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How to fight and win battles of life, by using tested biblical principles.
It's Not Your Battle(3)
By Gabriel Agbo
As I promised you, today, we will go directly to the three immutable principles of spiritual battle - praise, promise and prayer. When you master these principles, no power, no situation in this life can conquer you. As we said earlier, we won’t promise you that you won’t go through harrowing experiences in life (even from unexpected quarters), but we can guarantee that if you properly and constantly apply the above divine laws to your situations, you will always come out victorious, stronger and more dedicated to God.
Praise
When Jehoshaphat came to the temple of the LORD to seek His favour and deliverance, he started his intercession with praise and worship, “O LORD God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!” He, the king of Judah began to extol the virtues, power and mightiness of God.
Yes, Judah was in great danger. The enemy’s threat was very real and imminent. Defeat, destruction and annihilation were hanging over them like the sword of Damocles, yet Jehoshaphat had the courage to praise God. He remembered that God was the same God of their ancestors – God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Besides having personally experienced the deliverance, power of God, Jehoshaphat also must have heard the stories of how God delivered their ancestors from their enemies at various perilous times. You know Israel has a strong tradition of transferring the account of their historical and cultural events to the subsequent generations. Jehoshaphat must have heard what God did with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Samson, David, etc. He must have heard how God suddenly brought deliverance to His people –Israel at different extreme and impending dangers. That was why he started by calling Him, “The God of our ancestors.” Jehoshaphat must have heard how God suddenly brought deliverance to His people Israel at different extreme and impending dangers. That was why he started by calling Him, “The God of our ancestors.” Jehoshaphat must have heard the story of the dramatic, commando- type -deliverance God gave to the Israelites at the bank of the Red Sea; when they were coming out of Egypt.
Then, the king continued by telling God that He is the only God in heaven and rules all the kingdoms of the whole earth. That He is powerful and mighty; that no one can stand against Him. What better way can we describe God’s majesty?
The God that we serve –Jehovah, the God of Israel, is the only God in heaven and on earth. He created and rules in the whole universe. The kingdoms, dominions authorities, powers, rulers, thrones in heavens, on earth, in the waters, under the earth, in the air, in the forests, on the mountains, in hell and graves bow to Him. He is the almighty and all powerful and no one can stand in battle against Him. Yes, King Jehoshaphat got it right!
When you fully appreciate these attributes of God, you will fear your enemies less. Like the Psalmist said in 56: 1-4, “O God, have mercy on me. The enemy troops press in on me. My foes attack me all day long. My slanderers hound me constantly and many are boldly attacking me. But when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. O God, I praise your word. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” I thought you’d say amen to that? Your ability to appreciate, extol and declare the majesty of God in the face of battle, will certainly set the stage for your deliverance. What you need at this time of great difficulty is God’s presence and favour. And nothing can draw these down than praises and worship. When we praise God, we set the divine mechanism of heaven to work in our favour. When we praise God, we draw down heaven on earth, this is because what go on in heaven are praise and worship by the 24 elders, angles, etc. And I tell you, when God comes down, woe to that enemy that will risk standing on our way; for there would be a cataclysmic collision; which we can always predict the result. Nobody, no enemy, can stand in the way of a praising Christian. In fact, if you master the act of praise and worship, you will surely be on your way to indestructibility. A prising Christian is always an enigma to Satan.
Praise will open doors for you. This is surely the golden key to go into the presence of God and obtain favour, protection, deliverance, etc. The Psalmist understood this very well when he said, “make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100: 1-4).
Praise will open the gates and courts of heaven for you. It will also pull down the gates of hell that stand against you. Now, Go to that battle praising and worshiping God, and you will be sure of victory. We will continue next week. God bless you!
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