Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Jehoshaphat’s Story – Facing a Battle
Last week I mentioned that we are going to walk through Jehoshaphat’s story found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.
Today we are going to focus on verses 1-2: “After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).”
This story starts off with a bit of drama. Jehoshaphat was notified that “a vast army” was headed his way. The day may have been an ordinary day to begin with, but suddenly things didn’t look good at all.
Hopefully we won’t face a literal vast army in our lives, yet we still can relate to this story. We have all had days like this, haven’t we? Suddenly a phone call, an event, or a decision can turn our world upside down. We may have woken up to an ordinary day, but then out of the blue, our day spirals.
Something I have mentioned on this blog before, but it is important to remember – as children of God we are at war. Just as various armies came to wage war against the nation of Judah, every day Satan is waging war against you, me, and all of God’s children. The fact is that the enemy doesn’t like us one bit. He doesn’t like us spreading the light and love of Jesus to those around us. He doesn’t like that God has great plans for our lives. So, he tries to stop us in our tracks. He will distract us and make us feel defeated. He will do anything to get us off course.
We all go through difficult seasons in our lives. But I believe there are many times when the devil is the one at work, and we don’t even realize it.
Think about a recent problem in your life, or even a difficult person you have been dealing with. You might think that situation or person is the enemy. But it’s not. The real enemy working behind that circumstance is the devil.
As Priscilla Shirer so aptly puts in, “Whoever or whatever it is—it is not your real problem. Hear that again: IT is NOT your REAL problem. The most troubling things in your life—things you perceive with your five physical senses—are not your real issue. Though you may be wrestling with them verbally, emotionally, financially, even physically, you are wasting precious time and energy that needs to be reserved for the real culprit—the one who is behind the scenes, striving to direct the details of some of your most acute difficulties. Everything that occurs in the visible, physical world is directly connected to the wrestling match being waged in the invisible, spiritual world.” [The Armor of God © 2015 Priscilla Shirer]
In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
The thief is the devil. He is out to get us. He will work diligently to steal our peace, our joy, and our blessings. He will do whatever he can to kill our hopes, our dreams, and the beautiful things we have built. And he will move in to destroy our relationships or anything else he can get his hands on. This is vital for us to remember. Every single day. We have to stay focused.
Some of the big problems that we face might be easier to identify as a work of the devil. But unfortunately, he is sneaky and sly. He doesn’t always attack us with obvious warfare. So we have to stay alert. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Next week I will touch on some areas that we might see an attack. But for now, I want us to keep in mind that part of the battle is remembering that the devil is at work. This helps us to take proper action. And we will be getting deep into what that proper action looks like throughout the coming weeks.
There is good news tied to this. Let’s read Jesus’ words in John 10:10 again: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Jesus didn’t only tell us about the enemy’s tactics and then leave it at that. Jesus went on to remind us that He came to bring us a full life. Some Bible versions put this verse differently. The New Living Translation says, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” And the English Standard Version says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
This is good news. We shouldn’t be scared of the devil when we remember that Jesus is on our side. While it is important to remember that we have an enemy who is against us, it is equally important to remember that we also have an amazing Savior in our corner.
And the best part of all is that the enemy cannot win. Jesus has already defeated him. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Let us cling to this truth, every day, no matter what we are up against. Jesus has already overcome.
Maybe right now you are facing something difficult. One thing to keep in mind is that whatever you are facing is not a surprise to God. Just as the what King Jehoshaphat faced was not a surprise to God. He knows all. And He sees the battles that we will come against, long before we do. That should give us some reassurance that if He allowed it, then He will also walk beside us through it all. He has our backs.
Praise God for His neverending goodness, faithfulness, and love. No matter what comes our way, we can depend on Him and His strength to see us through.
Until next week…
Thank you for reading. Have a blessed weekend.
© 2018-2023 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.
Bridget A. Thomas 
Bridget, thanks for sharing this post. Like you, I’m grateful for God’s never-ending goodness, faithfulness, and love. I’m comforted knowing that no matter what comes my way, I can depend on Him and His strength to see me through. For someone who’s day is marked by problems that need solving and decisions that need to be made, I find this story interesting and relatable. I look forward to reading more as you skillfully unpack it for us. Blessings.
