2 Chronicles 20:15-17
How do we fight when we see the enemy is so great? How do we let go and not fight when we feel we must? A great multitude came against King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. Jehoshaphat called to the people to get serious with God and fast. Consider their sins and pray. This would reinforce their penitence and remind them of their weakness and need to depend on God. The prayer had essential ingredients:
As the enemy came at them:
Every day we battle against:
How do we let God fight for us?
Where is the battle within your life?
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2 Chronicles 7:14
Solomon had approached God to make arrangements for the individuals when they trespassed. God replied with four conditions for pardoning:
Genuine apology is more than talk, it is a changed conduct. Regardless of whether we sin independently, as a gathering, or as a country, abiding by these four steps will prompt absolution. God will answer our sincere petitions.
No one is exempt from sin; it is a condition we all share. We should eagerly come to Jesus when we realize that we have sinned. Just knowing that we have the capacity to sin should give us the desire to seek God's guidance and strength.
We should have a hunger for God:
Do we know what true spiritual hunger is? Do we hunger for God like we hunger for food and water? (bacon) Do we have a passion for Christ like we have a passion for football?
If we have a spiritual hunger, we should be seeking God. Just like when our stomach growls for something to eat when we are physically hungry, our spirit should be hungry for the Lord. Just having small bits here and there does not satisfy. How often do we wander through the house, aimlessly? It seems like we are dissatisfied, agitated, or anxious? When was the last time we sat at the spiritual table and had a MEAL? We should be honest with God:
Do we truly open ourselves to God and expose our sins? We must know that cannot hide our sins. We must be open and submit to God. Know what is in your heart. Tell the Lord how you feel and what you think. Let the Lord speak to you. Do not forget to give God praise.
We should humble ourselves before God:
David had asked God to search for any sin and point it out. When God points out our sin then we can repent. But we must be humble to God and submit to His divine surgery of our hearts. We must realize that we are unclean in the presence of God's holiness. We may need to go through a painful cleansing before we are prepared for a task.
We are to recognize that we are only worthy through Christ. Our independent nature and abilities do not give us strength, only through the power of Christ are we worthy. Revival in our land can only come from a revival in our personal lives. Everyone that professes Christ as their personal Savior need to seek repentance for themselves, then they can pray and seek repentance and forgiveness in their families, then in their churches, then it can grow into a community wide revival across the land. To have revival within our hearts, our minds, and our lives, can only happen by the following: Having a Humble Heart and a Holy Hunger while being in Persistent Prayer will lead to Radical Repentance. 2 Chronicles 20:15-17
How do we fight when we see that an enemy is so great? How do we let go and not fight when we feel that we must? Our message today comes from during a time when Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, saw a great multitude come against him and the people of Judah. Jehoshaphat called to the people to get serious with God and fast. They were to consider their sins and pray. This would reinforce their penitence and remind them of their weakness and their need to depend on God. The prayer had essential ingredients: The prayer committed the situation to God. It acknowledged that only God could save them. The prayer sought God’s favor. It acknowledged God’s sovereignty. The prayer praised God’s glory. The people professed dependence upon God for deliverance and their prayer focused on God’s power and not their own. As the enemy came at them, God spoke through the prophet: As the adversary overwhelmed Judah, God talked through Jahaziel, “Be not afraid…for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). They were told to set themselves and to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. They were also told not to fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord would be with them (2 Chronicles 20:17). In Exodus 14:13, “…fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord…” the people were antagonistic and hopeless, however Moses urged them to watch the formidable way that God would protect them. Moses had an uplifting perspective. At the point when they thought that may get caught, Moses called upon God to help them. We may not be pursued by a military force, however we might in any case feel as if we may get caught. Rather than yielding to surrender, we ought to embrace Moses' demeanor to be standing still and watch for the salvation of the Lord. When David faced Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45, 47, he said, “…but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts…for the battle is the Lord’s.”
When the Assyrian army invaded Judah, Hezekiah used his eyes of faith to see. The quantity of his adversaries made truly little difference as long as he was on the Lord's side. Triumph is “not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Hezekiah could unhesitatingly energize his men since he felt undoubtedly sure about where he remained with God. Could it be said that we are on the Lord's side? We may never confront an adversarial armed force, however the struggles that we face consistently can be won with the strength of God. How do we let God fight for us? How would we allow God to battle for us? We do this by understanding that the fight is not our own, yet God's, by perceiving our human limitations, and by permitting God's solidarity to deal with our feelings of trepidation and shortcomings. We can ensure that we are seeking after God's inclinations and not just our own self-centered wants, and by asking God for help in our day-by-day struggles. Although we may not battle an armed adversary force, we consistently fight against earthly temptations, and “rulers of the darkness of this world” (Ephesians 6:12) who want us to oppose God. Keep in mind, as Christians, we have the spirit of God within us. On the off chance that we request God's assistance when we are confronting spiritual battles, God will fight the battle for us. Furthermore, God always wins. Every day we battle against temptations, pressures, and rulers of the darkness of this world (Ephesians 6:12) that wants believers to rebel against God. Romans 7:15, ‘For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but that which I hate, that do I.’ We have God’s spirit within, and as we face struggles, He will fight for us if we ask.
