Work and Fight

Nehemiah 4:15-17 (HCSB)

15 When our enemies realized that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall. 16 From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah, 17 who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.

The Lord called Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem with a group of people to rebuild the wall that was destroyed when taken captive by the Babylonians. The enemies of Judah schemed to kill them and stop the work of rebuilding the wall. Since they are enemies of Judah, they’re also enemies of the Lord. The Lord’s plans always prevail and thus the Lord frustrated their schemes of the enemy. The Jews who lived near the enemy camp overheard the plans and reported them to Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s response:

"Don't be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes." (Nehemiah 4:14 HCSB)

He encouraged the people to press on with the call of God on their lives. They had a vision. A purpose from God.

I know that I know that the Lord put a call on my life. Each day as I press forward toward the preparation, the enemy frustrates me. I confess I’ve been complacent on spiritual warfare. But this is no time to be complacent. We have an enemy who would like nothing more than to thwart the plans of the Lord. I cannot cower to these schemes.

How do I know it’s the enemy? As I press on toward the call, I am more easily distracted with little things. Sickness set in last week. Unexpected little fires needed to be put out. Needless to say I didn’t realize it until after I ran to put them out, if I left them alone those fires would have lacked the fuel to burn and gone out on their own. I learned that not all fires have to but doused, as it must have fuel to burn.

Then I read Nehemiah 4:15-17 last week in the chronological reading. It struck me like a bolt of lightning. I must work with one hand and fight with the other. Now I was reminded that our weapons are not weapons of this world. The fight is in the spirit.

The first step in fighting in the spirit is walking in obedience to the Lord. (2 Cor. 10:3-6; James 4:7)

Next, put on the full armor of God to stand your ground. (Eph. 6:10-20)

We’re in a spiritual battle, but the Lord has equipped us to win! Let’s stay in His word, walk in His ways by being obedient, and fight the good fight of faith.

Now I must be about what the Lord has called me to do. Love & blessings in Christ to you all!

Engrafted by His Grace--

Snatched from the Fire

Zechariah 3:1-2 NIV

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?"

“Is not this woman a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

I burned like dry wood not leaving much smoke. No one knew where I hid for I hid my sins well from the world. But the Devil knew as he lured me to that deep, dark desolate place of agony.

Initially it seemed fun and felt glamorous. I acted like a rock star—fame, fortunes, and good times (of which none existed but in my imagination). After each episode, I felt empty, abandoned and alone. But I kept returning to it as a dog returns to vomit. I thought if I stuck it out long enough then surely something would change.

Change –it sure did. The fun and glamour dissipated while the fire ignited. I mustered all the strength I had left as I recalled a place where I once met a Savior. I called out, “Jesus, save me. I don’t know what I’ve done, but I’m burning up. I need Your help.” At that moment, this wild branch was snatched out of the fire.

The accuser stood right there next to me declaring that Lord couldn’t take me from him as I sold my soul to the devil with rock-n-roll. I signed the covenant with my own blood. Blood sisters we called each other, determined that we’d go down together. After all it would be more fun that way not knowing the danger we played with. Jesus told my accuser, “The Lord rebuke you Satan. She’s been bought with My blood. The covenant she has with Me is an everlasting one. It nullifies all others.”

1 John 1:2 NASB

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

Jesus, my Advocate, the Righteous One defended me from the accuser before the Judge, Almighty God.

Zechariah 3:3-4 NIV

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you."

Now my filthy, dirty rags have been removed with my sin. I am now clothed in rich garments. This burning branch has been grafted into the Root of Christ our Lord. His life sustains mine as long as I stay attached to the vine—an abiding branch.

The deep, dark places of the enemy are real. The fire is real. The Lord is ready to rescue anyone who calls upon His name. Call Him! Jesus, our Advocate is ready to defend us before the accuser and the Judge. The blood of Jesus covers our sins and allows us to enter into the covenant God has for His people. We are then called His people!

Romans 9:25-26 NLT

Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, “Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.” And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

Engrafted by His Grace--

Prune the Suckers

Have you seen trees with little cute branches growing from the base of the trunk?

Those cute little shoots actually suck the life out of the tree not allowing the essential nutrients to reach the upper branches. The upper branches bear fruit. Suckers will never bear fruit. If allowed to continue to grow these suckers will eventually kill the tree. Suckers in a slow process will drain the strength and life from a tree.

