WEEK THREE: VICTORY

Life comes at us in all kinds of shapes and forms. Some days you are on top of the world! Your kids are listening to you. They are getting good grades in school. They are helping around the house. You and your spouse are getting along great. Your co-workers are amazing, and your job is going well. You are looking good for that promotion you’ve been wanting, and you got a raise. But then there are those other days where the kids are fighting nonstop, you and your spouse can’t agree on anything, your job has gotten tedious, and you feel stuck. And then there are all the days in between where we are just coasting, hoping for the first scenario and dreading the second.

Elijah must have felt like that. After all, he was the prophet to the people of Israel. That was a pretty important position to have among God’s chosen people. He was God’s representative and God’s voice to the nation. But something wasn’t right. The people of Israel, led by their wicked king, had lost their way and had begun to follow and worship false gods. They had begun to sin in the eyes of God and Elijah’s messages were not being heeded (or even taken seriously). He needed a breakthrough from God, and he got it in a powerful way on Mount Carmel in his showdown with the prophets of Baal.  (1 Kings 18:1-40)

So many times, we can feel like Elijah. We are trying to follow God, but something is wrong. We are locked in a battle with our own flesh and desires. We want to do what is right, but we feel stuck and don’t know how to get out of the situation. We need a breakthrough, but we can’t do it alone.  We need help! We need something or someone to wake us up, shake us up, and break up what we’ve become comfortable with.

Just like Elijah, we need to repair what is broken. Start with repairing your relationship with God. Choose to follow Jesus holding nothing back, because when we seek God, he fights for our breakthrough. He goes before us. He fights for us. But it’s not only for us. The watching world experiences and encounters God through our breakthroughs.

So, what altars do you need to build or repair in your life? How can you position yourself for a God-sized breakthrough that will not only transform you but also impact those around you? Remember, when we build altars of faith and obedience, God often shows up in powerful ways, changing not just your life but the world around you.