Bible Reading
- 2 Chronicles 20
- Zechariah 4
Devotional Thoughts
As I meditate on the story of Jehoshaphat and the battle the Lord fought for him story and think about what truth God’s wants me to declare today, I am reminded that we are in a spiritual battle. As we work with these new church planting missionaries, the enemy would love nothing more than to derail them, or to cause them to be ineffective.
How much have these guys overcome to get here? Leaving their homes to go to training. Paying for and spending the time to get through 2-4 years of training. Raising funds / partners to enable them to carry out their ministry. They have already overcome so much. Here in e2/orientation, this is their last step, their final training, their final opportunity for evaluation (actually the orientation process involves 3 evaluations over the next year, we are the 1st of 3). But, after all they have gone through, the enemy is going to work hard to derail them!
This is not my work / our work. It is the Lord’s work. And it is not going to be accomplished through classes and discipleship and mentoring, although those are all tools that God can use. Zechariah 4:6 says it well, “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
In 2 Chron 20 when Jehoshaphat was facing the armies of Moab, Ammon and Meun, he was terrified. He went to God in prayer, and he invited the people of Israel to join him in praying and fasting! They sought the Lord based on what God had promised. Those prayers are prayers we know God will answer… because we are praying for things God has already promised. Faith is believing what God has said in the past, and acting upon the confidence of God keeping His Word today!
2 Chron 20:6-7 He prayed, “You along are the God who is in heaven… you are powerful and mighty, no one can stand against you! You drove out those who lived in this land… you gave this land to the descendants of your friend Abraham forever…”
What are the truths that we can pray for these orientees?
- God wants to establish his church
- God has promised that every nation, tribe, and tongue will hear and stand before his throne (Rev 5:9)
- God desires for these guys to grow into the measure of the stature of Christ (Eph 4
(2 Chron 20:20-22) On the way to battle, Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people… Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm… the king appointed singers to walk ahead, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor… “Give thanks to the Lord; His faithful love endures forever!” At the very moment they began to sing, the Lord caused the armies to turn on themselves.
The battle truly is the Lords. He can win the victory. HE can over come these things in people’s lives. He can make them into what He wants them to be. That is what I need to pray for. That is what I need to rest in. Not me… not whether they listen to and respond to me… they need to listen to and respond to God!
Declarations
- it’s not about me… my ministry success… my ability to help people…
- It’s God’s church and God’s workers… I need to pray to Him to prepare them… and rest in the truth that He wants to and will do it
- As Jehoshaphat… he went out to battle… he went to engaged the enemy… on the way, he worshipped God for his lovingkindness BEFORE he saw the fulfillment of it!
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