Seek the Lord, take up your position; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord

2 Choronicles 20:1-22
I so love this story about Jehoshaphat and lessons within it. When Jehoshaphat heard that the
men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir were coming against him, he proclaimed a fast for all Judah so they could seek help from the Lord. He didn't try to work things out on his own, he fully trusted in the Lord's ability to deliver and help him out. He turned to God in prayer and fully trusted His promise of deliverance. That was his first port of call! 

I could imagine the size of the army that was coming against him. In verse 12 it says
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” The thoughts that were probably running through Jehoshaphat's mind. He knew that they couldn't face this army alone but he knew that the great God that they served had the ability to turn impossible situations around. He admitted, Lord we have NO power to face this vast army. We do not know what to do but OUR EYES ARE FOCUSSED ON YOU! Despite what's happening around us Lord, our eyes are glued on You. All our trust and hope is directed towards You, fully trusting that You alone will deliver!

And I love the Lord's reply in verses 15-17, "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ 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 Jeruel. ¹⁷ 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.’

I thought about how many times the Lord continuously reminds me that the battles I face in life are not mine but His. Often I try to fight with my own human knowledge, strength, finances etc. The
Jehoshaphat story reminds me to seek the Lord, take up my position; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give me,

When  Jehoshaphat heard from the Lord, he bowed down with all his people to worship God. Some Levites praised the Lord with very loud voices! On the morning of the battle, Jehoshaphat encouraged his army by saying "Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 
 He then led his army out, praising God for what the Lord was about to do, At the end of the story,
"As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. ²³ The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another."

 What I love about this story is the fact that Jehoshaphat chose to fast and pray when he was overwhelmed with the news of the impending attack. He fully trusted His God to help him! He worshiped and praised Him! "Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his^[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”

And his God delivered!  

Your Measure of Faith

Romans 12:3

3… God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 

I've read this verse so many times but this morning I loved how Pastor Joseph Prince compared it to using your muscles.

 Quote: 

'Faith is like muscles. We are all born with a measure of muscles. But some of us develop our muscles better than others. Bodybuilders, for example, exercise their muscles very regularly to make them grow bigger and stronger.'

 The measure of faith we each receive, grows when we feed it and use it. How do I feed my faith? By hearing or reading the Word of God. When we speak or confess the Word of God and expect good things to happen, we are using it. The more we use it , the more our faith grows.

I am challenged this morning with the questions...What are you doing with your measure of faith? Are you feeding it daily? Is it being used?

As I use my faith, speaking it, confessing it and TOTALLY believing in God's Word, I draw on the inexhaustible power of a mighty, faithful and loving God! 

 

Mindsets-Fixed vs Growth

A psychologist friend of mine shared an article by James Clear on ‘Growth vs Fixed mindsets and how as an educator, it can be applied or promoted in any learning environment.

My takeaways from the article:

·     * You can have both a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. The difference is, having a fixed mindset can sometimes become a hindrance for our development or our growth. When I tell myself that I’m no good at something, I will avoid situations that would cause me to do it! However, with a growth mindset, I look at mistakes and setbacks as learning and growing opportunities. With a growth mindset, I allow room for growth, and confidence to bloom.

·      *“Your mind is a powerful thing. The stories you tell yourself and the things you believe about yourself affects your behaviour.” James Clear

All of this caused me to reflect on faith during my devotion this morning.  Am I so fixed in my ways that I do not allow room for change? My reading was from:

Galations 4: 6-7
Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are His child; God has made you also an heir.

Do I believe that I’m an heir through Christ? Do I believe that God has sent the Spirit of His Son to dwell in our hearts? What am I feeding my mind with? Am I feeding it with negativity and defeat? What stories am I telling myself?

My faith in His Word and His ability to perform His Words will determine my approach to challenges throughout life.


With God, my brain has no ceiling! Anything can happen! Will I choose a fixed mindset or a growth mindset?

Reflection on 2015

As I sit and reflect on my journey through 2015, I am grateful for so many things. I am reminded that the God that we serve is a faithful God!

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (2 Tim.2:13).

Photo credit: Google images

Bring on 2016. I know that it's going to be another wonderful journey.

Isaiah 45:2-3

God's promises never fail. 

'The Bible says it, I believe it and that settles it!' Author Unknown.

What is your first port of call?

--> What would be your first port of call when you receive a late night phone call from your doctor explaining your medical check up results?

I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t say that I had a few moments of panic and worry and my mind going into overdrive, racing to try and figure things all out!

