Derek Grier - Give It To God
Open your Bibles again to 2 Chronicles, chapter 20 in verse one. And verse one begins, "It happened after this". Now, if you know your Bible, you know that Jehoshaphat started strongly. When he became king after, I believe it was Asa, he removed all the idols to high places, the Asherah poles and he didn't pray to Baal like the rest of the kings. But he does something here and it's important. Revival in your life begins by first addressing the obvious. So when he came into office it was obvious, "Hey man, we're worshiping idols. We're doing all the rest of this stuff".
So he didn't need a special revelation. He knew what was going on. And here's the deal with you: you don't need a prophet to walk up, you know, while you at the shopping mall, you know to tell you, "You know what? You gotta stop sleeping with people you're not married to". You don't need a prophet to tell you that. You don't need the prophet to tell you, "Stop only telling one side of the story". You don't need the prophet to walk up to you, say, "Stop being lazy, you don't go to church".
You know, you know what you should do. So he began his reign by dealing with the obvious. Again, if you want revival in your life, deal with the obvious. And it happened after this, again, he had this strong start but then he allied with wicked King Ahab from the North. And then he went to battle with him and almost got himself killed, and if it wasn't for the Lord, he would not have survived. And what I've learned, and I said this last week, but I want to say it again, it's hard to live a right life when you keep the wrong friends. Who you let in your circle will determine whether or not you stay around.
"So after this, the people of Moab with the people of Ammon and others besides the Ammonites came to battle against Jehoshaphat". So we have three surrounding country's named, plus others that joined in the battle. And what I've learned in life we're either in a battle, coming out of battle or about to go into a battle. But you know, battles are a way of life. Whether it's depression, whether it's loneliness whether it's a health crisis, a financial crisis, marriage crisis, battles are a part of life. And in those moments, we either give up, stand up, back up, but only dead fish go with the flow. Y'all seem like your gonna pull something outta me this morning.
"Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, 'A great multitude is coming against you.'" Overwhelming numbers, an army too big for him to handle. How many of you have some things in your life that you're not quite sure you can handle? But this was not an ordinary problem. This wasn't, you know, a typical household issue. This was a problem that came from beyond the sea. These were folks he wasn't accustomed to dealing with. And then it goes on and says they were "from Syria," which was the power in that region at that time. "And they are in Hazzon-Tamar," meaning they're close.
So he could feel their breath on the back of his neck. It wasn't a remote possibility that, you know, he might bump into this army. No, no, they were close, they were right outside the city. And the challenge is Jehoshaphat had almost just died in the last couple chapters because he's messing around with King Ahab. And by the way, he was united with Ahab when he fought. But now two stronger armies have come against him alone. The king was overwhelmed. You ever felt like, you know what Lord, this is just too much. He said, "A great multitude" is just too much, too many against Jehoshaphat's army. "And Jehoshaphat feared".
You know, it's one thing to face an abstract challenge, you know, that's over there or on paper somewhere. But when survival of the conflict, you know, is right up in your face, it gets personal fast. And it's one thing to think about something but when something gets down in your emotions. You know, a lot of things I can brush off, but I know when it starts getting under my skin. So Jehoshaphat's looking at the multitude. He has this people to to lead and take care of and these guys aren't playing patty cake. They are playing for keeps and Jehoshaphat feared. We will all be afraid. I know you're tough.
I know some Marines are in the room and got some Army and Navy and Air Force, police officers, firemen, but we will all be afraid. At times. But it's what you do when you feel afraid that makes all the difference in the world. "Jehoshaphat feared and set himself". He didn't run away, he didn't fall apart. He set himself. You know, concrete before it dries, you can make any impression on it you want. Many of us are so impressionable, So impressed by circumstances, because we have not yet set our minds. Now our hearts are never to be hard against God, but I want my heart to be hard against the devil, against sin, against evil.
And this language is letting us know that Jehoshaphat made a decision. He set. You got to do that. I love you, but I can't do that for you. I'm for you, but I can't do that for you. I can pray for you, but I can't do it. You got to set yourself. You got to make the decision about what you're going to do next. You got the news, you know the problem. Now what you going do? "Jehoshaphat feared and he set himself," watch this, "to seek the Lord," which meant he was willing to shift his daily routine. He was willing to watch three less movies. He's willing maybe to take a personal day from the job off work. He probably went on long walks, talking out loud to God. And if you have to cry, grunt or shout get it out and get it on the altar. Get it on the altar. Get it on the altar. He set his face.
See, sometimes I have a challenge with folks around me because they go to church but they don't know God. I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about some folks. But there are moments God comes on me. And in those moments, I love you, but this is not about you. I can't tend to you right now. That's why the Bible says you know about husbands and wives you know some things you can even not do because you're in a season of prayer? See, every now and then God snatches me up and reminds me "You belong to me". I appreciate yeah, in some ways you belong to church some ways you belong to, "but you belong to me".
And in those moments, I gotta lock in with God. So if you call me, I may not pick up. You hear what I'm saying? If you come to the front door, I may not answer because there are times in my life that I gotta seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat set himself, meaning it was a decision he made meaning there'd be a thousand things to come up to make it so you can't do what you really need to do. But he set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And what he was saying through this fast is, "God you're more important than my next meal. You're more important than the clothes I wear, the next thing I wanna do, the places I go. God, I can't get back to business as usual with this situation looming on the horizon".
You see, if you need extraordinary help you need to seek God in an extraordinary way. I mean, if you really need an encounter with God you're gonna have to lean in. "So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord". They weren't debating over who was the smartest, the biggest, everybody just "Listen, we got, Lord help us". "And from all the cities of Judah, they came to seek the Lord". Unity is powerful, but also unity requires humility. If you can't get along with people, you will not be able to operate in agreement or unity. Self-absorbed people never consider how their participation or lack of it impacts others.
