Victory in Christ Jesus!

No success sets you as a victor in life. Life is a series of realizations. The greatest of them all is God never intended for His creation to live independent of His influence. An example of a temporary accomplishment, but a defeat later, is in 2 Chronicles 20. In 2 Chronicles 20:3-10, God gave King Jehoshaphat victory over the children Moab, Ammon, when he set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. All Judah gathered themselves together to ask the help of the Lord. King Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the Lord’s house, before the new court and prayed: God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? And rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in thine hand is there not power and might so that none can withstand thee? Are you not our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gave it to Abraham’s seed, your friend forever? And build thee a sanctuary for thy name. When evil comes upon us, as a sword, judgment, or pestilence or famine, we stand before this house and in thy presence (for your name and company is in this house) and cry to thee in our affliction, then thou wilt help. The presence of Lord in the New Testament is typified in Jesus Christ. God no longer dwells in objects made by man. We, the believers, are the body of Christ. But back to King Jehoshaphat prayer: and now the children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whom you didn’t let invade Israel when they came out of Egypt, but they turned from them, and did not destroy them; here they are rewarding us by coming to cast us out of Your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon You. Our eyes should be on Jesus Christ, giving Him our presence daily; this is our daily victory! Back to 2 Chronicles verse 13, all Judah stood before the Lord. Then upon Jehaziel, a Levite of Asaph’s sons came the Spirit of the Lord amid the congregation, and he said, harken ye, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat. Thus saith the Lord unto you, be not afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude; for the battle is not your, but God’s, this is a word during this time for the believer. The world will never be the same after this pandemic. But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). God made everything, and we can rest in the assurance that He has the answer for the believer. In John 14:6, Jesus says He is the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The reality of this truth is God never stops being the way just because things become challenging. Again He knows everything about everything, and He wants to guide you in your life affairs. 

Jahaziel, the Levite, finished telling the Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: tomorrow go down against them. They will come up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them for the Lord is with you. Then King Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants Jerusalem bowed before the Lord in worship. Then they all stood and praised the Lord God of Israel with high and loud voices (2 Chr. 20:17-18). The position of praise moved God to cause ambushments to be set in place against Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir so much so that these people helped to destroy one another (2 Chr. 20:22-26). The spoils of this battle God gave them victory in was a gathering of three days so many valuables and precious jewelry on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord. 

After some time, King Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, a wicked king, to make ships. God sent a prophetic to warn him that  ” Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord destroyed your works.” (Chr. 20:35-37) This business deal probably appeared to be a sound investment. But the king had yoked himself with a wicked king; Father God can’t co-exist with the wicked. Best put by Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. Paul spoke of grace so boldly and eloquently!  

Another realization in this journey of life that’s a necessity to walk in God’s prosperity for the believer is we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corin. 5:21), because of the finished works of Jesus Christ at the cross (John 19:30). This is our position with Father God, proclaim that! We are the righteousness of God in Christ, Jesus. We win every battle in Christ Jesus!    

Grace Mills