He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 1 Kings 19:14 (NLT)
Elijah had just performed an awesome miracle for God. The kind that should reinforce who God is and that he is definitely in charge. After he did, he began to hear the whispers. You know what I mean. The voices that tell you things about yourself and about God that are not true.
Even though they are not true. They are real and after hearing them for a while, the best of us believe them.
The voices that remind you of your past failures and insist that you have not grown past them. The talking about how you are not good enough to _____________________ (fill in the blank.) Each of our whispers are different.
For some, it’s about a past mistake. For others it’s about our physical appearance or our personality. The whispers can talk about our intelligence, our emotions, and our inabilities. These voices get particularly persistent as we grow deeper in our relationship with God.
I know this from experience. We’ve been doing a 40-day fast and the whispers have been non-stop. Relentless is the word that comes to mind. The thing that really distresses me is that normally, I can differentiate between God’s voice and the other guy. This time, it was very subtle and I struggled.
Elijah did too. He was a mighty God warrior and he began to believe what he was hearing. He was convinced that he was the only person left who followed God.
What should we do when the attack is real and the thoughts are negative? Go straight to the source of truth. God. Open your Bible and read. Read the promises. Write them down. Carry them with you all day long. When you hear the voices, repeat them out loud; over and over again. It is only by hearing the truth in our souls can we walk through this victoriously.
Elijah told God what he believed and God told him the truth. He said “Elijah, there are 7,000 others who have been faithful.” God will tell you the truth too. And when you hear it, believe it. Lean in to the One who loves you. He will never leave you or forsake you. That’s a promise!