Good morning, New Light! Many of you know me, but for those who don’t, I am Barry, your pastor’s brother, and I am honored that he asked me to share the message this morning. My message is a very personal one that resulted from a job loss. It was a difficult and uncertain time in my life, and in the life of my family. During that time, I leaned upon the Lord, and I mean, I leaned upon the Lord, and in the process, He led me to a passage of scripture that, for me, was a roadmap of instructions that helped me weather the storm of joblessness. So, I’ve given the message this morning the title “God’s Instructions for Victory.”
The Thursday morning meeting with the president was a bit unusual, but I didn’t think too much about it. In recent weeks, we had been looking at ways to reduce agency costs in anticipation of state budget cuts. “She probably has some information to share with me,” I thought. And she did. “I’m looking at realigning several job functions,” she said, “and they include eliminating your position.” My poker face masked a mind that was exploding with questions.
But there was only one question that really mattered. How will I tell Doris when we have lunch today? We ordered our food and talked a little bit. After our food was served, I broke the news to her and reminded her (and me) that God had always taken care of us, that He had never abandoned us, and that He had always provided for us. I even quoted Psalm 37:25 – one of our favorite verses. “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.” I will admit that, at the time, the truth of this verse provided little comfort.
Although I had confessed the Word, my thoughts and actions lagged behind the words that I had spoken. It took nearly five months for my thoughts and actions to completely line up with my confession. Feeling separated from God, I beat myself up a lot during those first couple of months, and I had help. Each day, Satan was by my side whispering in my ears “If you hadn’t done this and if you hadn’t done that (he was very specific), you would still have a job.” “You left a safe job and now you don’t have one.” He came after me like sharks who smell blood in the water. Over and over again he tried to get me to agree with him that I wasn’t even on God’s radar anymore.
And he almost succeeded. He had so penetrated my mind with his lies that I was feeling far away from God. I had begun to see myself as the Gentiles described in Ephesians 2:12 – “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” Until then, my life had been one of minor disruptions – the ones that you feel don’t require divine intervention. I have learned there is no fighting Satan and his demonic horde without divine intervention. My “divine intervention” came the morning the Lord showed me how King Jehoshaphat’s response to a planned enemy attack saved him and the nation of Judah.
In Second Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat had just returned home after nearly losing his life at Ramoth Gilead. Chapter 19, verse four, says he went throughout all of Judah “and brought them (the people) back unto the LORD God of their fathers.” He removes all of the pagan idols and personally visits the people. He also appoints judges to administer the law of the Lord and settle disputes. Jehoshaphat followed in the footsteps of his father Asa, who “did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD” (First Kings 15:11). The first part of Second Chronicles 17 says Jehoshaphat sought God and walked in His commandments and because of this “the Lord established the kingdom in his hand” (verse 5).
One of the things that we see in Jehoshaphat’s life was a relationship with the Lord that was built on humility. That’s where our victory begins – having a relationship with God that flows from a humble heart. When we find ourselves going through tough times, feeling defeated, and wanting to give up, the FIRST INSTRUCTION for our victory is to humble ourselves to Jesus and focus on what He can do for us and not what the situation is doing to us. Trust me, this will not be easy. But, when we put our faith and trust in Jesus, He will take hold of our hand and walk us through the situation.
In Chapter 20, some men learn that the Moabites and Ammonites were making plans to attack Jehoshaphat. They hurried to Jerusalem to tell the king. I want you to hear how he responds in verse 3 – “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” Jehoshaphat’s first reaction was one of fright and intimidation. He was not prepared for the surprise attack. Ladies and gentlemen, many of us are just like Jehoshaphat. Very few of us are prepared for the unexpected.
Once he pulled himself together, Jehoshaphat “set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” He turned his face away from the problem to the One who could give him counsel to deal with the problem. He deliberately focused all his attention on God. The SECOND INSTRUCTION for victory that we see in this passage is don’t allow fear to paralyze you. The word seek in this verse is significant. It shows the relationship that Jehoshaphat had with the Lord. The word is first used in Deuteronomy 4:29. “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” The word means “to inquire or consult” someone before making a decision or taking action and then following the person’s counsel.
