Surviving Jezebel

It is an affront to God for us to live in a cave. Jonathan Evans says when our response to adversity is to simply give up, we've actually chosen not to trust God. See, the devil has no power unless you respond.

If you don't respond, there's nothing he can do. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. Have you ever struggled with a situation that seems so overwhelming you just wanted to throw in the towel and say, God, I give up?

If so, you're not alone. Even those with a rock-solid faith have faced those times of hopelessness. Today, Pastor Jonathan Evans takes us to a biblical account that can teach us what to do when our feelings don't measure up to our faith.

Let's join him. 1 Kings 19, 9, I just want to read one verse, then he came there to a cave and lodged there. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him and said to him, what are you doing here? Elijah.

Today, I want to talk to you about surviving Jezebel, surviving Jezebel. Here Elijah is in a cave and he didn't just check in with it, he lodged there. And that cave represents depression. That cave represents, as my dad would often say, that my get up and go has gotten up and gone. That cave represents I can't do this anymore. The cave represents I'm putting down my purpose. My anxiety is too high. My level of worry has gone too far.

I just can't do it anymore. Elijah literally is in a place where he's giving up his ministry. The prophet of God is really literally trying to lay it down. He said, I've gone as far as I can go. And he's in this cave and he's there, he's lodging there. He's got his mattress, his pillow and his blanket because he doesn't plan on leaving it.

That is the place where Elijah is in and I can't tell you how many calls I've gotten of friends and people in my life that are in that same cave. They're saying I cannot make it anymore. My situation is just too much.

I'm going through something that's just too deep. I quit. I don't want to do this anymore. I'm throwing in the towel on my family. I'm throwing in the towel on my marriage. I'm throwing in the towel even on my children.

They're two way where they've gone too far. I'm throwing in the towel on my purpose. I'm even considering throwing in the towel on my faith because I'm in this cave and it's just too much. Elijah then proceeds to give God the obvious logical response. If you look at verse 10, he looks at God and he says, I've been zealous for you, Lord.

In other words, I've done the best that I can. I've been zealous for you, but the people of God have still forsaken your covenant and torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left, and watch this, and they seek my life to take it away. You're asking me why am I lodging here?

Why do I want to quit? He literally is telling God, Jezebel's chasing me. And he says, they seek to take my life, he's talking about Jezebel and all of her goons. Jezebel is literally a replica of the enemy himself. Jezebel hides out in the background while her outcomes are the main character. Jezebel literally comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and she has a track record of success. If you look at 1 Kings 18, 4, it literally says, when Jezebel had killed the prophets, Obadiah hid a hundred of them in caves by fifties.

So those prophets were in caves just trying to survive this lady named Jezebel. Because Jezebel is a beast. She literally kills children and sacrifices children for cultural idols. She sacrifices the whole family dynamic for immorality. She literally is the definition of evil. She hides out in the background and you don't even know that it's her.

But all of her outcomes are the main character in your life. Her job is to kill godliness, and the way that she kills godliness is a personal strike on you. And many of us in this room, the people of God, they don't even know it, don't even consider it because of how she hides out. But they're dealing with the spirit of Jezebel. The spirit of the enemy, you think it's that person or this situation, no, it's Jezebel coming after you because she doesn't want godliness to flow through you. You think it's just that kid, no, it's the spirit of Jezebel, the enemy himself, that wants to attack that child so that they'll give up godly truth for cultural idols. Because her job is to attack you.

That's what she does, and she has a track record. And you asking me, why am I in this cave? God is saying, that's exactly what I'm asking you.

And I didn't ask that question because I need a logical answer. The reason why I'm asking that question is because even though you're under her threat, don't you realize that I'm still on the throne? In Jonah chapter 4, he said, why are you angry? Well, you took the tree away, it was giving me shade. What do you mean, why am I angry?

In Mark chapter 4, when the disciples were in the storm and Jesus was sleeping in the stern of the boat, and he said, peace be still, and he looked at them and said, why are you afraid? What do you mean, why am I afraid? I'm about to die. I don't understand the question. I'm not asking the question for my awareness.

I'm asking the question for your awareness. I already know that you're in a storm, but don't you know I'm on the boat? And he's asking Elijah, why is he in this cave? Because in chapter 17, when there was a famine in the land, Elijah, you don't remember that I fed you with a raven? You don't remember in chapter 18 when we took out and killed 450 prophets of Baal? Do you not know that because of the work that I've already done, Jezebel's already defeated? Do you not remember what I've done throughout the course of your life? Do you not remember in chapter 18 when there was a storm that was coming and you told King Ahab to go back to Jezreel and he went back on his horse, but I gave you the power to gird up your loins and you beat him back to Jezreel on foot? Do you not remember?