For a tree to bear good fruit and much fruit, the suckers must be pruned away as soon as they sprout up. This is vital for a productive life.

Like trees, we have suckers sprout up in our lives. If not pruned out of our lives quickly, our strength and life will be sucked out of us. We won’t be able to accomplish the purpose God has for our lives as effectively.

After seventy years in captivity in Babylon, the Lord kept HIS promise and the Israelites started to return to their homeland. The first task to be accomplished was the rebuilding of the temple funded by Cyrus the king of Persia. As this task progressed, it faced some fierce opposition. The enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned of the plans to rebuild the house of God so they offered to help rebuild the temple. Yet the heads of the Israelites declined this offer. So the enemy changed their approach.

Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia. ~~ Ezra 4:4-5

The enemy—the suckers—determined to frustrate the plans of the Israelites. Intentional! Does the evil one do that to us? I think so. I personally experienced frustrated plans in my life this past week. I feel the call and purpose of God on my life. As I take each step toward the call, other things pop up that distract me. This past week I’ve dealt with these irritating situations. These distractions discouraged me for a week. The Israelites were discouraged for years.

Well what do we do when the enemy frustrates the plans of God’s servants? Sometimes we justify it by saying, “Oh well, it’s not God’s timing yet. I’ll just wait on the Lord.”

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' " ~~Haggai 1:2

Sometimes that may very well be true. Some instances do require waiting on the Lord for His perfect timing. Yet there are times we’re to move on something for it is God’s time. And waiting is no excuse not to make progress.

How do I know if it is God timing to move forward or not? Very good question! Let’s seek the Lord in prayer and in His word. If we seek the Lord, He’ll let us know if we are not walking in obedience. One way we will know is that we’re not content in our daily lives.

Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. ~~Haggai 1:5-8

We just can’t be satisfied if we’re not doing what the Lord calls us to do. Our lives are zapped of strength to move forward. We must recognize the sucker branches and cut them out of our lives. After hearing the word of the Lord spoke through Haggai, the people recognized the suckers. They then feared the Lord and resumed work on the temple.

As a believer in Christ, I must resume the work I’ve been called to do. While my computer was being repaired, I got caught up in watching the media’s bias view points on politics. Sucker branch. Though this upcoming election is important, I should not allow the media’s viewpoint to rule my day. I became sucked up in many other little things as well —movies, shopping, personality conflicts in the home, etc. My plans were frustrated. What do I do? Well the Lord spoke and I must resume the work He has called me to do. He’s promised:

"I am with you," declares the LORD.” ~~ Haggai 1:13

The Lord is with me. The Lord is with you. Let’s prune off the suckers and get to work with what HE has planned for us!

Engrafted by His Grace--

Who Among Us?

Ezekiel 22:30-31

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.

Who among us will stand in the gap on behalf of our country and pray? Will you?

Our times today are not much different from the times of the prophets.

Let us pray for our land. Timothy urges all believers to pray for kings and all in authority.

2 Timothy 2:1-6 NIV
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.

I have written a prayer for our nation and placed on my prayer page on the website. You can go directly to that page here. This prayer is a place to start; please continue to pray for our nation as the Holy Spirit leads you.

Engrafted by His Grace--

True or False

Am I seeking life the way I want it? Or seeking life the way the Lord wants it?

This week in the chronological reading, I read a lot of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet of God to Judah. At this point most of Judah has already been taken into captivity to Babylon. The Lord prophesied that due to their hard hearts and rebellious attitudes that Judah would go into captivity. Yet the people did not want to believe that God would do such a thing.

I’ve been like that. The Lord warned me over and over not to do certain things. But I didn’t want to believe that a kind and loving God would let anything happen to me.

During Jeremiah’s time, the rebellious people wanted to live the good life. Do whatever they wanted, when they wanted and be merry in their rebellion. So they refused to listen to the prophet the Lord sent telling them the truth to repent and turn from their wicked ways. They chose instead to listen to the false prophets who told them that the captivity would be short. It was just a brief period—not 70 years as Jeremiah spoke from the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:16-17

16 This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the LORD.

17 They keep saying to those who despise me,
'The LORD says: You will have peace.'
And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts
they say, 'No harm will come to you.'

