You are invited to join us for the Celebrate to Accelerate fast! Please review Celebrate to Accelerate and other words for the reasons behind the fast as well as daily encouragement.

Here we are on day 26.  Let’s remember to continue to walk in humility, repentance, and constant prayer as we move toward the completion of week four. This is not where we have started and this is not where we end.  We are right in the middle of where God wants us to be.  You can do it!  Go ahead and press on through it!

In a place of humility, as well as being strengthened by Holy Spirit, you must never be afraid to ask for help. The individual self-sustaining mentality especially in The West is that you must do it yourself, and it is a shame and disgrace to ask for help.  However,  we all get to a point beyond what we can do in our own strength, physically and spiritually, and that is when we must go to The Lord and others to ask for help.  It should never be an issue when we ask for help as long as we are pressing in to The Lord and seeking Him. Then, when we ask for help, we are asking others to press in to The Lord with us and help us out with what they can do in the physical or spiritual.  

Even when we are being obedient to The Lord and doing everything right, we will still need help to overcome the insurmountable obstacles of the world. We go to God first, but must not overlook the fact that God has placed us where we are in community with others to help us.  

Jehoshaphat was king of Judah at a time when it was not exactly popular to serve God. He reigned in Judah at the same time as King Ahab and Jezebel in Israel. His righteousness and faithfulness caused him to outlive the rulers of Israel’s wickedness. 

Jehoshaphat is walking with The Lord and bringing great spiritual reformation to Judah so, of course, the blessing and favor of God is upon him and he has no problems.  Right?  Let’s look at what takes place in today’s reading:

2 Chronicles 20:2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).

Three pagan kings see the blessing of God on Jehoshaphat and gather together to come plunder and destroy him and all of Judah.  A message is brought to him that there is a great multitude coming against him.

Vs. 3-4 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord .

Jehoshaphat was a real man, and when this great multitude came against him, the enemy tried to bring in a crippling spirit of fear to overwhelm him before the battle even took place. He was not without fear, but recognizing his fear, Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord.  Then, he gathered together all of Judah to humble themselves in prayer and fasting in asking The Lord for help.  This was the proper response.  Jehoshaphat goes to God himself and realizes this is bigger than just him.  Because of this he calls the whole land to help him in seeking The Lord together. There is great power that comes from seeking The Lord together with others.  That is one reason why we are joining together as a community, literally all over the world, seeking The Lord as one.  

During this time of prayer, fasting, and seeking The Lord together, Holy Spirit comes upon Jahaziel and the word of God comes forth:

Vs. 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

God uses Jahaziel to strengthen and encourage not just Jehoshaphat, but the whole assembly not to fear. Because they have come to God together and placed the situation in His hands, He will now take care of it.  Judah got what they were looking for, but they did not leave and get back to their daily work they had forsaken to come together.  They continued in humility and worshiped The Lord.

Vs. 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord . 

They worshiped before the victory took place. They chose to worship at the simple word that was brought forth. Even beyond this, they decided it was time to put true faith into action.  If this is God’s battle, we are going to do something truly radical.

Vs. 20-21 …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.” 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.”

I want to point out that God did not tell them to send the worshippers first.  This was not a word of The Lord, but this was pure faith that God would do what He said.  The people are so assured of The Lord’s faithfulness to complete His word that they place the worshippers in front of the warriors. If this is The Lord’s battle, He will go before us and defeat the army, and we will come after him and worship him for the victory.  Somehow, the fear that once gripped Jehoshaphat has turned into faith in action as he has asked for help from God and his community.  This is the result.

Vs. 22 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.

Here was God working a mighty sign and wonder for his people because they had joined together, strengthened each other, and acted in faith as one.  This was all a result because one man asked for help in the most overwhelming situation. God and his community joined together to rescue Jehoshaphat from the place of fear and helped walk with him into victory. 

Here we are today, every single one of us have situations in our lives that we have been humbling ourselves, praying, fasting and seeking the Lord to change. Lost family members, demonic attacks on health, depression, fear, oppression and so many more supposedly insurmountable obstacles ominously overshadow us every day.  It is time to ask for help first from God, and also the community of faith around us that God Almighty will speak and work in a way we have not yet seen.  I encourage you, you are not alone! If you would like this community to be praying for you, please send us a message or leave a comment below. 

Jesus, I need Your help! I choose to come to You as my strength and my rescue. Raise up a community of faith around me that I can join in seeking You together and that community victory may take place in mighty ways all over the world.  Help me to join with You and others in walking out faith in action and seeing Your glory manifest that we may worship You together in deeper ways than we ever thought possible!

Practical –

• Ask Holy Spirit for help
• Ask Him to raise up your community of faith 
• Ask this community to join you in seeking The Lord
• Apply faith in action to the word and promises He speaks

Be blessed today to see the God of Victory made manifest to destroy and decimate the overshadowing mountains of difficulty that have arisen around you.  May you be quick to run to Him for help.  May a community of faith arise around you to join with you in seeking The Lord and seeing His promises manifest in a special way!

Jeremiah, Man on Fire!!!