A Man Of Conviction, by Rusty McKie

“So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.  And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions?  If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’” – 1 Kings 18:20-21

Everyone involved in this event had a divided heart but Elijah.  He is an example of single-minded commitment to God; a man of conviction.  When no one else would believe and proclaim the revealed truth of God, Elijah stood in the gap, heralding God’s truth.

We live in a culture that does not applaud Christian convictions.  Our cultural situation is so steeped in this mindset that it often leaks into the church, and even we, God’s family, find ourselves uncomfortable with someone standing up with boldness for their convictions.  Not only do we shy away from supporting those with good convictions, we are often scared to voice our own.

This is unfortunate.  Our present cultural circumstance calls us to emulate Elijah.  Like him, we must stand up for God when others are wasting their lives on false gods.

Since we often don’t proclaim truth like Elijah, what can we learn from him?

First, Elijah firmly believed what he knew about God. I have found that I am more prone to stand for God when I am convinced of the gospel, and I am less prone to tell someone about Him when I am living in doubt myself (2 Cor 4:13-15).

Second, Elijah knew he should fear God and not men. Often, we choose not to speak truth because we fear someone may not like us anymore.  Elijah faced death under the tyranny of Ahab and Jezebel, yet he feared God more.  This, too, goes back to belief.  Do we believe God is more holy, dreadful and powerful than man (Mt 10:26-28)?

How do we grow in our convictions?  Elijah’s strong conviction of God came out of a firm relationship with Him.  We cannot grow in our relationship with God unless we are all about His Word and prayer.

As our church moves further into forty days of prayer, let us all make this a next step toward God and a deepening of our convictions.  Let us do this for His fame and the good of the nations!