Because they listened to the false prophets, they had false hopes. False dreams. They wanted peace so bad they deceived themselves into believing it was from the Lord.

I have had desires I wanted so bad that I thought it had to be from the Lord. Surely it would come to pass. I listened to teachings that satisfied my flesh and gave me hope—false hopes that is.

I sought the Lord earnestly seeking HIM for what I wanted. I used HIS word to try to manipulate my way. But I learned a hard lesson—God cannot be manipulated. Everything that was false was cut out from under me. I was left barren. All the hopes and dreams I had crashed. Smattered. Shattered. The only things left in my life were what was from God—including the hurt.

I had to be pruned to a stump to see what was false. I had to make a choice—follow what was true or follow what was false.

I chose to follow truth and allow the Lord to reshape me and teach me HIS truth.

I learned that the Lord wants to give me life and give it more abundantly. (John 10:10) But I learned that an abundant life does not mean material things. Because I listened to false teaching, I sought after more material things and did not seek first the Kingdom of God. (Matt. 6:33) I thought that by being a godly person I would experience financial gain. (1 Tim. 6:5) I wanted to be relieved of debts and wanted money fast. What the Lord taught me is He is my gain. I am learning step by step how to live the way He wants me to live. I must be a good steward over what is entrusted to me.

This financial lesson came to me three years ago. It was a very painful lesson and now I certainly try to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I want a correctible and teachable spirit. I want to keep my heart bent toward what is True and put aside what is false.

Let’s heed the warnings spoken by the prophets of old. Let’s ask for a discerning spirit to hear what is True and not take in what is false.

Lord, I seek You this day as it is the day You have given to me. Lord, I pray that by Your Holy Spirit that You reveal what is truth. Lord, I pray that all the false teachings be revealed and I not accept them as truth because my flesh desires comfort and ease of life. Lord, I pray that You guide me on the path that leads to You. Lord, may my life be a life lived in the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I pray my life will point to Your saving grace—Jesus Christ. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Engrafted by His Grace—

Shonda

______________________________________

Note: For more on the chronological readings, visit Bev. You can join us at any time.

Revelation Knowledge

Have you ever been in a predicament that seemed life or death? That if you didn’t get an answer quick, it was over? Daniel faced this situation. King Nebuchadnezzar (King Neb) had a dream and he didn’t know what it meant. He wanted an interpretation. But he had a catch—he would not tell any of the wise men, astrologers, enchanters, or magicians the dream. Who can do that? No one.

Extremely angry that none of these men could tell him his dream and interpret it, King Neb decided to put all the wise men to death—all of them! Daniel and his friends were part of this group of wise men. When the commander came to Daniel, “Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.” (Dan 2:14)

Isn’t that cool that Daniel kept his cool? I think I’d be a bit terrified knowing I was about to be put to death. Not Daniel, he kept his cool and “spoke with wisdom and tact. “ Once he found out the situation, he went to the king to ask for more time so that he may interpret the dream for King Neb. After making this request, Daniel returns to his home. Did he throw a party? Did he tell his friends, “all right we have one night to live, so lets party it up?” No. “He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” (Dan 2:18) They spent the night in prayer!

Daniel 2:19-23 NIV

During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said:
"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.

21 He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.

22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.

23 I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king."

The Lord revealed the dream to Daniel who went before the king. Before Daniel told King Neb the dream and the interpretation, he gave all glory to God. Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” (Dan 2:27-28) He accurately discloses the dream and gives the interpretation and saves the lives of the wise men—by God’s grace.

God reveals His mysteries to us. We can rationalize—well I’m not a Daniel. Who am I that God will reveal things to me? If we have Jesus Christ, then we’re a child of God. His disciple. He wants to show us the mysteries hidden in his word. His word is a deep treasure chest for us to discover something new each day that we spend with Him in it.

Beth Moore pointed out in the simulcast this past weekend. As we treasure His wonder, the gift of His Word, we’re privy to the secrets in His Word. Jesus spoke in parables to the disciples.

