Daily Devotional - Discipleship - WK38 - 9/18/24 - Month of Prayer - Day 18 "The Battle is Not Yours"

Author: Evangelist Crystal Poston

“The Battle is Not Yours”
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20:20

“And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.”

Devotion:
In this chapter of 2 Chronicles, Judah and Jerusalem were surrounded by a large army of 3 great nations, the Moabites, Ammonites, and the others beside the Ammonites that came against Jehoshaphat to battle.  The Israelites were feeling very scared, alone, and hopeless. However, Jehoshaphat encouraged them while on their way to battle that they had to trust in God and the prophet that God sent, and they would be victorious and prosper.  He called for a fast and they prayed to God.  As the prophet told the people, God planned for the armies that were coming for them to fight against each other, giving Jehoshaphat a victory without the people having to fight.  Can you imagine that - You are on your way to battle, a mighty army ahead of you, believing “we are doomed”, and God turns it all the way around in your favor.  Won’t He do it!

We are encouraged to trust God with the outcome when we are in a predicament, no matter how great it seems in our eyes. God’s plans are greater than we could ever imagine.  God assures us with His promise in Hebrews 13:5, “ …..I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Yes, there are times in our lives when we feel defeated because we don’t see circumstances working out the way we planned. But have you ever been turned down for a position when you were competing against a number of other strong candidates and come to find out that God had something better in store for you?  We have to remember to put our trust in the Lord in all aspects of our lives.  He is the one who is in Control, no matter what!  We must stand firm knowing that the battle is not ours, the battle belongs to God.  In order to gain this confidence and courage, we must have a relationship with Him.  We have to fast and pray like the Israelites were led to do.  Humbly telling God all about it.  It’s okay to let Him know we are afraid and to be vulnerable because He is all knowing. When we are talking to God, we must also thank Him for what He is about to do on our behalf and to glorify Him when the battle is won. The Word lets us know in 3 John 1:2 how much He loves us and wants us to prosper and be in good health. It is up to us to have faith and believe it!

Prayer:
Lord we thank You today for the many battles that You have brought us through.  Forgive us for not being faithful and turning our problems over to You first.  Help us to trust You more. In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.