Don't Stop Now

There have been quite a few times in my Christian walk when I began to wonder if I was making any difference at all.

I look at what I want to accomplish, and what I actually have accomplished, and the space between those is vastly wide.

I consider what others around me have been able to do, what success or what fruit they have, and I begin to wonder if there is something seriously wrong with me.

I remember a real turning point for me, came when I was speaking with my Pastor at the time, Burney Heath. We were talking about life, and the ups and downs that come along with it. He explained to me how he found comfort in the story of Elijah. Elijah was a man of great faith, who stood toe to toe with 450 of the leaders of the false god Baal. They prepared two offerings and each called their own God to bring down fire. As you may know, the story ends with God showing Himself true through Elijah, and the false god Baal being shown as false. Elijah is the victor, and the false priests are all killed. It is an amazing and powerful story. You can find it in 1 Kings 18, you should go read it, it's awesome.

As Pastor Burney was describing the story to me, I did not feel encouraged. I am embarrassed to say this, but what I felt was envy.

I wished I had that kind of faith, I wished I had that kind of a story.

That's why I am so glad that Pastor Burney did not stop at that part of the story. He continued to tell the rest of Elijah's story.

After Elijah was part of this amazing miracle, he heard that the priest's queen wanted to kill him; and can you guess his response? You might think he responded with the same faith he showed before, but he didn't, Elijah ran. He ran, he hid, and wished he was dead.

This part of the story changed my life.

Elijah did great things, but he also got scared and quit. He felt fear, and had doubt. He was like me, imperfect.

My Mom had this picture on our fridge growing up. I remember looking at it, and as silly as it may be, it gave me a perspective I really needed. I need to keep going, even when things seem to be at their worst.

We find in Acts Chapter 18 Paul is speaking to his peers, the Jewish people in Corinth. He is preaching his guts out, and no one seems to be receiving it. In fact, people were so unreceptive, they became angry and violent with him. Things seemed to be at their worst for Paul. So Paul throws his hands up and says, "Fine, I'm leaving!"

Have you ever felt so discouraged you just want to throw your hands up and surrender?

So did Paul, so did Elijah, and so have I.

Just after Paul feels like quitting, we see in Acts 18:9 God speaks to Paul in a dream, "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent."

If you are in a season of ministry or ministering to others where your get-up-and-go seems broken, let me encourage you with the same words that God encouraged Paul.

Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. What you are doing matters.

Elijah's story, Paul's story, and my story did not end in those moments of frustration; neither will yours.