In today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan we read Psalm 24 and verse 1 has always been a favorite!
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, the world and they who dwell in it.
Remember this when you are tempted to think that the God of all creation does not care about what is happening in our world today! HE told us of these times in His Word! NOW is the time to stand steadfast in the Truth that you have been learning and growing in all of these years since you received JESUS as Lord and personal Saviour! If you have only just recently been born again, know without a doubt that the Spirit of Almighty God, Who lives IN you and is teaching you, is doing a quick work in these days! Allow Him to show you the LOVE of God manifest so that YOU can become a conscious carrier of that love to others!
We also read today in 2 Chonicles the account of King Jehoshaphat and the battle at Engedi! I love verses 15-17 where the Lord tells him THIS:
15 He said, Hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.16 Tomorrow go down to them. Behold, they will come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ravine before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
In verses 18-19 we see this:
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping Him. 19 And some Levites of the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
And then there is THIS in verses 20-22:
20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established; believe and remain steadfast to His prophets and you shall prosper. 21 When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy [priestly] garments as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! 22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were [self-] slaughtered;
The King, believing that what God had revealed to him was the TRUTH, responded himself with worship, then put the worship teams and praise leaders out in front! He demonstrated that he BELIEVED the promise of God and would be victorious! And he was! HALLELUJAH! The most important that we, as born again believers with a new and better covenant can do is to OBEY GOD and HIS WORD! Verses 29-30 shows the results!
29 And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about.
AMEN! TRUST HIM! He ALWAYS has your best interest at heart! He wants you to have, and operate in, LIFE! John 10:10:
10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
THAT is 'zoe'! Life as GOD has within HIMSELF! AMEN! Here is one of our favorite music videos from Gospel Bill's shows called "Fear Not":
Shalom in Him!
