In church the other night, the Lord brought some Scriptures to my mind, as I turned to read them, I began to see them in a new light, that I had not previously seen. I am so grateful when he shows me how his precious Word applies to my life. I'd like to dig in more this morning to what I was reading and write it down so it's never forgotten. Let's go back in time to around 890 BC. Jehosophat is ruling the Northern kingdom of Judah and has for a while. This man's life has fascinated me lately. He had a father, Asa, who started out right with God but ended up badly. Jehosophat was a righteous king, who loved God, believe, because he did right. He made a mistake and made an alliance with the wicked king Ahab of Israel, that nearly got him killed, and was rebuked by a prophet sent by God not long before what I am going to read about this morning. He was written about in Scripture, he loved God, he loved God's ways, but he made mistakes, too. Sometimes, when we are under pressure, and things are moving against us, we do that. How blessed we are that God does not turn from us in disgust and throw up his hands. How much I want that holy, steadfast love of God in my heart in more abundance.

Moab and Ammon were born back in Genesis, after Lot, whom Scripture says was a righteous man, (2 Pet 2:8) was taken out of Sodom and Gomorrah by the angel of God. Lot had erred so badly, he had not passed on the heritage of righteousness to his children, he had not taught his daughters about God, or how to believe and trust him. He had not taught them to worship or sacrifice to God. They were polluted by the corrupt environment they were growing up in. When they were removed from it, they never looked to God. They tried to figure things out themselves, and turned to the corrupt resource of flesh, rather than seeking God for direction and help. Thinking there were no other men alive, they got their father drunk (and consider the implications of THAT-among the few possessions they were able to carry out of a city marked for destruction they brought WINE-what were their priorities?) and they took turns with him until they got pregnant, to "raise up seed to their father."

So Ammon and Moab are the result of children with no faith who turned to flesh rather than Spirit. They are types of the flesh and the world. Every one who is born again by the Spirit and Word of God fights these two. I wonder if the only thing that will change that is the intensity of the battle, because I believe they will pull at you until the day you die, or the day you finally are so crucified with Christ, that the Lord is ever before your eyes so nothing else moves you, and your heart is ever increasingly aware of eternity rather than time. Now, remember folks, I've only been saved five years, and I don't pretend to know it all-no, I have MUCH to learn. But that is where I want to be.

But here is this righteous king Jehosophat, and Ammon and Moab are coming against him. He's just been rebuked by the prophet Jehu, for joining Ahab in battle. Godly people don't need to be fighting the battles of the wicked. But because Jehosophat had prepared his heart to seek God, and tried to do right, God had mercy on this man. But when you go with flesh, you open the door for your enemy to come against you. And it did. Jehosophat gets word "a great multitude are coming against you from Syria. The news brought fear to his heart and he moved in the right direction.

Even as he calls on God, you can hear the fear in his prayer, the lack of confidence. His prayer reads like he's trying to remind himself of what he knows about God, because God knows who He is. There have been times I have been stressed, under pressure, fighting battles, and not always understanding what is happening, and I catch myself praying Psalms 46:1 this way-and I have to ask God to forgive me, and have mercy on me because I know the Word says "God is an ever present help in the time of trouble." so I have no business crying out like a frightened unbeliever saying "God help me!" That sounds like a prayer of unbelief, doesn't it? Ouch, he's been dealing with me about that some lately.

He's standing before these people, and surely he's aware of their fear, too, and he's trying to encourage them by reminding them in his prayer who God is, as well as himself. But this is not a powerful prayer of faith, at least it doesn't sound that way to my heart as I read it.

When our children don't listen to us, and they get in trouble, and cry out to us, we hear them, don't we? We move to help them, even if they are hurt because of their disobedience, we still move to help them. God does, too. What a merciful Father he is!

Now I want to pause here a minute and draw your attention to one word: Seir. In the original Hebrew that word means "hairy, goat, demon, rough tempest." So here are three things coming against the children of God: their enemies were powerful, demonically inspired, and trusting in their own ability to conquer God's people. In our battles, we fight these three. Some of God's children right now are being moved against by the very principalities of darkness, the powers of the wicked one, as well as the spirit of the world, and their flesh is reacting badly and fighting them hard as well.

I thought it interesting, Jehosophat prayed, " you would not let us destroy these people in Mount Seir, and look how they reward us, they come to cast us out of what you have given us to inherit!" This is our promised land, you gave it to us, and they are trying to put us out!!" Saints of God, our heavenly Father made some EXPENSIVE AND PRECIOUS PROMISES TO US. CHRIST is OUR PROMISED LAND.

And all this is coming against this people, and look what Jehosophat wisely says:

I love this! He says you go down against them-how many of you know when he says go down, you have to go down from being up to come against the enemy that plagues you. We are risen and seated in heavenly places with Christ, if we are his, and our life is hid in him, and we have rejected the world and it's ways. You have to go down to come against them, but then oh look what he says:

Glory to God! Adore him, saints, he will never leave you in the hands of your enemy!

He knows what we are going through, and what comes against us better than we do! He understands and sees the whole thing. He has allowed it. It could not come were it not allowed from on High. But look, he's set us in a large room-he's given us plenty of place, he's not let us in the hand of our enemy.

Who better than the Lord to shut the mouth of the lying devil which batters our minds...and speaks so presumptuously against the saints, whether through people, or right in to your own mind...But God, our Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, has laid up more goodness than we could comprehend for his children who fear him and trust in him openly, no matter what we see! We have a hiding place in his presence! It's there! Be strong, and be encouraged children of the Most High God!

He can do it. Don't believe the devil when he whispers "you're cut off," love the Lord, he's faithful, he'll take care of your enemies. He knows how. He's able. He's also your strength to stand! Even in the stronghold of trouble you might be fighting against, he's still showing you wonderful kindness....

When they began to sing and praise the Lord before the army, what did our God do? He set ambushments! He ambushed the enemy for his children! Who is the army that fights on our behalf but an innumerable company of angels, remember saints, Elisha told his servant "they that be with us are more than be with them."

They too, were surrounded by enemies, and it looked bad in the servant's eyes. Just like in 2 Chronicles 20 it looked bad to Jehoshophat and Judah's inhabitants. But God sees molehills where we see mountains. He turned the enemy to fight each other. And after this was over, when the children of God went to the battlefield, they found dead bodies, loaded with jewels, and the spoil was so great they spent 3 days carrying it off. Now, let me ask you something, why would people going to war, bring jewels with them? Because God wanted his children to have it. God can use the enemy to bring you what you need! Don't you forget it! He can do anything! He loves us! He is taking care of us and he is bringing us in! This year is only half over-he's made us some promises and you can straighten your back, lift up your head, look to the one who is so vast he can prop his feet on this planet-whose word is so strong and powerful it creates things that are not out of nothing. Children of the Most High GOD, the desperation of the enemy is showing. He's turned up the furnace of affliction because he knows the One who is going before us, and he is trying to blind us to seeing it! He doesn't want you to see the Lord is going before you, expecting you to follow closely, walking by faith. He's with you. He's not left you. He loves you. He paid a very high price for you. Don't you listen to that despair or discouragement! And he will see, if you just believe him, and don't listen to his enemy, your enemy, just trust him. He will do it. He is faithful that promised.....