The Word of the Lord

"He said: 'Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'"
2 Chronicles 20:15-17 

Sometimes we just need to hear a word of encouragement from God. I love the fact that the Bible is full of these and they are just as pertinent now as they were in the days of the Bible. King Jehoshaphat was facing a trying situation. The armies that stood against him far outnumbered his troops. Fear had already set in. So the prophet of God came and delivered this word from God to the king and all the people. There are some clear things that you and I need to hear today. This is the word of the Lord to us.
    Do not be afraid. We face issues that may seem like a great army has come against us. But the key to coming through with victory is not allowing the enemy to instill fear. Fear and discouragement are tools of the enemy and he will use them to try to defeat us all the time. God is very clear about this; We are only to fear him. The enemy is not to be feared for we have authority over him. We need not be discouraged because the armies of the living God are on our side. 
    the battle is not ours, it is God's. the reason we have authority over the enemy has nothing to do with how righteous we are, or how good we have been. It is not because we are powerful or mighty. We have authority over the enemy because God gave it to us. He fights the battles for us. We don't have to do it on our own. 
    We must take up our positions. Although it is true that God fights the battle for us, we are still required to take up our positions. In other words, We must be strategically positioned to see the battle in front of us. This is called faith and that faith is manifested in our prayers. When we take our positions, we pray, releasing the armies of heaven to go and dispatch the forces of the enemy. Satan's defeat is imminent. 
    Stand firm and see the deliverance of the Lord. All that God requires is for us to stand firm. Brave soldiers do not shrink back in fear when they see the enemy before them. They square their shoulders and tell the commanding officer that they are ready and willing to go to battle. But we do not have to fight on our own. In fact, we don't have to fight at all. Instead, we pray and God brings the deliverance. 
    This is the word of the Lord to us today. We may be in battles. We may feel like the army before us is vast and strong. But our God is stronger. He will win the battle. He will fight for us. Instead of cowering in fear, let's stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will bring. These words were good for Jehoshaphat and they are still the word of the Lord for us.