants us all to know, "Hey, I'm right here!"

You can tell a non-believer what God is going to do, and when He does it, the non-believer will still not believe it.

If you follow the ways of the world instead of the ways of God, God will take away the many blessings He has blessed you with over time, and you will have nothing to leave your children and people will not remember you.

=============

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 14

Jeroboam’s son got sick. So he got his wife up and said, “I want you to disguise yourself so others won’t know you are my wife, then I want you to go to Shiloh and look for Ahijah the prophet and find out what is going to happen to my son.” He sent some food with her for payment.

When she got there, Ahijah could not see. So God told Ahijah who was coming and why. So, when she came to the door, he invited her in and told her, “I don’t have good news. Tell Jeroboam that God said because he sought after other gods and did not obey me and follow my statutes the way David did, I will take the kingdom, all I have given him, away. And, I will bring evil upon his house, and those that are left of his house will be carried away as trash and those that die will be eaten by animals and not get a proper burial. Go and tell him, and when you step foot back into your home, the child will die. He will get a proper burial because he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam who has even attempted to follow my ways. And I will raise up another King to take Israel from Jeroboam, but because Jeroboam has sinned and has led all the people of Israel to sin, all of Israel shall be punished. I will take away their inheritance. I will scatter them abroad. “

When she arrived in Tirzah, where the child was, he died, as Ahijah foretold. He was buried and mourned by all of Israel.

In the meanwhile, Rehoboam ruled in Judah for fourteen years. During this time, he also raised up images of worship and led the children of Judah away from God. They had many sodomites in the land of the children of Judah, and they did all the things the people did that God had cast out before they took over the land.

In the fifth year of his reign, the King of Egypt came and took away all of the treasures of the king’s house, and all of the gold shields Solomon had made. So Rehoboam had brass shields made and gave them to the guard to keep.

Rehoboam and Jeroboam fought each other all the years of their reign, and Rehoboam died, then his son Abijam ruled in his place.

===========================

If you follow the ways of the world instead of the ways of God, God will take away the many blessings He has blessed you with over time, and you will have nothing to leave your children and people will not remember you.

===========================