Arise and eat!

1 Kings 19:3–8 NASB95

3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.” 5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” 6 Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

(NASB95)

I want to talk about a very interesting story with Elihah, the man of God prophet sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die

3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”

5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.”

6 Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.

7 The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

I want to talk about a very interesting story with Elihah, the man of God prophet sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die

This story find itself extremely interesting to me.

In the previous chapter we see the man of God, maybe the greatest prophet in the old testament stand up against the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets who set at Jezebels table. And issued the challenge God or Baal

We see him stand up against the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets who set at Jezebels table

And issued the challenge God or Baal

He saw the fire of the Lord come down on the alter and consume the burnt offering and lick up the water. Proving God is alive and Baal is dead

Then he seized Baal prophets and slew them all

Then he saw the rain come down at his command after a drought

And the capture close with his outrunning a chariot

But chapter 19 began very strangely

1 Kings 19:1–3 NASB95

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” 3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

(NASB95)

A threat.. bad news came to the man of God put him over the top

Elijah Flees from Jezebel

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”

3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

A treat.. bad news came to the man of God put him over the top

What is interesting is this is not the 1st time he has heard bad news or gotten a threat.

He just stood up the 800 prophets he killed 450 of them with a sword and now this treat caused him to say

“It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”

And he lay down and slept under a juniper tree to die

Like Jonah another man of God and prophet who preach to Niniva and saw them repent and he sat under a tree and pouted.

What’s really going on here.

The problem with Elijah was not that he was no longer a man of God the problem was he was tired and when we get over worked or over extended we often get overwhelmed.

I have counseled many people and talk to lots of folk a repetitive theme occurs. People are tired.

Good people.. strong people.. old people… young people.

As I see it tiredness is a great attack on the church today

As will increase as the days near when the Lord will come.

(NASB95)

Daniel 7:25 NASB95

25 ‘He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

25 ‘He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

The devil desire is to wear down the church to make them so tired and busy.

The devil desire is to wear down the church to make them so tired and busy.

The devil love to kick us while we are down

And at some point we all get tired.

Isaiah 40:30 NASB95

30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,

(NASB95)

(NASB95)

30 Though (EVEN) youths grow weary and tired,

And vigorous young men stumble badly,

I want to give you

I want to give you 8 causes of depression

8 causes of depression

1. Biological factor

These are physical factor such a; lack of sleep, insufficient exercise, illnesses, and improper diet.

2. Ambivalence

Now I had to look this word up in the dictionary. It means,

the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Some psychiatrists consider ambivalence as the most common cause of depression.

Dr. Gary R. Collins author of the highly respected Christian counseling: a comprehensive guild refers to this as “learned helplessness” and says when we learn that our actions are futile no matter how hard we try, that there is nothing we can do to relieve suffering, reach a goal or bring change, then depression is a common response. It come when we feel helpless and give up trying

3. Parental Rejection

4. Abuse (physical and mental)

5. Negative thinking

6. Life stress

7. Anger

8. Guilt

What are some effects of depression can be seen physically.?

Lack of sleep, Too much sleep , Weight loss of weight gain cause by overeating or under eating, Tension in body , Headaches , Slow movement , Loss of interest in personal appearance

Too much sleep

Weight loss of weight gain cause by overeating or under eating

Tension in body

Headaches

Slow movement

Loss of interest in personal appearance

Also one who is depressed often has a short attention span

Try to mask problem may lead to,

Aggressive action and anger

Impulsive behaviors

Accident proneness

Compulsive work

Sexual problems

Which cause one to withdraw into isolation

Now I’m going to give tips to break these things but I have to say Elijah the man of God and prophet was depressed.

I heard a preacher say once if you truly follow the holy spirit you will never be depressed.

If that is true what do we say about Jesus who says "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."

One preacher says, “according to those who are, feeling depression can stem from any number of causes, whether psychological, physiological, or spiritual in nature.” She goes on future to say, “ I am convinced, however that God’s degree in medicine extends to any specialty.”

The truth is all forms of depressions fall under God area of expertise.

John 1:4–5 NASB95

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

(NASB95)

(NASB95)

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

This doesn’t mean darkness will not try to come it does mean it wont win

When Elijah was depressed God said to him Arise, eat.”

Some things we can do when we are depressed

1. Pray

When Jesus was overwhelmed he prayed in the garden to God confession and pouring out his heart. also, Jesus would often withdraw to pray.

2. Lean heavily on the power of God’s word

The word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our pathway

3. Sing

Music was the curse for king Saul in the Bible. We must understand that music can good or bad influence on our emotional health.

manipulate our moods.

4. Reject isolation

Fellowship with others! The bibles says, “we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the words of our testimony.” Get around people that have been there done that and gotten free from that.

5. Laugh

I preach a message one where I just told jokes. Some of you hated it and I don’t care.

says A merry heart (Laughter/Joyful heart) does good like a medicine. We ought laugh more in the church than anywhere in the word

6. Exercise

God tell Elijah to get up. Get them endorphins going. Exercise increases serotonin flow which in term makes one more happy.

Hit something, not somebody.

7. Stop eaten all that sugar

We get into trouble because we can’t feel the inflammation in our brain like we can in other parts of the body, so we rarely link a kind of food we eat with our mood.

Study after study demonstrates that people who suffer from mood disorders also tend to be gluten-sensitive and vice versa: depression is found in as many as 52 percent of gluten-sensitive individuals.

8. Get out the house

Get up… get some sun. do like max and get yo D.

In a teenhealth.com articled called, “Why do people get depressed,” it states

“Daylight can affect how the brain produces some neurotransmitters, like melatonin and serotonin. When there is less daylight, the brain produces more melatonin. When there is more daylight, the brain produces more serotonin. Melatonin and serotonin help regulate a person's sleep-wake cycles, energy, and mood.”

It concludes, Exposure to light can help improve mood of people

9. Lastly Rest in confidence inHis presence

It all come back to hope.

Romans 15:13 NASB95

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(NASB95)

(NASB95)

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.