Job 21:14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

How often do people allow their hearts to be hardened against God? They become so set in their ways that they fail to see that God is alive today. They chose to do that which is right in their own eyes and it takes a miracle from God to open their eyes.

Jezebel was a wicked woman. She had just heard that Elijah had killed all her prophets who assisted her in her worship of Baal. Jezebel had heard how God answered the prayers of Elijah with fire. Jezebel saw how after several years, God was returning rain to their land. However, Jezebel had no desire to understand the knowledge of the ways of God. Jezebel was set in her ways and she sent her solders to go and kill the man of God.

Saul was a man who had much learning. Saul had studied the law and the prophets but he had hardened his heart against those who proclaimed Christ. Saul had no desire to understand the ways of Christ. Saul was set in the traditions of the past and he persecuted all those who called upon the name of Christ. Saul however changed his ways when he experienced God firsthand. When Saul realized that he served a living God, Saul was not like Jezebel but instead he repented and turned from his wicked ways.

Are you more like Jezebel or are you more like Saul? Do the testimonies of those who have seen God work in their lives encourage you to spend more time in the scriptures or does it cause you to desire to shun those individuals? We should have a desire to obtain knowledge of the ways of God. Every day we should seek to find out more about HIM and how HE desires we live our lives.

Pharaoh saw many mighty miracles at the hand of Moses. Nonetheless, Pharaoh hardened his heart and he did not make any effort to discern the ways of God. Pharaoh was so set in his ways that he watched as the great nation Egypt was crippled by God as a result of Pharaoh’s disobedience. At any time Pharaoh could have stopped the plagues by simply recognizing that there was a power much stronger than him who desired to take the people out of the land.

Pharaoh could have looked back at the ancient writings and learned that the nation of Israel was only to be in the land of Egypt for a certain period of time. Pharaoh did not have to persist in his ignorance, but because he did, it cost the lives and livelihood of many of his subjects.

The righteous desire to understand the ways of God. The righteous understand that the word of God is a lamp unto their paths. The wicked reject the ways of God and do nothing to obtain any knowledge of how God desires them to live their lives. Are you more like the wicked man or are you an individual who has a heart after God’s own heart?

God will not always open your eyes immediately to HIS perfect plan for your life. Sometimes you will have to patiently wait and spend much time in prayer seeking HIS perfect will. However, if you ask and seek and knock, God will reveal to you HIS direction for your life. If you persevere in prayer like Hannah did, God will open doors you never thought possible. In order to discover the will of God for your life, you must focus upon God. You will not find the will of God for your life pursuing your own way. The wicked often find themselves without purpose because they have chosen to reject the ways of God.

Matthew 5:44a But I say unto you, Love your enemies,

In this passage, Christ is commanding us to do something that is completely contrary to the sin nature of man. Deep inside each of us, if we have someone who has done us wrong, then we desire to hate them. We love having an enemy, someone who is a bad guy. When we are thinking about this individual, we conjure all sorts of evil that we would love to do to them.

God’s ways are not our ways. Just because we love to hate our enemies, it does not mean that this is pleasing to God. Even if you do not follow through with a single idea that you meditated upon, you are still guilty in the eyes of God of hating your enemy. God has allowed this enemy to be an irritant in your life so that you can grow in your spiritual walk with him.

When someone does you evil, everyone expects you to get even. That is what they would do so when they hear about the injustice that you have faced, they understand the thoughts of evil that you have towards them. Nonetheless, God has a purpose for the trials that you are facing and vengeance is not one of them.

After Elijah prayed and fire came down from heaven and the clouds brought forth their rain once again, Jezebel decided that she was going to kill Elijah. Jezebel was an enemy in the life of Elijah but as a result of her trying to kill Elijah, we see that God used this to take Elijah on a long trip where Elijah received direction in where he was to go and whom he was supposed to train up to be the prophet of Israel after his death.

