Jehoshaphat – Praying Pint

47.q. “Wilderness” – 11.w. “Because you did not believe in me”

Num 20:12  And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy.

2 Chronicles 20:20     And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Isaiah 7:9    And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’”

Matthew 17:17    And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.”

Luke 1:20  And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

Luke 1:45   And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Romans 4:20    No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

Deuteronomy 1:37    Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there.

Deuteronomy 32:51    because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel.

Deuteronomy 3:23-26    “And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying,  ‘O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?  Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’  But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.

Moses and Aaron distrusted the word and power of God, and that they yielded to the impulse of impatience and anger, as betrayed both by the language which they used and by the double smiting of the rock, to which Moses had been commanded only to speak. To what degree Aaron was concerned in these sins can be inferred only from the facts that he, as well as Moses, was charged with the sin of unbelief, and that the punishment of exclusion from the land of Canaan was inflicted upon both. (Ellicott)

God is as able as ever to supply his people with what is needful for them. But Moses and Aaron acted wrong. They took much of the glory of this work of wonder to themselves; Must we fetch water? As if it were done by some power or worthiness of their own. They were to speak to the rock, but they smote it. Therefore it is charged upon them, that they did not sanctify God, that is, they did not give to him alone that glory of this miracle which was due unto his name. And being provoked by the people, Moses spake unadvisedly with his lips. The same pride of man would still usurp the office of the appointed Mediator; and become to ourselves wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. Such a state of sinful independence, such a rebellion of the soul against its Saviour, the voice of God condemns in every page of the gospel. (Henry)

And yet they did not doubt of the power of God, but of his will, whether he would gratify these rebels with this further miracle, after so many of the like kind. And besides the words themselves, it is considerable, both with what mind they were spoken, which God saw to be distrustful, and in what manner they were delivered, which the people might discern to come from misbelief or doubt. (Poole)

it is certain from the text that unbelief was their sin; they were diffident about the will of God to bring water out of the rock for such a rebellious people, and they did not put them in mind of the miracles God had wrought in former time, to encourage their faith; and so the Lord was not sanctified by them before the people, as he ought to have been. (Gill)

There are many thoughts about the sin that Moses and Aaron committed here that led to their banishment from entering the promised land. I think it is hard to understand their sin in the few words given in this scripture. Let us not go deeper than what is given, suffice it for us to know that we must guard our hearts and minds against taking glory away from God in times when it is clearly God who has done great things. He may have used us but the glory is all His, not ours. When we desire to spend time in God’s Word and think about the things of God – this is good and right. When we seek and desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that we think, say, and do – this is right and good. When we seek to know our sinfulness so that we might know sinfulness and repent of it – this is right and good. When we seek and desire to grow in our understanding and knowledge of God’s grace, mercy, and love – this is right and good.

The problem is that we become complacent, neglectful, and lukewarm to God’s Word and things of God. We speak more of current events, politics, sports, and what’s in the news or social media outlets than things of God. Check your thoughts and speech today and see if there is more content of the worldly or Godly coming from both.

3.e. “But with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.”

2 Chronicles 32:1 After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. He also made weapons and shields in abundance. And he set combat commanders over the people and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and spoke encouragingly to them, saying, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

2 Kings 6:16    He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Romans 8:31     What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

1 John 4:4     Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

The battles we face in life come at us from many different angles. They come at us spiritually, relationally, financially, physically, and mentally. For the most part, we do not get to pick when this battle line forms against us. But surely as we breathe these battle lines will form over and over again in our lifetime. No matter how well prepared we are to face them we can never truly know the fierceness that it will come. Sometimes these battles come at us with a single front and other times it has multiple fronts.

How do we face these battles? How do we stand strong? How do we stand courageous? Where do we get the strength to endure? If we run headlong into these battles in our own strength, will, power, and might we will fail for sure but not for a lack of trying. Psalms 33:16-17 “The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.” All of the battles that can and will come into our life, if taken head-on by us, will end poorly.

Here are scriptures of faith, hope, and the power of God. Let these be grounded in your heart, mind, and soul, for in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ we anchor our faith and hope. He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.

