Alone In The Field

Scripture Reading: I Kings 19:4-18

Do you ever feel as if you are the only Christian on the planet? Maybe at times you may feel as if you're the only Christian still committed to the Faith while others are making tragic compromises. We all make allusions to what it is like to be a Christian or a servant of the Lord. I have likened the life of service as a Christian in most cases as a soldier, possibly a Knight or one of the "mighty men" as described about in the Bible. Paul used this allusion when he wrote to Timothy, "endure harness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." So oftne we get caught up in the battle of trying to maintain our lives in the present evil world while balancing a life that should witness for Christ, that we feel discouraged as a soldier does when he or she feels cut off.
The picture above sort of illustrates this feeling we have from time to time. The other day I was parking my car in the work lot as usual. While getting out and going to the office door I spied what I thought was a little green army man. I had to do a double take to make sure. Sure enough, there this little soldier all of 3/4 inch tall was laying on his side in what was to his scale a massive territory of asphalt. All alone he was holding up his gun looking around for the enemy (ok not really) but you get the idea. So I picked him up and he now sits on my desk.
Many times in a battle, a squad or company of soldiers will fan out to take charge of an area. Many times though they can stray too far away from the others and not visibly see or be seen by their comrades. They fear the worst. "I am alone to fight as the rest of my comrades have already fallen."

Seeing that little guy reminds me of how it can look to us in life. There is this huge seemingly endless world of evil and we are the tiny speck of Christ's Light. We should be on the offensive, but we cower in fear most times on the defensive. We huddle in our Spiritual fox holes as the enemy is all around us. Should this be our viewpoint? Certainly not.

You will recall the time the prophet Elijah had won a tremendous victory over the Devil and his hosts at Mt. Carmel. God had just sent fire down and consumed a burnt offering and the altar it was on. Later, Elijsh ran from the wicked Queen Jezabel and hid himself in a cave. He feared for his life, he feared it was over, but God had a different asnwer. He told Elijah there was yet 7,000 faithful followers of God that had not gone over to Baal. In facing stern worldly opposition, what can we learn by this "lone soldier's" account to put into practice in our lives today.
First, God is mightier than the hosts of evil.
Elijah saw something on Mt. Carmel that none had seen before. The awesome display of God's power over puny mortal idol worshippers was astounding. The Enemy, Satan, is strong and cannot be defeated by ourselves. Yet the Scriptures say that demons tremble in fear (greatly afraid) of the same God who is on OUR side. The reason for the apparent increase of evil in our day and time is that Satan knows his time is short to afflict the Church. Yet in all this we can boldly say because of Jesus Christ, "Greater is He that is within me, than he that is in the world." If you have any doubts that evil will seize the day, read the book of Revelation, it graphically spells out the horrible doom of all those who oppose Christ and His Church. Martin Luther said in his famous hymn, "the prince of darkness grimm, we tremble not at him, his rage we can endure, for lo his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him."
Second, God will not be without a faithful remnant.
No matter what time period or event that takes place in the Bible, God is never completely destitute of true faithful followers. Even when times seem the darkest, like today, there is still a mighty army present. It is my personal belief that the reason why evil has not conquered more of the world than it has is because the church is still in the world holding the onslaught at bay. Once removed in the Rapture, the man of sin, the Anti-Christ will be revealed and despair will take on new meaning. Not for us the church. We will be literally "Air Lifted" out of the battle zone and shall return victorious as we watch our matchless King of Kings speak the evil world out of existence. In the meantime, where are all the Christians? It is true that some who profess to be are turning away from the Lord, never really being one of His. There are others who are fearful not knowing the power of the Lord. There are those who have compromised the faith and have let evil run over them, and there are those who stand unashamed to proclaim the Gospel as it is written for the Lord has His remnant. Are you a part of this remnant? Do you stand firm for the faith? If you do, seek out the discouraged and encourage them to stand firm too.
Lastly, God will encourage us when no one else will.
Look who came to minister to Elijah holed up in the cave and in the wilderness. First God sent His angel to bring him food. Secondly God spoke audibly to Elijsh and personally told him where he stood in numbers after Elijah surely knew he was the last one left. I am not knocking Elijsh. I can honestly say though I have never felt totally alone in spiritual battle (though I have felt this way many times about other matters) but I have noticed our numbers of the faithful shrinking. I am seeing many good churches close because it was not popular to attend there. I have heard sermons get politically correct and never mention Hell because it was no longer popular. I have seen worship songs go from majestic hymns to pop culture entertainment. I could go on. However, its important to remember that Jesus said in Matt 28:20, "I will be with you to the end of the world." So no matter how loud sin booms around us, no matter how many brethren falter, God will encourage us through His Word and the Holy Spirit. We know we are not cut off from Headquarters when we hear the voice of the Spirit of God within us. He urges us to hold on a little longer and serve Him faithfully. One thing we know for sure is that God will not judge us by the group, but by our individual faithfulness to Him. So keep on.

I know at times we find ourselves seemingly cut off from all things Godly. Even now it seems that some Chrisitans don't know what Truth of Godliness even is. We dare not boast ourselves of having arrived, rather, we need to encourage one another to fight another day for the King. Do you feel cut off as if there is no one out there to have comradery with? This is one of the reasons why I write this blog every week. I don't know how many subscribers there are, but as many as get this, please forward it on to saved and lost people alike. Don't isolate yourself from others, help the broken, lift up the fallen, remind them of Jesus by bearing His heart and Spirit in you. Get involved in the local church, go to Prayer Meetings, come back to Sunday PM services. You will be blessed and you will not feel so alone in the battle.

Heavenly Father, I know I feel very lonely at times, I am sure others do too. Help us Lord to look to You. Take away our fears of the enemy and help us to stand firm in You. In Your Name, Amen.