In 1 Kings 20, Ahab, king of Israel, is used by God to defeat an enormous army of well over 100,000 soldiers, whereas Israel has 7000.

Ahab listens to God’s word through the prophet. He seeks God’s direction as to who should fight and if they were the ones to start the battle. He obeys God’s word through the prophet. He musters the army and attacks when God had said to. They win the battle.

The prophet tells them that they will attack again, but that God will give them the victory. God is defending His name. He’s not glorifying Ahab. The Syrians have said that their gods would defeat Israel’s God.

The chapter ends with Ahab winning the war against Syria and letting the king go free. A prophet tells Ahab that because he let the king of Syria go, he would lose his life. Ahab is vexed and sullen.

He didn’t seek God. When it was easy and convenient and he was up against the wall with an invading army, then he sought God.

After he was feeling relieved and didn’t have the convenience of a prophet right there telling him what to do, he doesn’t seek God.

He knows that God is the Lord, the Almighty. God had shown Him that when He delivered the Syrian army into his hands.

Ahab knows God gave him the victory. He was used by God to accomplish God’s purposes. But he is not following God.

You can’t look at someone’s accomplishments and know if they are following God or not.

Just because someone has a big ministry doesn’t mean the Lord built it or built it for His glory. It doesn’t mean the leader is seeking the Lord and following Him.

A halfway believer is no believer at all.

The last little section of 1 Kings 20 makes me pray for those who have authority and power in their spirit, that they would speak in God’s love and only what is heard from the Father. Authority and power without love is a scary combination.