HealingStrong's Around the Word

Episode 25 - The Jehoshaphat Series: Never Stop Praying (2 Chronicles 17:7-19, Joshua 1:8 NIV)

• HealingStrong • Episode 4

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The Word of God establishes truth in our lives and creates protective boundaries that guide us through confusing times. Jehoshaphat demonstrated this principle by sending teachers throughout Judah to establish God's law as the foundation of his kingdom.

• Jehoshaphat strengthened his kingdom by prioritizing spiritual education before military might
• Joshua 1:8 promises success and prosperity when we meditate on God's Word day and night
• Parents have the responsibility to establish biblical boundaries in their children's lives
• Scripture memorized early in life remains accessible when needed decades later 
• Proverbs 22:6 guarantees that children trained in truth will eventually return to it
• Never stop praying for children who have strayed from faith—God remains involved as long as you pray

Join us next time for more discussion around the Word, and if you like our podcast, give us 5 stars, click like or subscribe, and tell your friends. 


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Suggested Resources:

BIBLE PLAN - Trusting God's Plan in the Battle: Lessons from the Life of Jehoshaphat

PODCAST - Genesis to Revelation Bible Reading

TOOLS - Refresh Your Spirit through God's Word




Please visit our website at healingstrong.org to learn more about our mission and community groups.

HELP US GROW:

Your donation enables us to continue offering this podcast and other resources for free supporting those facing cancer and chronic illness, caregivers and others. Every donation makes a big difference. Please donate here.

Speaker 1:

The Word of God is the one truth that you can count on. You can stand on the Word of God no matter what. He is true, and you will always find truth in His Word.

Speaker 2:

Hi, I'm Cheryl and you're listening to Healing Strong's Around the Word. We are friends sitting around a table who love God's Word and we love digging deep into it. Each day you'll hear me reading a Bible passage and then you'll hear us chatting about what we learned from it. Today I'll be reading 2 Chronicles 17, verses 7-19, and Joshua 1-8,. All from the NIV version of the Bible. So join us Around the Word. 2 Chronicles 17, verses 7-19.

Speaker 2:

In the third year of his reign, he sent his officials Ben-Hael, obadiah, zechariah, nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah. With them were certain Levites Shemamiah, nethaniah, zebediah, azahel, shemiramoth, jehonathan, adonijah, tobijah and Tob-Adonijah, and the priests Elishema and Jehoram. They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the book of the law of the Lord. They went to all the towns of Judah and taught the people. The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat. Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought in flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 goads. Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful. He built forts and store cities in Judah and had large supplies in the towns of Judah. He also kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem. Their enrollment by families was as follows From Judah, commanders of units of 1,000.

Speaker 2:

Adna, the commander, with 300,000 fighting men. Next, jehoanan, the commander with 280,000. Next, amasiah, son of Zichri, who volunteered himself for the service of the Lord. Who volunteered himself for the service of the Lord with 200,000. From Benjamin Eliadah, a valiant soldier with 200,000 men armed with bows and shields. Next, jehoshabat, with 180,000 men armed for battle. These were the men who served the king. No-transcript. And now Joshua 1, verse 8. Keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. And there you have it. That was the Bible reading for today. Now let's listen in on what Susie, angie, jeff and myself were finding about Jehoshaphat around the word. Guys, I want to start off with this day with talking about Joshua 1.8, which is this verse Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Amen, exactly.

Speaker 1:

And I think that's what Jehoshaphat was doing when he sent out the teachers all across the land of Judah to make sure that they understood. And this will come into play later on, because these people were one of mind and heart, they understood where the king's heart was, they understood the law, the book of the law, and they were all together as one serving the Lord, and it was very important for him not only to teach them the word, but also to provide them protection by fortifying their boundaries, their borders, and so it goes into description here of how the other kingdoms were full of dread because of them, but they also brought him gifts.

Speaker 2:

And she's about to jump out of her seat. So what are you seeing?

