“Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.””
I Kings 19:18 NKJV
Even in the timeframe of Ahab and Jezebel, where they killed all the prophets of God and only Elijah was left, people remained faithful to God. Death and famine filled the land. They had to have been frightened on a daily basis. Yet they stayed true to their Creator, never bending a knee to Baal.
We could compare that period to now, 2017. Maybe, we don't have the same extremes of death and famine, but as a Christian, you are out numbered in our American Culture. You are told you need to compromise your beliefs and God's Word on a daily basis. You are told you need to be tolerant and loving of other people's choices that are not pleasing to God. You are told that sin is good.
The idols of Baal and the Asherpoles on the high places surround us. Money, careers, materialism, foul language, immodesty, abortions, sex outside of the marriage bed, homosexuality, transgenderism, hobbies, pleasures of every kind, tolerance for every religion but our own. What will you bow the knee to? Would you be one of the faithful 7,000? Are you strong enough to be a part of that elicit group?
None of us have the power to be a part of that 7000. Temptations are too overwhelming. Knowing that we are in a battle zone, and fighting for our lives and our children's is a starting place. Second, you need the whole armor of God. Girding your waist with truth, having a breastplate of righteousness, shodding your feet with the gospel of peace, using the shield of faith, dawning the helmet of salvation, and piercing with the sword of God's word.
Remember, as a Christian, our life is not all about protecting ourselves, but there is an offensive move that we are to do. People will not change, our communities will not change, our culture will not change without Jesus in their lives. I encourage you to use God's Word and create relationships now.
Being part of that 7,000 is something I desire. I want to be called one of God's faithful. I want to not falter on this stage of life. I want to be one of the last ones standing. When I look back, I want to know I did my best for the One who loves me more than life, remembering that this world is not my home. I will fail. Getting back up on my feet and trying again, and again, and again is the goal.
In 2017, in the United States of America, the idols are present, the false teachers are real, and the battle is raging. How will you fight for your family, your friends, and fellow citizens? Will you remain faithful?
1 Kings 18-19
Ephesians 6
