Thursday, September 3, 2009

You Still Have To Show Up!

You Still Have To Show Up!

“Position Yourselves…Go Out To Face Them”
And Praise God!

2 Chronicles 20:14-17
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
15 He said, Hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16 Tomorrow go down to them. Behold, they will come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ravine before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
AMP

What a powerful way our God comes to our aid when trouble is on every side. God did it for Israel and He will do it for you. Oh you know the story! King Jehoshaphat was surrounded by enemies of three armies, Ammon, Moab, Mount Seri. Jehoshaphat was afraid (remember that courage is not the absence of fear), but he understood where the real power resided. So he turned his attention to seek the Lord, proclaimed a fast throughout the land and sought a plan from the LORD!
Simply put, HE PRAYED!

Prayer is the key that unlocks the strategies of God. Are you facing a battle in your family, in your marriage, in your health, in your finances, with addiction, or some other seemingly impossible struggles? Pray!!!!! The answer came for Jehoshaphat in the mist of the prayer meeting. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and he ministered to Jehoshaphat the Word of the Lord not to be afraid because “the battle is not yours but God’s.” Believers often quote this passage of Scripture and find temporary comfort for the moment; but this is not the entire story. Jahaziel revealed the entire strategy of God that defeated his enemies. Often time Believers miss out on victory over their enemy by not getting and carrying out the whole plan of God. When you pray, do you ask God for deliverance from the problem or do you pray and seek God’s plan on how to defeat your enemy? There is a significant difference. The object of warfare is to put down the enemy completely; no reviving; total destruction of every yoke of the enemy. Jehoshaphat had a Word from the LORD!

You Still Have To Show Up!

Although Jehoshaphat had a Word, he still had to show up for the battle! The instruction from the Lord was for Jehoshaphat and the army of Israel to:
1. Go Down To Them
2. They Will Come Up
3. You Shall Not Need To Fight
4. Take Your Position
5. Stand Still
6. Go Out Against Them

They had to suit up and go to the battleground as if it all depended on them. Sometimes this is the last place Believers want to be, where the battle is going to happen. We would rather someone else be there then ourselves. It is frightening at the lineup on the battlegrounds. But God said do not be afraid! Don’t be dismayed; this battle is not yours but God’s. They could expect their enemies to be there for the face off. What am I saying to you? On the battlegrounds, the enemy is there, you still have to show up with a full assurance of faith in what God has said and stand your ground. They did not need to fight for God’s Word had gone before them that the battle was His. But they still had to show up on the battleground. They had to take their position. They had to stand still in order to see the deliverance of the Lord. They got their marching orders to go out against their enemies.

Praise God!

Jehoshaphat did as the Lord had instructed and showed up on the battlegrounds with his army, but he appointed those who sing and praise God to go before the army saying, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” When they began to sing praises, the Lord set ambushes against the enemies of Israel that they turned on themselves and destroyed each other.
Praise was God’s weapon of choice to defeat the enemies of Jehoshaphat and the army of Israel. The display of God’s glory in praise caused utter destruction to their enemies and their schemes. I’m sure in the mind of Jehoshaphat that sending singers and praises into the battle made no sense to his natural mind, but he knew the source of the power supply and was obedient to the heavenly instruction. How many more victories we would win if we pray, receive God’s plan, show up on the battleground by faith and praise God?

Selah!

2 comments:

RMM said...

PRAISE GOD! WHAT A MESSAGE...SHORT BUT POWERFUL! I LOVE THIS STORY. WHEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL POSITIONED THEMSELVES BY PRAISING THE LORD, THE SOUND OF THEIR PRAISE WENT RUSHING THROUGH THE VALLEYS AND UP THE MOUNTAINS RIGHT INTO THE ENEMY'S CAMP. THEIR PRAISE EXPOSED THE ENEMY'S PLAN. I BELIEVE THIS SCENE WAS ONE OF THE LOUDEST,CRAZIEST LOOKING PRAISE SERVICES YOU HAVE EVER SEEN, THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE BEING SAVED FROM AND THEY COULDN'T HOLD IT ANY LONGER...THIS IS HOW WE SHOULD REACT WHEN TROUBLE COMES...FOCUSING ON GOD'S BEAUTY INSTEAD OF THE ENEMY'S PLAN...IT SENDS A MESSAGE TO THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. JEHOSHAPHAT WAS AT TOTAL PEACE BECAUSE HE LEARNED THAT AS HE CRIED OUT TO HIS GOD, HE WOULD ANSWER AND FIGHT ON HIS BEHALF. NO MATTER WHAT THE ENEMY ASSEMBLED AGAINST HIM, HE KNEW THERE WAS NOTHING TO FEAR.

THANKS PASTOR ERICKA FOR A WORD IN SEASON...KEEP SENDING THESE NUGGETS OF GOD'S TRUTH!

RMM said...

PASTER E, THANKS AGAIN FOR THIS WORD. I RE-READ IT AGAIN...AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD REVEALED MORE...WHEN JEHOSHOPHAT FACED THIS BATTLE...THE BIGGER PICTURE WAS THAT GOD LED THE ENEMY INTO A TRAP WHERE GOD WIPED THEM ALL OUT AND CAUSED AN ECONOMIC SHIFT FOR HIS PEOPLE...THEY SPENT THREE DAYS GATHERING IN THE SPOILS OF THEIR VICTORY! THIS WAS FAR GREATER THAN THE IMMEDIATE VICTORY, GOD WAS SETTING THEM UP FOR THE FUTURE. NO MATTER WHAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH, AS WE POSITION OURSELVES, GOD WILL SET US UP FOR THE FUTURE RIGHT NOW. BE OF GOOD CHEER, TAKE YOUR STAND {POSITION}, WATCH WHAT GOD CAN DO FOR YOU!

IN HIM, ROBIN

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