After a few minutes of trying to problem-solve in my head, I sat down and had a conversation with Daddy. I could imagine Him smiling and at the same time shaking His head and thinking 'There she goes trying to figure it all out!" 

Why talk to Him?  I believe that He is the only one who knows me better than I know myself. It was His hand that knitted me together in my mother’s womb and His eyes saw my unformed body! (Psalms 139:13, 16). He knows how everything works! Who else would be a better doctor and listener then my Creator!

I am encouraged by His words in which He says,  But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

The reading goes on to say ..When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (vs 28) 

I take comfort in His Words, knowing that He is faithful and that when I hand over my fears of the unknown and my whole situation to Him, I believe AND trust that He will take control.

Fear or Faith

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)

Fear cripples us, hold us back, lies to us that we are not good enough or we cannot do it! When we give in to fear it limits us. "Fear has to do with punishment."

However, faith does the opposite! My faith rises when I stand on the Word of God and look at my situation through the Word that I'm standing on. I love reading the Word each day because it reminds me of who I am through Christ and what I can do. The Words I feed on each day are like signposts along the road reminding me and directing me!

The song by Chris Tomlin comes to mind.....my faith shall be my eyes! Faith in God, His PERFECT love and in His POWERFUL word can drive out fear!!

Here are two of the many signposts......

Romans 8:15 

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Thank you Father for the indwelling of Your Spirit. Thank you for reminding me through Your Word this morning that Your Spirit DOES NOT make me timid but it does the opposite. Your Spirit gives me POWER, LOVE and SELF DISCIPLINE. Precious Holy Spirit, overwhelm me this morning with Your beautiful and powerful presence. In Jesus Name. Amen.

His Word

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:29 NIV)

This Word manifested itself so powerfully this week. I was facing some challenges and had to make decisions which was tough to do!

As I read this Word, it was like the Lord was talking to me directly....'Marama, is not my Word like fire and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?' SPEAK IT!

The Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance verses that I needed  so I quoted it back to the Father! 

Fast forward to today....one by one, Daddy took care of EVERYTHING! I was and am still lost for words.

Indeed, a faithful God. His Word is like fire and a hammer! SPEAK IT! And watch what it will do.

Eyes of faith

'......Peter.....walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid.........' Matt.14:29-30.

When Peter initially stepped out of the boat-the wind and waves were probably high but the funny thing is, he never saw them. He was too busy looking at Jesus. His focus was on the Lord that he was oblivious to everything around him. He knew that the One calling him to come was his Lord.

A credit to Peter, he must have taken a few steps and then the unthinkable happened, he started to sink. He took into account those things happening around him. Maybe he was afraid of the howling wind, the rising waves and in his mind he must have thought ' oh no, they are going to overtake me'. Because he acknowledged what was around him, he took his focus off Jesus that's when he started to sink.

Coming to think of it, when we are believing God for something or when He tells us to do something we are so confident that we will receive it or that we will reach our destination that we step out in faith. The 'middle ground' is where alot of things happen. That's where the real test begins.

People even friends or family say things to us, we receive phone calls that are contradictory to what we are believing for and circumstances are just screaming out at us that it's not possible. I know that we can identify with how Peter was feeling then. OK, one wave that's no problem-I can still make it, another one, I'm still fine I can still see my Lord. Then the howling wind- this is too much! Doubt started to creep in.

It's in the 'middle ground' that we either sink or we swim. As Peter started to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' In our hour of desperation, rather than allowing circumstances to overwhelm us, let's just cry out to our EVER PRESENT HELPER to take over.

It's challenging to wait for something to breakthrough because the 'waves and boisterous wind' would always say otherwise. If we acknowledge them, we're defeated.
No matter what.
No matter where.
I know He is always there!
I need to use my eyes of faith to see Jesus in the middle of my storm.

Faith vs Sight

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor.5:7

Lord, this is a verse I've heard so many times. It's so easy to say that we have faith but to actually exercise it is a different story. The world that we live in is all about instant coffee, instant cash, instant booking.......but You oh Lord, You work at Your own pace in Your own time. Indeed, having a child-like faith is what You want from me-they believe what is being promised to them and they've made up their little minds that they will get it!

I love the Faith Hall of Fame in Heb.11. These saints trusted You totally. Daddy, may You stregthen my heart each day to hold on to Your promises and not letting go despite the circumstances.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.......because He who promised is faithful!

Standing on the promises of Christ my King
Thru eternal ages let His praises ring
Glory in the highest I will shout and sing
Standing on the promises of God.

chrs
Standing, standing
Standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour
Standing, standing
I'm standing on the promises of God.