Now, I'm not talking to you I'm talking to a person next to you, but just pretend I was talking to you. But their convenience is all that matters. I'm so absorbed with me. It's all about me. My agenda, what I feel is the only thing that matters. Sometimes we gotta grow up. But we see here Jehoshaphat leading by example. And you know, a lot of folks can talk about it, but it is different to do it. I mean day in, day out to to get in God's and do it. And when the leader led the people didn't drop out, cop out, they went all in.
"Then Jehoshaphat stood". When God's standing with you, you can stand against anyone. "He stood in the assembly of Judah and prayed a prayer". A prayer so powerful, a prayer so anointed, a prayer so honored that they wrote it down. He said, "Oh Lord God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? And do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations and in your hand is there not power and might so that no one's able to withstand you? Are you not our God who drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, forever".
You see, Jehoshaphat didn't make it all about him. He recognized it was all about his God. And he was like, "Lord when I read my Bible, you are a ruler, you are a boss. Lord, you caused them to cross the Red Sea as on dry land. You cause one man to slew 1000 Philistines with the jaw bone of an ass. You even gave old women babies. I mean, you are the same God. You are a mighty God. And have you not promised God? Is anything too hard for my God"?
"So then we now live in that land that you promised, and have built you God a sanctuary in it for your name, saying if disaster comes in," all he's doing is quoting Solomon. He's quoting the Word. He went back in Chronicles and found out the promises of God. He's standing on it. "If disaster comes upon us, sword, judgment, pestilence, famine," and all that was about to happen, "We will stand before this temple" like they were doing. And you gotta do what's written in this book. "And in your presence, for your name is in this temple and cry out to you in our affliction and you will hear and save".
Verse 13, "Now all Judah with their little ones, their wives and their children, they all stood before the Lord". And it's important for our children to see us in God's presence with God's people. Now don't be so concerned about your kids listening to you. Be concerned with the fact your kids are watching you. This says then meaning that you know what? What's about to happen next is connected to what just happened. And when you get serious about seeking the Lord, I'm a little bit ahead of myself, but what does the Bible say? You'll seek and find me when you seek me with your whole heart. Yeah. I mean, when you start turning over your plate, changing your routine and and crying out to God, going on long walks and just keep bringing it up, keep talking it through.
Whether you gotta cry, whether you gotta scream, whether it's down to a whisper, whatever you gotta do, when you do that. The Bible said, you know what, ask, seek and knock. A lot of us stop at asking, yeah, but sometimes you gotta look under some things. You gotta look into some things. And then other times you gotta just start pushing on some things. Say no no, you gotta let me in here. You what I'm saying. So there's a progression in prayer and because of their prayer, the Lord answers. "Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, the son of Zachariah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph in the midst of the assembly".
This is important. Some things you will not hear from God until you get serious, until you begin to really seek him. Treasure is typically not buried an inch deep. You gotta get a shovel to get to the good stuff. "And he said, 'Thus says the Lord to you. Do not, do not, do not be afraid.'" You know the reason I pray as much as I do, and I don't know many people that pray more than I do, it's not because I'm religious or because I'm trying to score points with God. The reason I pray so much, 'cause I got real enemies. I got real problems. I got real responsibilities that I can't just wish away. I need real answers from a real God.
And for that reason, you'll find me on my knees. For that reason, you'll hear me crying out to the only one that can answer. He said, "Do not," and you gotta get a do not in your heart, "Be afraid nor dismayed". But why is this afraid and dismayed put right next to each other? The word dismay is speaking of discouragement. Sometimes I feel discouraged.
Sometimes you'll feel discouraged. I mean when you look at things, it's like "God, I mean how, come on". Even trying to address the things is like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket. And you could get discouraged and despondent. And it's like, no, don't do it. Don't do it, don't do it. Do not be afraid nor dismayed by the doctor's diagnosis because of this great multitude, because of the greatness of the problem, because the news your child just told you.
I want you to see here though the prophet's not like some people I know. They didn't even pretend that it wasn't a situation. Pretending it's not a problem is not gonna make the problem go away. He didn't pretend that there was not a great threat. He just pointed to a great God. We have real problems, real enemies, real situations, but we have a real God. And this is where he points. Then he goes on, this is the prophet speaking, "For the battle is," that's important.
The battle is, the battle is, the battle is, it's for real. It's a real battle we're in, not against flesh and blood, but we are in a real battle. The battle is, but it's not yours but God's. How many of y'all watch football every now and then? All right. In football, you'll notice that the defense always moves in the direction of the ball. So when the quarterback has the ball, the line runs toward the quarterback. The quarterback's over here, the line is trying to get through over here.
If the quarterback's over here, the line's trying to break through to get over here. But if you notice, when the quarterback gets the ball, and everyone's focused on that ball, and it's snapped and he hands off the ball, all of a sudden, all the attention moves from the quarterback to the fullback. I'm going somewhere, stay with me. Hand off the ball. Give it to Jesus. Give it to Jesus. You're not equipped to run this play. Give it to Jesus. Yeah, position yourself. You know you get that phone call, you get that news, you hear it, you got it. It's for real. It's really on you when you get it. But don't be stupid. You are not the full back the running back or the wide receiver.
When you get the ball, hand it off. If you gotta sweep it, if you got to throw it but get rid of the ball. Make sure you get the ball to Jesus. Now y'all getting it, now y'all get it. Make sure it's in the Lord's hands. The battle is not mine, it's the Lord. You see, when I hand that ball off, my hands are free. See when I got that hand, you know the ball in my hand. I can't really praise him the way I ought to cause I got too much stuff in my hands. But when I hand off that ball, I can say, "Go Jesus, go Jesus, go. Go Jesus, go Jesus, go".