Intro: as we look around our world today we see a world in the midst of battles and struggles. Christians face the same battles that those do in the world, it truly rains on the just and the unjust. But as Christians we face our battles not from a worldly perspective but a Godly one. The Bible is full of stories where the people of God faced battles, and today we will look at one battle under the reign of Jehoshophat and see what the Lord says about us facing battles today.
How Christians Face A Battle
2 Chronicles 20:15-18
v.15- Don’t be Afraid—the first key in facing a battle as a Christian is that we overcome fear. Fear has torment, fear is the opposite of faith. When we find ourselves in the struggles of life, we don’t give in to fear, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.
v.15b-or dismayed—don’t be discouraged, don’t get over-whelmed by life. Another thing that happens in battles is weariness. People get tired, they feel like giving up or giving in. Don’t get discouraged, don’t give up. Depression is a pressing down of emotions, in the battle let God’s Spirit lift you up.
v.15c—the battle is not yours—here is a key thought, God allows the battles to come into our lives so that He might reveal His power to us. Our battles aren’t our battles at all. We must learn to release them to God, we must learn to lay things down on the altar.
V 15d—but God’s—the battle is the Lord’s—God doesn’t ever put you into the midst of a battle to prove your strength and power, but to reveal His. This is where faith and trust come in, we trust God, we put our faith in His Word.
v.17—stand ye still—many times we try to solve all our problems, try to fix things that seemingly won’t get fixed, and spend our time and energy running out to meet every giant in our lives. God says, stand still, wait on the Lord, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thy own understanding. Standing still is the hardest thing to do.
v.17b—see the salvation of the Lord—watch God do for you what you cannot do for yourself. God says, nothing is hard for me, nothing is difficult for me, nothing is impossible for me.
v.17c—for the Lord will be with you—in our battles we are never alone, we aren’t facing battles by ourselves. God is with us, He will never leave you, nor forsake you, He will go with you to the ends of the earth. Many times our battle will seem so big that we can’t see anything except the battle. But God is with us, He is God of the mountain, but God of the valley. It is in the darkest times that He reveals His brightest lights.
V.18d—fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord—here is the final key to facing the battle, we go into the battle with praise. We worship the Lord before the battle, we worship the Lord in the battle, and we worship the Lord after the victory. Worship is a key to every battle. Battles come to steal our faith, battles come to rob us of our joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
Close: Today, many are in struggles, battles, and many may feel hopeless or overwhelmed in the battle. Give the battle to the Lord, lay it on the altar and worship the Lord in the midst of the battle. Let faith overcome fear, and stand still and see the glory of the Lord.
When I get into a struggle in life, and feel like I am in a battle that is too big for God, He reminds me that He took Israel, a million strong, delivered them, feed them and brought them into the promise land. If He can take care of millions, He surely can take care of you.
Jesus said, do not worry or fret, if God can take care of this entire world, then surely He can take care of you.
