1 Kings 19:1-3 NKJV
[1] And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.
[2] Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
[3] And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
He had just called down fire from the heaven with his prayers. He had just brought down rain upon the nation after a protracted draught. He had just single-handedly executed all the 450 prophets of Baal by the Kishon River, for deceiving the poeple of Israel (I Kings 18:40). Then, when rain began to fall heavily, an astounding power came down upon him and he outran the horse of Ahab to the gate of the city (I Kings 18:46). He was a great prophet full of God’s anointing.
However, after that great victory, Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, became furious and vowed to take revenge on Elijah: she sent a message to him to prepare to die the second day. What would you expect a man who executed 450 fake prophets to do? What would you expect a man who prayed down fire from heaven to do?
What would you expect from a man who outran a war horse to do when a mere woman boast at him? But, Elijah became afraid and ran out of the city again. A man who was given all those successes and breakthroughs could not stand before a woman. A man who killed 450 men and outran a war-horse was running away from a woman. Apparently, the devil spoke through the woman to challenge the victory he got.
IT WAS A STRANGE POWER CHALLENGING HIS GLORIOUS VICTORY.
Check this out!
2 Samuel 10:18-19 NKJV
[18] Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand horsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, who died there.
[19] And when all the kings who were servants to Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.
That was a great victory of David. He led his army to kill seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand horsemen of the Syrians, he killed the commander of the army of Syria. And the rest allied kings came and submit to David for peace. That was a great Victory. A GLORIOUS VICTORY.
However, in the next chapter, the enemy struck heavily at the breakthrough he got in the war.
2 Samuel 11:2, 4 NKJV
[2] Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.
[4] Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.
By staying behind at home while he was to be at the battle ground of the next war, he fell into the devil’s hand and allowed his Glorious Victory to be challenged and rubbished by the devil. The great victory given to him by God was followed immediately by a fall into an ignoble act: adultery, deceit and murder.
THAT WAS A STRANGE POWER THAT CHALLENGED HIS GLORIOUS VICTORY
Look at this
Exodus 32:15-16, 19 NKJV
[15] And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.
[16] Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.
That was a great victory for him and Israel. He had seen God. He had stayed in the powerful presence of God for 40 days. God had come down to him and had written with His fingers instructions on two tablets of stone. The tablets bore the very handwriting of the fingers of God. He had been given the complete dimensions and measurement and architectural designs of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. And as he was coming down the mountains after the glorious encounter with God, what welcomed him to the camp was the golden calf the people had created. In anger and disappoitment, he smashed the two tablets of stones upon the rock before him and the stones shattered into peaces…the Handwiting of God, gone.
[19] So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
And my third example was Peter. After he was credited by Jesus Christ for saying correctly the Revelation of the mind of God concerning who Jesus was, and Jesus Christ had said the Church of God would be built upon that revelation, he became highly elevated among the rest disciples.
Matthew 16:17-19 NKJV
[17] Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
[18] And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
[19] And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
But, immediately after this, Jesus began to share with the disciples about His next divine step, how He would go to Jerusalem and be crucified there. Peter who had just spoken by divine revelations was taken over by the devil to speak out the mind of the devil to Jesus. So, Jesus fired back at Peter:
Matthew 16:22-23 NKJV
[22] Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
[23] But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
There were many instances n the Bible to show that the devil hate your victory. He distests your success. He always wanted to attack you whenever you are victorious or successful. After every celebration, he would want to attack the celebrant child of God, so that he could give him or her sadness or confusions or disappointment after the remarkable major victory.
What does this teaches us? Watch out for any demonic opposition or satanic comfrontations after your glorious victory and God-given success. Don’t ever be carried away by your breakthroughs and successes as to forget that the enemy can rubbish, in one day, the success and breakthrough that took you one year to accomplish. BECAUSE HE HATES YOUR SUCCESSES AND BREAKTHROUGHS. And he would like to take the Success and the Breakthrough away from your hand by making you do things that would anger the Holy Spirit as David did.
Have you heard of husband fighting with his wife after having a very great and successful crusade? Have you heard of men of God falling into terrible scandals after moments of successful ministerial exploits? Have you ever encountered some things making you angry or irritated after having a wonderful experience in the Lord’s presence? Anytime the Lord God gives you a major success or victory, watch out, the enemy must be lurking somewhere to confront you and rubbish the great victory.
So, what must you do to subvert all demonic moves against your brilliant victories, JUST WATCH OUT. RELY ON GOD. TRED SOFTLY. PRAY AND CONSISTENTLY HUMBLE YOURSELF IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. SOAK YOUR SELF IN THE WORD OF GOD AND DESIRE TO BE IN HIS PRESENCE IN YOUR SPIRIT ALL THE TIME.
THE DEVIL HATES YOUR GLORIOUS EXPLOITS AND VICTORY.
YOUR BREAKTROUGHS WILL NOT TURN TO BREAKDOWN THIS YEAR.
Can you remember any instance of attacks after victories in your life? How did you go over it?
MIKE BAMILOYE
#mikebamiloyedevotionals
mikegloria.blogspot.com