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Thank you, Rainer. The battles of life can attempt to bring us down, but God’s love never fails. I don’t know how non-believers walk this earth without Him. How sad and scary that must be. But I’m so glad we don’t have to worry about that. He is always there. And with your line of work, I know you face conflict all too often. So, I hope we will all be encouraged and inspired together through this story. Blessings to you too! 😊
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Thanks for your precious encouragement Bridget! You are right that too often we forget who our real enemy is, and that God is still in control! God bless you today sister 🙏
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Thank you, Alan. I love your point that God is still in control. So true. When we remember that, it can help turn around any trial we face. God bless you too, brother! 🙏
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A much needed reminder of who the enemy is. I have enough flaws of my own, but the adversary knows how to use them to distract me from Jesus. Thanks for sharing Priscilla Shirer’s insight.
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And I just said something similar earlier today about how the enemy knows our weaknesses and uses them against us. But thank goodness we have Jesus in our corner. We are never alone. You’re welcome. I’m glad this was helpful. And thank you for sharing your thoughts, my friend 🤗
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🤗
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“We shouldn’t be scared of the devil when we remember that Jesus is on our side. “
This is a great reminder, but so is your observation that the enemy of our souls is out to trip us up. We are indeed at war, and it’s a spiritual conflict. The devil is a chess player who wants to put us in check. Thank God, if we have trusted Christ to save us, checkmate is off the board.
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Yes! I love the way you put that. Checkmate is off the board. I’m so thankful for
Jesus! 🙌🤍🙏 Thank you, David. Blessings to you, today and every day, my brother!
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The battle belongs to the Lord who shares his victory with us. On our own, we would be no match for the devil, but greater is he who is in us that he who is in the world 🙂
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So true! I’m so thankful we don’t have to face battles on our own. Our amazing God is always beside us, in front of us, and behind us. What comfort to know we’re surrounded by His love. Thank you, my brother! God bless!
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Thanks Bridget. This was encouraging. This stood out to me…“And He sees the battles that we will come against, long before we do. That should give us some reassurance that if He allowed it, then He will also walk beside us through it all. He has our backs.”
Sometimes in the midst of the battle it’s easy to forget, God has seen the beginning to the end. He is faithfully walking with us through it all. As you mentioned, the enemy is always working against us. May we remember this so we will keep persevering in Christ. Looking forward to next week.
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I agree – in the midst of a battle, it is so easy to forget that God knew it was coming. And as you said, He sees the beginning and end. But when we do think about those truths, it can bring peace to our hearts and our situation. Praise God for His goodness and love. 🙌🤍🙏 thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Dawn! 🤗
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I haven’t read over Jehoshaphat in a long time so I need a refresher but you have my attention with the way you’ve begun and I love what you shared from Priscilla Shirer. Great verses too that you noted to remember that no matter what we face God is bigger than the enemy’s tactics. Looking forward to your upcoming posts on this study.❤️
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Good morning, friend! I’m glad this post was insightful. I need the refresher too. The enemy is so sneaky. It’s frustrating when we know the truth, yet we forget those truths. As Ann Voskamp puts it, we have soul amnesia. So I hope this study will be an encouragement to all of us. (Side note – The book “Armor of God” by Priscilla Shirer is a Bible study type book and one I highly recommend. I don’t normally favor Bible study books because they are more time consuming. But this one is amazing. And I also highly recommend Priscilla’s book “Fervent.” That one is not a Bible study. But it has the same theme of helping us to see when the enemy is at work.)
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Nice! Thank you for those book recommendations! ❤️
I need to be better about remembering that the negative that comes up—soul amnesia, spiritual warfare, negative emotions…these are all the enemy’s tactics. We have to be continually intentional through prayer, studying God’s word, Bible studies and trusting God to overcome.
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Just yesterday I was irritated that my day didn’t go the way I wanted. 🤦🏼♀️ I needed to remind myself to surrender and trust. The enemy will use even small things to get us off track. He knows how to push our buttons. But thankfully we have the Holy Spirit to remind us of truth. As you said, “We have to be continually intentional through prayer, studying God’s word, Bible studies and trusting God to overcome.” I absolutely agree and have found this to help me so much in the battle of the mind. God powerfully changes us from the inside out when we make Him our number one priority! 🙌🙌🙌
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Amen!!!❤️❤️❤️surrender and trust!!
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You are so right, what we are fighting against is on a spiritual level and when we remember that it helps us approach it with a perspective that employs prayer and reliance on God as our biggest defence.
God bless you my friend 💙
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In my own life, I find that when I can actually remember it’s a spiritual battle, it makes a big difference in my attitude, words, and actions. It helps me to push forward with faith, holding on to the Lord. ✝️🙏🤍🙌 God bless you too, my friend! 🤗♥️
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