Praise Your Way to Victory | Part 2

You believe that God is bigger than your battles. Listen to Adrian Rogers about the middle of a problem began to praise God because God says the battle is not yours, but his mind, which are lab part of about in your part in the battle is praying as though I can't sing I can't break yet because I don't have anything for you and God's is all right, good news, so I can't praise God in the middle of my problem. God's is okay live with novels I'm telling it praise that comes not it is praise that goes before. Why is this because that's always saying God will is not our business to know God bigger than this problem. Welcome to love worth finding featuring profound truth. Simply stated, pastor, teacher and author Adrian Rogers praises a powerful thing in times of joy and in times of help, especially in times of trouble in second Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat faced fierce opposition on all sides. Likewise, every Christian will encounter problems in the form of sin, sorrow, or death, but the king's response to this opposition shows us how to praise our way to victory. If you have your Bible, turn the second Chronicles chapter 20 will begin in verse one is Adrian Rogers shares part two of praise your way to victory. Let me give you what happened to good King Jehoshaphat's greatest blessings all of the Bible. This is a magnificent chapter you will be incredibly blessed and instructed.

If you will open your Bible out and follow along with me and find out what happened to good King Jehoshaphat and what he did about it and what you can do in similar things happen. The number one notice in verses one and two that he encountered a problem in verse one and it came to pass after this. Also that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon and with the mother besides the ammonites came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

Now here's the problem. I just have a Bible and then here comes the Herald essay look out you got some enemies that are coming now. You will encounter a problem, and when you encounter a problem you need to see it as it really is a blessing in disguise. Put down make plaintiff straight. If you are a Christian or non-Christian makes no difference. You will encounter a problem.

Second thing when he encountered a problem he established a purpose look now in verses three and four and Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah and Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord, even out of all the cities of Judah, they came to see the Lord. They came together in convocation. They came together and fasting when he encountered a problem. He established a purpose and that purpose was to see the face of Almighty God for everything you did. He examined his past.

Look, if you will now him.

In verse seven are not thou our God who did drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel and gave it to the seed of Abraham by Fran forever. What is doing is just reviewing the past. He's looking backward and decent God, you have all power their power over all the nations, only you are the one who gave this land. Abraham you are the one who drove out the Canaanites in the past. Lord you have done it before and then he embrace the promise a saying, Lord, you gave us this land and Lord, you told us that when trouble and difficulty, pestilence, famine, enemies came Lord if we would seek your face that Lord you would hear. And Lord, that you would deliver us now, Lord, I'm holding you to look in verse 11.

Behold, I say how they reward us to come to cast us out of my possession which thou has given us to inherit Melissa. He found the promise of God and he said I'm going to stand on that promise. He have said that I may boldly say I here's the thing you. He exposed his powerlessness is he is not an arrogant man.

This is not self-confidence a look in verses 12 and 13 all our God will thou not judge them for we have no might against this great company that comes against us. Neither know we want to do, but our eyes are upon the and Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, their wives and their children. Can you see them standing there with a little children's I got with God. We got a promise from you and God. Our eyes are upon you. Our eyes not upon ourselves rising up on our enemy riser, not upon circumstances arise are all you Lord, if we die we going to die with our eyes on you. You think outgoing for sick people like that he can't do. They've got a promise and they are standing on the promise of God, exposing the home a powerlessness we don't know what to do. We'll have any strength but we are looking to you when I was meditating on this verse told him came to me and I got up and got my Havilland just wrote these words out of it abide with me fastballs the Eventide.

The darkness deepens Lord with me abide when other helpers failing comforts flee help of the helpless old abide with me was a hot, helpless, my Lord, my eyes are on you now. Not only did he expose his powerlessness, but he enlisted there for his protection now begin if you will, in verses 14 and now following then upon to Hayes.

You, the son of Zechariah, the son of Anaya, the son of GEO. The sound of Matt Anaya, a Levite of the sons of Asaph came the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation and he said here's a man now the God spirit comes upon him, and he says hi. Can ye all Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat, thus saith the Lord, do you be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude for the battle is not yours.

