Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left as a prophet of Yahweh; but Baal's prophets are four hundred fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it. You call on the name of your god, and I will call on Yahweh's name. The God who answers by fire, let him be God." All the people answered, "What you say is good." 1 Kings 18:22-24 WEB.

Early in the morning, Elijah, a prophet of God, went up Mount Carmel. He was accompanied by four-hundred-fifty prophets of baal and four-hundred prophets of asherah. They were going to settle the age-old question of "Who is God."

Apparently, that had become a "gray area." The Lord's people had been chasing after baal for prosperity and materialism and asherah as the goddess of sex and fertility. Israel was serving a lot of "gods" in those days. It was fun.

Yet, that afternoon, God Almighty answered by fire from the sky. Elijah the Prophet walked away alone, while all the pagan prophets were left broken, defeated, disappointed, and dead. Their gods had failed them.

Today, we are still faced with the same choices. It's easy to say that we follow Almighty God, but who do we give our time and resources to? Do we chase baal and asherah as diligently as they did?

The Lord wants you to have money, but He doesn't want money to have you, for the "love of money" is "a" root of all types of evil. It can cause people to lie, cheat, steal, and kill to get more.

Also, it has nothing to do with the amount of money you have. A beggar can be consumed by the "love" of money, while a billionaire could theoretically be unaffected. In the same sense, a man can "lust" after a woman and not actually know her. It's the inner desire.

Don't put the pursuit of happiness, or the pursuit of more money, before your time with Him. These things have their place, and if you seek the Lord first each day, all these things will be added to you anyway.

The less you care about stuff, the more He will probably give you, as long as it doesn't draw your eyes from Him. He wants your whole heart. To be first in your life, just as your spouse would. Once He has control of your heart, the rest of you will follow. Put Jesus first in your life.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I choose You today, and I want You to be a priority in my life. Please bring things into balance. Teach me what I need to know, and help me focus on the right things. Lead me, and I will follow You. Speak to me, and I will listen. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Today is Thankful Thursday at the Ministry Events group! This event gives us an opportunity encourage each other by posting thoughts, moments, and prayers of gratitude for Him, His creation and all that He does in our lives. All our welcome! To join, just click on the group name and then the join link on the page that will follow. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.