Luke 8:9-10 ESV
9And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'

It has been given to us!! We have revelation knowledge from God! If we don’t understand, we can ask Him what it means. We may have to spend a night in prayer to get our answers in urgent situations or we may have to wait a few days, weeks, months or even years for other answers. But He answers!

God chooses what He will reveal and what He won’t reveal to us. But there is so much He is ready to reveal if we seek HIM and ask HIM for HIS revelation knowledge. Ask!

James 1:5 NIV

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Engrafted by His Grace--

Note: To join in the chronological reading, please visit Bev on her blog. It's never too late to join in reading HIS word!!

Rose Colored Glasses

I felt like I had it all together. Things were going well. Everything looked pretty and perfect. I didn’t have any problems so I busied myself trying to fix the problems with my husband, my children, and my friends.

Then – BAM! BANG! BOOM!

I got knocked in the head and my rose colored glasses fell off. That’s when I noticed I didn’t look so good after all. God revealed the deceit in my own heart.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NIV

The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

"I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

To point out the faults of others comes so easily, but to examine my own self takes effort. Self-deception is to think that I’m better than I really am. Elevating myself over others. If this process were allowed to continue, eventually it will lead to self-destruction.

I’m thankful to God for His word which is alive and active and sharper than a two edge sword that penetrates the soul and spirit, judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) I realized that I was easily condemning those around me that I love the most causing hurt and frustration. I stabbed at their hearts with my words that wounded. Life and death are in the words we speak and I spoke heart breaking words instead of life-giving words. My pious attitude caused pain in others.

There’s hope. Peter did not think he could mess up either. Jesus said at the Last Supper that Peter would deny him three times. Peter said, “no way! I would never deny my Lord!” Before Peter realized it he denied the Lord three times just as Christ told him. He wept bitterly. (Luke 22:54-62) Peter felt deep remorse over what he did.

I too felt deep remorse over using my mouth to sin. That is good news. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.” (2 Corinthians 7:10) No regrets in confessing my sins to a God who is faithful to forgive my sins. Repentance cleanses the soul of guilt.

To repent is to turn away from a sin. How do I keep my deceitful heart from deceiving me? I must change the way I think.

Romans 12:2 NLT

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

How do I let God transform the way I think? I transform by fighting the fight of faith in the spirit.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

When the thoughts come to me that someone else is wrong and I want to fix them, I must stop and ask God to examine my own heart. I started praying and asking the Lord to show me what I need to learn through this experience. I must ask the Lord to show me how He sees the situation and filter it through His Word.

I must remove my rose colored glasses to stop the self-deception and start the self-examination that leads to repentance and obedience and maturing in Christ!

Engrafted by His Grace-

Note: I am participating in a chronological Bible reading with Bev. For more information on joining us in the chronological reading, please visit Bev's blog.

My Helper

I must admit I’ve struggled up to this very day with the desire to be perfect. Yet I fall short every time.

I have become defensive when I’m told I need to do something I know needs to be done. Or I can be self-condemning if I don’t complete a project on time or just right. If things don’t turn out the way I expected or wanted, I keep on with it until I can complete it right. If for some reason it did not reach the level of success I wanted, then I could easily lose self-esteem and confidence.

Perhaps this tendency developed when I was a child. I wanted to please my parents, especially my dad. I wanted to be accepted and loved by him. When I brought home a report card with an “A”, he’d ask me is that the best you could do? If it was a 91, then you can get a 95. Try harder. I was always told to try harder no matter how I did. If it was something I knew I could not be good at, there was not any reason for trying.

I’ve struggled with this for many years and this past week it has come to my attention as I identified the problem by the grace of God through His word. Oh how marvelous is the Word of God! His word is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. (2 Tim. 3:16) I needed it! The Lord knows what we need.

Through bloggy friends, Marina, Jerri [whom I just met through Marina], the chronological reading with Bev, Bible Gateway and my local women’s Bible study, the Lord showed me that HE will help me. He knows my difficulties and my fears. Here’s the scripture the Lord gave to me five times this week. Five different times between Tuesday and Saturday this scripture showed up for me:

Isaiah 41:10 AMP

Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you [Shonda]; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden [Shonda] to difficulties, yes, I will help [Shonda]; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.