The Lords Tamara go ye down against them, and behold they come up by the clip of his is, and you shall find them at the end of the brook before the wilderness of Cairo, and you shall not need to fight in this battle set yourselves standing still and see the salvation of the Lord with you all Judah and Jerusalem. Fear nor be dismayed tomorrow go out against them for the Lord will be with you what he does now as he exposes his powerlessness. He at this time engages our list his own protection, and God is saying to him through this matter. By the way I love this. The spirit of God comes upon one man in the congregation that man stands up to encourage all of the rest of the take the promise of God and make it live in their hearts is got evident at the present, have you been in a problem in and some preacher some song are some Scripture are some of the book has just taken the word of God and made it alive to you makes it vibrant to you makes it real to you and God just speaks to you and God says it's going to be all right I the battle is not yours Jehoshaphat by the way, the battle never has been hours it doesn't depend upon our ability. It depends upon his ability and our response to his ability, which is our responsibility to depend upon him that he enlisted his protection and then as we sharpen the focus look at this, he engaged this preparation is getting ready for battle.

Now I notice what he does in verses 18 and 19, and then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground and Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord worshiping the Lord that also was underscored in my Bible worshiping the Lord that's what we been talking about, and the Levites of the children of the court fights and of the children of the core heights stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice, all high and they rose up early in the morning and went forth into the wilderness of Toccoa and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said here may all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem believe in the Lord your God, so shall you be established believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper and when he had consulted with the people he appointed singers under the Lord. Now what he did. He just engaged this preparation. He he began to worship God. Whenever you have any kind of a problem any kind of a battle, any kind of a situation, you establish your purpose to seek God you get a promise from God used animal that promise. Let the Holy Spirit of God make that promise real you and then you just simply began to worship God now, what did he do after he engaged his preparation began to worship, he expressed his praise look again now in verses 20 and following, and they rose up early in the morning. I read the part of this blood read again went forth into the wilderness of Toccoa and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said here may all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem believe in the Lord your God, so shall you be established believe his profit socially prosper and when he had consulted with the people he appointed singers under the Lord and that they should praise the beauty of holiness as they went out before the Lord and to say, praise the Lord for his mercy in duress for ever and notice verse 22 and when they began to sing and pray it's Lord sent ambush months against the children of Ammon.

Moab amounts ear which will come against Judah, and they were smitten for the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against inhabitants amounts ear utterly to slay and destroy them and when they made an end of the inhabitants of seer everyone helped to destroy what happens is this when they began to praise Willis: verse 24 and when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness, they look unto the multitude, and behold, there were dead bodies fall into their and not escape as they going forth to sing the praise the beautiful after they worship the Lord. They began to praise the Lord and as they do a strange thing happens.

The enemy turns on himself. Now let me take this about praise praise infuses the energy of God and praise confuses the enemies of God that something about praise that sends the enemy in the consternation and confusion.

I have seen there's a pattern in the Bible that when God's people began to praise him. When God's people say our eyes are upon you, God, since confusion into the camp of the enemy. I could take my Bible died initially for five instances where this precise thing happened where people begin to trust God look to God. Praise God, and the enemy turns on himself and destroys himself now if you're in the middle of a problem began to praise God because God says the battle is not yours, but his mind what you're going to have a part in about and your part in the battle is pray and you can't hide into the battle is over and then praise the Lord, you say Lord when you've done it all. And when you give me the victory that I will praise you spend is are you not going to have any victory you start praising into you start singing it so I can't sing I can praise yet because I don't have any victory and I got it all right, good thing you do so I can praise God in the middle of my problems. Guts is okay lit with my folks. I'm telling it's praise that comes not after the victory is praise because before victory. Why is this that is the ultimate faith when we begin to praise God before we see the answer, because that's always saying God will is not our business to know God, you're bigger than this problem and therefore I praise you. He just expressed his praise. You see, lack of praise when we pray, is unbelief. Philippians 4 verse six be careful for nothing. That means don't worry about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God are Colossians 4 verse two continue in prayer and watching the same with thanksgiving. What kind of Thanksgiving just thank you Lord for the victory. I praise you Lord for the victory prayer and praise are the two wings of spiritual power. Now here's the next thing you did.

After he expressed his praise enjoyed the provisions look you will now in verses 25 and following. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil up and by the way, the that the enemy just decimated himself. And when Jehoshaphat's people came to take away the spoil of them.

