BATTLES – Part 2 – Battle That Is Bigger Than You

GETTING STARTED:

Have you ever received a phone call that shook your world? You’re just having a great day, then suddenly, a bomb is dropped at your feet.  Has someone knocked at your door to bring you bad news? You don’t know what to do.  You can’t find a solution.

ONE BIG IDEA!

When you have battles ahead of you, SHIFT YOUR FOCUS from what is COMING AGAINST YOU to the one who REIGNS ABOVE YOU.

STUDY:

Read 2 Chronicles 20:3-17.

2 CHRONICLES 20:17– “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” (ESV)

LEARN:

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE BATTLE IS BIGGER THAN YOU?

RESOLVE TO SEEK THE LORD

Jehoshaphat resolved to seek the Lord. He gathered the people in Judah to get help from God. He’s now surrounded with the right people. He did not go to King Ahab anymore. He’s not asking his friends on what to do with his problem. He’s not looking at what the majority would do. He went to the Lord and he doesn’t have a plan. When you are in trouble, God should not be your Plan B. God should always be your Plan A. If you’re facing a battle bigger than you, pray and fast for at least one week. Pray just like how Jehoshaphat prayed.

REPEAT WHAT GOD HAS PROMISED AND DONE FOR YOU (2 Chronicles 20:5-12)

It’s nice to repeat what God has promised you. This is not to remind God because He never forgets.  But repeating His promises to you in the Bible increases your faith. When you have battles ahead of you, SHIFT YOUR FOCUS from what is COMING AGAINST YOU to the one who REIGNS ABOVE YOU. When you’re in trouble, speak of what the Lord has done to His people in the Bible, speak of what the Lord has done for you and your family.  This is not to remind God but to remind yourself that God is good.

2 Chronicles 20:8-9.  When Jehoshaphat went to the Lord in the temple, he is expecting God to be true to His promises. Cry out to God in your AFFLICTION and God will grant you SALVATION.

2 Chronicles 20:10. Somehow, King Jehoshaphat was blaming God and at the same time  saying that it was not his fault. It’s just like Jehoshaphat saying to God, “My alliance with King Ahab that almost cost my life was my fault, but this fight with Ammonites, Moabites, and Meunites is no longer my fault.” We don’t question the will and decision of God because He knows what’s best for HIs people in a particular time and situation.  We just have to trust God to do what’s best for us. We just have to trust God to keep His promises.

2 Chronicles 20:11 – “behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, WHICH YOU HAVE GIVEN US TO INHERIT (ESV).” If it is God who GAVE it, it is His responsibility to PROTECT it. If it is God’s POSSESSION, it’s God’s PROBLEM. Let me tell you today, you are God’s possession, you are God’s treasure. You are His daughter.  You are His son. So, it is His responsibility to protect you and provide for you.

2 Chronicles 20:12 – “O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? FOR WE ARE POWERLESS against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (ESV).” Our situation might be bigger than us but it’s definitely not bigger than God. God is telling you right now, “If you’ll change the FOCUS, He’ll win the FIGHT.” Help is on the way!

REST IN THE LORD’S POWER (2 Chronicles 20:13-14)

All the names and words that you can read in the Bible are significant.  The Bible is the inspired word of God.  The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, who came upon his father Zechariah, who came upon his father Beniah, so on and so forth. They are sons of Asaph who is also one of the Psalmists who wrote in the Book of Psalms. If God can pour out His Spirit upon you, He can pour out His Spirit to your children and He can pour out His Spirit upon their children and children’s children.  God’s promise to you doesn’t stop with you. God’s promise to you continues to your children and all your descendants as long as they’re obeying God. It’s not about your POWER, it’s about your POSITION in God. You are a child of God.

2 Chronicles 20:15-17 – “¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”” (ESV)

Good thing that Jehoshaphat sought the Lord first.  Otherwise, if they fought, they will lose the battle. When you don’t know the nature of the battle, you won’t know the strategy for the battle.  Some of you are losing your life’s battle, because you’re fighting on the wrong level. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (ESV).”  We usually fight people and people are not our enemy.   save your energy for the real battle.

Sometimes it takes more faith not to fight back.  Sometimes it takes more faith to let God be great in your situation.  Because if you manipulate it, you’re going to mess it up. The battle is not yours but God’s.

When you have battles in life, shift WORRY to WORSHIP. When your battle is too big for you, it doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to our big God. We often say “The battle is the Lord’s,” but we’re worrying like it’s ours. We wasted all our strength in worrying when we could have been worshipping. Quit doing God’s job for Him. “Give it to the Lord!” Bear in mind: Greater is He who is in me than He who is in the world.  Let us stop worrying, let us start worshipping.

GROW:

Application Questions:

1. Sometimes we don’t get to choose the battles we face. What was a battle you faced (or you are facing right now) that you didn’t ask for? How have you been fighting your battle? Where has your focus been?
2. What have you learned from past battles about fights that are yours versus fights that are bigger than you?  How do you know when to fight a battle you’re facing and when not to fight?
3. In the battle you’re currently fighting, what distractions have kept your focus from God? What practical steps can you take to shift your focus?