Let me ask you a question. You don't remember the last time you defeated that diagnosis? You don't remember the last time the bill got paid? You don't remember when you were a wayward kid and God brought you back? You don't have any clue of what God has done in your life? You don't remember how God made a way out of no way? You lost sight of the fact of what God has done in your past to bring you to your present? Do you remember?

Well, let me ask you a question. If you remember, then why are you in that cave? If you look at 1 Kings 19, 2, I want to show you something so that you're aware. It says, then Jezebel sent a message to Elijah saying, so may the gods do to me and even more if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow at this time. Them, she's talking about her prophets that got killed in the previous chapter. May God take me out, false god, if I don't kill you in 24 hours.

I got 24 hours. Because Jezebel has no ammo, see the enemy is a roaring lion seeking whom he may destroy, but the fact that he's seeking whom he may destroy means that he can't destroy everyone he seeks. He has to use tactics because he already lost. And Elijah, it says in verse three, he feared emotion. He arose haste and he ran to save his own life. God had done everything for Elijah.

But as soon as he was under threat and he felt the time, he was out. And he said, I will handle this myself. Jezebel ain't done nothing. All she's done is made the threat. And then she got Elijah to do all her dirty work. The enemy didn't eat the fruit and he didn't shove it in Eve's mouth. He just spoke and took a step back and let her emotionally do all the dirty work. If Samson doesn't respond to Delilah, he maintains his power.

If Esau doesn't respond to Jacob, he maintains his birthright. And I'm sure glad that Jesus didn't respond to the devil in Matthew chapter four, giving us our righteousness. Jezebel's already finished. So her goal is to make you feel like I got to go do this myself. And then she stands back and watches you help her be a good enemy to you. See the devil has no power unless you respond.

If you don't respond, there's nothing he can do. Jonathan will have more on what God did to help Elijah move out of his spiritual slump when he continues this message in just a moment. First though, I wanted to let you know that today's lesson comes from Pastor Jonathan Evans' 10-part audio collection entitled Survivor.

We're excited to make these messages available to you in their entirety on CD, USB stick, or instantly downloadable digital files. Through Jonathan's Survivor series messages, you'll discover that the God we serve fights our battles alongside us. And although we face moments when we feel we can't carry on, God will continue to equip and grow our faith in Him as we learn to release our pain, our discouragement, and our blessings to Him. We'd like to send you the complete Survivor audio series as our thank you gift when you make a donation toward the ministry of the alternative. And if you do it right away, as an added bonus, we'll include a copy of Dr. Tony Evans' daily devotional book called Life Under God. This popular resource will challenge, encourage, and inspire you each day to live your life in harmony with God's will. Visit us today at tonyevans.org or give us a call at 1-800-800-3222, make your contribution, and let us send you the Life Under God devotional book as well as the complete Survivor audio series. All the details are waiting for you online at tonyevans.org or give us a phone call at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you.

I'll have those contact details for you again after part 2 of today's message. Let's get back to Jonathan now in 1 Kings chapter 19. The angel finds Elijah in verse 5. He, Elijah, laid down and slept under a juniper tree. Then behold, there was an angel touching him and said to him, Arise, eat. Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake on hot stones and a jar of water. So he ate and he drank and laid down again. The angel of the Lord came to him again a second time and touched him and said, Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you. You've been taking care of everybody else.

This is not a request. I'm commanding you to rest. He says, Arise and eat. That means position yourself to take in for yourself. Rest does not come based on happenstance and I'm just randomly going to find it.

No, you have to schedule it. You have to position yourself for it. If you don't position yourself, you're going to choke. You're going to see how awesome God is when he moves and you rest. So you are commanded to rest. John 6 teaches us that he is the bread of life. If you come to me, you won't hunger again. He is the living water. If you come to me, you won't thirst again. You literally have to get up in the morning, take a walk, put the music on in your ears, your playlist, and take a walk with the Lord and stillness and rest and take in the bread and the water while you're waiting at the doctor's office.

Get your playlist on, put it in your ear, pull your word out and take in his work. You're using your own hands. And God is saying, stop that.

I need you to do something for me. Pause and eat. The Bible says, be still and know that I am God. Not run and know that I am God.

Not fight and know that I am God. God will allow the Jezebel seasons in your life. Why? Because he wants to make you lie down in green pastures. Why? So he can restore your soul so that even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil.

Why? Because God is with you. Not your work hard is with you. Not your effort is with you.

Not your know-how is with you. Not your finances are with you. Not your friends are with you. Not your followers are with you. It doesn't matter who's with you unless God is with you. And where is he with you? When you're lying down. When you're in the still place.

He wants to do it for you and you're waiting on him and he's watching you like this. Come to me. Why? Because I will give you. I got kids. I got babies.

Five of them. They'll be fussing and angry because some kid won't share. Well, Johnny won't share. I'm frustrated.

And they start acting up. That's not fair. I can't do that. But did you look at that? And you know what I say? Oh, you need a nap.