Speaker 3:

here. I just saw when you were talking about boundaries, just then. We as parents have a responsibility to teach our children the importance of the Word of God, the power of the Word of God, joshua 1.8. It's a promise from God that says if you'll know my word and if you'll put it in your heart, you have success. Okay, it's a guarantee. We have to do that ourselves and then our children will see it, and that creates boundaries for them in their lives. We're not talking about boundaries on cities here. We're talking about boundaries in their lives. We're not talking about boundaries on cities here. We're talking about boundaries in their lives. So when they go to school, even elementary school, they know what God's law says, they know what's right and wrong. They know the boundaries when they hear the world screaming so loudly that this is true, this is right, this is okay, we should do this and we should do that. They know the truth.

Speaker 2:

And that doesn't mean that they're not going to have problems in this world, because we'll see later on in this whole study he had a bunch of enemies come against him at one point. So it doesn't mean we're not going to have troubles, but we know who to go to when that happens.

Speaker 3:

My point is we got to know the truth. Yeah, and as the body of Christ, I think, and starting with me first, we have failed in our information age to be educated in the word of God, so we did not know the truth at the core of our being. So we have allowed all the lies of the enemy to come in and pervade our culture to such a level that it's almost comical these days. Yeah, as what we're accepting as oh, that's fine, that's okay, it's not when God's word says it's not. But we did not know God's word, like this book is telling us to do, and we didn't have those boundaries. And our kids won't if we don't help to teach them and if, with a lack of truth, then lies take over the whole. Yeah, they pervade, they pervade. Is that what we're seeing?

Speaker 4:

I love what you're saying, angie, because really it's interesting that we're spending just a couple of days talking about our families, because in the Word it says train up a child in the way you should go and he will not depart from it. He will return to it and oftentimes our kids are going to take the step away from what truth is. But when they have truth in them, there will be a point that they will return to truth. But you're right, they have to understand what truth is and this, the Word of God, is absolute truth.

Speaker 2:

And this is for everyone, even for people that don't have kids. I don't have kids, but I can take the principles of putting this in my heart, like I was thinking. When I was a kid, I went on a mission trip and they did these Bible drills where we had about 40 Bible verses I think it was King James version, by the way, too, but I know that's hard to memorize but I memorized all of them and to this day, later on in my life, I can call up those and King James, by the way. And I know where they are because as a 10th grader, I was on a trip in Spain drilling it into my brain daily, and now, whenever I really need it, it gets called back up.

Speaker 1:

But it can even be in the boundaries and the returning of that information into our minds when we plant those seeds. But like Angie was saying, with our kids setting up those boundaries, we can also do that with our brothers and sisters, our friends, our coworkers. I had a boss one time that moved into a new neighborhood that had several other believers of a different faith and he said you know, they're about the same as us, they kind of believe the same things as us. And I said you need to be careful. Remember the word of God is the one truth that you can count on. You can stand on the word of God, no matter what he is true, and you will always find truth in his word.

Speaker 3:

I wanted to mention too. Susie, you were talking about the scripture that you referred to there. It says when the kids are, old, they will not depart, they'll come back, they'll return. So that implies to me that, yes, oftentimes they will stray from it. The scripture promises us, if we train up the child in the way she go, when he's old, he will not depart, he will, he or she will return. What a fabulous guarantee.

Speaker 2:

And what a word for somebody, a parent out there listening that's got a kid that is just out on their own doing their own thing and is away from the family.

Speaker 1:

And one thing I would say is that, as long as you're praying for your child, god is involved. Do not give up praying for your child, no matter what the circumstances look. Continue to pray for your children, no matter what, and don't give up, because God is faithful and he is full of mercy.

Speaker 2:

I bet there's someone out there listening that heard that from Jeff and is like, yes, yes, yes, praying for one of your kids it could be an adult kid, somebody that has just gotten away from God and you have just been praying for him. Don't give up. Like he said, do not give up. It's amazing what God will do. Just don't give up. Anyway, I hope you were encouraged during our podcast today and thank you for joining us for the Healing Strongs Around the Word. Join us next time for more discussion around the word and, if you like our podcast, give us five stars, click, subscribe, click, like, tell your friends, do it all. We hope you will visit us at our website, healingstrongorg, where you can find out more about our mission and our awesome community groups. Until next time, remember, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the what was it? Word of God.