1 Kings 19 Archives - Soaring With Him Ministries

When Anxiety is a Focus Issue {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}

Patricia — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 08:42:30 +0000

We have all been around overly anxious people.

Some have good reason to feel anxious. Facing unemployment or severe illness, concerns about basic needs, life and death may fill their minds and rob their peace. Others may experience extreme stress brought up by somebody else’s decisions. Likewise, many people suffer from a chemical imbalance in their brain caused by prolonged stress, chronic disease, or an immune system disorder, creating an afflux of erratic thoughts, fear, and often depression.

I will be the last person to judge someone who suffers from anxiety. Having experienced the issue before, I know the dreadful results of chronic stress if not appropriately addressed through medication and sometimes therapy.

But some people do not fit the categories above.

You follow them on social media or sit beside them at church. They may be your best friend or a close relative. They may proclaim their faith in God boldly, write beautiful, faith-filled posts and even teach Sunday school. But truth be told, those who know them intimately find them wavering between faith and fear, peace and worry, in a dance that does not translate the firm beliefs they so brazenly proclaim. Indeed, their anxiety is not a reflection of circumstances or a medical issue, but rather, it is a matter of focus.

Some people's anxiety is not a reflection of circumstances or a medical issue, but rather, it is a matter of focus. @AJC #MondayThoughts #Anxiety #faithoverfear
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We live at a focus-challenging time. Our brains are constantly bombarded with information intended to distract us and anchor our hearts on anything but God.

Let’s think about a typical morning routine: We get up, and our brains are barely awake before we pick up our phones to browse social media. We come across articles or posts that incite division, fear and confusion: Take the vaccine or lose your job. Take the vaccine, and you may die. Trust the government. Mistrust the government. And below the comments on every post, we find people’s arguments, often blurted out with obscenities.

The world has gone mad, and you took the bait. It’s not even 7 a.m., and your heart rate is accelerated.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth chapters of the book of 1 Kings, we come across a story in the Old Testament that depicts one of Israel’s greatest prophet’s struggles with anxiety and fear.

It’s a long account, filled with twists and turns and marked with beautiful displays of God’s presence and provision to Elijah, the prophet.

In summary, after a challenge between the prophets of Baal and Elijah, the God of Israel powerfully displayed his glory, giving Elijah a supernatural victory. As a result, the prophet killed 450 prophets of Baal, thus causing rage from Jezebel, Israel’s evil, idolatrous queen. She then vowed to kill Elijah, who fled in fear into the wilderness.

As we read the account, it becomes evident that the prophet was under extreme stress and anxiety. Even though he had just experienced God’s omnipotence and sovereignty over evil, he became so distressed by fear that he even begged to die. As he continued his fleeing journey, stress and anxiety prevented him from resting or hearing from God.

Finally, after walking for 40 days and 40 nights, Elijah found himself at the foot of Horeb, the “mountain of God,” hiding in a cave. It was there that the Lord told him to stand on the mountain, for he would meet him there. Scriptures tell what happened next:

“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks (…), but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

It was that gentle whisper (or a still small voice in some translations) that quietened Elijah’s spirit and instructed him in the way he should go.

In a world filled with threats, unrest and fear, this is a story that should give us pause.

Like Elijah, we may be so focused on circumstances that we have no control over that we forget God’s promise never to leave us or forsake us. We may keep our hearts so anchored in the “earthquakes, wind and fire” around us that we ignore God’s gentle voice, nudging us in the right direction.

Like the prophet Elijah, we may keep our hearts so anchored in the 'earthquakes, wind and fire' around us that we ignore God’s gentle voice, nudging us in the right direction. @AJC #MondayThoughts #MondayMotivation
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Indeed, peace and quietness of spirit are sometimes a matter of deliberate focus. May we refuse to give in to the noise of this world and instead center on that still, small voice, whose faithfulness and power sustained us in the past and promises to continue to guide our future.

“Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” Sons of Korah, Psalm 46.

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, October 9th, 2021. Click HERE to see it on the AJC’s website.

The post When Anxiety is a Focus Issue {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

The Stress of “SURPRISE” {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}

Stephanie Wilkins — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 09:12:04 +0000

I love surprises! I don’t, however, enjoy the surprise of a stressful situation.

Have you ever gone to work only to find out that people have been laid off, or your company is being “reorganized”? Maybe you’ve experienced an unexpected death in the family, or a diagnosis of cancer after a routine visit to the Dr.

This type of stress takes us by surprise and sometimes leaves us feeling out of control. Our bodies and minds tell us to instantly respond to the stress. Our emotions run high, and our reactions usually differ from a normal stress response. This is because we were “surprised” and not prepared for the stress coming our way. It’s just like a fly ball hit into the stands when you weren’t looking out for it; Your head is turned and then ……bam!!

In 1 Kings 19, we find the story of Elijah and Queen Jezebel. Elijah is surprised when Queen Jezebel threatens to kill him after he defeated the prophets of Baal. This terrible surprise news scared him. Instead of going to the Lord, who initially helped him defeat the prophets, Elijah’s stress response was to run and hide in a different city. When he got there, he was so afraid that he actually prayed death to himself to avoid being murdered by this wicked Queen.

His reaction is not contrary to what many of us have done when we’ve felt our world falling down on us. In a surprise situation of great magnitude, it’s easy to give in to fear, anger, despair, and sadness and look only at the situation instead of immediately looking to God who is above all situations.

In verse 5, we see that God sent an angel to Elijah. The angel provided food, drink and much needed sleep. In other words, God comforted Elijah in his time of need. He settled his mind and gave him nourishment so that He could receive instruction. This is what God will do for all of us during our times of “surprise stress”. He understands us because he created us. He knows our fears before we even have to face them and will provide rest, nourishment, and comfort in our time of need.

As our story continues, Elijah finds himself on a long journey where he ends up on the “mountain of God”. While there, God sent a great wind, earthquake, and a fire for Elijah to experience and then it says that God spoke to him in a still small voice. We also experience circumstantial winds, earthquakes and fire that is brought down upon us by almighty God to get us ready to hear His still, small voice that wants to speak to our heart.

I’m sure that after the wind and earthquake, Elijah saw how insignificant a threat of death really was in the face of Jehovah God who could open up the earth and swallow him in a minute! And then… when he felt the heat of fire on his face, He knew who really held the power of heaven and hell in His hands. It surely wasn’t Jezebel. He realized that he had no need to fear her. His only healthy fear now was the fear of the Lord Jesus Christ and Elijah’s trust for protection was now completely in the one who created the wind, earth, and fire!

It’s interesting that after those elements of nature, he was istructed to go back the way he came. Ouch!!! Now he had to put his faith into action and face his fear which exposed him to danger again.

1 Kings 19:15 says, “Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram.¹⁶Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi^[b] to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet.¹⁷Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! ¹⁸Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

When Elijah obeyed, the victory soon thereafter went to the Lord. Jezebel was eventually destroyed. Elijah went on to live, see much success, mentored his successor, and was rewarded ultimately by the greatest surprise of his life…..not having to face death. Instead, he was taken to heaven by God riding “first class” in a chariot of fire!

WOW!!!! God is truly amazing and that, my friends, should be no surprise to us at all!!

Stephanie is leading a workshop on stress at our upcoming conference SHE SOARS 2017. Find more info about it on our conference page: SHE SOARS 2017

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