Tell me I'm lying. And as soon as I say that, they say, what? I don't need a nap. What does that have to do with the fact that Johnny won't share? Parents understand what they don't understand.

I know that Johnny won't share, but I'm looking at your response and your response lets me know I don't need to deal with Johnny and the threat. You need a nap. And in their immaturity, they can't understand that there is a connection between nap time and my threat time. They don't get the correlation. But in the parents' maturity, they understand that if you just get some rest, you'll respond differently to the threat.

That kid goes away, goes to sleep, wakes up with the same threat and says, well, I'll just play with something else. Because even though there was a threat, there's a bigger problem, you're out of gas. And the people of God are exhausted. And you think your value is in your work, not realizing your power is in your rest. You're supposed to be teaching me on how to survive Jezebel. Well, she already lost.

You forgot. And as long as you keep fighting with no gas and you don't do what the Bible commands you to do, you're not less because you rest. You're just going to see God do more when you rest.

He says the journey is too great for you. I need you to arise. Take in for yourself. You know that's not a bad thing.

People feel bad when they're resting for themselves. No, you're being obedient. It is a biblical command. Thou shall have no other gods before me. Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image. Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Remember the Sabbath, and you need to keep it holy. Finally, he tells him to remember, rest.

And then in 1 Kings 9 and 15, he says, now return. I want you to remember. I want you to rest.

And then after you have your retreat of sorts that you plan, that you do on purpose, you take every opportunity to eat and drink. You know what God wants you to do? Go back. Return to what I've called you to. You told me I called you to it before, but now you're tired. Well, my will didn't change. You just changed in my will. You need a retreat.

You take it. You eat. You get the nourishment that you need. You rest, recover, and restore on purpose, and then return to what I've called you to do. Elijah, go anoint a new king of Aram. Go anoint a new king of Israel. Get your mantle and prepare it for Elijah, because my kingdom must advance, and if you don't advance with my kingdom, then you've succumbed to Jezebel's threat. Let me tell you about God's plans for Elijah. Jezebel makes a threat.

In 24 hours, I'm taking you out. Well, in chapter 20, there's a battle between Aram and Israel. Has nothing to do with Elijah. He's still alive.

Chapter 21, Jezebel's doing her dirty work and takes a vineyard from Naboth. Has nothing to do with Elijah. He's still alive. In chapter 22, Ahab dies, but Elijah, he's still alive. In chapter 1, Ahab's son dies, but Elijah, he's still alive. In 2 Kings chapter 2, verse 11, a chariot of fire comes and takes Elijah up.

Wait a minute. You mean to tell me Elijah never died? Because while Jezebel had a plan to take him out, God had a plan to take him up. Don't you know that the enemy cannot thwart God's plans? You can stand up and give him praise in the middle of the threat, because you know that God has a plan that can't be thwarted, that even though I'm under threat, God is still on the throne? Don't you realize that you can remember, rest, and return, because God is not going to fail with the plan he has in his life, and because of Jesus Christ, do you know that you will never die? So if death has been defeated, then why am I in a cave because of this threat?

If I'm going to be taken up, then why am I in a cave because of this problem? If God has a plan for me to live eternally, then why am I afraid in this life? God has a plan that cannot be thwarted by the enemy, so we should not thwart God's plan by succumbing to the enemy. That's how you survive, Jezebel. You remember, you rest, and then you return to what he's called you to do. Somebody give him praise, because you can keep going, you can keep moving, you can keep fighting, you don't have to stop, because you will never die, you will be taken up, you won't be taken out, because God's plan is greater than Jezebel's plan.

Somebody say amen, love on him, and give him glory. Dr. Jonathan Evans, with an encouraging word from God on successfully enduring, discouraging times. Now don't miss your chance to get Dr. Tony Evans' Life Under God 365-day devotional book, along with all 10 full-length messages from Jonathan's powerful audio series called Survivor. These resources are our gift to you when you support this ministry with a financial contribution, helping us continue bringing God's Word your way each day. Just visit tonyevans.org to make your request. You'll find the details for this special offer right on the homepage. Or call us anytime at 1-800-800-3222. Our resource team is ready to assist you anytime of the day or night.

That's 1-800-800-3222. And then before I share what's coming up on the broadcast tomorrow, I want to remind you about the special Easter episode of Stories from the Storyteller. In Kyler's Crazy School Day, Kyler's first day of school doesn't go as planned. Her siblings' promises to support her fall short, much like Peter's denial of Christ. It's a powerful, kid-friendly way to explore the meaning of Easter.

And you can get the details on how to watch it right now at tonyevanstv.com. As parents, we're eager to nurture and protect our children, doing whatever's necessary to make sure they come to no harm. But the reality we eventually face is that we can't control everything, no matter how hard we try. Tomorrow, Pastor Evans will explore why putting our blessings into God's hands is far safer and wiser than trying to hang on to them with our own strength. I hope you'll join us for that.