Hope in a Time of Spiritual Decline

Teachings about divine authority — God’s power — abound in the church today. When I hear such discourse, I immediately think of Elijah. This prophet lived in a period much like ours, one marked by spiritual decline, when honoring God was at an all-time low.

Elijah’s life illustrates the divine authority God wants to endow us with, especially in these times. There was strife in Israel in Elijah’s time, with God’s people divided into two kingdoms — Samaria in the north and Judah in the south. The Samaritans’ faith became corrupted because they allowed other religions to mix with Judaism. Ahab, the noted king behind all this, took God’s ways lightly: “As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam” (1 Kings 16:31).

Under Ahab’s rule, the people sinned freely and felt no conviction over it. The Bible says Ahab committed more evil than any king of Israel up to that time. “And Ahab … did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30).

We are also living in a time of great spiritual decline. It is happening because Satan knows his time is short — and he is using every weapon possible to chip away at divine authority, not merely in cultural expressions but in the heart of every Christian.

In this time of great compromise in the nation and in the church, you may wonder how you can have an effect on the world around you. But do not forget who you are in Christ! It does not matter what your background is, who your parents are, what sort of degrees you may have. God has a role for each one to play in this darkening generation. You have been called to bring hope and life to the lost and doubting, especially in this hour.

Elijah was an ordinary man who accomplished supernatural works of God (see James 5:17-18). He was already qualified to do what God asked of him because he had a history with his Father. Likewise, devote yourself to a quiet and diligent pursuit of God in order that you will be ready when he calls you to step forward and join his army to bring about change in these last days.