Imagine what would have happened if Elijah had decided to stand up for his rights? Elijah could have called fire down from heaven and destroyed Jezebel; he could have prayed and God would have sent a couple of she bears who tore Jezebel from limb to limb; he could have prayed and God would have paralyzed Jezebel or made her mute. Elijah served a mighty God so Elijah did not need to have any fear of Queen Jezebel. Instead, Elijah took a long journey with God and did not allow his enemies to get the best of him.

Your natural reaction will always be to get even or to come up with a way that you can show the other side who is boss. However God desires us to love our enemies. This means that you are going to have to add temperance to your life so that you can control your mind, will, and emotions. It takes great self-control to not allow yourself to dwell upon the revenge that you desire to administer to another individual.

God desires that you learn to control your mind so that you think thoughts of love rather than thoughts of hate. David demonstrated great love towards Saul but Saul naturally was jealous of David. Saul knew that David was going to be king after him so he constantly was trying to kill David. For thirteen years David had a yo-yo relationship with Saul in that one day he was permitted to faithfully serve the king and the next he was running for his life. Nonetheless, regardless of what Saul did to David, David was quick to demonstrate his love towards Saul and refused to take the life of Saul even though he had ample chances.

We need to be like Saul and we need to understand that God has put our enemy into our life. We are not God and we do not have the right to conform the circumstances into our life as we desire. We must put God first in our lives and we must learn to love those whom we desire to hate so that the love of God can brightly reflect through our lives.

Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

Have you ever met an individual who everything they touched seems to fall apart? It does not matter what is going on, they seem to live from crisis to crisis. Nothing seems to ever go right for them. Some might say that they have just run into a bit of bad luck, but is that really the logical reason?

When Ahab and Jezebel were king and queen of Israel, it was not exactly the most productive time in the nation of Israel. Almost every time you hear one of their names mentioned in scripture, there is a prophet of God condemning them for their actions. It was the decisions that Ahab and Jezebel were making that resulted in God bringing judgment upon them and the land.

You would think it foolish for a person to complain about it raining inside their house if they had just spent the day tearing up the roof of their house. You would think it foolish of a person to complain about wind coming through the house if they just took a sledgehammer and knocked huge holes in the walls. You would think it foolish of a person to destroy their house. Nonetheless, why do you not think it foolish for them to destroy their physical bodies with sin and expect there not to be any consequences for their actions?

The choices you make will either continue to build your relationship with the Lord or will see to tear it down. There is no such thing as a harmless sin. If you choose to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord, then you will be building your house and God can use you to do great things for HIM. If you choose to do that which is right in your own eyes, then you are like the foolish woman who goes outside and starts taking apart her own house. Just as you can only take apart your house for so long before it is worthless, so likewise, you can only do that which is right in your own eyes for so long before your life is worthless.

Solomon was a wise man who understood the importance of establishing his life upon his relationship with God. Early in his life, you see him making an 1,000 burnt offerings and asking the Lord for wisdom. Solomon builds a wonderful temple for God. However, Solomon soon allows his foreign wives to start to draw his heart away from the Lord. As Solomon slowly allows his relationship with God to deteriorate, so does the respect of the people. Solomon did not see the nation divide under his watch, but it all started when he was more concerned about his own needs.

If you desire to be a wise individual, then you need to start spending time with God. The more time you spend understanding who HE is and what HE desires you to do, the easier it will be for you to live your life in accordance with HIS principle. However, if you desire to have no positive impact upon those around you and the world in general, then just choose to do what you want, when you want. If you continue to make foolish decisions, you will find that your life will have little meaning. Spend time adding knowledge of the ways of God. Spend time giving God the thanks for the good things that HE has done in your life. Put HIM first and your life will be established.

Proverbs 13:16 Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.

A smart individual will continue to add knowledge of the ways of God to his life while a foolish man is quick to reveal his own foolishness. Have you ever meet an individual who is not ashamed of their sin? An individual who knows deep down that what they are doing is wrong, but instead of forsaking their wicked ways, they have chosen to brag about their wickedness and condone their sin because everyone is doing it.

