The 40-Day Challenge : Day 5
- 25
- Jan
- 2013
“And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:16,17)
Here’s the answer to yesterday’s question…
What is to be great in the sight of God?
It’s to be bold and convert many of the children of Israel — those who are inside the church — to God.
There are many who say they are children of God, but in practice, they lead a life that is contrary to faith. They do things their “way”, and yet think they will achieve something from God.
To convert is nothing but to change direction.
“He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah…”
This John the Baptist the angel presented to Zacharias was not a coward! He would never go before God in the flesh; he would never be anxious or act in haste… Rather, he would be in Spirit, that is, he would be vigilant, attentive…
When a person goes before God, he or she remains attentive to discern between right and wrong. They do not expect God to do what they have to do.
They go ahead. They are vigilant!
Only the brave and bold, those who are not afraid to face challenges, go ahead. The timid are never on the front line.
Who was Elijah?
When we talk about Elijah, we think of faith! We think of someone who was brave, who confronted the prophets of Baal single-handedly and prevailed (1 Kings 18:25).
When a person is shy, fearful, cowardly, and is worried about what other people think, he or she is NOT great in the eyes of God.
But they remain in the spirit of weakness, which holds them back.
John was a man with the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the hearts of the children of Israel for the coming of the Lord. He had to be bold and show them the Truth, and yet be humble.
And we can only be bold when we overcome our weaknesses, which enslave us. If our conscience is not clean, if we have something to hide or if we living in sin, we cannot have this power, let alone pass it on to others.
There are many people in the church who are waiting for someone who is bold enough to speak the truth and convert their hearts. Note that to be bold does not mean to humiliate people, but to set their souls free.
So was John the Baptist. In spite of his bold spirit and power, he was loved and followed by all who thirsted for the Truth. He was not worried about pleasing anyone but God Himself. He had the firm purpose of converting the people who listened to him by exhorting them to repentance.
I know the Word of God, and so I have the responsibility to bring salvation to others. The fulfillment of God’s promise depends on me!
We must resist what is wrong, seek God’s guidance and have discipline. To convert is to neutralize the feelings of the heart, such as: fear, timidity, cowardice, insecurities, and doubts.
How do we break away from these feelings?
When we act by an intelligent faith!
When I hear what the servant of God says, accept the truth, discipline myself and convert, I stop following my feelings and start doing what is written, that is, I obey the Word.
Dear friend, I’d like you to meditate on this…
Keeping the Word of God alive and active inside of us is what makes us great in His eyes.
Ada
5th January 2018 at 15:00
I learnt that the only way to be bold is to first have a clean mind and move on, be converted. Thank you
Marilyn
2nd January 2017 at 20:20
I’ve learned that I need to stop worrying and start taking action. Thank you
Virginia Chuna
10th September 2014 at 20:44
I’ve learnt that boldness is a necessity to a servant of God. Thank you so much.