In verse 4 we read “And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord, even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” As I read the record, I wondered how many times I had gone to God without truly seeking Him. And honestly, at that time, I had done this way too often. I would spend time in His presence, but not with Him. It’s hard to seek God for victory when part of you is not there for guidance. And this led me to see in this passage the Lord’s THIRD INSTRUCTION for victory: we must focus all of our attention on that we are God when we seek His counsel and we must follow it. We cannot be trying to figure a way out when we are sitting in the presence of the One who already knows the way out.
After turning his face towards God, Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast and all of Judah joined him. He told the people to be like-minded and pray to the Lord for deliverance. Sometimes we are reluctant to reach out to people when we’re struggling. We believe it’s a sign of weak faith. As Christians, are we not family? In the natural, if we know that someone in the family is struggling with something, do we let the person go through it alone? Not if we are truly family. I telephoned Rodney and told him what had happened. God inspired him with the words that I needed to hear. Together, he and my wife helped me rein in my emotions and redirect my thoughts to what God had said in His Word. The FOURTH INSTRUCTION for victory that I want you to see and accept is to be humble enough to ask mature believers to seek the Lord with you – not for you – WITH YOU!!!
In verses 6 through 9, Jehoshaphat acknowledges the Lord as the true and living God and as the covenant God that had given them the land. He tells the Lord that whenever they face calamity, the people will stand in His presence before the temple that bears His name “and cry unto Thee in our affliction, then Thou wilt hear and help” (verse 9). This reminds me of what the Lord says in Isaiah 43:26 – “Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.”
Jehoshaphat reminds the Lord of His covenant relationship with Israel and proclaimed victory. I smiled when I read this because before you can remind someone of his or her promise, you must first know the promise yourself and then trust that the person who made the promise will honor it. Here in Second Chronicle 20, we see the FIFTH INSTRUCTION for victory – When it seems like we’re being hit with everything but the kitchen sink, we must remind ourselves of God's promises to us in His Word. Jehoshaphat knew that Israel would be delivered, but he wanted the people to know what he already knew – that the Lord would keep His promise.
There were times when I had doubts about finding another job, especially as the days, weeks, and months dragged on. It was during that time that I confessed deliverance – over and over again. And the more I confessed the Word, the more my faith grew. And as my faith grew, so did the peace in my life. Confessing the Word reminded me of the Lord’s promises to me! For me, that’s when waiting for God’s deliverance moved from uncertainty to anticipation. New Light, we are God’s sons and daughters. We belong to Him. We are His possession. Ephesians 1:13-14 and Colossians 1:13 make that abundantly clear.
Ephesians 1:12-14 says “(12) That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. (13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, (14) which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.” And Colossians 1:12-14 says, “(12) Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: (13) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (14) in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins…”
The word "delivered", in the Greek, paints the image of someone being snatched from something. I think about the times I had to pull our dog out of something by his scruff. The word "power" is the Greek word exousia, which means "authority." So, the Bible says God has snatched us from the authority of darkness and then He moved us into Jesus' kingdom. So, ladies and gentlemen, this tells us that Satan no longer has any authority in our lives because we no longer live in his kingdom! Praise God!
We have the same rights and privileges as Jesus. And because Jesus is our high priest (Hebrews 4:15), the Bible tells us how to respond when we face the unexpected. Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” At first, I couldn’t face God. I couldn’t approach Him. My feelings of inadequacy and defeat kept me from crawling into His arms. Satan had done a number on me. But then, like the prodigal son, “I came to myself … and arose and came to my Father” (Luke 15:17, 20). God is the only one who can help us, who can rescue us, who can restore us.
In verse 12 Jehoshaphat says, “O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee.” New Light, Jehoshaphat did something most leaders today would never do – he admitted that Judah couldn’t win the fight and that he, their king, didn’t know what to do. How many of us are willing to admit it when we are in over our heads, and can’t figure out where to begin? It’s not a good feeling, is it? But that didn’t matter to Jehoshaphat. He wasn’t about to let his pride keep Judah from being delivered from the hands of the enemy.
Again, we see his humble heart. Now, here’s the SIXTH INSTRUCTION for victory: We must humble ourselves and lean on our Father. Satan plays with our minds. He makes us feel as if God has abandoned us, that we don’t matter to Him. After all, if we did matter to God, we wouldn’t be in the situation. But according to Scripture, we do matter to God! Remember we read earlier in Colossians 1:13 that God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” When we take our eyes off Jesus, we give Satan an opportunity to deceive us into believing that we’re still part of his domain and that we are powerless against him.
