The Swaying Battle of Faith

About them to the end. That's fantastic child family for Friday, March 4 you feel as if your life is like a little boat in a very big storm setting your second night anchoring act in Jesus Christ. Learn how his strength can help you overcome the swaying battle of faith.

Faith is oftentimes about idling about will get someone else but a bottle of that. I also because at times we face those situations and circumstances when we feel drawn this way.

On the one hand, this only a I know this is what God says but I'm not sure this will happen in my life. I know this is what I believe. But right now this is what I feel and so we feel ourselves being drawn from one direction of the and of course because we are children of God. We got to be growing in our life and one of the areas on the primary areas that God is going to grow up in is in the area of our faith.

That is the title of this message. The swaying battle of faith. What is a passage of Scripture that so beautifully demonstrates.

This is in second Chronicles chapter 20 know what you turn there if you will. And in this incident, which is about I King Jehoshaphat, here is a good illustration. A good example of this swaying battle of faith and the basic things that are essential to level that out so that we are not just being pulled hither and yonder to improve the behavior allowed to break the what's happening here is a good king, a righteous man who is leading his people the right way. He's brought Judah back to revival, he's given the judge's instructions to be absolutely honest about everything and so he's brought them into wonderful relationship with. Our God is a whole nation will in this life of Jehoshaphat and in his experience here. I believe this is the principal and here is the key to being able to stabilize our faith and we grow and become strong, able to believe God no matter what we face in life. Now it's very evident. Look, if you will. In this 20 chapters very evident in this third verse what happens. You look the Scripture says in verse one that these three groups of the nations they caned the Moabites, ammonites of unites and that suddenly Jehoshaphat gives this news this great multitude, not just army but there's great multitudes coming look at the response.

Jehoshaphat was of three and turn his attention to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast read all Judah and what happened to is a godly man who's a king is what happened. Suddenly he hears this unexpected news three armies are coming there already in in getting which is about 20, 30 miles away that coming to attack on our weakest flank that is in this area that they were the weakest of their defenses and their coming all three groups of them together. The first thing he felt was what any man would feel that is suddenly there was uncertainty and insecurity. What shall I do fear and so the Bible says he felt this fear absolutely penetrated him. So what happens of similes he heard. He swung to the left, the pendulum swung, what shall I do suddenly having had experience with God and difficulty before. What did he do, he chose to bring that fear and subjection to trust in God and the Bible says he immediately chose to seek the Lord. Now it was, naturally, what he felt was fear all of his people. All of his nation.

Here they were all being obedient to God. A godly people, and all of a sudden, here come the enemies of God to attack them and they weren't all that prepared for that and some of what happens. He says he turned to seek the Lord. He did the smartest thing the wisest thing is always the smartest always the wisest.

No matter what happens when you and I hear that kind of news no matter what's going on. That is always the right response God and so this fear and anxiety. I'm certain came over him and it will come about you and maybe what we have to ask is this Lord, how do I bring these natural feelings in subjection to your faithfulness as my God, that is the key question, how do I bring these natural normal feelings of anxiety and fear and unrest of you even maybe anger what it might be how I bring these and subjection. Well, this is exactly what we want to talk about in this message entitled the swaying battle of faith. Now let's answer two questions of this part number one is what is it that causes us to swaying to doubt what is it that causes us when we see the circumstances and situation.

What is it that causes that our faith is swaying to doubt and we become weak. What is it that causes this well when you jot these down because if you don't jot them down synchronously than I can tell you that he'll take them from you and if you jot them down than the next time this happens, you will know what's taking place and how to respond and you will be able to identify that the feelings that you're having those feelings are like a red light that begins the flashlight alarm that goes off. I am on the negative side, my pendulum of faith has swung over here to the downside. Because this is the thing that is most paramount in my life at this time I what moves me from the side of faith to the side of doubt one of the first things is this if I begin to focus on the circumstance and my emphasis is on appearances. How does this appear, what happens is it's always bigger larger greater Miranda more imposing more threatening upon first seeing it.

It's always that way. And so one of the primary reasons our faith turns the doubt is because that we focus on the circumstances. The second thing is this that is, we began to sense these feelings that that is we given trap feelings of feeling weak listen when you feel hopeless and helpless.

You feel weak, you may become physically weak and and physically, your body will respond to what your mind and your emotions are doing that is it. If your emotions are going to real trouble.

Sometimes your body is going to bear witness of that and so the physical body is going to respond. The emotional part of us is going to respond. Our mind, our whole being begins to respond. We begin to feel we can be. We begin to feel out of sorts out of control and helpless and hopeless and fearful and all those things begin to get generated on the inside of us. As a result of it and so there's going to be that second.

The third thing is this and that is our interpretation of what we see and what we hear often times, the way we interpret thing is not the way it is that all but if I interpreted on the negative side if possible. This leaves me hopeless.

This leads me helpless.

This leaves me empty. There's nowhere I can come out of this. If I view it. That is my interpretation of those circumstances will certainly push and swing my pendulum on the side of doubt.

Another thing that's important is that we do bring us to the side of doubt is the interpretation of others about our situation is not interesting that anybody can interpret your situation and give you a very concise, clear, brief answer of exactly what you want to do and why in the world don't you do it will empower you. Here's what I do and often times they'll tell us to do the wrong thing. Think wrong about why one that about take advantage of me. What is the what I would do what is that event gets is negative that gets is out of sorts and gets is out of God's perspective in viewpoint. Then we got a double problem.

Now we just get anger. Now we just get hostile before long you be feeling that way toward God and so these are things that are a hindrance now is one other here that I will mention and that is that we hear the whispers of Satan, and he says why do you think God is going to do that. What makes you think God's going do that for you. Look at your life, you mean that you think God can forgive you. You think God is going to save you while you think God's going to bail you out of this financial situation you knew better. What you think. And so what happens Satan is always always got piecewise he's always is the instant insight nervous as God's sovereign, why doesn't Satan speak some truth because he's the father of lies. He made his own lies to create doubt and deception in the life of the believer to cause us to do what the cause us to have our pendulum swing over here doubting God saying he is no longer trustworthy.

You can put your trust in him that honors the devil and dishonors God and so I think we think in terms of what causes it. We swing to the side of doubt all those things are absolute major issue now, then what we have to ask is one about swinging to the other side. What is it it's going to bring my pendulum back on the side that I can say I'm gonna trust God of the situation, no matter what. Now before I get too specific to let me just give you these are you jot them down if you pendulum is swinging here. This is one the best ways to get it in motion in the other direction is to remember the promises of God. Remember the promises of God. No matter what you see what you feel, no matter how debilitated you may feel what you want to do is you want to remember the promises of God. What did God promise me in circumstances and situations like this, Satan is feeding you reasons the doubt. God wants you to listen draw up from euro well of spiritual truth those promises that you know that God is given to you. He wants you to draw from the well of spiritual knowledge that you have and to recall the promises of God. Thank you, dear father, here's what you said you said be strong and of a good courage. We are not, neither be thou dismayed for the Lord thy God is with you whithersoever you go. Thank you, dear father, so the first thing I will do is remember the promises of God. Second thing I will do is to recall the very nature of God begin to think about the character and the nature of God. It's going to get my pendulum swinging in the other direction, because then who becomes the focus of my attention. God becomes the focus when I think about who he is in his power to slightly strengthen his love that my focus is moved from that which is negative for that which is powerful that which could cause me harm to the one who loves me with all of his divine heart. So what I want to do is I want to remember his promises of an recall his nature, and then I want to ask God, Lord, I want to see this from your viewpoint, how do you see this now you see oftentimes what we look at and see as a mountain, God sees is just a little molehill. But Reese is a tragedy he sees as an opportunity to demonstrate his power to show us how to bring us through something triumphantly and victoriously. We want to see it from God's perspective.

While I was look at this passage now because I think it's a very important that we understand what's happening here at what's happening in this prayer is something happening in this prayer that I think is a real key to our diminishing the swinging pendulum of doubt and keeping okay on the face side because what's happening is this man's faith is growing because of his prayer and look what happened when what you see. The two things here that are absolutely essential in order to keep the swinging pendulum where it ought to be over here. Number one listen is that God centered prayer. This is a God centered prayer. Look at the six verse again all Lord God of our fathers art thou not God in the heavens art thou not rule out over all the kingdoms of the nation's power and minor in thy hand so that no one can stand against the in that verse alone. God is the subject of adverse not there problems with God is what I want you to see. You cannot be in the doldrums facing some difficult situation no matter what the need may be and and pray like this God, you, the God of the heavens.