They found among them in abundance. Both riches with the dead bodies and precious jewels which they stripped off for themselves more than they could carry away and they were three days in gathering of the spoil. It was so much now. Not only did Jehoshaphat have victory over the enemy, but he ended up with enemies possessions is just like our God. Did you know that Satan in a very real way, as God's messenger boy to bring you blessings you say, not the devil. Yes, he was called called him a messenger of Satan, an angel of Satan coming to tempt me, but he was a a really a servant of the Lord and it happened so many times that when somebody comes against us to hurt us to harm us. Weatherby the world, the flesh of the devil. We really and truly begin to praise God. At that time, we are in rich.

I know that one time in Florida when I was pastor at Merritt Island somebody with the reporter in the local newspaper.

There are said to me Mr. Rogers.

I'm a new profile. I said what what is a profile he said I would do an investigative story on your church is growing fast and we were kind of a high-profile church there is this man hated Christians he hated the Baptist, particularly in a Baptist preachers, most of all, and that he had that comparability very sarcastic and very cutting and he said nine would do a I will do a profile on you.

He said you can cooperate with me if you want to unlock the makes no difference to me was I will find out everything about you.

I will put the paper everything out directly ashamed and I said well I don't have any secrets. Anything you want to know I said your freedom follow me around. Ask any questions comes at my office sometime if you want watch me do what I do so people in the newspaper that the worker where new median love me the past. We know this man is really out to do you in.

He's got a vendetta and he's going to write a a scurrilous story about you.

Well I told Jesus only, and then I went to the word of God to do exactly what I'm telling you that Jehoshaphat did. I wonder word of God to find a promise and God gave me a promise now and ever, as M got it. Just a word out of the word and make that word you God gave me this promise is Isaiah 54 verse 17. Here's what it said.

No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is for me that the Lord may get worse as Isaiah chapter 54 verse 17 that would've been a good birthday time, but God just took that person God made that verse.

My verse I read that verse frequently over and over again and prayed it back to the Lord and and just stood upon adverse justice, Jehoshaphat got a word from God. The stamp on it and God told me my son live.

The battle is not yours is mine. You distrust me and so people were telling us the past. We read snippets of the story. This matters is to be the real hatchet job on you and I just Praising the Lord upon a time he came to the first Baptist Church Merritt Island, where I was pastor became the scraggly will close and he had his photographer there. Within minutes, gently making a nuisance of himself on preaching out around taking shots and so forth and I got to the service and God bless the service in a wonderful way. People were just so happy in the Lord and I was glad that testimony master the front door, shaking hands and I church was much smaller. Just have one door. I could stand and shake hands and he was there with his photographer making shots of me shaking hands so happen I don't know why it happened that Sunday will just buy the providence of God, that a man who was in his very zenith in football showed up at our church that morning. His name was Johnny Unitas, Johnny Unitas. At that time was the best known football player in the world.

He showed up First Baptist Church, Maryland. He never been there before and never since I what are you doing in my services. I have no idea, but one of them.

When the ashes came up and whispered maddeningly was known as Britain Boulevard pastor Johnny Unitas us was in the services once it begins in. So I'm standing shaking hands and this man is photographers right behind me and I comes Johnny Unitas. I said good morning John. Good to have you this morning is a great assignment past us a thank you very much and I said how you Ms. Jones is over garbanzo for that. After that was Johnny Unitas. It was you. I said he came to worship how you Ms. Smith. Good to see you. You blame at the saddle and there I was thinking all good night. Johnny Unitas is here not only have a camera bus guy right by me got a picture me shaking hands for me with Johnny Unitas which picture I have and I dislike ideal. God does love me things like that and so after was over I got a letter from him this scurrilous reporter and he said well I guess you'll be happy to know that I have been fired. They said they didn't like my story.

They said they rewritten said they been a tough job when you I just thought of myself.

No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against in judgment thou shalt condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is for me set the Lord now doesn't mean that we always get out unscathed. But I'm telling you folks, we have to learn to praise God in times of trouble. And until we began to praise God with our troubles. We just live with God brings us these problems bring us to him in the very things that we read all those things that break with blessings on my hands, and here was okay. Jehoshaphat took them three days to carry away the beauty of the battle because they learn to go for reasonable and we can we shall praise our way to victory.

What a powerful message for us to dwell on today.

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