I think I have always subconsciously thought that a false prophet knows he is a false prophet.  I’ve figured that they must just find some benefit in the lie.  In some stories in the Bible it can seem like its obvious to everyone that the false prophets are purposely leading people astray…or at least purposely tickling their ears.  I don’t know that I had honestly ever considered the possibility that false prophets might believe what they’re peddling…until reading the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel for what seems like the thousandth time.

I guess I’ve always, somehow, seen it as lighthearted.  I know it’s not really, but something about Elijah’s almost cocksure attitude, and the awesome way God shows up have served to make the story inspirational and not too scary to me.  But lately, I’ve thought a lot more about those 450 prophets of baal.  I’d always kind of viewed them as a joke – powerless, pathetic, charlatans.  I thought they couldn’t possibly have actually thought they served the real God.  Their actions seem to tell a different story, though.

While Elijah looked on mockingly, these false prophets were dead serious, even going so far as to cut themselves to try to make their “god” hear them.  What kind of delusion must they have been under to believe in a non-existent deity so much that they would take such extreme action?  And if they would do that to themselves, in the name of serving baal, what would they do to others?

Although the Bible stories about Elijah always seem to me to have a not-so-serious undertone, his circumstances were often dire.  Speaking the truth cost him dearly and caused him to rely solely on God’s miraculous provision more than once, just to survive.

I realize it can seem like a stretch to draw parallels between Elijah’s experience and that of Christians in the world today, but I’m at least learning the importance of recognizing the seriousness of our circumstances – the reality that the father of lies has completely captivated the hearts and minds of so many people, and they are dead-set against any acknowledgement of Who the true God is.

It honestly scares me.  For as much as I can bemoan past circumstances of life, I can’t deny that life is still pretty comfortable, pretty easy.  And I’d be lying if I said that I’m really okay with that changing.  But I think that’s a big part of the problem.  While we have an enemy ready to do whatever it takes to gain the upper hand, we have many Christians who just want to do whatever it takes to stay comfortable, to avoid change, to live in “peace”.

I’ve thought a lot about Jesus’ statement that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34), as so many people in the Church are shouting from the proverbial rooftops about love and unity and compassion.  Not that those are bad things, or wrong things, but they are being pursued at the expense of truth, and, I think, with an underlying motivation of personal comfort.

I’m feeling challenged, I guess.  Will I stand for truth no matter the cost?  Is there anything hindering me from living in full submission to the Lord?  I won’t pretend to know what the future holds, but I don’t want to be surprised if, or when, serving the Lord means making truly hard choices and learning what it means to know the fellowship of His suffering.