During the five months that my thoughts and actions were realigning themselves with the Word, feelings of peace, rest, and confidence began to return. My nights of uncertainty and lack of sleep disappeared. After Jehoshaphat told God, in the ears of all the people, that his eyes were focused on His ability to deliver them, God gave Jahaziel, a Levite, a word of encouragement and comfort for the king and all the people that we see in verse 15. “And he said, ‘Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of the great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” Jehoshaphat dismissed his fears, not because they were not real, but because he put his trust in the living God.
When we’re in a tight spot, fear is a natural response. And, admittedly, fear did raise its ugly head when I got the news that my job had been eliminated. Eventually, I was able to set aside my fear because of my faith in God and His Word. The SEVENTH INSTRUCTION for victory – Don’t let fear drive your emotions. Instead, use that fear to drive you to your Father whose arms are open wide and waiting for you.
In verses 16 and 17, God tells Jehoshaphat what he and the people needed to do. Look at the first part of verse 17: “Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you …” The word of the Lord to Jehoshaphat – and to us – was simple: stand still and see salvation come. Waiting is not easy – even when things are going well. But when you’re under attack, you may wonder if there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. You may wonder if you really believe what you’re confessing. When we wait on God, He carries our worries and anxieties. They are no longer ours to carry! Rodney talked about this recently in his message on care when he read First Peter 5:6-7: “(6) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: (7) Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” When we humble ourselves before God, He will exalt us above the situation. He will! And we must believe this!
During that time, I had to decide if my standing still and waiting would be with anxiety or excitement and anticipation. I chose excitement and anticipation. Now look at verse 18. “And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.” When the king and the people bowed in worship, they were taking up their positions. When I praised and worshiped God, I was putting myself in His hands and letting Him carry my anxieties. Praise and worship are critical when we find ourselves in situations that seem hopeless. When we praise and worship God, we are setting our eyes on Him and what He can do. The situation is no longer our focus. The EIGHTH INSTRUCTION for victory that we see in this chapter is critical for us: We must take our positions of praising and worshiping the Lord!
Let’s continue with verse 20. “And they arose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.” The king reminded the people of the Lord’s promise and told them to have faith. In essence, he said, “Have faith because the Lord your God will do what He says.” And then they praised God. Verse 21. “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 forever.” In the minds of Jehoshaphat and the people, they already had the victory. They weren’t praising God for victory. They simply praised Him for who He was. Wow!
When I praised and worshiped God, I began to see the victory unfold before me. When we face difficult situations, we should never be concerned about the outcome. God is our Father. Satan has been defeated. Verse 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.” Whose battle was this to fight? It was the Lord’s battle to fight. And what was Judah’s role in the fight? To praise and worship Him. When the people did this, the Lord set ambushments against the invaders and they destroyed themselves.
One of the most challenging things for me was staying in my lane – praising and worshiping Him while He brought about my deliverance. I so badly wanted to help Him! Verse 24. “And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.” The Lord fought for Judah; He fights for us too!
Now jump down to verse 29. “And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.” Imagine how the news of your deliverance will impact those who are facing similar struggles. Even though only a handful of people knew of my situation, when God’s deliverance came, many more rejoiced and celebrated with me. Losing a job may not be the reason you are seeking God for victory. Perhaps it’s a negative report concerning your health or the health of a loved one. Or, perhaps it’s knowing that a significant financial expense is on the horizon that you cannot meet. Or, perhaps it’s a relationship with a family member or friend that needs repairing.
Whatever the situation, Second Chronicles 20 can be a powerful reminder of how we should respond. In closing, let’s recap God’s instructions for victory for us.
• Be humble and completely submitted to the Lord.
• Don’t allow fear to paralyze you.
• Focus your whole being on seeking God and His counsel. Don’t allow anything to distract you.
• Ask mature believers to seek the Lord with you.
• Remind yourself of the promises God has made to you in His Word.
• Humble yourself and lean on your Father.
• Don’t let fear drive your emotions. Instead, let the fear cause you to run to your Father whose arms are open wide and waiting for you!
• And finally, take up your position – Praise and Worship Him!
New Light, I pray that this message has blessed you and encouraged you. Let's pray.