A fool is an individual who brags about his or her wickedness. Absalom was a fool when he was trying to take over the kingdom of David. Absalom took the concubines of David and set up a tent where all could see and he went in and slept with the concubines. Absalom wanted to make sure everyone knew that he was sleeping with the concubines of David. Absalom was not ashamed of his actions.

Jezebel is another example of an individual who had no shame. When Jezebel found out that her husband desired the vineyards of Naboth and that he would not sell them to Ahab, she made a plot to have him killed. Jezebel was not afraid of using corrupt politics to obtain that what she wanted and recruited those who were equally corrupt to help her.

Instead of being a fool that reveals to all just how foolish we are; we need to take our knowledge of the ways of God and add to them. Jesus Christ should be our example. Jesus had a perfect relationship with God, but that did not stop HIM from taking time to get away from all distractions and spend time alone with God. Jesus did not take for granted HIS relationship with the Father and HE desired to do the will of HIS Father.

It is a wise individual who understands that they need to continue to draw closer to God. It is a wise individual who understands that it does not matter how many years they have been serving God, God still has something for them to learn. It is a wise individual who understands that the word of God is full of truth that a lifetime of learning could not fully discover.

Are you a wise individual or are you a fool? Do you set aside time each day to draw closer to God? Remember, drawing closer to God is not just about making sure you pray every day so as to give God your Christmas list of everything you desire for HIM to do for you. God desires that you take the time to praise HIM for what HE has done. God desires that you take the time to confess your sins so that there is nothing preventing you from doing HIS perfect will.

Daniel was a very wise man who was greatly used of God. Daniel could have easily justified not taking the time every now and then to talk with God. Nonetheless, it was because Daniel understood his relationship with God that he was faithful three times a day to take time to further develop his relationship with God.

If you desire to be wise, you will constantly pursue the things of God. A wise man builds his life upon the rock so that when the storms come, he will not waiver. Are you the wise man or are you the fool who is simply doing that which is right in your own eyes. Are you setting the rules for your life or are you taking the time to follow the laws of God?

Proverbs 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

Are you going to do what is right in the eyes of God or are you going to do that which is right in your own eyes. How are you going to know if the path you are taking is the path of the wicked or the path that God desires you to take? Satan is good at disguising a path to make it justifiable in your mind as to why you should take it; however, the way of man always seems right.

You need the knowledge of God in order to know what path God desires you to take. Sometimes you are going to be faced with difficult decisions and it is your responsibility to take the time to see if the path that is before you is the path of God or the path of the wicked one. Do not chose the path that you are going to take purely on what makes you feel best; instead, you need to seek God and hear HIS still small voice.

Sometimes the path you must take will associate you with evil men. However, just because you are around evil individuals, it does not mean that you must yield to their debauchery. Instead, God may have sent you in order to be the salt and the light. Your path may cross those of the wicked, but it does not mean that you are to behave like the wicked.

Elijah was a man who was righteous. On several occasions, his path crossed with Ahab and Jezebel. Just because his path crossed with the wicked king and queen, it did not give him permission to commit wickedness. Instead, every time that God had him cross paths with Ahab or Jezebel, he was reminding them that there is a God and that they are living their lives in a way that is not pleasing to God.

Elijah listened to God and because he listened, he was safe. When God told him to go to the brook, he went. When God told him to go to the widow, he went. When God told him to go to Ahab, he went. When God told him to take a journey unto Mount Horeb, he went. Elijah listened to God and God directed his paths. Because Elijah understood the will of God, he was used of God in a mighty way.

Why do you think that Elijah was able to hear God speak to him so many times during his life? Do you think it was because he was a righteous man and God liked to speak to Elijah? One of the reasons God spoke so much to Elijah was because Elijah was actually an active listener to the voice of God. Elijah sought God and when he heard God, he obeyed. Too often, we are too busy for God; we are not willing to lay aside our daily cares in order to hear HIS still small voice. Even when we hear HIS voice, we often chose to do our own thing rather than travel on the path that God desires us to take.

