21 Days in 2024
FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH
“O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
“So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.' 21 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,
For 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 Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”
(2 Chronicles 20:20-22).
Jehosophat recognized that the opposition he faced was mightier than he was. He realized that his only hope was God. That is the nature of faith. It is not just to believe in something or someone, it is to allow that belief to fuel our actions and willingness to stand in difficult situations. It is really only then that our faith is proven. It is not about whether we stand or fall. It is only about whether we stand. We are called to stand. Victories belong to the Lord. Jehosophat and his army was delivered from defeat when the Lord battled in their behalf to defeat their enemies.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:10-13).
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).
The lessons from 2 Chronicles 20 teach us how to focus and apply faith in difficult and even impossible situations. It always begins with where you fix your eyes. Jehosophat kept his eyes on the Lord, not on His problem. Too many times our faith is deflated by the fear and doubt that threatens to fill our minds through what we see.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
God’s Word is not static, it is dynamic. It is alive. That means that even though it never changes, it is always relevant to address whatever situation in which we find ourselves. The Word reveals Who God is to us. It tells of His past victories and inspires faith in us for our present and future victories.
Allow His Word to fill your mind. You must read it, hear it, meditate on it, sing it, speak it and live it (Ps. 119, Ps. 19:7-14, Rom 10:17; 1 Tim. 4:15). If you do this, your understanding of God’s character and His ways can only increase. If you practice this discipline in days of peace, you will be ready in the day of battle.
Jehosophat also listened to the prophetic word. The spoken Word of the Lord. Prophetic words are weapons we can use to wage war. “Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” Faith is strengthened when we believe what the prophets say.
“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18).
Jehosophat believed in the prophetic direction he received so much that he acted in complete faith to face his enemy with the Lord as His shield. The only people with more faith than Jehosophat were the choir singers standing on the front lines singing their hearts out for the Lord.
Scripture states that The Lord set ambushes for Israel’s enemies. An ambush comes out of nowhere, when you least expect it to surprise and disorient the enemy. The Lord fell upon the enemy armies, to confuse them and inspire such fear that they began to fight one another and were destroyed. Later, Israel’s army came through the devastated and defeated camp of the enemy to collect the spoils of war.
The Lord’s justice will restore to you up to seven-fold of what the enemy has stolen or taken from you. Don’t miss that part of the battle.
[A thief] when he is found, he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
Proverbs 6:31
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust…”
Joel 2:25
And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).
At the end of his life, Paul was able to declare:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
My prayer is that each of us will develop a faith that steps into the arena to face every challenge. That we will never back away from a battle just because it seems bigger than we are. That we will activate faith to be our shield and use the Word of God as a weapon to pierce and destroy the lies of our adversary. That we will fight the good fight all the way to the end of our race.
“So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.' 21 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,
For 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 Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”
(2 Chronicles 20:20-22).
Jehosophat recognized that the opposition he faced was mightier than he was. He realized that his only hope was God. That is the nature of faith. It is not just to believe in something or someone, it is to allow that belief to fuel our actions and willingness to stand in difficult situations. It is really only then that our faith is proven. It is not about whether we stand or fall. It is only about whether we stand. We are called to stand. Victories belong to the Lord. Jehosophat and his army was delivered from defeat when the Lord battled in their behalf to defeat their enemies.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:10-13).
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).
The lessons from 2 Chronicles 20 teach us how to focus and apply faith in difficult and even impossible situations. It always begins with where you fix your eyes. Jehosophat kept his eyes on the Lord, not on His problem. Too many times our faith is deflated by the fear and doubt that threatens to fill our minds through what we see.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
God’s Word is not static, it is dynamic. It is alive. That means that even though it never changes, it is always relevant to address whatever situation in which we find ourselves. The Word reveals Who God is to us. It tells of His past victories and inspires faith in us for our present and future victories.
Allow His Word to fill your mind. You must read it, hear it, meditate on it, sing it, speak it and live it (Ps. 119, Ps. 19:7-14, Rom 10:17; 1 Tim. 4:15). If you do this, your understanding of God’s character and His ways can only increase. If you practice this discipline in days of peace, you will be ready in the day of battle.
Jehosophat also listened to the prophetic word. The spoken Word of the Lord. Prophetic words are weapons we can use to wage war. “Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” Faith is strengthened when we believe what the prophets say.
“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18).
Jehosophat believed in the prophetic direction he received so much that he acted in complete faith to face his enemy with the Lord as His shield. The only people with more faith than Jehosophat were the choir singers standing on the front lines singing their hearts out for the Lord.
Scripture states that The Lord set ambushes for Israel’s enemies. An ambush comes out of nowhere, when you least expect it to surprise and disorient the enemy. The Lord fell upon the enemy armies, to confuse them and inspire such fear that they began to fight one another and were destroyed. Later, Israel’s army came through the devastated and defeated camp of the enemy to collect the spoils of war.
The Lord’s justice will restore to you up to seven-fold of what the enemy has stolen or taken from you. Don’t miss that part of the battle.
[A thief] when he is found, he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
Proverbs 6:31
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust…”
Joel 2:25
And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).
At the end of his life, Paul was able to declare:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
My prayer is that each of us will develop a faith that steps into the arena to face every challenge. That we will never back away from a battle just because it seems bigger than we are. That we will activate faith to be our shield and use the Word of God as a weapon to pierce and destroy the lies of our adversary. That we will fight the good fight all the way to the end of our race.
Posted in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting