Preached by Pastor Dr. Autry Williams
2 Chronicles 20:1, 15-25
A blueprint is not just important for making buildings and objects. I believe God put the story in our text about Jehoshaphat in the Bible in order to give us a blueprint on how to win the battles of life.
One of the descriptions that the bible uses over and over again for the Christian life is that of a battle. In this story about Jehoshaphat there’s a blueprint with four principles on how to win the battles of life.
Text Outline:
Identify Your Enemy
Call on the Lord for Help
Follow God’s Plan
Praise God in Advance
Identify Your Enemy
In order to win the battles of life, you must first identify your enemy. How can you win if you
don’t know who you’re fighting?
In our text Jehoshaphat identified their enemies as the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount
Seir, which were come against Judah. Jehoshaphat’s enemies were on their way to destroy
him and the Southern kingdom.
As Christians, the bible identifies our enemy in Ephesians Chapter 6, verse 11, when it says: "Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Our enemy has many names like the Devil, Satan, Lucifer and others, but he’s
still one enemy.
John 10:10 tell us that the goal of our enemy is to steal, kill, and destroy. So if you want to win the battles of life, you must 1st identify your enemy.
Call On the Lord for Help
Once you’ve identified your enemy then it’s time for you to call on the Lord for help, which is
the 2nd principle of the blueprint.
In our text, for a while it seemed as though Jehoshaphat didn’t know what to do, but then on
the other hand, he knew exactly what to do, for we see in verses 3-12 that he called on the
Lord for help.
And like Jehoshaphat, when we’re facing our battles of life, we to should follow the blueprint
and call on the Lord in prayer for help.
Prayer ought to be the first weapon we use whenever we face the battles of life,
not the last.
And when you call on the Lord for help, just know that He will answer. Jeremiah 33:3 says,
“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou
knowest not.”
Follow God’s Plan
In verse 14 when the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, he informed Jehoshaphat in verse 15, to not be afraid because the battle was not his, it was the Lord's. And after stating those words, Jahaziel went on in verses 16 and 17 to reveal to Jehoshaphat, God’s plan for battle with their enemies.
God heard Jehoshaphat’s prayer and gave him the answer to his prayer, by giving him a battle plan to be victorious over his enemies. And when Jehoshaphat heard God’s plan, he followed it exactly as it was told to him.
God has the master plan for each and every one of our lives. We just simply need to call out to him for help, and then follow God’s plan.
Praise God In Advance
In verses 18 and 19 after hearing the plan revealed by the prophet, Jehoshaphat and the
Levites all stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high. And after they praised God in advance, they all went and got a good night’s sleep then woke up early in the morning and went to the end of the brook as God had instructed them to do.
By the time Jehoshaphat and the children of Israel made it to the battle site, not
a one of their enemies were left alive.
Psalms 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my
mouth.” Don’t wait until the battle is over to praise the Lord. Praise God in advance!
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