Every path that you cross every day either is the will of God or it is not. How many paths have we entered into that if we had taken the time to look, we would have seen the sign that stated Do Not Enter? God would have made it clear that the path we are taking is not HIS perfect direction for our lives, but because we were unwilling to seek first the kingdom of God, we made our own decision that was not pleasing to God.

You must daily take the time to seek the will of God for your life. You must add to your life the knowledge of the ways of God. If you daily seek HIS face, HE will be able to direct you in the way that you are to go. As you read the words of God, ask HIM to direct your path. Allow God to open your eyes so that you can do that which is right in HIS eyes.

Acts 24:13 Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.

Paul was on trial for something he had not done. However, this is not the first time one of the children of God has been accused of doing something that they had not done. Joseph was accused by the wife of Potiphar that he had a sexual relationship with her. Elijah had not committed any crime when he had the prophets of Baal killed, yet he still had to flee for his life because Jezebel had determined in her heart that she was going to kill him. David had not done a single thing to take the throne of Saul away from him; yet nonetheless, because of a spirit of jealousy, Saul made many attempts to take the life of David.

The world does not play by the same rules that you are required to live by. Those who do not fear God will do almost anything to keep their power and ensure that you are not successful. You might be surprised who does not have the fear of the Lord in their lives when all of a sudden you are on trial for your actions.

Would you expect the religious leaders to be making false accusations against you? That is what Paul had to face. Would you expect the person whom you are called to serve who loves you to all of a sudden start accusing you of things that you have clearly refused to do? That is what Joseph had to face. Would you expect after you have preformed a couple miracles and revealed to the entire nation that they had been serving a false God that your life would be in danger? That is what Elijah had to face. Would you expect your father-in-law to try to kill you? That is what David had to face.

If you fear God, then you understand that you are accountable to God for your actions. You understand that every thought, word, and action you must give an account for before the judgment seat of God. However, the children of the world do not live their lives according to the same standards that God requires you to live your life by. Yes, they are going to be held accountable for their thoughts, words, and actions, it is just that they do not fully comprehend that fact and as such, they have chosen to live their life in accordance with their own standards. Because they have chosen to live their lives by their own standards, if you are not living your life in a way that is pleasing to them, they will do what they can to get you out of the way.

Just because Paul pointed out that the religious leaders could not prove their accusations, it does not mean that he was free to walk. Paul was before Felix, a man who did not fear God and as such Felix left Paul in prison because he hoped he would be bribed. Felix knew that Paul was not guilty, yet in order to keep peace and hopefully enrich his purse, Felix refused to release Paul even though there was no proof the keep him in prison. Paul was thus required to suffer for the name of Jesus because those around him did not fear the Lord. Paul attempted to share the truth with Felix, but Felix was not yet ready to relinquish control over his life.

Do not be surprised when the world attempts to destroy you. Do not be surprised when you are persecuted for no apparent reason. Do not be surprised when false accusations come against you.

If you take time to add knowledge of the ways of God, you will understand that the difficult things that occur in your life are designed by God to draw you closer to HIM. Do not become bitter at God because those around you have turned against you. Instead, learn to thank God for your persecutors because they are tools by God to draw you closer to HIM.

I Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Elijah had just seen God answer his prayers to bring fire from heaven. Elijah had just seen God answer his persistent prayer of brining rain back to the earth again. Elijah had just seen the power of God in his life in a very special way. However, when Elijah spoke with God, he told him that “I, even I only, am left” (1 Kings 19:10).

Elijah had just seen God use him in a mighty way and God led Elijah on a long journey. For forty days, Elijah did not eat. At the end of the forty days, God came to Elijah. God did not come to Elijah in the form of a strong wind, an earthquake, nor a fire. God came to Elijah and spoke to him in a still small voice. When Elijah heard the still small voice of God, he had to take his mantle and wrap his face. Elijah was in the presence of God. It did not matter all the good things Elijah had done for the Lord, they were not enough for him to stand in the presence of the Lord.

