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I bet you my God Wins! 1 Kings 18:20-40 Daniel 6:18-23 Daniel 3:19 In 1 Kings 18 we learn of
Elijah, who had full confidence in God and walked with the attitude that
says, “I bet you my God wins!” Here Elijah tells the prophets of Baal that
after they both call on their god, which ever one answers by fire is the
true God. They all agree and the prophets of Baal began calling on their
god. They even shouted and “slashed themselves with swords and spears” so
their god will answer by fire. Meanwhile, Elijah was looking at them mocking
them saying, “Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he
is sleeping and must be awakened.” Elijah knew for sure that his God was
going to stand out victorious. The others called on their god and did all
their rituals all day long and in the end it was Elijah’s turn to call on
his God. Before he did, he told the others to "fill four large jars with
water and pour it on the offering and on the wood." They did this three
times and then Elijah began praying to God. After he said his prayer, “The
fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and
the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” Like Elijah, we also need
to live and walk with an attitude of victory and confidence in the Lord. In Daniel 6, we also learn
of another person who walked with the same attitude and to whom God gave
victory. Daniel was committed to God and served Him only, regardless of his
circumstances. When he was told not to pray, he did anyway because God
meant more to him than any order from men. Even after the decree had
been published, Daniel still, “Got down on his knees and prayed, giving
thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” When they found out that he
was praying, they threw him to a lion’s den expecting him to die in the den.
Daniel, then, still had the same attitude of victory in the Lord so God
protected him. The lions didn’t touch him at all by the time he got out of
the den. In the same way, in Daniel
3, we learn of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who walked with the same
attitude. They refused to serve the gods of the king and refused to worship
the gold he had set up. The king confronted them, but they stood up to him
with the same attitude and confidence in the Lord and said, “O
Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this
matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able
to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even
if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your
gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." The king became even
more furious and ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times than usual
and to throw the three in the furnace. The furnace was so hot that the
soldiers who threw the three into it were killed by the heat. However, the
three weren’t touched at all by the fire. Again, God protected them because
they had their confidence in the Lord. Similarly, no matter what
your situation is, you need to walk with the same attitude that Elijah,
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked with. The attitude that
claims, “I bet you my God wins!” God is always victorious so if you put your
full confidence in the Lord, you will always come out victorious in every
situation. Say “I belong to God and whatever I lose on this side, God will
help me win on the other side,” and have the spirit of victory at all times. God is our father. The word father means, source and sustainer. Therefore, since God is our father, He is always there to sustain us in every situation we go through. When you are in a difficult situation, learn to proclaim, “whoever is born of God is victorious,” and “He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world,” and speak to your situation saying, “I bet you my God is going to win!” With that attitude, you will undoubtedly become victorious. Preached
by: Pastor Teddy
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