2 Chronicles 20:15 – 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.

Ephesians 6:12 – For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

1 Samuel 17:47 – And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle [is] the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

Zechariah 4:6 – Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

2 Chronicles 32:7 – Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that [is] with him: for [there be] more with us than with him:

2 Corinthians 4:8 – [We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair;

Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.

2.y. Because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.

2 Chronicles 27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people still followed corrupt practices. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord and did much building on the wall of Ophel. Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and forts and towers on the wooded hills. He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the Ammonites gave him that year 100 talents of silver, and 10,000 cors of wheat and 10,000 of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the third years. So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.

2 Chronicles 17:3-6    The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals,  but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel.  Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor.  His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD

2 Chronicles 12:12    And when he humbled himself the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, conditions were good in Judah.

Ezra 7:10    For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

Having God with us, guiding us, leading us, and helping us for good does not happen by chance or good luck. It does not happen because we earned it as if God is in debt to us and owes us something. He created us for His glory and honor and praise. In this creation, He gave us (mankind) a free will to honor and glorify Him. He allowed His creation to choose to do this, or not. Not only did He create us but He also revealed Himself to us through creation, angels, prophets, works of miracles, His written word, and His Son Jesus Christ. We have been given free will to choose to honor, glorify, follow, serve, trust, and obey Him. He has given us words to live by so that in our life this side of eternity we demonstrate our love for Him as creator and worthy of all honor and praise. He has given us precious promises too. He is steadfast in His love toward us. He blesses us and disciplines us with righteousness.

Mankind, we, were created for His honor and glory. We are created to bring honor and glory to Him alone. We are created to worship and praise Him above all else. He gave us His written word so that through it we might gain wisdom, understanding, knowledge of Him and His purpose and plans and continually grow in this so that our honor and glory of Him consume and directs our every thought, word, and action.

He is worthy of so much more than lukewarm lip service from us.

2.w. But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?

2 Chronicles 25:14 After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them. Therefore the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” But as he was speaking, the king said to him, “Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

2 Chronicles 16:9     For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

2 Chronicles 19:2    But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.

Judges 2:2    and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?

Psalms 96:5    For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

Jeremiah 2:5    Thus says the LORD: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?

We can read these verses and say to ourself that clearly, we would not have done as these people did, where they abandoned God and did things and followed after things that were foolish and apart from God. We don’t have to look very far into our thoughts and actions to know we too have the same tendencies, foolish ideas, lack of understanding, lack of wholehearted commitment. We get pulled and pushed aside by the tidal waves of self-interest, self-satisfaction, and self-serving busyness into the ocean of neglect and complacent service to God.

What changed in these people’s heart and mind that they so easily were drawn away? Have you ever cleaned and organized your garage and made a commitment to keep it that way, only to have the same type of mess 4-6 months later? You wonder how did it go from organized to mess? It is not as though you didn’t know what cleaned and organized looked like. It is not as though you intended it to happen or planned to have it happen. You did not set a commitment in your heart to make it happen, but yet it did. So what happened?

The commitment faded. The desire changed. The ability to see the change was lost. Something else replaced that commitment. It is not that we intentionally chose to make the garage a mess again but rather we chose not to keep it in order. The same is true for humbly serving, honoring, following, trusting, and obeying God. It is not that we intentionally chose to keep our heart from Him but rather we chose to give our heart and mind to ourself. Keeping God first closes the door to self. Being mindful of the internal tidal wave of “Self” wants, desires, plans, and thoughts is a good place to start to keep the garage of our heart, mind, and soul clean. Being mindful of this requires us then to take appropriate measures to ensure they stay clean. For the example; you could commit to truly looking at your garage every night before calling it a day. You could commit to not allow yourself to go back inside until it was put back in order. You could commit to never leave your garage when something was out of place. You could take a picture of what organized looked like and then compare each area of organization against that picture to ensure you were not allowing yourself to drift.

You see the same is true with our commitment to humbly serving, honoring, following, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ. We don’t choose to make our lives a mess. We choose not to keep them in line with God’s word. Herein lies the problem. This intentional choice to “Not” is going to yield every bit as bad results as if we have intentionally chosen to make our lives a mess. The commitment must be firm. Paul said “Stand Firm”. He also said to “take every thought captive.” And, to “put on the full armor of God”.

