WINNING THE BATTLE

Acknowledging God

The Bible says in Proverbs 3:6 that if you’ll acknowledge God in all your ways, He will direct your path. God is so interested in you getting to the finish line that He’s already made a way. Just keep acknowledging Him and He will direct your path. It’s by the Spirit of the Lord that you can do things. If you’re depending on your own knowledge or your ability, you’re going to fall short. But if you depend upon the Spirit of the Lord, you’ll make it.

Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might, nor by power, but my Spirit, says the Lord.” It’s not how you think it’s going to be, it’s how He’s planned it’s going to be. It’s how God has already prepared it. Before you get someplace, God has already been there. He went on before you and He prepared a prosperous place for you. 

Direction from God

GPS begins to redirect you when you get off at the wrong place. If the GPS can redirect you, surely God can straighten your path. God is not upset that you got off the path. Religion has taught us that God will be upset with you. But no, you are a victorious Christian. Things can come against you but that doesn't mean that God is in the thing that comes against you. God is with you and God is for you. And if God is for you, who can be against you.

Fear Not

Jehoshaphat was a king in Israel and he was a God-fearing person. I’m talking about having a reverential fear, not being afraid of God. In 2 Chronicles chapter twenty it says a vast army came against him and he sought the Lord to find out what to do. At first he was terrified by the news. He was afraid but he didn’t stay there. Fear can come, but you don’t have to stay in fear. Have you ever been going along, doing really well, and then, all of a sudden somebody pulls the rug out from under you. 

When fear comes, you’ve got to answer it. When fear comes, you’ve got to talk to it. You’ve got to say “God hasn’t given me a spirit of fear.” Fear will follow you around unless you stop it in its tracks. 

So when fear comes, I say, “No, it’s not going to be that way!” Because fear will come and say, “You’re not going to succeed” or “How are you going to do it?” God is in the business of winning souls. God’s in the business of healing people. God is in the business of delivering people. So if you get in with God and you get in with what God is doing, then God will see to it that you have what you need to succeed.

“What if” is not a reality. It’s just a thought. It hasn’t happened and if you’re strong in the Lord, it won’t happen. Because you’re going to tell it what to do. Say, “You’re not going to touch my children. You’re not going to do this. You’re not going to steal my children. You’re not going to rob from me. You’re not going to steal from me.” You’ve got to speak to the situation. You’ve got to tell it what to do.

Pray About It

Has anybody received bad news lately? When Jehoshaphat got bad news, he prayed. His prayer was “O 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 stand against you.” (2 Chronicles 20:6 NIV)  Notice that he’s not saying anything weak. He’s saying, “You are powerful and mighty. No one can stand against you!” No one can stand against your God!

You need to go where you know there’s help. There’s a place you can go. It’s where the presence of God is. There was no doubt in Jehoshaphat’s voice. He said, “We will cry out to you in our distress and you will hear us and save us.” (2 Chronicles 20:9 NIV). He doesn’t know exactly how it’s going to be done, you don’t have to know how it’s going to be done. You just have to trust God. 

When you don’t know what to do, look to God for help. He’ll show you and He’ll give you directions. He’ll bring people who will help you so you can get to the place where He wants you to be.

You’re Not Alone

God spoke to them through a prophet in verse 15 saying, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” Verse 17 says, “You will not have to fight this battle.”  God has already prepared for you a great and wonderful victory. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is with you. You have angelic activity at our disposal. You have angels assigned to you to help you. You’re not alone.

2 Chronicles 20:20 (NLT) says “Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe His prophets, and you will succeed.”

Praise to Victory

When you don’t know what to do, praise God! When you don’t know what to say, praise God. When you don’t know how it’s going to happen, praise God because praise is an atmosphere of faith.

It’s not easy to praise the Lord when you’re going through stuff. But it’s not how you feel. You go by what God’s Word says.

The singers went before the army. At the very moment they began to sing, the Lord caused the enemy armies to start fighting among themselves. The enemy armies totally annihilated each other. What did the prophet say? “You’re not going to have to fight.”

Plunder the Enemy

Who goes to war and takes their valuables with them? But it took Jehoshaphat and his army three days to gather all the plunder. (2 Chronicles 20:25) God has already defeated your enemies. Your enemies are defeated. You are the healed of the Lord. You are the blessed of the Lord! You only see yourself where you’re at, but God sees you there and beyond. God doesn’t have a plan of destruction for your life. God has a good plan for your life. He wants you to trust Him. 

When you begin to sing in the midst of trouble, the enemy gets confounded. You have a decision to make. Are you going to listen to the lies of the enemy or are you going to do what God’s Word says to do.

What came to destroy Jehoshaphat and his army actually brought them great prosperity. God turned it around for them, but you’ve got to do something. You’ve got to answer the devil. You’ve got to tell him where to go and what to do. You cannot contemplate everything he talks to you about. You’ve got to answer the enemy with the Word of God.

The devil is a defeated foe. He has no power over you unless you give him that power with your words. Speak the Word of God over your situation and it will turn around in your favor. God has given you the victory!