2 Chronicles 20:21-23
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord ; for his mercy endureth for ever. [22] And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. [23] For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
Psalm 68:1-8
Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. [2] As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth 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: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. [4] Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him. [5] A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. [6] God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. [7] O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: [8] The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
I wonder how many times during the course of your day do you use the words, let me?
Let me try.
Let me do it.
Let me have it.
Let me see.
Let me go.
Let me drive.
Let me, it's amazing how much is packed into those two words.
Let's think about it.. Let me is not really a command to be obeyed or disobeyed.
It is really a phrase that is asking permission, because the person you speak those words to, can easily answer back...
No thank you.
No I've got it.
I think I can handle it.
No I can do it myself.
No not today.
Now you could say with a little emphasis, Here let me do that. And even though you may be much more qualified for the job, I can still resist you, and restrain you, and rob you of the opportunity, and the joy of doing what you have offered to do.
You say Pastor what are you talking about? I'm talking about our text.
As I said, these words in our text are not a command to be obeyed or disobeyed. But it is in fact a request for you and I to recognize the superior wisdom, knowledge, and strength of God, and to yield to him.
In essence God almighty is asking you...
Can I help?
Can I get involved here?
Can I bring my knowledge and my power into this situation?
Will you trust me with this?
Will you take your hands off, so I can put mine on?
Have you figured out that you really do need me?
Thats what I see in our text... Let God arise and his enemies be scattered.
God is not going to come gangbusters into any situation, in your life, and just throw you out of the way and take over.
You are going to have to open the door to him. He stands at the door with more power than we could ever dream of, or ever need, but he won't break the door down.
So many people say... I'm waiting on God. the truth is, God is waiting on you.
He's waiting on you to recognize...
You need him.
He's waiting on you to admit you need him.
He's waiting on you to call on his name, to cry out to him.
He's waiting on you to believe that he can make a difference.
He's waiting on you to invite him in.
God will respect your right to fight your own battles. He won't interfere with your plans. He will even let you do it wrong if you are determined to.
God will let you wear yourself out, in hopes that you will turn to him. The truth is, God is more anxious to help you, than you are to be helped by him.
There is something in our text that leaps out at me. It is this sentence, "and let his enemies be scattered".
I don't know what your battle is right now, or what specific enemy is attacking you right now. It could be mentally, or emotionally, physically, or spiritually.
It could be attacks on your body.
Or attacks on your mind.
It could be attacks on your children.
Or it could be attacks against your marriage.
And the list can go on and on.
But what the Holy Spirit emphasized to me, is that these are not just my problems, or your problems, or my enemies, or your enemies, these are his enemies...
Long before that sickness ever hit your body, it was God's enemy.
Long before that demon of fear attacked your mind, it was God's enemy,
Long before that devil went after your children, it was Gods enemy.
Long before poverty and lack stretched their bony fingers into your life, they were Gods enemies
Long before depression and anxiety, and worry, and stress ever touched your life they were God's enemies.
God wants to arise in you today, and scatter his enemies. The Holy Spirit is on stand by right now, waiting to be invited to the battle.
God hates the things that are hurting You. It hurts God to see his children hurt. But I believe what hurts him most, is to watch us try on our own, to do what he has offered to do for us, and in us.
Where is God going to arise? Not out in the sky. Not in the middle of the street. He's going to arise in you.
He's going to stand up on the inside of you.
1Jn 4:4 says, Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Gods power is going to be revealed in you and through you.
The rest of that verse says, let them also that hate him, flee before him. Did you see that? it says let those that hate God, flee before him.
That puts the battle on another level. This is not just you and I trying to hold out against the hordes of hell. This is God standing up, rising up, and those demons that hate God, running away from him.
Do you see that? The devil is attacking you, because he hates God, and the only way he can hurt God, is to hurt his children.
Now look at vs 2, As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of the Lord.
I'm going to call this part of the message," Presence Warfare"
For God to arise means that his presence explodes within us.
It means that the tangible manifest presence of God is magnified and multiplied.