Wherever and whatever the battle is within our lives, we should remember that he is with us always (Matthew 28:20). The Lord will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is our light and salvation (Psalms 27:1). We are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might (Ephesians 6:10), and we must remember that all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). 2 Chronicles 7:14
God’s chosen people are to be His representatives on Earth. But they often stumble blindly after idols when they forget the truth and their calling. As long as Israel obeyed God, He had made a covenant with them, promising to take care of them and bring them prosperity. In addition, He stated that if they did not comply, He would curse them. There was a direct correlation between their obedience and prosperity and their disobedience and hardship due to the covenant relationship. Unfortunately, many Christians of today frequently resemble the “Chosen” in the Bible. Solomon had approached God to plan for the people of Israel for when they had sinned. God replied with four conditions for pardoning:
A genuine apology is more than talk, it is a changed conduct. Regardless of whether we sin independently, as a gathering, or as a country, abiding by these four steps will prompt absolution. God will answer our sincere petitions.
Nobody is perfect except God. No one is exempt from sin; it is a condition that we all share. We all stand liable before him (Romans 3:23) and need his pardoning. We should eagerly come to Jesus when we realize that we have sinned. Just knowing that we have the capacity to sin should give us the desire to seek God’s guidance and strength.
Regardless of how well we perform or what we might accomplish contrasted with others, not even one of us can flaunt their goodness when contrasted with God’s norm. God anticipates that we should not only submit to his rules, however he wants us to cherish him with our entire existence. Nobody aside from Jesus Christ has done that flawlessly. Since we as a whole miss the mark, we should go to Jesus to save us.
There are three things that we all should have within us, hunger, honesty, and humility. We should have a hunger for God. Do we know what true spiritual hunger is? Do we hunger for God like we hunger for food and water? (bacon) Do we have a passion for Christ like we have a passion for football? As the existence of a deer relies on water, our lives rely on God. The people who look for him and long to understand and comprehend him will find eternal life.
If we have a spiritual hunger, we should be seeking God. Just like when our stomach growls for something to eat when we are physically hungry, our spirit should be hungry for the Lord. Just having small bits here and there do not satisfy. How often do we wonder through the house, aimlessly? It seems like we are dissatisfied, agitated, or anxious? When was the last time we sat at the spiritual table and had a MEAL?
We should be honest with God. Do we truly open ourselves to God and expose our sins? We must know that we cannot hide our sins. We must be open and submit to God. Do we know what it is in our heart? We should tell the Lord how we feel and what we think and be ready to hear the Lord speak to us. We must never forget to give God praise. At the point when Jesus utilized the image of his disciples taking up their crosses to follow him, the disciples knew what he implied. Torturous killing, via crucifixion, was a typical Roman strategy for execution. Sentenced lawbreakers needed to help their own cross as they walked through the roads to the site of their execution. Along these lines, following Jesus implied a genuine dedication, and with the possibility of death, and no retreating or turning back.
We are to keep in our minds the things that will show up in our words and actions, truth, honesty, pure, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. We need to examine what we put in our minds through books, music, television, and the internet. We should be removing the harmful negative material and replacing it with godly material. Lest we forget, we are to be reading God’s Word daily.
By human nature, we have a natural capacity to sin. Unless we have accepted Christ as our personal Savior, the sin nature has not been eliminated.
We should humble ourselves before God. David had asked God to search for any sin and point it out. When God points out our sin then we are to repent. But we must be humble to God and submit to his divine surgery of our hearts. We must realize that we are unclean in the presence of God’s holiness. We may need to go through a painful cleansing before we are prepared to perform a task.
Humbling ourselves means that we are to recognize we are only worthy through Christ. Our independent nature and abilities do not give us strength, only through the power of Christ are we worthy. In spite of the fact that we do not merit his approval, he contacts us in affection and gives us dignity and worth, regardless of our human weaknesses.
Revival in our land can only come from a revival in our personal lives. Everyone that professes Christ as their personal Savior need to seek repentance for themselves, then they can pray and seek repentance and forgiveness in their families, and in their churches. Only then will it be able to grow into a community wide revival across the land. To have revival within our hearts, our minds, and in our lives, it can only happen by having a Humble Heart and a Holy Hunger while being in Persistent Prayer. This will lead to a Radical Repentance. |
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