Tag Archives: Elijah and the prophets of Baal

November 25, 2025 · 5:53 AM

Pick A Side

Have you ever seen someone get called out after being caught for being deceptive or trying to play both sides? I’ve seen several videos of it and experienced it in person. Most people get quiet because they don’t know what to say once they’re exposed. Some get defensive and others try to turn it around and blame the person catching them. The truth is at some point in our life, most of us have been caught doing this. Whether we were trying to please everyone or we were just being deceptive. When I was little and my dad would question me, I would clam up knowing I’d been caught. I wasn’t sure what to say and I didn’t want to make my punishment worse.

In 1 Kings 18, Israel had been trying to play both sides. They had tried to keep the festivals of their fathers, which honored God, while also making Queen Jezebel happy by worshipping Baal. After having no rain for three years as punishment, God told Elijah to confront the king and nation. They met at the top of Mount Carmel for a showdown. Verse 21 says, “Elijah approached all the people and said, ‘How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people [of Israel] did not answer him [so much as] a word” (AMP). They didn’t say a word because they knew they had been caught. After the fire fell from heaven, they proclaimed, “The Lord, He is God!”

In Joshua 24:15 Joshua gave the people a choice before he passed away. He said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The same call goes out to you and me. Where have you been trying to play both sides? Have you been living one way on Sunday and then a different way the rest of the week? It’s time to quit hesitating between two opinions. If the Lord is God, serve Him every day unashamedly. Faith and culture don’t mix. It’s time to quit being silent and choose.

Photo by elizabeth lies on Unsplash

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June 16, 2025 · 5:30 AM

You Are Called

Almost everyone knows the story of 1 Kings 18. Elijah was the prophet of God in a nation who had turned from Him. He called all of them to Mount Carmel to challenge Baal, the god Israelites were serving. The challenge was to have the prophets of Baal create a sacrifice and to call down fire from Heaven to consume it. He would do the same thing but call out to God. The one true God would answer by fire, and no one would be able to dispute it. In verse 21 he asked a question every generation must answer. He asked, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him!” (NLT) He then rebuilt the altar and proceeded to pray. It was then that God sent fire to consume the altar, and the people turned to God.

Like Elijah, we can’t avoid confrontation when it comes to our faith. He didn’t soften his message that people need to repent. He asked a question that demands an answer and pulls people from a life of compromise. Ephesians 4:15 says, “We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” The truth of God’s Word is what sets people free from a life of compromise. We must learn to speak truth in love to our generation so that the fires of revival will burn. It is the responsibility of each of us to stand up for truth and to call people to serve God. If each of us stays silent, how will they ever know that God loves them and sent His Son to die for them.


In Mark 16:15 Jesus gave the Great Commission to all of us. He said, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” You are God’s plan to reach this world. You are called to live as a leader in your faith. There is no more time for wavering. If God is God, then serve Him wholeheartedly. You are empowered by the Holy Spirit in you to be a witness wherever you go. You cannot tolerate what God has called you to tear down. We must not only pray for revival but begin to prepare for it in our own lives. We must choose holiness over hype, truth over trends and faith over fear. You are called and equipped to stand up in this generation so that they will know the truth. You are called to leave the idols of comfort behind and lift up a standard that will create spiritual transformation.

Photo by Simple stripes on Unsplash

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July 24, 2023 · 5:39 AM

Neglecting The Altar

One of the things I’ve learned about homeownership is that you constantly have to maintain it to keep it from falling into disrepair. It’s often little things, but they pile up quickly if they’re not taken care of. I’ve even seen this in a new home. I knew someone who was going to buy a house. It was almost ten years old, but had never been lived in because the couple divorced before completion. They never could agree to sell it. When they finally did, there were so many problems, my friends walked away. On the other hand, Saltford Manor in England is considered to be the oldest continuously occupied house in the country. It was built around 1150. Because it has been maintained, it is still standing to this day.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenged the profits of Baal to a duel on top of Mount Carmel. He brought out two bulls and told the other prophets to choose one, build an altar, sacrifice the bull and pray for Baal to send fire for the sacrifice, then he would do the same thing and pray to God. He told the people to quit wavering between two opinions. Either God is God or some other deity is. The prophets of Baal prayed and chanted for hours to no avail. Then verse 30 says, “Then Elijah called to the people, ‘Come over here!’ They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down” (NLT). I couldn’t help but notice the altar had fallen into disrepair and been torn down. The rocks were there, but it needed to be rebuilt. I started thinking about how we often neglect the altar of God in our own life because of busyness and other priorities. A stone or two could be missing or the whole altar could be lying in disrepair. It’s time we rebuilt it.

Hebrews 2:1,3 says, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard” (ESV). We can’t afford to neglect so great a salvation from God that we have received. We need to get back to paying attention to what we have been taught, get back involved in church, renew our fellowship with other believers and return to our first love. When this altar falls into disrepair, it affects the rest of our life. We can spend a lot of time trying to find answers or even sacrificing the wrong things, but it won’t get us anywhere until we repair the altar to God in our life. Then God will answer and show up like He did for Elijah. It’s time to quit waving and put God back in His place in our life.

