Defeating the Enemy

Defeating the Enemy: 2 Chronicles 20:1-23

Jehoshaphat was informed in verse 2 that his enemies were coming against him from afar. In verse 3, it says Jehoshaphat FEARED and he began to seek the Lord with praying, fasting, and even in verses 5-9 he stood in the assembly and proclaimed Gods promises. Then in verses 10-12, Jehoshaphat sounded defeated...he was whining, saying they were helpless and they did not know what to do!

2 Chronicles 20:15

This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.



Then God gave him specific instructions in verse 16-17.

1.      He said first to go down against them. They did not sit around whining and crying or complaining. He told them to meet their enemy face to face. However, they did not have to fight....

2.      Then He told them to take a position! What is your position? It means to take a stand, present yourself, or stand with someone.

This is important. Remember when you were in high school, and the kids would bully you? What happened when you took a stand? What happened if you presented yourself during a challenge? Better yet-what happened when your friend(s) was with you?

· Your enemy would think twice about messing with you

· they may just walk away

· they may get scared themselves

Many times their bark is loud but they do not bite, they are terrorist! The devil is a terrorist! They operate on you fear, but when you do not get scared they are disarmed!

       3. Then they were commanded to stand still, and watch the Lord’s victory. To stand still-means to stop (moving or doing), to cease. Hold still and stop trying to fix it yourself. Remember in verse 15 it says that the battle is NOT YOURS! You just take a stand and hold still (stare the devil down). In high school, many of the fights were motionless; all they would do is stare each other down. Get ghetto with the devil, take a stand and stand still!

After Jehoshaphat received direction from God, he bowed his head and worshiped (verse 18). Worship always prepares you for the battle.

2 Chronicles 20:20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way, Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “LISTEN TO ME, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! BELIEVE IN THE LORD YOUR GOD and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Believing God is a requirement to becoming victorious. That is the only way you will be able to stand firm!

2 Chronicles 20:21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”

Now when Jehoshaphat went to meet his enemies (face to face), he went shouting and praising the Lord, giving thanks to Him.

He was giving thanks to God before he even won the victory…

In the Message version, it says:

2 Chronicles 20:22-23 (MSG) As soon as they started shouting and praising, God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead. The Ammonites and Moabites mistakenly attacked those from Mount Seir and massacred them. Then, further CONFUSED, they went at each other, and all ended up killed.

 Jehoshaphat turned the tables on the devil...instead of him getting confused---his praises confused his ENEMIES! Start confusing the devil, start shouting praise!

1.      Don’t hide

2.      Stand your ground

3.      Hold Still

4.      Get Gods direction

5.      Worship Him

6.      Start shouting, praising, and giving thanks to the Lord!

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and Jump off. You sit still and trust the Engineer. ~ Jesse Madrid Ramirez ~

Worship

True Worship

John 4:21-23"Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.

23-24"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."

I have seen people worship God in many different ways. Recently, I asked myself what the bible says about worship. Most of us know the very well known scripture that says we are to worship in spirit and in truth, but can you describe that to me, define it… That is why I have done this study. The verse above is that very scripture, we worship in spirit and in truth, but it is the message translation. It clearly demonstrates what it means. Your worship- must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth.

Merely clapping your hands, and singing a song does not constitute true worship. I would categorize that as praise, if you fully engaged during that time. Merely clapping your hands and singing, I found, ended up being more like lip service, going through the motions, and playing church.

Isaiah 29:13 (NKJV) Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.”

Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

When I looked up worship, it was different then praise …I have always put them together- not realizing they were very separate entities.

Worship is a verb (an action word). It means to bow down, to depress, to lower, and to prostrate oneself. It occurs 108 times in the King James Version. In many of the verses-it tells you what not to worship, and in Ex 34:14 it gives the commandment to worship God alone. What I really want to focus on is how the people worshipped God. What was there “action,” the verb…

Genesis 24:26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshiped the LORD.

Genesis 24:52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.

 Joshua 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?

Nehemiah 8:6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

Hebrews 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshiped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

Revelation 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God

1.      Bowed their head

2.      Bowed on the ground, on their face

3.      Lifted their hands and bowed their heads

4.      Kneeled

5.      When they were old, they leaned upon their cane.

…They worshipped after or before they gave an offering…

2 Chronicles 29:29 And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped.

 1 Chronicles 16:29

Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!

 Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

…they did it during song service

2 Chronicles 29:28 And all the congregation worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. (During a song service)

 Praise is also very important; it is mentioned 248 times in the King James Version. It also is a verb an action word). It means to throw, shoot, cast, to give thanks, laud, and to confess.

I wanted to define both words so you can see that they truly are different things. You would not call running- walking or walking- running. They are two different verbs and someone might get confused if you use them interchangeably.

Lets worship in truth and spirit...engage yourself, it will transform your walk.

John 4:23-24"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God.Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."