Three Keys To Reaping The Soul Harvest!
Three Keys To Victory! Key #2 Prayer
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.
PRAYER
The first key to unlocking the harvest was fasting. We found that by fasting, we will begin to feast on Manna from Heaven!
Fasting will unlock spiritual doors that will bring us to a place of hunger, desperation, and determination in our spirit that draw us ever closer to God Almighty.
I do hope that you have been seeking the Lord concerning fasting for the harvest of souls that we have been believing for, and for the church, and the country that we live in.
The second key that we will learn about today is going to be the key of PRAYER!
I know that you have heard that prayer is vital, but have you tried it out to see that it is true?
Not praying, or not exercising prayer is foolishness!
It’s almost like ordering a Hot Fudge Sundae at Shoney’s and sitting there watching it melt away into goo, and not enjoying it’s wonderful blend of sweet, cold and warm. Mmmmmmm delicious!
The second key that was integral to Judah’s deliverance was prayer.
The essence of JEHOSHAPHAT’S prayer is found in verse 12.
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.
Then we see in verse 20 JEHOSHAPHAT instructs Judah to BELIEVE.
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.
It kind of reminds me of a familiar portion of scripture also found in 2 Chronicles:
2Ch 7:14-15 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (15) Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
Now back to verse 20, we see JEHOSHAPHAT challenging Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to BELIEVE in the LORD your GOD!
He goes on to tell them that if they BELIEVE THEN THEY WILL BE ESTABLISHED, AND PROSPER!
I learned from a great contemporary of mine, Pastor Gerard Lindsey that we should “pray, and not doubt!” “and if we doubt, we should not pray”
How true. Why pray if you doubt! It is all cancelled if there is a waffling effect in your faith.
This word is used in Genesis 15:6, when Abraham “believed” in the Lord.
’a^man
aw-man’
A primitive root; properly to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; once (in Isa_30:21; by interchange for H541) to go to the right hand: - hence assurance, believe, bring up, establish, + fail, be faithful (of long continuance, stedfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the right.
This word believe then in verse 20 could be translated, “Be established in the Lord, . . .and you will be established.”
From aman comes “emunah’ which means FAITH.
The most famous derivative of the word “aman” is AMEN, which conveys this idea: “It is solidly, firmly, surely true and verified, and established.” “AMEN”
The cry of Christians in the darkest night of their experience is: “Lord, I do not know what to do, but I am counting on you.”
Folks, let’s get down to where the rubber meets the road.
It’s time to pray. It’s time to fast and pray. It’s time to BECOME 2 CHRONICLES 7:14!
2Ch 7:14-15 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
§ For when we BECOME God’s people,
§ the people that will acknowledge that God has called us,
§ when we cease from our pride,
§ and we fall on our faces and begin to call on God,
§ and we begin to BELIEVE ~ “AMAN” ~ WHEN WE BECOME ESTABLISHED IN OUR FAITH,
§ then we will turn from our wickedness,
§ then God will hear us, forgive us, and heal us!
When we arrive to this point, then verse 15 will come to life right before our eyes!
(15) Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
My challenge is this:
§ become a people of prayer.
§ Become a people that burns flesh. (fasts)
§ Become a people that turns from wickedness.
§ Become a people that IS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED IN GOD!
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
In order to see the harvest of souls, we must fast.
In order to see the harvest of souls, we must also pray.
Come and pray this morning for God’s leading in your lives. Ask Him for souls for the hire. Ask Him to place you into the life of an unsaved person.