The picture we can compare our heart, mind, and soul garage too is the word of God. If we commit to comparing every thought, word, and action against this then we will have eyes and ears sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Do not allow drift in your life because you have been neglectful and complacent. We have brothers and sisters in Christ that can help us see drift in our lives when we have no longer found time to spend in His word. Each of us should commit to helping others in this struggle with self and point them always to the worthiness of Jesus Christ and the word of God.

2.q. Because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.

2 Chronicles 21:1 Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn. When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. At that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.

Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray. And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father’s house, who were better than you, behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.’”

Another example and story of a father passing the reign to his son and the son not giving a thought at all to his father’s example. It does not tell us when Jehoram married Ahab’s daughter and if this was an arranged marriage by his father. Either way, Ahab was one very very bad person and led the people away from God and toward idol worship. His daughter more than likely had an influence on Jehoram but Jehoram made the choice to lead the people away from serving God. He chose a path that did not honor or glorify God. What kind of hardening of the heart must take place to abandon God and kill your brothers? What kind of false life did he live prior to his father passing away? A person just does not change overnight. He might have given head and mouth service to God but not his heart, mind, and soul.

Choices to depart from God begin innocent enough but soon cloud the mind with ideas that replace service to God with any and everything. The person who departs does not know the day and time but at some point in their life, they closed their ears and turned their back to God. The drifting away is blinded from their mind because they give no thought to or about Him. I wonder how many of us spend enough time in His word, meditate on His word, seek and desire His word, want to hear Him speak into our lives, and are able to discern what actions are honorable and pleasing in the sight of God.

If His word is not refreshing our heart, soul, and mind every day something else is. That something else will always set us on a drifting away course in life. We have been given examples of both Godly and ungodly men/leaders in the bible. We do well to follow the Godly examples given to us and take heed of those that are not. Practice the presence of God at all times.

Notice the people from Edom and Libnah. They revolted from under his rule because he had departed from following and serving God. These are people who took their walk with the Lord very serious and took action not to get swept up onto this path away from serving, honoring, following and obeying God. We do well to keep God first and place all thoughts and actions in line with His word to protect ourselves from being pulled along at the influence of the culture.

2.p. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

2 Chronicles 20:35 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.

Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Proverbs 9:6 Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

We are bound to make mistakes during our life. They seem to be right at our doorstep knocking and enticing us to open up that door. These door-knocking guests are either our sinful natured self or some other friend, colleague, or new acquaintance. We have the choice to make once we open the door.

Do we let them in? When it comes to self we are told to take every thought captive and recognize it for what it is against the word of God. We can only do this if our heart, mind, and soul seek and desire to intentionally humbly serve, honor, follow, obey, and trust God. We spend time in His word with a hunger to know Him more and more so that we can honor Him more and more in every part of our life.

When it comes to a friend, colleague, or new acquaintance knocking we also have a choice to make. We open the door and their intention is made known to us. This is where we compare what is being said with and against the word of God. This is where we need leading from and through the Holy Spirit to discern what we are thinking about doing or what is being asked of us. This is where we lean not unto our own understanding but seek Jesus Christ to make it know to our heart and mind. Many of Christians have gone down paths apart from God because they were blind, neglectful, or complacent with the word of God.

There is no substitute for time in God’s word. Time in His word feeds us, directs us, gives us hope, strength, peace, rest, love, and courage.

We were bought with a great price, the price of our sin, with the payment of whipping, beating, and nailing to a cross of God’s only beloved Son. We read where “for the joy set before Him he gladly went to the cross” This was the price that was paid for us while we were yet sinners. He did this to call to Himself those who would believe in sacrifice for our sin as full payment. Though we know this I wonder if somehow we have forgotten the great cost that was paid. Are we living as though we have been purchased? Are we living in constant remembrance of the cost? Are we living in such a way that honors and glorifies the one who paid the price? This is nothing to take lightly or half-heartedly. Christ deserves all honor and glory from His redeemed. Anything short of this does not reflect the price that was paid.

If we keep this in mind then we surely would spend more time in His word so that we grow in understanding and knowledge of Him and how to humbly live in service, honor, glory, to Him at all times.

2.l. But with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles

2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.

