Three Keys To Reaping The Soul Harvest!
Three Keys To Victory! Key #1 Fasting
2 Chronicles 20:1-22
2Ch 20:1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
2Ch 20:2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.
2Ch 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
2Ch 20:4 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.
2Ch 20:5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
2Ch 20:6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
2Ch 20:7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend forever?
2Ch 20:8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
2Ch 20:9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
2Ch 20:10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
2Ch 20:11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
2Ch 20:12 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.
2Ch 20:13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
2Ch 20:14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
2Ch 20:15 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 this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2Ch 20:16 Tomorrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
2Ch 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.
2Ch 20:18 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.
2Ch 20:19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
2Ch 20:20 And they rose 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.
2Ch 20:21 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.
2Ch 20:22 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.
This is one of the more familiar and loved chapters in the book of 2 Chronicles, because it explains how the Lord grants victory to those who will place their trust in Him.
We see JEHOSHAPHAT facing the greatest external threat of his entire reign, where a GREAT MULTITUDE of Moabites, Ammonites, and others from Syria were plotting to crush Judah.
However, in the face of these incredible odds, JEHOSHAPHAT humbles himself before the Lord, and the result is the greatest and most phenomenal victory ever experienced, then and now!
In Verse 15, the promise of the Lord through the prophet JEHAZIEL is a comfort to believers of all ages who face seemingly hopeless situations:
“DO NOT BE AFRAID OR DISMAYED. . . . . .FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT THE LORD’S”
Chapter 20 of 2 Chronicles reveals to us THREE KEY ELEMENTS that put God’s people in position where He can bless them and give victory to them.
These THREE KEY ELEMENTS ARE: FASTING, PRAYER, AND PRAISE.
FASTING
FASTING was a key to releasing the deliverance that Judah experienced.
2Ch 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
This was a PROCLAIMED FAST in which the entire nation of Judah participated.
FASTING is not a tool by which one attempts to manipulate God to accomplish something extraordinary.
FASTING is simply an outward indication of an inward sincerity, an evidence of the urgency we feel when praying for special needs.
There are several instances of fasting in the scripture that shed light on fasting. Jesus replied to the Disciples after their inquisition to Him regarding their inability to deliver demons, with the statement, “Brethren, these only come out by PRAYER AND FASTING.”
Notice what Samuel did in 1 Samuel Chapter 7:6
1Sa 7:6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
In that fast, Samuel calls the people to repentance, confession, and contrition before the Lord.
§ FASTING SHOULD DRAW US TO A POINT OF REPENTANCE.
§ FASTING SHOULD DRAW US TO CONFESS THAT SIN.
§ FASTING SHOULD DRAW US TO THAT POINT SPIRITUALLY WHERE WE SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD.
§ FASTING WILL WITHOUT A DOUBT BRING TO THE FOREFRONT THE VALUE WE PLACE ON FLESHLY THINGS, WHEN THAT FLESH BEGINS TO SHOUT ‘FEED ME’, AND WE SAY IN RESPONSE, “GET BACK FLESH, I’M GOING FOR COMMUNION WITH THE LORD!”
In 1 Samuel 7:6 they drew water and poured it out onto the ground. This was a symbol of distress and brokenness in spirit.
Where are we in regards to our spirit?
§ Are we broken, and spilled out in our spirits toward the lost?
§ Are we broken, and spilled out in our spirits toward our church?
§ Are we broken, and spilled out in our spirits toward our own soul’s condition?
§ Is there a distress in our spirits for those who will not obey God’s voice?
Do you find yourself aching for a closeness to God?
Do you find yourself longing for an increase of His Anointing in your life?
I am sensing in this congregation that there is a hunger arising among us to grow close in our relationship with God.
To get closer than we’ve ever dreamed of getting to God.
There is an aching to get to a place we’ve never been before.
There’s an increase in the anticipation for “The Things Of GOD” to be manifested in our midst.
I heard the comment Friday, “I can’t wait to get to church this Sunday to see what’s going to happen next!”
BE CAREFUL FOLKS! THAT’S REVIVAL LANGUAGE THERE.
THERE’S BIRTHING LANGUAGE BEING SPOKEN IN THE CHURCH THESE DAYS!
I LIKE IT! AS A MATTER OF FACT, I LIKE IT A LOT!
I BELIEVE WE’RE ON THE EDGE OF A BREAKTHROUGH IN THIS CHURCH IN A MEGA OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
§ LIKE THAT WHICH HAS BEEN PROPHESIED OVER THIS CHURCH, TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
§ ALSO LIKENED TO THAT IN WHICH I HAVE BEEN
o HOPING,
o LONGING,
o AND DREAMING FOR!
BE CAREFUL, YOU JUST MIGHT GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR!
FASTING IS LIKE TAKING A KEY AND PLACING IT INTO THE KEYHOLE.
IT IS A VITAL PART OF OPENING THE DOOR TO THE HARVEST OF SOULS WE HAVE BEEN BELIEVING GOD FOR!
IT IS A VITAL PART OF VICTORY AGAINST THE ENEMY THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED!
FASTING BEGINS TO OPEN OUR HEARTS TO HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD AS HE SPEAKS HIS WILL AND BLESSING INTO OUR LIVES.
THE HOLY SPIRIT SPOKE TO ME REGARDING FASTING THIS WEDNESDAY AFTER SERVICE IN MY OFFICE, AT 8:49 p.m., AND HE SAID THIS: “As much as you hunger for the things of the flesh, I want you to hunger for me!”
I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING MY SOUL FOR SOME TIME REGARDING FASTING CHURCH WIDE, AND I BELIEVE THAT NOW IS THE TIME.
I WANT TO MAKE THE OPENNESS OF HEAVEN AVAILABLE TO YOU BY JOINING ME IN FASTING FOR SOULS, FOR OUR CHURCH, AND FOR OUR COUNTRY.
SEARCH YOUR SPIRIT, AND LISTEN TO THE LORD IN REGARDS TO ENTERING INTO THIS FAST.
I’M NOT SURE WHERE IT’S GOING TO TAKE US, I’M NOT SURE WHERE IT’S GOING TO END, BUT I AM SURE OF THIS, IF GOD SPEAKS, AND WE OBEY, GET READY!
COME AROUND THE ALTAR TODAY AND BEGIN TO SEEK THE LORD REGARDING THE HARVEST OF SOULS, AND I’LL PROMISE YOU THAT A BURDEN, IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE ONE, WILL DEVELOP IN YOU TO DRAW YOU TO FASTING AND PRAYER.
