Good Morning Gorgeous,

It’s a brand new day. A fresh start. A beautiful, sunny day has begun!

I am still plugging along through II Chronicles, and was reminded again this morning through one of the Old Testament stories that, “your battle is the Lord’s.” Whatever you are battling today, any struggle, any frustration, anything warring against your peace, can be handed over the Lord. He will battle on your behalf. You do have weapons in the battlefield, but they may look different than you imagined.

King Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. His heart was devoted to the Lord. He worked hard to rid the land of idols and set his heart on seeking God. He called his people back to the Lord, and restored the justice system back to fairness and the ways of the Lord.

After this strengthening of the people, Jehoshaphat receives terrible, terrible news. News that left him alarmed. Three other kingdoms were coming to wage war against him! And to make matters worse, they were already close by! The Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites were described as a vast army that Jehoshaphat had no way of conquering without a miracle.

Alarmed, Judah resolved to ask the Lord what to do. All the people of Judah fasted and came together to seek the help of the Lord. They assembled and praaaayyyed hard. The last statement in Jehoshaphat’s prayer is, “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Friends, have you ever been backed up against a wall with what feels like a “vast army coming against you”? Have you ever said to yourself, “I’ll never make it through this on my own. It’s way too big…” I know I have experienced this many times and in many seasons.

In Jehoshaphat’s declaration that he cannot defeat the army alone, and his eyes directly on the Lord, the Lord answers.

He tells him, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march down against them. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.

What?!!! He wants them to march into battle against THREE other armies all coming at him at once! What faith it will take to obey that instruction! It doesn’t make any sense to march into battle and then stand firm. It would make more sense to fortify his kingdom and hunker down and hope the bloodshed is minimal. But that would be human reasoning and fear driving the wheel. Instead God calls Jehoshaphat to great faith. Go, ahead right onto the battlefield. Face your enemies. Do not fear. I will be with you. The battle is not even yours, its mine!

What an awesome God!!!

And Jehoshaphat exercises his faith and GOES!!! Not only that, but he places worshippers at the head of the army. The worshippers go ahead and sing praises to the Lord.

“Give Thanks to The Lord,

for His love endures forever.”

And with their trusting hearts, their obedient actions, and the roar of their praise, heaven’s power invades earth!

As they begain to sing and praise, God turned all three armies on eachother and they all slaughtered eachother completely defeated. When the men of Judah looked toward the vast army that was coming after them, all they saw was dead bodies!

The battle was the Lord’s and they recieved the victory! What a great hope this gives to anyone facing a battle today. God has laid out a battle plan for us to use even TODAY as we face battles.

• Turn your heart wholeheartedly to the Lord. Drive away anything standing between you and your relationship with the Lord. Quiet the phone, shut off your TV, clear a time of day, and just set your affection on Him. Jehoshaphat did this BEFORE he received the bad news of an impending attack.
• At the first report of bad news, choose to flee to Jesus first. Don’t try human wisdom without talking to the Lord first and foremost. Jehoshaphat was alarmed and resolved to inquire of the Lord.
• Pray, declare to God that you recognize the battle is bigger than you can win alone. Set your eyes on Him. Jehoshaphat prayed in front of the whole assembly of Judah declaring that he had no power without the help of the Lord.
• Obey and exercise your faith when God tells you what to do. God told Jehoshaphat to go into the battle, and Jehoshaphat went knowing full well that if God didn’t show up, he would be defeated.
• Pick up your weapons and stand firm.Your praise has the power to break chains, unlock power, and release victory. Jehoshaphat’s army was victorious because as soon as they began to praise, God began to battle.

Finally, enter God’s rest. Jehoshaphat experienced rest on all sides.

Wow! Today my gorgeous friends, you can read this story and be filled with new hope that if God did it once, He’ll do it again. He is illustrating to us through His Word, how we can also experience victory over our enemies. Our enemies could be job loss, relationship struggles, financial struggle, anxiety, fear, feelings of depression, addiction, self doubt, previous failures, patterns of dysfunction, a bad report from the doctor, a child who has gone astray, or many many other battles…. take it to the Lord every time and let Him direct your paths. He may lead you to a trusted friend, a doctor, a certain bible verse, just the right song to encourage you, or He may speak clearly what to do next. Listen for His voice. And praise Him continually. Your praise is a powerful earthly weapon. Use it time and time and time again.

In all seasons, in all trials, in all triumphs, in the dark, in the light, in the valley, on the mountaintop, in the wilderness, in the wide open spaces, in the hard pressed corridors, in the clarity, and in the fog. In all things: Praise him. For His mercy endures forever.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for being our Lord that we can seek in all seasons and You will answer. Thank You Lord for being so close to your people and available when we call on You. Lord, help us to remember our weapons of prayer and praise in all moments. Let that be our first response just like Jehoshaphat. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Blessings friends!

Vanessa Lynn