That means you rule over all the earth. You have power over all the nations you understand and need to understand our hurts, my God, you know exactly where we are you the God of love and goodness and mercy toward your children. You can't stay in the dumps very long talking to God like that. I want to challenge you to ask yourself when you face some difficult situation. You come to God what is the emphasis of your prayer is the circumstance that you tell them about it you describe it you tell them how awful it is how bad it is how long it's been going on and there was is that the emphasis on God, thank you that you on that because you're an omniscient God. You understand loss or because you're an all-powerful God, you have the power to deliver me and only see what you doing is you are glorifying God you magnifying God you praising God in your prayer you exalting him and things you can't praise and magnify and exalt God and himself in heaven and ignored. I'm telling you, I believe that stirs the heart of God like nothing God we are hopeless and helpless. Apart from you. We trust you because of who you are, God centered.

Praying that is one of the keys of getting this pendulum off the downside old. The believing side because it happens and really Ross was happening so is Godzilla.

But there's a second very important thing and that's this. It isn't only God centered, praying that the second thing that's important is waiting upon the Lord is what happened when Jehoshaphat heard that news the natural normal thing for him to do would be to get busy trying to figure out how to defend themselves. That's the natural normal thing when something hits us like the vessel. What we do we want to know what can I do with the right response always the right response. He devolves as he turned to seek the Lord God with you. It was in his waiting upon God in prayer and crying out to God, it was in that time God was preparing Jehoshaphat to hear the answer and to believe God's answer because I'm here to tell you he never thought about like this before ever you don't fight battles by sending your army out telling them are not going to have to fight in sin required to sing praise God, that's not the way you invent what was God doing business prayer meeting. Not only was he building this man's faith get his pendulum back up here where he wanted. But what's he doing in his prayer. He's building his faith to strengthen him to get him ready to be willing to hear and believe the answer because the answer was going to be so bizarre, so absolutely unnatural that Mrs. no man in his naturalness.

What ever have accepted now. The first part of the wing look. He says the prophet said look verse 15 listen all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Joshua.

Thus says the Lord, do you, do not fear or be dismayed. Because of this great multitude for the battle is not yours but God.

Then he says in verse 17 you not even your need to fight this battle all you need to do's and station yourselves and stand and see the salvation of the Lord. Now that was totally opposite of everything. Josh Bennett ever done in the battle. Now what made him listen to this profit.

What made him listen. This profit was that while he was crying out to God and waiting upon the Lord in prayer there in the temple, God was getting him ready. He was listen. He was moving his viewpoint from military might to the dynamite from military might to divine light from fighting to standing from doubting the trusting he was moving his mind gradually what you not have to understand is that God doesn't suddenly change everything we think, and that's why that prayer God centered, praying and listen waiting upon the Lord, and as he waited and as he cried out to God this province that upset listen, this isn't your battle. This is God's about will find how does he want us to fight unless that issue in regular part of you, stand still and watch God salvation on your behalf. The Bible says when they heard that he announce that I mean those folks.

They praise God, they fell on their faces, praising the Lord now it is in that time of prayer God centered praying and waiting for God's timing that he was able to hear what God said do what God said, the way God said at the time God said now what happens. So they march out singing and praising God, giving thanks tempers kindness and goodness of love is everlasting and you know what happens. Listen, this is how absolutely important is their absolute obedience to him set the enemy in such disarray and confusion. They rose up to fight in their fight each other. The Bible says they absolutely completely annihilated one another in verse 23 and so that when Judah came all they could find. Verse 24 were dead corpses lying around and not a single seller. One had escaped. This message is so important to your and my daily life. This is where we are living we are living with circumstances and with living with difficulty living the person living with all kinds of troubles and trials and tests directly. How do we deal with these things by God centered. Praying we bring them to a holy God to righteous God to an omnipotent God, and we bring them back and listen. We wait upon him for his direction and I think one of the reasons that people get themselves deeper and deeper and deeper in trouble because they pray and run office in a quick prayer and run off and do they decide to do, even before they prayed, which they did in their praying together. Would you please bless this I cannot tell you how absolutely important absolutely listen unmistakably important.

It is for you to read the word of God and get the principles and and the promises of God in your heart so that when you tested and tried, you can recall you can tell God about you can talk to God about who is, you can rest in who he is.

You can wait upon and you can trust in you can believe him that he will tell you exactly what to do and when he tell you something that seems to be off-the-wall none of your friends are your enemies related that has a possible reason of success whatsoever. You will pay God no matter my friend, you cannot lose obeying. Thank you for listening to the swinging battle and if you'd like to know more about child family friend touch ministry in TextEdit OIG is back after the presentation of intense ministry in Atlanta, Georgia