Only What The Lord Tells Me

"The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favourably.” But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.”" (1 Kings 22:13-14). From the heart of the …

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We live in our present. God is calling us on to His future.

1 Kings 12 tells us about Rehoboam (verses 1-19) and Jeroboam (verses 20-33). God was looking beyond both of these men. He was looking ahead to the reign of King Josiah (1 Kings 13:2). For the fulfilment of this prophecy, we must look on to 2 Kings 23:15-20. God is always ahead of us. We …

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When it seems like we’re losing our way, let us pray that we will be given the strength that we need to keep our eyes on the Lord.

1 Kings 10:1-11:13  -  ‘King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth’ (23). It sounds impressive - until you look more closely at Solomon’s life! What else does God’s Word tell us about him? - ‘His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God… Solomon …

Continue reading When it seems like we’re losing our way, let us pray that we will be given the strength that we need to keep our eyes on the Lord.

Do you want to experience God’s glory? Honour His Word. Love His Son – the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Kings 7:13-8:13  -  We read about ‘the silver’ and ‘the gold’. We are called to choose between the life of fruitful service - ‘gold, silver, precious stones’ - and the unfruitful life - ‘wood, hay, straw’ (51; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15). We read of  ‘the ark of the covenant of the Lord’ being ‘brought to …

Continue reading Do you want to experience God’s glory? Honour His Word. Love His Son – the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Great Conflict Between God And Satan – Never Doubt The Final Outcome!

“Now the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouths of all these prophets” (1 Kings 22:23). While we believe that God is working out His good purpose – “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28), we must remember that history tells the …

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Jesus Came To Give Us Abundant Life.

1 Kings 4:1-34 ‘God gave Solomon wisdom’(29). Solomon shared this wisdom with others (32-34). Christ is ‘our Wisdom’(1 Corinthians 1:30). Don’t keep Him to yourself. You may not know much about ‘trees… beasts… birds… reptiles… fish’(33). If you know Jesus, you know all that you really need to know! You can live a happy life …

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What is happening when we are gathered together for worship?

1 Kings 8:54-9:28 What is happening when we are gathered together for worship? Is this merely a human thing, something which we do? No! - There is something more. God is at work. He is there to ‘incline our hearts to Him…’(58). Before we have gathered, God is there, waiting for us, ready to speak …

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In all the changes of life, we must learn to say, “Blessed be the Lord.”

1 Kings 1:1-53  -  David’s reign was coming to an end. He would be replaced by Solomon (30). No one goes on forever. Every day takes us one day closer to the day of stepping down and handing over to someone else. We must pray that the future will be ‘greater’ than the past (37,47). …

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Lord, which is the most important to us – pleasing ourselves or serving You?

1 Kings 6:14-7:12 We read about Solomon – he built “his own house”, and he built “the House of the Lord” (1 Kings 6:37-7:1). Which was the most important to him? Which is the most important to us – pleasing ourselves or serving You? Help us, Lord, not to be “lovers of self, lovers of …

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This is what the Lord says.

1 Kings 20:1-21:29; Acts 18:9-19:13; Psalm 78:32-39 As a prophet of God, Elijah brought this message to the people: "This is what the Lord says" (1 Kings 21:19). This was Paul's ministry: "teaching them the Word of God" (Acts 18:11). Elijah's ministry was the denunciation of the evil king, Ahab. Paul's ministry was the proclamation …

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The glory of God is more important than the reputation of his servants.

"The prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that …

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These were dark days for God’s people, but God was planning for a better future.

1 Kings 12:25-13:34  -  These were dark days for God’s people. They were deeply divided. There was the northern kingdom (Israel). Jeroboam was their ‘big man’. There was the southern kingdom (Judah). Rehoboam was the ‘voice’ of the south. What a shambles it all was! Each side seemed intent on outdoing the other - ungodliness. …

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I will tell him only what the Lord tells me.

1 Kings 22:1-53; Acts 19:14-41; Proverbs 15:31-16:7 Here's a spiritual principle for everyone who seeks to be faithful to God: "As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me" (1 Kings 22:14). In Ephesus, there was a riot. The crowds shouted, "Great is Artemis ("Diana" in the King James …

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When it seems like there’s nothing but bad news, God speaks His Word of hope.

