Get Ready For A Turnaround because your Victory is in your Praise!
2 Chronicles 20:1-30 V.22 Text
by Bishop Charles Jones D.D.
Here we read that the Moabites and their allies(the Ammonites and Edomites) have declared war upon Judah(Praise),and word has reached Jerusalem that a vast army is marching toward the Holy City.Jehosphat is shaken up pretty badly by the terrible yet terrifying news and calls for a time of fasting and praying.
So in v’s 6-12 Jehoshaphat leads the people in a time of public prayer.While he is praying. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Jahaziel(A Levite-Preacher) and gives Jehoshaphat through the gift of Prophecy a supernatural utterance in a known tongue. What Jahaziel say’s Not only builds them up but it also edifies, exhorts and comforts them. I wonder how many of us like them have found ourselves in a unpredictable position where we didn’t know what to do;we didn’t know what to say;we didn’t know where to turn but then we heard a word from the Lord and we fealt hope;we fealt strength;we fealt power because God was getting ready to turn our situation around.
V’s 13 and 14
2 Times Jahaziel by the Spirit of God speaks to the congregation
In V.15 he say’s ,"Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours,but God’s.
V.17 he say’s,"Ye shall not need to fight in this battle:set yourselves(position yourselves),stand still and see the salvation of the Lord with you,Judah and Jerusalem;fear not,nor be dismayed;tommorrow go out against them:for the Lord will be with you."
V.16 The next day they departed from where they were and meet up with the enemy in the narrow mountain cliff called "ZIZ" this was located at the end of the brook before the wilderness of Jeruel. Once the enemy was in thier sight the only thing they needed to do was stand still and watch what God was about to do.The Bible say’s The congregation falls down in worship to the Lord as the Levites stand up to Praise God with loud voices.
V.20 and they(the army)rose early the next day and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa(which means-firm-solid) as they approached the wilderness of Tekoa Jehoshaphat stopped the army and gave them one of the shortest charges on record:
1) Believe in the Lord your God;and so shall you be established.
2) Believe His Prophets,and so shall you prosper.
V.21 So Jehoshaphat gets his appointed singers(those who know how to sing with the anointing and not in flesh) and they lead the way to the conflict praising the beauty of holiness as they go before the army they say, "Praise the Lord;for His mercy endureth for ever"
V.22 say’s that when they began to sing and praise the Lord.God set ambushments against the children of Ammon,Moab and Mt.Sier which had come against Judah(Praise) and they were smitten.For the children Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mt.Seir and utterly slaid them and destroyed them.The Bible says that when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Sier,everyone helped to destroy one another.i.e God caused such confusion among the enemies troops that they turned on one another.Somebody here this morning needs to know that God has angels fighting for you in the spirit realm helping to turn your situation around.Just like the angels showed up for Judah right in the midst of their praise. God will show up for you.Look at your neighbor and tell them,Get Ready For A Turnaround because your Victory is in your Praise!
The Bible says that the slaughter was so great that by the time Judah arrived there was no need to fight; for the battle wasn’t thiers but God’s all they had to do was gather the spoil of them, I hear the Lord saying that for everything you lost in the battle He is going to make the devil give it back seven fold! Proverbs 6:30 and 31 say’s,"Don’t despise a theif(The devil-John 10:10),if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;But if he be found,he shall restore sevenfold;he shall give all the substance of his house. The bible say’s that when they got to the place where they killed one another at.They found among them an abundance of riches and precious jewels with the dead bodies,which they took for themselves,it was more than they could carry away:there was so much stuff that it took them 3 days just to gather the spoil because there was so much.
V.26 On the 4th day they assembled themselves in the Valley of Berachah(the valley of Praise) to praise God for he had made then to rejoice over their enemies. My song this year is the remix of Jesus Can Work It Out.I picked that song because just when the devil thinks that he has me depressed,discusted,confused,and my back against the wall.Thats when I flip the script on him and I begin to say Hallelujah Anyhow, Lord I Thank You, Help me Jesus,Lord you are my waymaker, Glory because the devil wants to steal my joy,and my peace but I learned along time ago that if I resist the devil he will flee from me(James 4:7) This is why I have to be Sober,Vigilant because our adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour.(1Peter 5:8) My Praise helps me to put up a resistance against the enemy.Don’t be fooled!
Psalms 100:4 say’s Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise;be thankful unto Him and bless His name.
Everytime you and I praise God it is giving God an opportunity to Get us Ready For A Turnaround.
Are you ready to confuse the enemy?
Are you ready for a complete turnaround?
Are you ready to get back what the enemy stole from you?
The Lord said that what He is about to do for you is going to strike fear in not only the enemy but those around you who said you weren’t going to get your miracle,those who said God wouldn’t heal,those who others have called crazy. Get ready for your TURNAROUND!
Your house may be in Foreclosure,You may be behind in your bills,You may not have enough money to do what you need to do.Get ready for your TURNAROUND!
You may have light bills due and your baby may need a new pair of shoes,your telephone may be disconnected and you may be waiting for your next pay check.I’m gone tell you what you need to do? Get ready for your TURNAROUND!
Cause Jesus Can Work It Out!
In Psalm 63:1-5 David wrote:
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
What is David doing here?
He is shining the spot light on God. David is a worshipper,he is a praiser he knows what God delights in so he goes about a way of causing God to shine.One of the Hebrew words for praise is "Halal" which means to shine. When You and I praise God we are litterally throwing the spotlight on our God who is worthy and deserves to be praised and glorified. Understand this:The more we put the spotlight on Him,the more He causes us to shine. John said in His gospel about Jesus."In Him was light(Life) and the light(Life)was the light(life) of men.John 1:4 John 5:26 say’s As the Father hath life(light) in Himself;so hath he given to the Son to have life(light) in himself. John 10:10b say’s "I am come that you might have life(light) and that you might have it more abundantly" Since Jesus is the Resurrection,and the life(light): Jesus said,"he that believeth in me,though he were dead,yet shall he live(Have light): John11:25
God is getting ready to bring you out of your dead situation and put life back where things were dead!
Look at you neighbor and say,"Shine yo’ Light!"
Proverbs 20:27 say’s Your spirit is a light( the candle of the Lord,searching all the inward parts of the belly.)and God is light.As I give him a Halal he in return causes me to shine.
*In Psalms 63:1-5
David knew that expressed praise released the blessing of praise so this is what he does:
a.He affirms his realtionship
b. He lists his priorities
c. His intensity deepens
d. He wants everybody involved
e. He shows his grattitude because his needs were met.
Your affirmation,priorities,intensity,wants and grattitude are going to have to get deeper.
Listen to what David say’s in Psalms 71:14b " I will praise you yet more and more."
*The Realm of the Spirit through our praise is the vehicle in which God comes not only to minister to us but minister through us.Since God can turn it around for me I can help somebody else get their turnaround. This is why we should have the attitude that I love to praise Him,I love to praise His name etc..........
*Psalms 42:1-5
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
True seekers of God get things turned around!
Even So Come Lord Jesus!
