HealingStrong's Around the Word
Join us around the table with friends who love the Lord and want to dig deeper into God's Word. Hosted by Cheryl Collins and joined by friends of HealingStrong, this podcast is sure to peak your interest in learning more about God's Word, as discussions on each podcast are short, bite-sized morsels that help to go deeper and enjoy God's Word. Cheryl and the podcast team will discuss stories that build trust in God through the history of Joseph, Esther, Jehoshaphat, Daniel, Nehemiah, the Disciples, and of course, Jesus! These episodes encourage our faith in overcoming our fear, and who doesn't need strengthened faith?
HealingStrong's Around the Word
Episode 35 - The Jehoshaphat Series: Standing Firm in Faith (2 Chronicles 20:13-17 NIV)
Ancient biblical wisdom offers profound guidance for our modern battles when Jehoshaphat learns that God will fight for him while he simply stands firm in faith.
• God's message to Jehoshaphat: "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours but God's"
• What it means to "take up your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you"
• Personal testimony of God fighting battles when we surrender control
• The importance of community support when standing firm in faith
• How seeking God through prayer, fasting and humility brings divine direction
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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
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Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours but God's Well.
Speaker 1:Hello everybody listening out there. My name is Cheryl and you are listening to Healing Strong's Around the Word. We're friends sitting around the table who love the Lord and we love digging deep into His Word. Each day you'll hear me reading a Bible passage and then we'll chat about what we're learning from it. Today I'll be reading 2 Chronicles 20, verses 13 through 17 from the NIV version of the Bible. So join us Around the Word.
Speaker 1:2 Chronicles 20, verses 13 through 17. All the men of Judah and their wives and children and little ones stood there before the Lord. Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jehaziel, son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph. As he stood in the assembly, he said Listen, king Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says to you.
Speaker 1: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. They will be climbing up by the pass of Ziz and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the desert of Jerual. 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 to face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you. 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, we left Jehoshaphat basically saying in his prayer we don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. So what's happened next? It?
Speaker 2:says all the people there, and it says that they came as families. There was families gathered there. It says. All of a sudden, the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there, jehaziel, son of somebody who was one of the sons of so-and-so, it doesn't matter, and he was a prophet. And he said listen to me all you, people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, o King Jehoshaphat, he exclaimed.
Speaker 1:The Lord says Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours but God's.
Speaker 2:Gosh, is that good news? Yeah, now, the scripture is here for us. Today. We're not just learning some history lesson. We take this word into our hearts and apply it in our lives. So we're facing a big, huge battle. We fasted, we've prayed. The Spirit speaks to us and says and the Lord is speaking to you right now, don't be afraid, this battle is not yours, it is mine. That's the word of the Lord to you.
Speaker 1:I know the Lord personally used this passage right here when I have my own battle going on with a job, and I didn't know the outcome, and I had an enormous army facing me. And I remember being out on a beach reading that passage one night and I was like, oh my goodness, it was like a word for me, the Lord, saying this is not your battle, it's mine. And I'm on the other side of that battle now and he was absolutely correct, he fought it for me. I had to do what they say next, which is take up your position, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. Oh Judah and Jerusalem.
Speaker 3:And I know you did not climb into a hole, Cheryl Collins, when that battle was going on. You did that and you had to continue to remind yourself. You were in the word. We spoke on the phone regularly. You had wise counsel. So I love this because he says look, there it is and you could see the battle. I know what you're talking about. You could see the battle, but you won't have to fight the battle, but you did. You took up your position and you stood firm and you trusted the Lord. You're not the first one.
Speaker 2:No, no, we have all had this. Oh yeah, but think about Moses. Moses, exodus 14, 14. He's brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. It's been an incredible experience. And the Lord said you just stand still, I will fight for you. How crazy is that? The Egyptian army is after them. They can see them, they're in sight. And he tells Moses, with all the children of Israel, you just stand here and I'll fight for you. It's the same thing he's telling Jehoshaphat here. It's the same thing he's telling Jeff, cheryl, angie, susie, and you Believe in me, acknowledge that you need me, acknowledge that you can't do anything without me, acknowledge that you want my direction, and then you stand firm and I'll handle this for you. Seek ye first, the kingdom of God, and all these things that you need will be added unto you.
Speaker 1:I'd say those are good marching orders. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. And look, God answered. That's what we're all hoping for to hear from the Lord, His perspective on our situation, and a lot of times it just takes seeking Him out, humbling ourselves, praying in this case Jehoshaphat and then fasted as well. But wow, look, God answered, and it was a big answer, and he gave them a roadmap what to do. So I can't wait for us to see more about what happens here in this situation. Thank you so much for joining us for Healing Strong's Around the Word podcast. We hope that you were encouraged to dig deeper into God's Word. If you're liking what you're hearing here with our podcast, consider giving us a five-star rating. Leave a comment, click like, tell your friends, we would love it. And if you want to know more about healingstrongorg, just check out our website, where you'll find out about our mission and our community groups. Until next time, remember, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.