Psalms 68:1-3 NKJ
Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
Is their anyone here this morning, feeling like you been fighting the same battle for to long? You've done all you know, fought to the point of exhaustion and you're just tired of fighting back?? Let me ask your question, why are you the one doing the fighting?
How many of you grew up with brothers and sisters?? Anyone ever a have a knockdown dragout in the backseat of your parents car, for lack of better reason...because it was taking to long to reach your destination!
This passage in Psalms, describes the children of Israel having a similar experience, taking to long to reach their destination. God knows, they had been through a lot.
They had been held captive in slavery, freedom had come, only then to begin a journey in the desert for forty years, which in real time should have only taken two weeks. They had walked up hill both ways to school their whole entire life with no one else’s help, or so they thought!
But by this time, we read through the authors words. That they had come to realization, all their efforts had been wasted energy! They had come to the realization, that they needed to fight back in a different way!
They had come to learn a valuable lesson, and sooner rather than later all gods children arrive at the same epiphany.
When they stood still and let God do the fighting for them, the battle was so much easier! And for that, they were thankful!
But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
In the day and age that we live, in the entitlement society mind set, where everyone thinks everyone else owes them and wants everyone else to do things for them. Why don’t we have the same expectations, from God?
Do you think God is only willing to fight for us, when we’re to tired to fight? No, God would have me tell you, He is willing from the first moment our dependency relies on His miracle working power, all the way through to our last!
When we are willing to rest in God’s ability, we allow Him to fight through us, rather than around us. Which means, when we trust God and rest in God’s ability we’re still fighting, only we’re more focused on His never ending capabilities than our weak, limited own ability!
The MSG says it like this;
Up with God! Down with his enemies!
Adversaries, run for the hills!
Gone like a puff of smoke, like a blob of wax in the fire—
one look at God and the wicked vanish.
When the righteous see God in action
they’ll laugh, they’ll sing,
they’ll laugh and sing for joy.
Sing hymns to God; all heaven, sing out;
clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.
Enjoy God, cheer when you see him!
There is nothing that god can’t do, everything is possible for him who believes, in the God of the impossibilities. Amen? Amen!
Why do we say amen with one breathe and got to keep fighting under our breathe, with the next? What ought to follow amen is, Let God arise and Let His enemies be scattered!
TBS. When the righteous see God in action, they’ll laugh, they’ll sing, they’ll laugh and sing for joy. Why is that?
Is it, because they think they’ve got the upper hand? If God is leading the charge and doing the fighting, I would say with confidence, you know they do!!
Only It’s called FAITH!
Why? Because they know with God, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!! The greatest weapon that we have in the war against not only the enemy, but with everything we will ever face, is God himself!
Our confidence comes from God’s indispensable gift to us of faith!
From the measure of faith He has given to us, to believe He will not only start, but is always willing to complete what He says He will do!!
God is the ONLY ONE, there is no other, who makes all things POSSIBLE!
And the longer a person takes to make that realization, the longer their fighting a long drawled out, needless battle, with the worst possible odds of winning.
In our relationship with God, every other word out of our mouths ought to be THANK YOU AND GLORY TO GOD! Far too many always want to say when the dust has cleared from the battle, look what I have done.
Look what you have done? Look what you have done, God says?
If God were you or I, He would say not so fast...let’s have a do over!
Only this time you make the waters split apart and dry out your muddy situation on your own! You make your own way, out of no way possible and then you can say; “look what you have done!”
God deserves all Glory! No one else deserves the Glory, always be quick to give Glory where Glory is due!
2 Chronicles 20:1-4 MSG.
1-2. Some time later the Moabites and Ammonites, accompanied by Meunites, joined forces to make war on Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat received this intelligence report: “A huge force is on its way from beyond the Dead Sea to fight you. There’s no time to waste—they’re already at Hazazon Tamar, the oasis of En Gedi.”
3-4. Shaken, Jehoshaphat prayed. He went to God for help and ordered a nationwide fast. The country of Judah united in seeking God’s help—they came from all the cities of Judah to pray to God.
Sometimes, what’s happening to us and what’s going on around us, will shake us up. That’s because as much as we would like to think we’re not shake proof,
we are!
Only God Can not be shaken! Because as much as were moved by them, God is not moved by them!
What we should never forget or loose focus of is, how much bigger He is than any problem we will ever come up against!
When we are willing to Believe and put our faith and trust in God and quit trying to go it alone. Our circumstances become His circumstances, Our battles become His battles and we don’t have to fight our way to victory, because His Victories become our Victories!!
This holds true, no matter what your fighting for! Health, finances, temptations, you name it, God is willing to go to bat and fight for your every care! When He said to cast all your cares on him, He meant it! Amen?
2 Chronicles 20:14-17 MSG.
Then Jahaziel was moved by the Spirit of God to speak from the midst of the congregation. (Jahaziel was the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah the Levite of the Asaph clan.) He said, “Attention everyone—all of you from out of town, all you from Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat—God’s word: Don’t be afraid; don’t pay any mind to this vandal horde. This is God’s war, not yours.
(Who's War? We must never forget Who's War it is!
The devil will relentlessly try to make everything you
will ever come up against, is your war!
Say it with me; “it’s not my war!” And it’s not, “ITS GODS WAR!”
And what does a person do after they become aware all our battles are God’s battles, “Let God Fight your battles!”)
Tomorrow you’ll go after them; see, they’re already on their way up the slopes of Ziz; you’ll meet them at the end of the ravine near the wilderness of Jeruel. You won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch God’s saving work for you take shape. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you.”
What will you have to do? Nothing, but only resting and watching God, Be God!
Putting your faith and trust in God, gives you the confidence to face whatever your facing, with Boldness! Because you realize, It has nothing to do with you, or your ability, it has everything to do with His!
Vs. 18-19 Then Jehoshaphat knelt down, bowing with his face to the ground. All Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping God. The Levites (both Kohathites and Korahites) stood to their feet to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!
What did they do? They praised God, at the top of their lungs? They gave all their praise, because God was getting ready to give His all, and keep His promise to them! They were praising God in advance!
But sometimes I don’t feel like doing that! Ok, then don't, you don't have to, you can always go back to plan A and fight the battle all by yourself!
How dare we not feel like singing the praises of someone who is willing to get in there and fight until their Victorious for us, each and every time we ask them to!
Has anyone ever became upset with someone, after you went out of your way to help them. Maybe even spent your blood, sweat and tears and they were completely thankless towards you?
Our own human nature says, that’s the last time that’s going to happen, when someone does that to one of us! That’s where Grace comes in, God has Grace for us, even we don’t always deserve it either!
Its not about what you feel, its never going to be about what you feel, so stop trying once and for all making it about the way you feel.
Make it about what you know, what you know God is capable of! And what's God capable of? EVERYTHING!!!
Emotions and the way we may feel, will change with the weather, but God TBS. changeth not! And that is what you know my friend!
Vs. 20. They were up early in the morning, ready to march into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Listen Judah and Jerusalem! Listen to what I have to say! Believe firmly in God, your God, and your lives will be firm! Believe in your prophets and you’ll come out on top!”
21 After talking it over with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed a choir for God; dressed in holy robes, they were to march ahead of the troops, singing,
Give thanks to God,
His love never quits.
22-23 As soon as they (I’m sorry, how quick was Gods response time?) As soon as they started shouting and praising, (immediately, at that very moment) God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead. The Ammonites and Moabites mistakenly attacked those from Mount Seir and massacred them. Then, further confused, they went at each other, and all ended up killed.
They called on him, they believed on him, they sang praises in advance unto Him and it was at that very moment God did what He said He would do!
There is nothing that God can’t do, everything is possible for him who believes, in the God of the impossible. Amen?
The greatest weapon that we have in the war against the enemy is God himself and when we unite our faith with His, everything becomes subject to what God wants to do for and in our lives!
God caused them to self destruct, to melt like wax in the fire! God was the greatest weapon on that day, God is our greatest weapon everyday....
We often forget that sometimes we need to adjust our view of our circumstances, to lift our heads up, towards what God can do!
And lift our praise up in advance, knowing He will!
Human nature tends to look straight ahead at the circumstances and wonder how and if there is anyway to get out of them. And that’s when we stand in the way of our need being met,
We look to the left and right and in the mirror for help, but if we would just look to Jesus and rest, we would see our deliverance and victory, ready and waiting for us, every step of the way, each and everyday
Amen?
Let's pray!
