A Willing Choice

1 Kings 18:21
“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”

A simple proposition is made by Elijah to make a choice between the LORD and the god of the world. This same choice is made by every person today. The choice has not changed since Elijah’s day. In fact, this choice has to be made by every Christian. Elijah wasn’t asking the world to make a choice, but he was asking God’s people to make this choice. It seems absurd that he would have to make this proposition to God’s people, but Christians are still trying to choose between the LORD and the world today. Just like Joshua asked the people of God to choose in his day, Elijah had to ask the people to choose again. There are some things you must understand if you are going to choose God.

First, when you choose to follow the LORD, you are choosing to follow Him alone. There was no crowd standing with Elijah when he made this proposal; rather, he was standing alone when he demanded a decision. You will never serve the LORD successfully if you are not willing to follow Him alone. If you must have the approval of the crowd to decide which way to go, you will fail to choose the LORD because it is a choice that will often leave you standing alone.

Second, when you choose to follow the LORD, you must be willing to sacrifice. Elijah demanded that a sacrifice be made to make this decision clear. If you have drawn a line as to how far you will go with the LORD, you will eventually go the way of the world. No lines can be drawn when you choose to follow the LORD; instead, you must be willing to follow Him wherever He leads.

Third, when you choose to follow the LORD, you must follow Him according to how He says to follow. Elijah demanded that the altar be set up at the time God wanted the evening sacrifice to be made. You will never follow the LORD when you desire to identify with the world. Following the LORD means you are forsaking the world and the lifestyles of the world. You cannot follow the LORD and the world at the same time. You can’t follow the LORD’s music and listen to the world’s music. You can’t follow the LORD’s way when you are dressing like the world. Following the LORD must be done His way because any other way is following the world.

Fourth, when you choose to follow the LORD, you must live a life of faith. Elijah poured water on the altar by faith because he believed that God could still consume the sacrifice with fire even when the altar was soaked with water. Only those who are willing to step out by faith will successfully follow the LORD. The LORD will lead you to places where it takes faith to follow, but if you are going to follow Him, you must do so by faith. The world’s lure will attract you if you can’t learn to live by faith and trust God.

Fifth, when you choose to follow the LORD, you must follow Him in prayer. It was because of Elijah’s prayer life that God sent fire from Heaven and consumed the altar. Christian, you will never continue to follow the LORD without having a regular time of prayer. My friend, if the LORD be God, follow Him; however, you must follow Him in prayer, by faith, doing things His way, and be willing to do it alone. The choice is clear; who are you going to follow?

Author: Allen Domelle