Photo by Andrew Ridley on Unsplash

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November 16, 2022 · 5:50 AM

Small Acts Of Faith

I ok an assessment at work several years ago. One of the things it told me was that I like big risk, big reward scenarios. The down side to that is that I leave a lot of low hanging fruit behind going after those situations. It’s a mentality that many of us have: go big or go home. When we think of doing things, we think of grand gestures like proposing on the Jumbotron at a game, but miss the little things like opening a door. When we think of any endeavor, we think of doing things that get noticed. Slow and steady wins the race can be a foreign concept. Success in our eyes often looks like being famous, being the lead person or being the boss. Being the person who does things behind the scene or garner little attention can feel like we’re failing, but the truth is greater success is found in the little things.

I often identify with Elijah. In 1 Kings 18, he brought all of Israel to Mount Carmel for a big showdown with the prophets of Baal to call down fire from heaven. When it was all over and the prophets were killed, Jezebel threatened his life. After running and meeting with God, he was sent to a small town. He was met at the gate by a widow picking up sticks to build a fire so she could have her last meal. When he said he was hungry and asked for her last meal, she offered it to him. It was her small act of faith that got blessed. Her flour and oil didn’t run out until the crops returned. Big acts of faith are great, but mostly God is looking for small acts that often go unnoticed.

Matthew 25:34-36 says, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me’” (NLT). These small acts of faith went unnoticed even by themselves, but not to God. He loves to see us love others in the little things. It’s time we opened our eyes to what’s in front of us. Does someone need a little help? It could be Jesus in disguise. He gives us daily opportunities to share His love through small acts. Don’t miss them while you’re looking for the big ones.

Photo by Timur Weber:

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February 24, 2022 · 5:30 AM

An Elijah Moment

As I stood on top of Mount Carmel looking across the valley, I remembered the story of Elijah where the land hadn’t seen rain in three years. The now fertile valley was dry and bare then. King Ahab was looking for grass to save his horses from dying of starvation. Elijah, whom the king wanted dead, told him to gather all the prophets of Baal and to meet him on top of Mount Carmel. The prophets of Baal made an altar and so did Elijah. They were to pray and ask for fire to ignite the altar. The god who answered would be the real god. After the prophets of Baal had prayed all day with no fire, Elijah poured water on his altar three times then called down fire from Heaven. It consumed the altar from top to bottom drying up all the water as well.

In 1 Kings 18:21 Elijah addressed them, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” (NLT) When I read that, I can’t help but internalize it. Our lives are a constant battle between our flesh and our spirit. We waver between wanting to give into the desires of the flesh and doing what God requires. As long as we go between them, we are miserable as Paul described in Romans 7. Also, according to James 1:8, it also makes us unstable in all our ways. That’s not the way that God wants us to live. In order to live His way, we need to have an Elijah moment in our lives where we force ourselves to choose the way God wants us to live.

Colossians 3:5 says, “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” We need to put to death the things that we have put before God. Verse 10 tells us, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” We all have this choice to make. Either we will continue to live unstable, idolatrous lives or we will put on the new nature that’s been given to us. It starts with calling down fire from Heaven into our lives consuming the things that are not of God. It’s a continuous process, but it starts with an Elijah moment.

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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June 17, 2019 · 5:00 AM

An Elijah Moment

As I stood on top of Mount Carmel looking across the valley, I remembered the story of Elijah. The land hadn’t seen rain in three years. The now fertile valley was dry and bare. King Ahab was looking for grass to save his horses from dying of starvation. Elijah, whom the king wanted dead, told him to gather all the prophets of Baal and to meet him on top of Mount Carmel. The prophets of Baal made an altar and so did Elijah. They were to pray and ask for fire to ignite the altar. The god who answered would be the real god. After the prophets of Baal had prayed all day with no fire, Elijah poured water on his altar three times then called down fire from Heaven. It consumed the altar from top to bottom drying up all the water as well.

In 1 Kings 18:21 Elijah addressed them, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” (NLT) When I read that, I can’t help but internalize it. Our lives are a constant battle between our flesh and our spirit. We waver between wanted to give into the desires of the flesh and doing what God requires. As long as we go between them, we are miserable as Paul described in Romans 7. According to James 1:8, it also makes us unstable in all our ways. That’s not the way that God wants us to live. In order to live that way, we need to have an Elijah moment in our lives where we force ourselves to choose the way God wants us to live.

Colossians 3:5 says, “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” We need to put to death the things that we have put before God. Verse 10 tells us, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” We all have this choice to make. Either we will continue to live unstable, idolatrous lives or we will put on the new nature that’s been given to us. It starts with calling down fire from Heaven into our lives consuming the things that are not of God. It’s a continuous process, but it starts with an Elijah moment.

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