God will give you victory. Part 2

"Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.   2 Chronicles 20:15  NKJV

Now we begin to see the rewards of prayer. As you remember, Jehoshaphat and his people had committed themselves to prayer and fasting - something that we all find tedious at times. The rewards though, far outweigh the effort that you make. Here in the middle of their prayer, Jahaziel had a Word from God and spoke it out, and what a mighty Word it was too v15. 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s'. God is faithful and He can be relied on to bring help just when it is needed. God also gave them a strategy to gain the victory of the pending battle: 'Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” v16-17. 

We must remember that God's strategies are far more superior to ours. We can go running ahead thinking we have the answer and end up with egg on our face. Here Jehoshaphat could not stand under the power of God, and he bowed before Him and all of Judah did the same, all worshipping God. Thus is where our 3rd key enters the equation:

PRAISE  This stops Satan in his tracks. He can't stand this because he knows that when people fast, pray and then begin to praise, that he is defeated. Jehoshaphat had his anointed strategy and he put it into practice. The Levites stood up in praise and the next morning they prepared to march into battle. Jehoshaphat, totally fired up said, 'Believe in the LORD Your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets and you shall prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying "Praise the LORD, His mercy endures forever.' Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Weir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.'V20-22.

The Valley of Battle became the valley of Blessing, and this is what God will do for you and I when we follow the correct procedures - Fast, Prayer and Praise. There is no need to fight when you put God in charge of your battles. All you need to do is position yourself, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord v17. Incidentally, if you remember the other day we were looking at the definition of the word 'Salvation, and saw that in the Greek it was known as Soteria, which offers us, among many things, rescue and deliverance. And this is the salvation that Jehoshaphat received that day. The spoils of this battle, took 3 days to clear up because there was so much v25. Thus, God took charge of their major problem; gave them the strategy, fought for them, rescued them and then gave them a mighty blessing of the dead people's belongings, which would have amounted to a great sum of money.

God is good, He will not leave you alone as long as you consult with Him, listen clearly to His strategy and then obediently follow His Word. He wants to give you the victory!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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