Exodus 14:13-14     And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.  The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Deuteronomy 1:29-30    Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them.  The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

Isaiah 41:10-16    fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.  You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.  For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Psalms 17:1-2   Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!  From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!

Isaiah 43:1-2    But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Deuteronomy 31:8    It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

2 Chronicles 32:8    With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

The battle is not ours. We may not be fighting a typical war but we do have battles don’t we? We battle with addiction, greed, pride, complacency, lust, hate, coveting, health, relationships, finances, employment, sickness, self-centeredness, etc….. We may not be facing an overwhelming army but the battles we face are none the less overpowering and seemingly uncontrollable. We are made aware of some of these battles as we read God’s word, those that reside inside of our heart, mind, and soul. The battles with self and our yielding to its sinful desires. We also battle with attacks from Satan and his deceptions, lies, temptations.

Other battles come into our lives very forcefully and are not necessarily brought on by something we did or didn’t do. Some of these are just because we live in a fallen world filled with fallen people, but that does not mean they are not unknown or purposed by God. We never fully understand and know the plans and purposes of God but we do know that God says; “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” and “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” God’s love is steadfast. His grace, love, and mercy are unconditional.

We fear the unknown, overwhelming, and overpowering. We play many scenarios out in our head and most of them have very bad outcomes. We seem to play this tune in our head over and over again thinking that we might find some way out of our troubles.

God tells us to believe, trust, and rely on Him. The battles are all His. If we truly believe they are His, what do we have to fear? This is so easy to say but harder to put into practice. Why is that? If we are void of Him, for most of our daily lives it is very very certain He will be hard to believe in when the battle is at our door. Living in a void of Him throughout most, if not all, of the day or week does not grow us into a mature, thankful, reliant, hopeful, faithful, obedient Christians. In fact, living in a void of Him allows us to live and do what seems right in our own eyes. We end up traveling far down the path of life alone and in our own wisdom and power for so long that when the battle lines form we are overwhelmed, powerless, angered, and afraid. This is sin and sinful. So what are we to do? How can we get off of this destructive and unfruitful path to a path of victory?

Recognize it, confess it, turn away from it, and cling to, rely on, and trust in Jesus Christ. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Purpose with all your heart, mind, soul and strength to seek, desire, honor, follow, obey, and trust Jesus Christ. Feed on His word, think hard on it, live in His presence, and keep your heart and mind focused on Him continually. Do not let the world entice you away from the blessings, courage, power, might, and strength found in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2.k. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed

2 Chronicles 20:1 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

Crying out to God in our affliction is not always something we do. Sometimes the first thing we do is try to do is fix it ourselves. Sometimes we ask others to help us. And then sometimes we finally call out to Jesus Christ. We have heard others who have said: “all I could do is pray”. It is good when we get to a place where we realize we have no power in and of ourselves and we cry out to Jesus. This should not be where we end up but rather where we start. You see, running to Jesus is not the last resort option we fall back on to but rather a firm position we start with.

When crying out to Jesus is the last thing we do and not the first, there is more than likely a void of Him in our daily lives. It is not as though we push Him out but rather we don’t invite Him in. When we invite Him into every moment of every day He is the first thing on our heart, mind, and soul. He is not an emergency “911” call number but rather an ever-present heavenly Father who is guiding, leading, directing, encouraging, and strengthening us.

When we start with self and end with a “911” call out to Jesus, He is not our all in all. When He is where we start, we will not be calling out to a “911 emergency number” but rather we will be firmly holding on to the hand of Jesus Christ and maybe squeezing a little bit harder. We will know His presence because that is where we choose to be “In His presence”, at all times, every moment, every day.

Walk through every moment of every day with the Word of God in your heart, mind, and soul, and with your hand firmly holding onto Jesus Christ in trusting reliance.

2.i. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts.

2 Chronicles 19:4 Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem. And he charged them: “Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart: whenever a case comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or rules, then you shall warn them, that they may not incur guilt before the Lord and wrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not incur guilt. And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters, and the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the Lord be with the upright!”

Joshua 22:5    Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Luke 12:15     And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 21:8    And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.

Exodus 18:21-22   Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe

Isaiah 1:23-26     Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts.

Isaiah 33:15    He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,

Micah 7:3    Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.

“Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God or partiality or taking bribes.” We look at a verse like this and think this does not apply to me because we are not in a position where we can accept a bribe for the decisions we make. But that is not true. We take bribes all the time. We take the bribes offered to us by society, culture, and the worldly things that are not God-centered or God-honoring. The worldly things come and offer us a bribe. They reach into our heart and mind and offer permanent satisfaction, peace, security, wealth, and health. If we take this bribe we are shorting God and what is due Him. He is our heavenly Father, Creator, and one and only God. We need to guard ourselves against being bribed away from God. We might have a thought that we are strong and able to stand against whatever bribes to capture our heart and mind. The truth of the matter is that we see what the world offers and it appears to be ok. We see others who have taken the bribe and then quite easily think this is not a bribe that will hinder our walk with God. In fact, we may even call it a blessing when in fact it is not. These bribes try to offer us something that only God can supply, only God can fulfill, and only God can give. If we love this world and what it has to offer over God, we are taking the bribe, dishonoring God, and are on paths that only lead to destruction, loss, pain, hurt, confusion, worry, and unhappiness.

How can we recognize a bribe if they are cloaked in false claims that seem to be righting our own eyes? Making an intentional choice with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength to serve and honor God is the beginning. But there is a daily dying to self that must take place. We need to make an intentional daily choice that we compare our thoughts, plans, and purposes against. We need to commit ourselves to recognize and fight against any and all bribes that come our way disguised in bright lights and false hopes. God’s word in our heart and mind will give us the armor to fight these bribes. In His Word, we will find understanding and knowledge of the true things of God and false things of the world. In His Word, we will find what our soul longs for. In His word we will find the truth and in this truth we will see the bribes for what they are – soul robbing, heart destroying, and life wasting. But we must choose to have His word in our heart and soul, and mind. We must commit with all our heart and soul. We can not approach this with partial desire or seeking. This is an all in or nothing. There is no partial walk with God that is honoring and pleasing to Him. The lukewarm approach to serving Him will end with disappointment for our soul.

Take inventory of your heart and mind and what they are being bribed with. One of the biggest bribes is that of busyness. If we take this bribe we find all kinds of reasons to NOT think about the presence of God and how we might honor, serve, follow, obey, and trust Him.

2.h. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God,

2 Chronicles 19:1 Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord. Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God.”

Proverbs 1:10-19    My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

Romans 1:32     Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Ephesians 5:11    Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

John 15:18     “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

Romans 8:7    For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

James 4:4     You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

How can we tell if we are doing things that seem right in our eyes and miss doing what is right in God’s eyes? How can we know we are not chasing after that which is worldly? How easy is it to be swayed by others to do that which is not God honoring? How can we become aware of our natural want to be worldly and worldly seeking in comparison to God honoring, God following, God glorifying, God trusting, and God obeying?

Becoming aware of self and self-seeking, self satisfying, and self-reliance seeds with in our heart and mind can only be made apparent by and through the word of God. The more time we spend in His word the more we grow and mature in what it means to deny self and humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, obey, and rely on Jesus Christ. It is more than just more time. It is an intentional choice deep within our heart, mind, and soul. It is a longing and desire to know the depth, width, and length of the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ. It is a refreshing each day watering and feeding our very being. It is where we grow to find peace in turmoil, strength in weakness, power in powerlessness, clarity in confusion, hope in trials and troubles, and courage to face the overwhelming.

If you find yourself stagnate and complacent. Look at what you long for each day. Look at that which occupies your mind and where you spend your time. If the want, need, and desire to have God’s word active in every moment of every day then repenting and turning away from being neglectful, complacent, and not seeking Jesus with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength must take place or there will be no grow, no victory, no purpose, no satisfaction, and no communion withJesus Christ. Confess it and turn away from it. Run to Jesus like you are being chased by the gates of hell on your heels. Run to Him like a demon is chasing your soul. Run to Him like Satan is about to take you as his own. Run to Him like you are about to be left behind!! Run to Him like as if this is your last chance to do what is right in His eyes. Run to Him with a desire to never let go, never displease, never forget, and never be self-seeking, self satisfying, self-reliant, and self-centered.

In His presence at all times will we find that which our heart, soul, and mind, will find purpose and satisfaction for each moment of every day and for eternity.