It means that there is such a tangible manifest presence of God, that the demons flee.
It means the presence of God becomes so present, and so intense that demons can't stand it.
Diseases die in his presence.
Fear melts away in his presence.
Bondages, and habits, and addictions, disintegrate in his presence.
Anger, frustration, and confusion, run from his presence.
We're used to a light gentle casual breeze of the presence of the Lord, and a soft soothing balm that calms the soul.
But when we talk about "Presence Warfare" we're talking about something very different.
Presence warfare is Jesus out of the box.
Presence warfare is Jesus off the hook.
Presence warfare is when we take the energy we have been fighting with, and we focus on Jesus instead, and we worship him. Then when his presence has risen to a certain level, he takes over.
Look at these verses...
1 Samuel 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: For the battle is the Lords, and he will deliver you into our hands.
2 Chronicles 20:17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.
What did they do?
2 Chronicles 20:21-22 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. [22] And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
David talked about this level of presence in Vs 8. The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: Even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
I believe this is where we are headed right now, because this is the answer to our problems today. We can talk about God, and talk about his love, and his goodness. And even talk about his power.
But ultimately, it's not what we say about God that dries up cancer, and drives out devils, and opens blind eyes, and makes the lame walk, and the deaf hear and the dumb to speak. It is the undeniable, undefiable, reality of the manifested presence of God.
As we worship him and magnify and adore him, and glorify him, He rises on our praise. Praise is the chariot God rides in.
As we praise and worship him, he comes and fills the atmosphere with his presence. and when his presence fills the house, every unclean, impure, unholy, spirit of darkness must leave.
The presence of God brings total chaos and confusion into the enemies camp.
As we praise him, and magnify him, and celebrate him, demons go crazy. They break ranks, and they start fighting each other. And they destroy each other.
I prophesy that the church is coming out of the bunkers, and shaking off the fear of covid, or monkey pox, or pollio, or any other satanic germ or virus. And we're coming back to the heart of worship, and we are giving back to God the attention and the affection that belongs to him. And as we worship him, and lift him up... We're going to see God arise, and his enemies will be scattered. The devil isn't going to know what to do.
I want you to lift your hands and worship God, and while your worshipping him say... let God arise, and his enemies be scattered.
Now I want us to look at these verses from the message Bible Psalm 68:1-4 MSG
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!
This is what I feel the Holy Spirit wanted to shine a light on. It says, when the righteous see God in action, they'll laugh, they'll sing, they'll laugh and sing for joy.
Ihate to say this but let's be honest, it seems like we have actually seen God do very little since the Covid fiasco started, and that's because God has been covering his work. He has been working in the dark. He has intentionally been working behind the scenes.
There is a time when God requires us to walk by faith, with no other evidence but his word. Then there is a time when God steps out from behind the curtain, and he rolls up his sleeves, and the waters part, and the mountains shake, and the seas roar, and his enemies melt like wax, and there is no doubt that there is a God, and he is awesome, and he can do anything.
I'm prophesying today that we're getting ready to see God in action. We're getting ready to see with our physical eyes the manifestation of the power of God.
Watch this, there was a point in the middle of the red sea, when Pharoah and all of his great army woke up to the awesome power of God.
Exodus 14:25 And God took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
And I'm prophesying today, that the same God who stood up for the children of Israel, is going to stand up for his children once again, and we're going to see our God in action. And the enemies are going to have to admit, that there is a God in the church, and he is fighting for his people.
What are we supposed to do? We are supposed to lift our voices and magnify God, and say... let God arise and his enemies be scattered.
Come on say that with me 7 times.
Let God arise and his enemies be scattered. X7
Now praise him by faith that we're getting ready to see our God in action.
Praise God, I feel a shift right now.
I feel the enemies of God are scattering.
I feel something turning in the spirit.
I feel mountains are shaking.
I feel a witness that youre a getting ready to witness your God in action. You're getting ready to not only see it for yourself... but you are getting ready to hear the heathen testify that God is working in your life.
Come on, shout it out one more time... Let God Arise And His Enemies Be Scattered.
