Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: jesus

God Will Fight For You

Encouragement

You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20:17‬

The godly king of Judah and his nation were under attack by three kings and their armies. It was three against one. It wasn’t a fair fight by any means, but God revealed to the king of Judah that a miracle was on the way. 

God said to the king of Judah, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your position… Don’t be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”

The next verse states the king’s response. “Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.”(‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20:18‬) 

The next day the armies started closing in and the LORD destroyed them and great fear came upon every nation surrounding Judah because the LORD was on their side. What a great victory!

This Old Testament event proves that the Lord wants to fight your battles for you. He just wants you to get into position to receive a miracle. We face a powerful enemy that desires to destroy us, but God is more powerful and has already gained the victory. Raise your head up and allow God to show you what He can do for you.

Do you let the Lord fight your battles? When you get discouraged, do you set your mind on Heaven? When you get disappointed do you turn your eyes to Jesus? 

When life gets you down, let God fight your battles for you. He’s waiting for you to surrender. It takes you getting to the point that you can’t do anything on your own.

Pray

Lord, I surrender to Your almighty power and wisdom. Fight my battles today and give me rest. Forgive me for not trusting You.

Say The Blessing

Encouragement

Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
Matthew 14:19

Praying before a meal is a beautiful testimony of our faith and thankfulness. Jesus gave the perfect example as He prayed over the bread and fish just before it was distributed among 5,000 men. It was a blessing indeed as some would say. 

Do you say grace before you eat? Do you ask the blessing at mealtime? Or do you return thanks before you dig in?

Praying over a meal is called many things and can be expressed in many ways. It is a sign of gratitude from the heart. The most important thing is that we are thankful for the blessings of God.

We are given another example of Jesus praying and blessing the bread before He broke it and ate with the disciples the night before He died on the cross.

It should never become a mindless habit nor should it be an inconvenience. Praying and thanking God for our food should be a pleasure and an expression of our heart’s gratitude. We should teach our children to bless the food and show them the importance of giving thanks for God’s provision. 

Those that do say grace on a regular basis might be tempted to repeat the same phrases or chants from memory. Maybe it’s time to find a fresh way to thank God for our blessings. Think outside the box and identify a couple of things to thank God for. 

Mealtime prayers should not be the only prayers offered up to God. Paul instructs us to pray without ceasing. Let your prayer time be meaningful. And if you are uncomfortable praying with people who don’t pray, let it be your testimony. Don’t ever be ashamed to pray!

Pray

Lord, I am so thankful for all the many things You have given to me. Let my heart be overflowing with gratitude and let my example of saying the blessing be a testimony to others.

A Great Multitude

Encouragement

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭7:9‬

Can you imagine a crowd of people so large that couldn’t be numbered? When Jesus miraculously fed the 5,000 men there may have been a larger crowd of about 20,000 people including the women and children. The Scripture says they sat in groups of 50. 

The multitude that John saw in his vision around the throne of God was not able to be counted by man. However don’t forget that God knows how many stars are in the sky and the hair on our heads are numbered. 

What makes today’s verse so special is the correlation of Gods promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”‭‭ 

And later when Abraham was seeking God for a son the Bible says, “And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.“” Genesis‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

That great promise of God is fulfilled in Revelation 7:9. John sees the great multitude of saints around the throne of God. What a great sight to behold!

It should excite us to know that one day soon we will be standing around the throne of God. We will be clothed in white robes and singing praises to Jesus. Read verses 9-12 and try to imagine what a glorious day that will be when Jesus we shall see. God is faithful and true to keep His promises.

Pray

Lord, we thank you for promising us an eternity in Heaven with You. Give us the vision and mindset of Heaven so we can take our eyes off this world.