The Battle belongs to the Lord ...
and sometimes HE uses His children
to be His Hands and Feet to help fight the battle.
This weekend we learned of a young mother who had fled her abusive husband. For the past three months, she had been living in a shelter with her five small children. Four of the children she is responsible for are her biological children and one of the girls is her niece whose parents disappeared in the Civil War in Sudan. She is like one of her own. They had only the clothes they were wearing when they left home. Cindy, my sweet friend and fellow prayer warrior sent out a request for help for this family. I can't tell you the joy I felt as I watched people rise up to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus! The love of God is an amazing thing when it so richly flows out of His children onto others.
This woman and her children were and still are facing a huge battle. They had no clothes, no food, no bed or blankets, no coats, nothing but the clothes on their backs. But God sent His children to wrap them in love and to lend a helping hand to someone in need. Elizabeth and her children still need so much, but I bet she's feeling a little less alone in the struggle now.
No matter what the battle your facing, God is your protector and provider. And sometimes He uses His children. If God puts something on your heart, He's calling you to rise up and help. I don't know what that help will look like. Sometimes, it's providing physical needs, or it maybe lending emotional support. But the one thing we can all do is pray. Please remember this family in your prayers. What ever you do for this family or for someone else who is struggling underneath their heavy load, God will bless you so much more than you can imagine. Maybe not with material things, but with spiritual blessings that will carry on into Eternity. As the saying goes, "You can't out give God." The more you give, the more spiritual blessings you'll get.
http://youtu.be/Ades5tadw7Y%20- Acappella Praise Melody
Romans 8:31-39
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jehoshaphat was surrounded by his enemies. He was terrified because Judah was facing certain destruction. But Jehoshaphat didn't wallow in his anticipated defeat. He didn't crawl into a hole of despair and fear. He turned to God.
Jehoshaphat had all of Judah fast and seek help from the Lord God. He prayed acknowledging God as Sovereign over all things and asked for His deliverance. He cried out and God heard him.
The Spirit of the Lord came over Jahaziel and gave him these words: "Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! 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."
The Battle belongs to the Lord!
I don't know what struggles you're facing, but I do know that nothing is too hard for the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. And He is on your side, even when you don't feel it. He will be Your Deliverer, Your Protector, Your Healer, whatever You need, HE is that and more. Best of all, He is your loving Father who wants to give you an amazing inheritance. He wants you to be in Heaven with Him for Eternity. Nothing can compare with that.
http://youtu.be/He2cn7fFKx0 - Abba Father - Acappella
Lyrics to Abba Father :
Somebody feels hopeless
Somebody despairs
Somebody walks a path alone
Watching others walk around in pairs
Somebody's in the street now
Somebody's in doubt
Somebody has no place to go
Somebody cries out saying
Abba, Father, take me higher
Abba, Father, take me home
Somebody is hungry
Somebody's in pain
Somebody sleeps alone in fear
Somebody's in shame
Somebody needs a friend to lean on
Somebody's not there
Somebody's looking at the end
Somebody's in prayer, praying
Abba, Father, take me higher
Abba, Father, take me home
Somebody feels hopeless
Somebody despairs
Somebody walks a path alone
Watching others walk around in pairs
Somebody's in the street now
Somebody's in doubt
Somebody has no place to go
Somebody cries out saying
Abba, Father, take me higher
Abba, Father, take me home
Prayer
Abba Father, I worship You as Lord over everything. You are Almighty God and no one or no thing is greater than You. You are my true Defender and Protector. Holy Father, You know what I'm facing. I cannot face this battle on my own. I don't have the wisdom or the strength or the power. I need You desperately to carry me through this struggle. I don't know what the "victory" will look like. I may not even be able to recognize it as a victory right now, but LORD, I trust You and Your great love for me. What You have planned for me is so much greater than anything I could ask or imagine. I will praise You whether the victory comes now in this earthly life, or if I don't see it in the land of the living, but with You in Eternity. You are my loving Father and You have proven Your Love for me through the sacrificing of Your only begotten Son. No greater love is there on earth or in heaven than that.
Father, You know my heart, You know my thoughts. Sometimes I doubt if You're hearing me. Sometimes I don't understand why things go the way they do. Help my unbelief and defend me from those evil spirits of doubt and defeat. Help me to trust You even when I don't see the answers coming. I know that just because I can't see You moving to redeem my situation does not mean that You are not working things together for good. LORD God, You hold Eternity in Your Hands and You know my future. I put my trust in You knowing You will give me what I, even when it's not what I might want. Thank You God for loving me, even when I doubt. Thank You for reaching out to me in love and compassion.
Thank You for sending Your Son to be my Savior. Thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to strengthen me and guide me, to comfort me when I feel alone. I will worship You all the days of my life, for You are my God. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
2 Chronicles 20:1-21
1 After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)
3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.
5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. 9 They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’
10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.
15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! 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. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”
18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.
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.”
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!”
22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
27 Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord.
29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. 30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
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