IT’S DEFINITELY A LIMP
And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 1 Kings 18:21 ESV
I grew up in Joliet, IL. Most people when they hear that and are familiar with the area, they refer to it as prison country. Well it was home to an Illinois penal facility, but it was also very close to Chicago, IL where many cool and somewhat hip people hung out. Some of the people of Joliet would go to Chicago to learn the cool game. They would return with a different kind of wardrobe, a different kind of hairstyle and a lot of the guys would come back with a different type of walk. It was a walk that was distinct—a limp kind of walk that was cool, very trendy and hip. It was funny now that I look back on it.
The guys walked with a limp, I must admit I tried it a time or two until my mother (bless her heart) corrected my cool walk, my hip walk—my limp! My mother didn’t see the need for someone who had two perfectly good legs walk as if he had a walking challenge that was brought on by actin’. The limp was unnatural and didn’t display a sense of true confidence. It suggested I wasn’t clear on whether I actually wanted to walk or hop! This is where we find a guy named Elijah. Elijah is on Mt. Carmel with about 450 men who all have a limp.
The very essence of their walk emphatically states they are in over their head. They don’t know who they should support. They have no clue who they should give their allegiance to. They are unclear about who gets their worship…should they worship God, or should they worship Baal. This lack of overt clarity shows up in their physical walk! Imagine every time you were unclear on what God wanted you to do, every time you were uncertain about which relationship you should detach from, every time you were unsure of which direction to go with major spiritual decisions it showed up physically in your walk! You attempted to mask it by moving faster than usual but others can tell, it’s definitely a limp. That is what happens to these prophets of Baal. They had an issue with trusting the one true God.
I do believe because of God’s grace He has shielded us from exposing ourselves with our walk but only for so long. The game the enemy beats us at is telling us no one knows how unreliable we are in trusting God, no one knows how irresolute we are when it comes to trusting God for our every move. The enemy beats us every time because we have a bad limp. Victory will be our outcome if we simply choose to be on the Lord’s side. Any other choice will definitely result in a limp! Living a life of victory will be accomplished simply by choosing to serve the unequivocally. Leaders must be careful how they walk!
I didn’t say it would be easy—just because its hard doesn’t mean it’s not a victory. Victory comes in many different packages but never with a limp! I want to encourage you today to be really cool, walk without a limp by walking with Jesus. A text of assurance is simply this, “Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am Phil.4:13 MSG. You can have a limp free life in Jesus Christ!
#OneTeamChallenge
- What are the things that have caused you to limp over the years?
- What is your prayer concerning these things?
- Will you covenant with Christ to start a new walk today?
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I may have a physical limp but spiritually Christ has adjusted my walk to represent Him and lead others to do the same. #DontLetTheWalkFoolYou #MyLimpIsCovered #JesusLeadsMe #OneTeamNAD