God spoke to Elijah that day and HE gave Elijah vision for what he was to do next. However, God did not want to just show Elijah what to do next, God used this mountaintop experience to transform Elijah’s life to take care of the issue of pride. God did not want Elijah to think that he was the only righteous person in all of Israel. After God gave Elijah the vision, God told Elijah that there were 7,000 in Israel who had kept their hearts and mind right before God.

Elijah may have been the only one who challenged Ahab and Jezebel to do what is right in the eyes of God, but he was not the only one who refused to obey their wicked laws and violate God’s perfect law. As long as Elijah thought he was the only true servant of God, pride would dwell in his heart and he would not be in a position to properly lead the nation of Israel back to God. God dealt with Elijah by transforming his mind to cause him to see the truth that he was not the only servant of God.

If you were in Israel during the time of Elijah, would you have been one of the 7,000 who had refused to bow down before Baal? There were 7,000 who refused to be conformed by the things of their world but instead insisted at being pure in the sight of God. It was more important to these 7,000 that they live their lives pleasing to God then it was that they live comfortable lives where they were accepted by their neighbors. You can imagine the pressure these 7,000 had from their neighbors because they were not obeying the king’s commands.

You have an obligation to God to live your life so that HE might be glorified. You have a duty to God to put the things of God first so that when the world pressures you to conform to it, you are able to have the boldness to live for Christ and not like the devil.

You can never be one of the 7,000 as long as you fill your life with the things of this world. If the most important things is what the world thinks, you will never be strong enough to withstand the temptations of Satan. God is looking for those who are willing to allow HIM to transform their minds and fill them with HIS virtue so that they might be a testimony to the world of HIS power. Are you going to stand up and be counted by God?

I Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

Why was Elijah requesting that God kill him? He had just seen God answer his prayers by bringing fire from heaven and restoring the rain throughout the land. Elijah had seen God’s hand upon him for the last several years as God had supplied all his needs. Nonetheless, even though Elijah had seen God’s hand upon his life, Elijah was on the run because Jezebel desired to kill him because of what he had done to the prophets of Baal.

In response to Elijah’s prayer, God supplied Elijah with two meals and then had Elijah take a journey of 40 days in which Elijah did not eat. Elijah’s destination was Horeb, the mount of God. Once Elijah reached Horeb, he told God that he was alone. Elijah felt that there was no one else out there who was serving God and he was discouraged because even though he had shown the nation that God was with him, his life was in jeopardy.

Solomon told us where there is no vision the people perish. Elijah had no vision for his life. He had just fulfilled God’s purpose that had consumed his life for many years and now he was discouraged because he not only had any purpose but he was not receiving the praises of man for fulfilling his prior purpose.

Elijah may have been a great prophet for God but he still was human. You enjoy hearing the praises of those around you when you do things right. So too did Elijah expect and need to hear the praises of his fellow man after he had great faith and prayed fire from heaven, the return of rain, and had out ran the chariots. All Elijah received was a death threat and he was on the run.

God came to Elijah through a still small voice. Elijah felt he was alone and God informed Elijah that there were seven thousand who had not bowed down to Baal. Elijah felt he was without a purpose and God told him to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, Jehu to be king over Israel and Elisha to be a prophet of God.

You must be aware that Satan loves to attack you immediately after you have a great victory for the Lord. Like he did with Elijah, he will try to discourage you from your faith immediately after you have seen a victory from the Lord. After a victory is not the time to sit back and not be prepared for the attacks of your spiritual enemy. There are going to be days in your life where you are discouraged. Nonetheless, it does not mean that God has forsaken you. You can learn from Elijah how not to respond when you face discouraging times. Remember, God will never forsake you nor leave you.

God provided and sustained Elijah so that he was in a position that he could once again hear God. God has not forsaken you, God desires to bring you to the point where you are seeking HIM and desire to do HIS will. It is not the end of the world when you reach a spot where you are spiritually discouraged because you feel you have a lack of direction. Instead, just remember the life of Elijah and remember that God loves you and HE desires to show HIMSELF strong through your life. Trust in HIM. You are never alone no matter how lonely you fell. God is with you and desires for you to hear HIS voice.