In order to follow the Lord Jesus Christ we need to have supernatural power and strength; we cannot follow the Lord in our own strength. And the power that God gives Christians to live for God is the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians do not conquer other countries using guns, and tank, and planes; Christians proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people in the different countries of the world and in this way people can believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.
It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that Christians do what they do. Christians go to different countries and supply food and medical help to countries in need; Christians serve other countries by setting up schools and orphanages; Christians help other countries by digging wells that will give them fresh and clean water to drink
In the Old Testament there are a prophet named Elijah and Elijah was used by God do to many miraculous things.
Once Elijah had to run and the Bible says: “Then the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel” (1 Kings 18:46).
And we are to do the same as Elijah and run for God in the power of the Holy Spirit as is written in Hebrews 12:1: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
Jezebel
In 1 Kings 19 we read about how the wife of an evil King wanted to kill Elijah and the prophets of God. This evil devil worshipping woman hated God and anyone who followed God, so she wanted to kill the prophets of God – her name was Jezebel.
Here is what the Bible says about Jezebel the wife of the evil King Ahab:
“When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.
But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.”
God protected Elijah in a mighty and provided for him in a miraculous – and God will do the same for you.
We see how this witch – Queen Jezebel – tried to kill those who believed in God in 1 Kings 18:4: “Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put fifty prophets in each cave and supplied them with food and water.)”
But God protected them.
Jezebel killed
But God will not be mocked. God will not allow His glorious name to be slandered. God will not allow those who insult Him and mock His name to stay in their power. God will remove them. God will remove everything and everyone, and every demonic power, that lifts itself up against God. And so God did the same to Jezebel. Jezebel died in a terrible way because she continued to disobey God and persecute those who believed in God. Let us listen to see what happened to the evil Queen Jezebel:
“When Jezebel, the queen mother, heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window. When Jehu entered the gate of the palace, she shouted at him, “Have you come in peace, you murderer? You’re just like Zimri, who murdered his master!”
Jehu looked up and saw her at the window and shouted, “Who is on my side?” And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. “Throw her down!” Jehu yelled. So they threw her out the window, and her blood spattered against the wall and on the horses. And Jehu trampled her body under his horses’ hooves.
Then Jehu went into the palace and ate and drank. Afterward he said, “Someone go and bury this cursed woman, for she is the daughter of a king.” But when they went out to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet, and her hands.
When they returned and told Jehu, he stated, “This fulfills the message from the Lord, which he spoke through his servant Elijah from Tishbe: ‘At the plot of land in Jezreel, dogs will eat Jezebel’s body. Her remains will be scattered like dung on the plot of land in Jezreel, so that no one will be able to recognize her.’”
The Spirit of Jezebel
The Spirit of Jezebel is alive today and working in both men and women. People who have the Jezebel spirit want to control everything you do: they want to tell you where and when and how you should worship God. Many times people who have the Jezebel spirit are those who are leaders in religious organization and they use other people to persecute and kill Christians.
If you see a person who wants to persecute and kill Christians then you know that they are following the teachings of Satan because Satan is a murderer and liar. Satan hates peace and love and forgiveness, this is what Jesus teaches us to do and this is what Christians want to do.
We are filled with the Holy Spirit and we are not afraid
So let us be encouraged, those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the true faith and we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Let us listen to what the Bible teaches us about those who were Christians before us and let us walk in their footsteps.
Hebrews chapter 11 and 12:
“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
It was by faith:
- that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.
- that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying
- that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood.
- that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance.
- that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old.
- That all these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.
- that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him.
- that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.
- that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.
- That Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt.
- that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born.
- It that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
- that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned
- that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down
- that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God.
It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.
But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.