Were my actions of self-condemnation based in fear? I thought I loved and trusted my Lord. Why am I afraid? I could not control the circumstances nor the outcome of circumstances. I cant change things and make them the way I want them to be. I just cant do it. So I’m afraid. But I don’t have to fear, I can trust in my God to hold me in HIS hand. God is so much greater than my self-condemning heart and HE knows everything!

1 John 3:20 AMP

Whenever our hearts in [tormenting] self-accusation make us feel guilty and condemn us. [For^]we are in God's hands.] For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows (perceives and understands) everything [nothing is hidden from Him].

Well I had been accustomed throughout my life to hearing voices telling me I can do better. If I messed up, then I learned to listen to the critical voices. So now that no one is actually telling me those things, I told myself condemning words. I condemned myself for falling short of perfection. As I criticized myself, I felt depressed & heavy.

Proverbs 18:21 AMP

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].

No wonder I felt heavy and depressed in spirit—I was eating the fruit of my tongue. Where did these thoughts and words come from? The evil one who is the accuser. (Rev. 12:10) What are we to do when those thoughts come to us?

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 HCSB

For although we are walking in the flesh, we do not wage war in a fleshly way, since the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge⁾ of God, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

We can war in our own ways, our flesh and blood. But only in power through the Word of God can we demolish the thoughts that come up against the knowledge of God. His Word will not return void but will accomplish what it is sent to accomplish. (Is. 55:11)

By God’s grace I realized the battle is in the spirit and only by HIS word will I have victory in my life. I purchased index cards and pulled out the Sword (a.k.a. Word of God). I started writing scriptures that speak life to my life. I put these cards in my purse. I read them out loud.

I am more than a conqueror through HIM who loves me. (Romans 8:37) God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. (2 Tim. 1:7) I can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6) I have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)

The Lord helped me by guiding me to HIS word which is life through Jesus Christ. I am being held and retained by the Lord’s right hand. He teaches me. His grace forgave me. There is no way I can ever be perfect, but I can know that I am accepted and loved by the One who gave up HIS very own life so I can have life and have it abundantly—Jesus Christ!! (John 10:10)

The Lord is our Helper!

Engrafted by His Grace—

Romans 11:17

Note: I thank God for HIS love for me. The Lord used blogging friends to reach me. I thank you friends! Believers are in a spiritual battle and we need to know how to fight the evil one by the power of the blood of Jesus and the Word of God. To read more on this, please visit Jerri Phillips.

A Bad Report

Have you ever gotten a bad report?

Bad reports can come in different forms. Report card. Insurance claims. Doctor’s office. Credit report. Children. Investments.

As I read through the chronological Bible reading with Bev and a group of others, I read in 2 Kings 18 and 19 about King Hezekiah. The Assyrian king had advanced and took over all the fortified cities of Judah (which is the Southern Kingdom). Now he and his armies have surrounded Jerusalem. The king of Assyria sent his field commander with a report to threaten King Hezekiah and the Israelites living in Jerusalem. He told the inhabitants not to listen to King Hezekiah or their God as they would not deliver them from his hands. Another words—the King of Assyria was cocky and confident that since he was successful in conquering all the other cities that Jerusalem would fall into his hands as well.

What did King Hezekiah do with this report he received from the enemy? Did he call a board meeting with all the administrators to draft a plan? Did he call his friends for advice? No, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and went to the temple of the Lord. He went to pray and seek the Lord. He spread out the report before the Lord. He inquired of the Lord for direction on the enemy’s report. The Lord answered him and told him not to be afraid that the king of Assyria would not enter the city. The Lord handled this problem and HE sent an angel and put to death 185,000 men. Then later the king of Assyria was killed by his own sons.

Did King Hezekiah do anything to defeat his enemy? He prayed and laid it before the Lord. The Lord took care of him and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He trusted in the Lord.

What do we do when we get a bad report? Do we call our friends for advice? Do we take matters into our own hands? Or do we run and spread out the report in prayer to the Lord? Then trust in HIM for the answer.

Please understand I don’t think there is anything wrong in seeking counsel. But where is our focus? We are to seek wisdom from others. But are there times we are to seek the Lord, spread out our concerns to HIM and let HIM deal with it? Perhaps prayer should be our first response when we receive a bad report and when our situations seem hopeless. Our problems are opportunities to see the glory of our LORD!

Blessings in Christ--