Scripture Text: "Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you halt and limp between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him! But if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word." 1Ki 18:21 (KJV)

Have you ever stopped an wondered what kind of Faith people like Elijah and David and Jeremiah had? The one thing we know is that GOD MADE A CHANGE in their lives in such a way that they were NEW MEN and they had such Faith in a God that had never seen that they made an eternal difference in the loves of those they touched with the unquestionable presence of God in their lives.

We're going to talk about that in just a minute but before we do here's a great song that I hope will build your faith this morning:  Here's the Legacy Five with "He Made a Change" and I'll be right back after the song with today's message.

Friend, how would you like to make a change in your life today? How would you like to seize the "prophets of doom" in your life; those things that have a tendency to lead you astray and have a hold over you. How would you like the Lord to consume them this morning? What am I talking about? Well, what did Paul call it?

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:1,2 (KJV)

Those sins that so easily beset us are on the internet, there in the magazines we read - television and the movie houses... just about every venue that catches the eye, catches the soul and can become a stumbling block unless you allow the FIRE of God to come down and CONSUME it and remove it from your life completely.

When looking at the 18th chapter of the book of 1Kings we see that it records a great darkness in the Land of the Israelites - and Old King Ahab, Seventh King Of Israel (and his wife Jezebel)were the leaders of that darkness. It seems that Jezebel had been watching too much MTV (she got interested in some of the money and power conjured up by Jeroboam and got interested in some "CALF" idol worship and influenced King Ahab to also add to it the Worship of Baal. The Lord had a word for King Ahab and those in the land of Israel, and let's just take a quick look at it here:

"If the Lord is God, follow Him! But if Baal, then follow him." The Bible tells us that the people answered not a Word. Why? They were yet "undecided".  1Ki 18:21 (KJV)

So Elijah gave the People of Israel, a chance to persuade the people to do as the Lord had commanded. Make a CHOICE!

In verse 22 we see Elijah standing alone against 450 prophets of Baal. Where were the other prophets of the Lord? Good question. Jezebel had began slaying them and Obadiah, a servant in the household of Ahab and Jezebel, secretly took the last 100 prophets of the Lord and divided them up and hid them in two caves (50 each) trying to save them from Jezebel. So Elijah, faced the 450 prophets of Baal - and says:

"I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men."

He told those 450 prophets of Baal to go ahead and do what they do to prepare their sacrifice and to then call on their god to consume them. According to their rituals, they danced and they leaped on their altar and they cut themselves until they were in peril of bleeding to death, and nothing happened.

Elijah began to mock them and say their God must be sleeping.

So Elijah calls the people over to his altar and He took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, and with the stones he built an altar in the Name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. (ref., 1 Kings 18:32) Then he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. (Ref., 1 Kings 18:33)

Can you imagine the look on these people's faces as he poured four barrels of water over his sacrifice not once but three times, and then filled the trench also with water? I think he had their undivided attention. Then Elijah merely looked to the heavens and said,

"LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again." (vs. 36,37)

... and THE FIRE FELL ... but look at what happened.

"Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there." 1Ki 18:38-40 (KJV)

Friend - it is time to let the FIRE FALL ON OUR ALTARS AND CONSUME NOT JUST THE OFFERING but all of those idols we play with everyday.

All of those things that take our time away from prayer and study of the WORD. All of those things that consume our bodies and our strengths to the place where we get so tired and so deeply into a rut that we cannot hear from the Lord anymore. We have in effect bled ourselves out before the people and still there is no result - still there is no fire - still there is no change!

Hear the Word of the Lord today January 07, 2008

"Yea, The Lord saith unto thee, how much longer wilt thou vacillate one way or the other. Just as I have spoken through my Prophet Elijah say I now unto thee this day... If I am The Thy God, follow ME! If not go thy way and cease being a hypocrite!" I have walked in the way of your pleadings and I know what thou wouldst ask of me, yet I cannot grant it unto you for your lack of covenant with me has broken fellowship between me and thee. Repent of thine empty promises and establish your soul and spirit to love thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and I will begin to hear thy petitions whereof thou hast laid before me."

Father: I come. I bring with me every weight that so easily overtakes me and robs me of Your Power in my Life. Send the Power Oh Lord! Send The Power! In Jesus" Name, Amen.