1 Kings 14:1-15:8  -  It makes depressing reading - a lot of bad news from the north (16), a lot of bad news from the south (22). Many people wondered, ‘Will there be peace in my lifetime?’ Sadly, the hostilities continued for a very long time (15:6). Were there no glimmers of hope? Was there …

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Turn away from the false gods and turn to the true God.

“When he saw Elijah, Ahab said, “Is that you, you troublemaker of Israel?”Elijah answered, “I haven’t troubled Israel. You and your father’s family have done it by disobeying the Lord’s commands and following the various Baal gods” (1 Kings 18:17-18).Was Elijah a troublemaker? Ahab thought so. Ahab didn’t like what Elijah had to say to him.He would …

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God’s Love Is Unchanged, Unchanging And Unchangeable.

1 Kings 18:17-19:21 Life is full of ups and downs. For Elijah, there was a very high point. He prayed. ‘The fire of the Lord fell’. ‘All the people said, ‘The Lord, He is God’’(37-39). This was followed by a very low point: ‘O Lord, take away my life’(4). We are so changeable. Often, we …

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Do we give the Lord lip-service? or Do we serve Him with our lives?

"The Lord also called to the man of God. He said, “This is what the Lord says: You rebelled against the words from the Lord’s mouth and didn’t obey the command that the Lord your God gave you ... A lion found him as he travelled on the road and killed him" (1 Kings 13:21, …

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“I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”

1 Kings 21:1-22:14 We read of human sin and divine judgment (21:1-4,15-16,20-24). There is also something else here: the mercy of God - ‘Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days…’(29). The judgment of God will come - but not yet. It is held back by the …

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‘A Dwelling Place Of God In The Spirit’

1 Kings 5:1-6:13 Do you ‘rejoice greatly’ when you hear the Word of the Lord (5:7)? God wants to ‘establish His Word’ among us (6:12). He wants to establish His presence among us. He is ‘the Word made flesh’. He ‘dwells among us, full of grace and truth’. He is ‘Emmanuel’- ‘God with us’ (John …

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When Christ is preached, the Lord opens the hearts of men and women to respond to Him.

1 Kings 12:25-14:20; Acts 16:1-15; Psalm 78:1-8 "The Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel" (1 Kings 14:14). There was much "sin" among God's people (1 Kings 13:33-34). God did not abandon His purpose of salvation. His saving purpose finds its fulfilment in Christ. He is the Gospel ("Good News") which God has …

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A dwelling place of God in the Spirit: That’s what you are!

1 Kings 5:1-6:13  -  Do you ‘rejoice greatly’ when you hear the Word of the Lord (5:7)? God wants to ‘establish His Word’ among us (6:12). He wants to establish His presence among us. He is ‘the Word made flesh’. He ‘dwells among us, full of grace and truth’. He is ‘Emmanuel’ - ‘God with …

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Will it be love for the Lord or love for the world?

1 Kings 3:1-28  -  Solomon was a complicated man. We wonder what was most important to him - his alliances with the world or his allegiance to the Lord, ‘building his own house’ or ‘building the House of the Lord’ (1-3)? In verses 9-13, we learn that Solomon prized wisdom more than riches. In verse …

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Responding to God’s Word (10): Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

May your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time (1 Kings 8:61). Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken... I also have heard you, declares the Lord (2 Kings 22:19). There are times, in our lives, …

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What, Lord, is most important to us – the person who leads us in worship, the place where we worship, or the God whom we worship?

Praying through God's Word: 1 Kings 8:14-53 What, Lord, is most important to us – the person who leads us in worship, the place where we worship, or the God whom we worship? We know what our answer should be – but, often, our lives tell a very different story. Help us, when we worship, …

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The Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.

In 1 Kings 18, we read about Elijah and the prophets of Baal. "Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he …

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No human king can even begin to compare with the Lord.

Following the death of the evil king, Ahab, things changed. The new king, Jehoshaphat, was a different kind of man: “Jehoshaphat did what the Lord considered right” (1 Kings 22:43). Sadly, things took a turn for the worse after Jehoshaphat died: “Ahaziah ... Did what the Lord considered evil .... Ahaziah served Baal, worshipped him, …

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