Receiving From The Lord

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14Amplified Bible (AMP)But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

Jud 1:17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Jud 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers ( scorn contempt see as worthless) in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Jud 1:19 These be they who separate (separate from the church and their ministry) themselves, sensual,(controlled by appetites ruled by human feeling and reason) having not the Spirit.

Jud 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, (pistis persuasion reliance belief constancy) praying in the Holy Ghost,

Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Building up and separating are opposites

So the natural man is at a decided disadvantage, because he cannot know the things of the Spirit. He cannot receive them; he cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned.

The deaf man cannot enjoy the symphony, the blind man cannot enjoy the beauty of the sunset. Why? Because he lacks the faculties by which these things are appreciated. So, in the same logic, the natural man cannot receive or know the things of the Spirit, because he lacks the faculty by which these things are known. He lacks the Spirit. And lacking the Spirit, it's impossible for him to know the things of the Spirit.

But [in contrast to the natural man] he that is spiritual discerns all things, ( 1Co_2:15 ).

Now the natural man cannot understand your love for the Word of God. He cannot understand your love for the people of God. He cannot understand your love for the things of God. They're foolishness unto him. What do you do for fun? And the natural man is just at a loss to understand. He walks away and says, "those people are crazy. He talks about the Lord all the time, something's wrong."

TEXT: II Chr. 20:1-5 (KJV)

1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Am-mon, and with them other beside the Am-mon-ites, came against Je-hosh-a-phat to battle.

2 Then there came some that told Je-hosh-a-phat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syr-I-a; and, behold, they be in Haz-a-zon--ta-mar, which is En-ge-di.

3 And Je-hosh-a-phat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

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.

5 And Je-hosh-a-phat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

I believe that our text offers to us; a pattern for praying for and receiving miracles.

(1) It describes a unique Israelite Victory

(2) On other occasions God had enabled the Israelite forces to be victorious.

(3) But here the credit is due entirely to God while the army of Israel

Is reduced to the level of spectators.

I believe that you can have a miracle by following the pattern set here by Judah’s King Je-hash-a-phat;

As you begin the pray;

I. Remind Yourself Who God Is

2 Chron 20:6-9 (KJV)

[A] Je-hosh-a-phat had done a pretty good job serving as King, He did make one mistake, that of forming an alliance with King Ahab. But Jehoshaphat learned from his past mistake, and turned to God for forgiveness and led Israel to revival.

Now faced with a new threat that man of Godly reform, stands and declares inn prayer that God is;

(1) “You are the God of our fathers”

(2) “You are the God of heaven”

(3) “You rule over all the kingdoms of the heathen (the enemy).”

(4) “You have all power and might”

(5) “ NO ENEMY can withstand You.”

(6) “You are God”

(7) “You drove the Canaanites before Israel.”

(8) “You gave their land to the seed of Abraham.”

(9) “You are the God who hears us in our times of famines and pestilence, and wars and when evil tempts us you are the one We cry to and you deliver us from them all.”