This is Namma for Christ with the twenty-third inspirational message dated Friday, February 15th, 2013. The title of this message is "The Battle is the Lord's". The scripture for this message is found in 2nd Chronicles 20:1-30. The main scripture verse is found in 2nd Chronicles 20: 15:
2 Chronicles 20:15
King James Version (KJV)
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.
BE ENCOURAGED - "THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD'S!"
The scripture for today (starting in 2nd Chronicles 20: 1) tells the story of when "the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against King Jehoshaphat."
The story follows (verses 2-9) that some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “ A GREAT MULTITUDE " or a vast army is "COMING AGAINST YOU".
Jehoshaphat was "fearful" and "set himself to seek the Lord" - he PRAYED to the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together "to ask help" from the Lord (they PRAYED to the LORD); indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek Him.
Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said:
“Lord, the God of our ancestors,
are You not the God who is in heaven?
You rule over all the kingdoms
of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You. Our
God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land
before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your
friend? They
have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary
for Your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of
judgment, or plague or famine,
we will stand in Your presence before this temple that bears Your Name and will
cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and help us.’
In 2nd Chronicles 20: verses 10-12 (below), Jehoshaphat continues to pray and he "gives" the problem to the Lord - and this is what we must do. We must give our concerns, worries, anxieties, fears, problems, needs - give it "all" to the LORD...
10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory You would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession You gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
Notice how in verse 12 - Jehoshaphat states:
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
In 2nd Chronicles 20: verses 10-12 (below), Jehoshaphat continues to pray and he "gives" the problem to the Lord - and this is what we must do. We must give our concerns, worries, anxieties, fears, problems, needs - give it "all" to the LORD...
2 Chronicles 20 : 10-12
10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory You would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession You gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
Notice how in verse 12 - Jehoshaphat states:
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
If we are to succeed and win victory, the Lord has to be the One to whom we "yield" our battles to. We are not required to handle our problems alone. God is our "refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" as found in Psalm 46:1. Our 'battles" must be the Lord's .....We must give "our battles" to the LORD and depend and trust in HIM! For without God, we can do nothing - as John 15:5 states below:
Judah's enemies' army "by far, outnumbered" the people of Judah....There was only one place to turn - TO GOD...IN PRAYER. Jehoshaphat stood in the temple and prayed.
John 15:5
King James Version (KJV)
5 I am
the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.
Judah's enemies' army "by far, outnumbered" the people of Judah....There was only one place to turn - TO GOD...IN PRAYER. Jehoshaphat stood in the temple and prayed.
LOOK AT HOW GOD ANSWERED JEHOSHAPHAT'S PRAYER:
The Lord responded through His prophet, Jahaziel. "...and he said, "Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you,
Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's." (2 Chronicles 20:15).
Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's." (2 Chronicles 20:15).
However, even though the battle "was the Lord's"..... the people of Judah were required to obey GOD's instruction:
They were instructed: "You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you." (2 Chronicles 20:17).
Jehoshaphat and all the people of Judah (and Jerusalem) responded by PRAISING THE LORD- they bowed to worship the LORD and sang praises to HIM. They OBEYED and went out and faced their enemies, and the Lord gave them victory as they watched their enemies all fall apart and attack one another. Please read below:
2 Chronicles 20:18-30
New International Version (NIV)
18 Jehoshaphat bowed down
with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down
in worship before the Lord. 19 Then some Levites from the
Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of
Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets.
29 The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for His love endures forever.”
for His love endures forever.”
22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes
against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and
they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites
and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir
to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from
Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks
the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on
the ground; no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men
went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of
equipment and clothing and also articles of
value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took
three days to collect it. 26 On the fourth day they
assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is
called the Valley of Berakah to this day.27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets.
29 The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
BE ENCOURAGED! GOD WANTS YOU TO GIVE "HIM" YOUR "concerns, worries, anxieties, fears, problems, OR WHATEVER IS COMING AGAINST YOU - FOR THE LORD IS WITH YOU."
DO NOT FEAR or be dismayed; THE BATTLE IS "NOT" YOURS - IT'S THE LORD'S. HE WANTS TO USE "YOU" FOR HIS GLORY! HE WANTS "YOU" TO BE "HIS" VESSEL - HIS "INSTRUMENT" - TO SHOW OTHERS HOW "TRUSTING" THE LORD WITH YOUR LIFE AND YOUR LIFE'S PROBLEMS IS THE "ONLY WAY TO LIVE"!
GOD'S GREAT POWER "THEN"....IS THE "SAME" GREAT POWER THAT HE EXTENDS TOWARDS ALL HIS CHILDREN THAT CALL UPON HIS NAME "TODAY" - TO HELP US WITH WHATEVER WE FACE: "BATTLES" or CHALLENGES, NEEDS, OR PROBLEMS....
GOD'S PROTECTION, PROVISION AND MERCY SHOWN TOWARDS HIS CHILDREN ARE DEMONSTRATED BECAUSE OF HIS "GREAT LOVE" FOR US. THE "GREATEST" EXAMPLE OF GOD'S LOVE FOR US IS FOUND IN JOHN 3:16 - GOD GAVE US HIS SON, JESUS:
John 3:16
King James Version (KJV)
16 For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
PLEASE ENJOY THE BELOW SONG AND VIDEO THAT IS ALSO TITLED, "THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S", SUNG BEAUTIFULLY WITH ANOINTING AND POWER BY CHRISTIAN ARTIST, YOLANDA ADAMS.
(I do not own the rights to this song.)
BE BLESSED!
