PowerPoint - Dec. 24, 2008

And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
  
--1 Kings 19:4

Maybe you feel like Elijah today. In our Scripture verse above, he was so depressed and distraught that he actually prayed that God would take his life!

What set Elijah up for such depression? What sets you up for emotional turmoil?

Depression can set in after a great spiritual high. Depression hit Elijah after the mountaintop experience recorded in 1 Kings 18, when he stood against the prophets of Baal.

Right after he did this, the bottom fell out! Elijah fell off his spiritual perch because like you and me, he was most vulnerable after great victory.
That’s why the Bible says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

After the spiritual victory, Elijah was physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained. So when word came that Jezebel the queen wanted him dead, he ran for his life.

And here’s the key: Elijah took his eyes off God. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that God told him to run. Elijah took off on his own.
Don’t take your eyes off of God for a second. Maybe you’ve experience spiritual victory time and time again. Don’t let your guard down and begin acting on your own. Trust God every step of the way.

IF YOU’VE EXPERIENCED A SPIRITUAL HIGH, REMEMBER THAT YOU’RE A TARGET FOR SATAN.