A Stake in the Ground

I had a chance to spend some extended time in prayer with God recently and was wrestling with the lack of clarity I felt concerning His promises to me. In that place of uncertainty He asked me this question, "How long will you waver between two opinions?" I knew these words were found in scripture and a quick search led me to I Kings 18: 21 where Elijah is about to confront the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel. As I meditated on this scripture I felt like God showed me that Elijah's question is still relevant for where many may find themselves today in believing God will be faithful to His promises. Many may find their faith wavering between two opinions. Can I trust God to fulfill His promises, or not?

We know that Elijah then went before all Israel and offered this verbal challenge, "If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." (I Kings. 18:21b)

Elijah, the prophet is calling the hearts of the people to a place of decision. In that place of decision he is asking them to quit being wishy-washy and decide once and for all whether they choose to follow God or Baal.

Now our circumstances may be very different from that Old Testament scenario and we as believers are no longer choosing between God and Baal, but we can definitely still waver in our ability to trust or believe. I believe God is wanting to bring many out of this place of wavering and into a greater depth of trust and faith.

Many times a prophetic act signifying our commitment or an act to mark the moment in which He speaks to us can be very powerful. On that day as I wrestled through a particular issue of faith concerning my own promises, God gave me a prophetic act to mark that something significant had transpired in our relationship. I drove a stake in the ground and in my heart it meant I would no longer waver between two opinions, but I was "all in" to trust Him to fulfill His promises.

If you find yourself in a place of wavering and have struggled to believe in the midst of warfare and obstacles, you may want to pray this prayer:

"Father, I repent for not trusting and believing what You have spoken to me. Today I drive a stake in the ground of my heart and I choose to believe. Remove every rock or root that would encroach upon this stake or the seeds that You have planted, God. Cause me to step more fully into the delight of our relationship as I run towards You. Silence the voice and lies of the enemy and remove from me doubt, shame, confusion, and insecurity. I trust you Father. Now take me deeper into your love, and give me life-changing encounters with You."

Many times we may want specifics concerning our direction, but often He may only show us our next step. We know that Abraham was called to go to a land "that He did not know" and God did not give him specifics, but instead led him step by step into the land of promise.

God gave me a fun picture recently to encourage me with how He sees our journey of faith. He reminded me of a childhood game the children in my neighborhood use to play. I grew up in the country where everyone had large yards. Sometimes we would stand on one end of a yard, and closing our eyes, begin to run as fast and hard as we could without opening our eyes. I remember laughing and squealing with delight as we ran. God spoke through this picture and showed me that this is a picture of faith that pleases Him. Though we may not see where we are going, we can run excitedly towards Him as He opens the way before us.

The God of Fire

We know that in the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal and Asherah, Elijah devised a plan to set up altars where the gods of Baal and Asherah could show their power and then an altar where the one true God would show His power. Elijah then sets the standard by declaring, "...The God who answers by fire--He is God."

It is no surprise that the prophets of Baal and Asherah failed miserably because no god came to consume their sacrifice. Elijah gives the orders to prepare the altar for God to come with fire and He is so sure of His coming that he gives the command to soak the altar with water three times. And then, the God of glory answered with His fire! God's fire consumed everything on the altar even licking up the water in the trenches. Through this demonstration, the hearts of the people turned and they left wavering behind.

"When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD--he is God! The LORD he is God!" I Kings. 18:39

Many believers are in this place right now where you have built your altars and soaked them with your tears. You are resolute and ready to leave wavering behind you. Your obedience and prayers have filled the altar and you are ready to put it all on the line to step fully into a new realm of faith and trust. As you do, the God of fire will fall on your sacrifice and overwhelming joy will be yours. You will see the fulfillment of your promises and deep, abiding satisfaction will flood your heart.

Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. Isaiah 61:7