AUGUST 29, 2025
Topic: “INTIMACY AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN THE CHURCH – FEAR“
Text: 1Kings 19:1-8
Memory Verse: “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked that he might die, saying “it is enough; now O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers.”1Kings 19:4
Satan uses fear to keep his subject under his control. “And deliver all those who through the fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” – Hebrews 2:15. He also uses fear to derail Christians from achieving God’s purpose for their lives. From our text, Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, on receiving the news of the slaying of Baal’s prophets, her fury knew no bounds. Her reputation as a priestess of Baal was at stake. She immediately sent a message to Prophet Elijah that, as he did to her prophets, so she would do to Elijah the next day.
Without doubt, Prophet Elijah had an intimacy with God, judging by what the Lord used him to achieve. Nevertheless, the Prophet of God was so afraid that he fled for his life. The power of fear reduced God’s Prophet to an ordinary man because of the weakness of the flesh. He travelled southward to Beer-Sheba where he thought none of Jezebel’s spies would be able to detect him. He went a day’s journey into the wilderness. Here, in absolute discouragement, Elijah requested that he might die, His ministry came to an end because of fear of death.
In today’s twenty first century church, many Christians are battling with fear of many issues, such as fear of death, witches and wizards, prolonged illness, joblessness, poverty, persecution, childlessness and unknown tomorrow. These have caused spiritual warfare in the lives of many, to the extent that some Christians seek solutions where they cannot get any permanent solution.
Paul, writing to the Roman Christians asked a pointed question, “what shall separate us from the love of Christ?” – Romans 8:35a. The children of God should feel secure with Christ as a little child feels secure with his/her parents. If we are intimate with God, we will be able to say with Job, “Through He slays me, I will still trust him” – Job 13:15. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe” – Proverbs 18:10.
PRAYER: My Father and my Lord, to whom shall I go when fear wants to destroy me? I have surrendered my life to you, grant me the grace to stay with you no matter the tempest in Christ’s precious name, Amen