Always Depend on God 05.26.08

Hello My Friend/Guest,

It is Monday May 206, 2008 and today we are continuing our studies on the book of II Chronicles. Please read Chapters 14-17 in your Bible or Click Here to read. ww.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II%20Chronicles%2014-17&version=9

Today we will read and learn about King Asa reforming Israel, his covenant with God, his treaty with Syria, Hanani's rebuke on Asa, his death and Jehoshaphat succeeding Asa. Today's message focuses on the importance of not losing our dependance on God when are blessed with prosperity.

King Asa was the grandson of Rehoboam and the great-grandson of Solomon, but Asa rejected their pagan idols, tore them down and sought the Lord. "And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him." (II Chronicles 14:2-5).

When Zerah, the Ethiopian king, declared war on the Southern Kingdom of Judah, King Asa and the nation of Judah were faced with a million soldiers who had 300 chariots, the largest army recorded in the Old Testament. Asa prayed and reminded the Lord that He alone could give victory to a small army as easily as to a powerful one and through Asa's trust and faith in God to help guide him to victory they prevailed. "And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah. Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let no man prevail against thee. So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil." (14:9-13)

Asa further led the people to renew their covenant with the Lord, "And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.....And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman." (15:8-9,12-13). Asa left no room for compromise, he took away all the idols and even removed his grandmother from being queen because she followed idols.

Asa and the Kingdom of Judah enjoyed many years of prosperity. Later when Baasha, King of Israel, became a threat to his border cities, Asa should have prayed again in faith and asked God for direction. Instead, he took his own direction and gave silver and gold out of the house of the Lord to Ben-hadad, King of Syria, to declare war on Israel. As Asa's power increased his dependance on God decreased and he felt no need to rely on God. "And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand." (16:7). This marked a spiritual decline in Asa's life, and he ended up dying in shame because of it

Like Asa, too often we tend to rely on other people or worldly means instead of depending on God, even though we have received answers to prayer in the past. You can be sure that, when anyone takes a firm stand for moral and spiritual values, Satan will instigate opposition and then seek to bring about a compromise in that person's positive declaration of faith.

Hanani was put in prison for his faithful witness, but his words have imparted immeasurable faith and boldness for all of us to remain faithful in the midst of a hostile world, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." (16:9).

It is not beauty, strength or wealth that makes us great, but only faithfulness to obey God's Word.

In today's message Jesus Christ is revealed through the rest that God gave Judah (II Chronicles 14:7). Jesus declared, take My yoke upon you and you shall find rest. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).

Today's Psalm 40:10

"I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation."

Today's Prayer

Deal Lord,
Increase our faith. Strengthen us nd help us to soak in your word as we spend time with you. Help us to remain faithful to You no matter how prosperous we become for you are the glory of all things good and true. Lord, also as we observe Memorial Day, bless those in the military who gave their lives to protect us from war and conflicts within our nation and our own country. In Jesus' name......Amen.

Have a great and wonderful Monday!
God bless,
Christina

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