An exercise of “Thus Far” to end the week…

I loaded you down with a lot of thoughts this week, didn’t I?

Does it help to know my own head is swimming with our journey through 2 Chronicles 20?

I had planned to wrap this up in a five day series, but God’s Word is always layered and there is so much more than first meets the eye.

So we are going to pause today…

take a little rest stop along the way…

and take some time to ponder and apply what we have covered so far.

I did this yesterday on the drive to watch the band of brothers and Sweet Caroline.

I had forty-five minutes and I want to apologize to anyone I passed because I wasn’t talking on my phone or telling you off….honest biscuits…

I was filling in my own “there’s a great multitude coming against us…” session with the God who made me, loves me, saved me.

So here are the basics for you, my friend, for you to do the same for personal area of influence.

Step 1: Mentally or on paper go ahead and list everything that is opposing you and God’s good plan for your life.

Include all the people who come to your mind who are also facing overwhelming situations that are causing pain, stress, death, loss, betrayal….all the calling cards the enemy of our soul would like to leave on their doorsteps.

You all know what the difference is between that which brings “life, health, truth, peace, joy, self-control, prosperity of the soul, stability, kindness, etc” and what “steals, kills and destroys”.

So name it – all the enemies attempting to ruin God’s people and God’s plan.

Step 2: Now name everything you know to be true about God, your Father…Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior…Holy Spirit who lives in you and who gives you power and strength.

Go ahead and use King Jehoshaphat’s pattern. He won’t mind…there are no copywriter issues in Glory…He doesn’t care if you plagiarize his words.

Start out your declarations with “Are You not God who….?” and just fill in the blanks.

For example…here’s how I started.

“Are You not the God who saved my sorry soul out of the pit of self-service and called me into your Kingdom? Are You not the God who transferred me from darkness to light? Are You not the God who loved me before I even knew who You were?”

Please note…this may take awhile and you most assuredly can use your Bible if you run out of things to say about who He is.

Step 3: Really analyze what the enemy is trying to take in these attacks and call those out as well.

Declare how those things go against what God has promised you in His Word and in your times before Him in the past when He laid hopes and dreams on your heart.

You might be tempted at this point to lean into self-pity and start explaining your own virtues to God and begin whining about how unfair the enemy is. May I urge you to NOT do that….remember…the focus here is on how awesome God is and how awful the enemy is…and let God decide where you land between those two extremes.

This will be helpful for the final step…

Step 4: After you have poured out all of it, stop.

Stop and assume the position of a helpless child with your hands and  your heart spread wide.

You really have nothing to bring to the battle except your great need and the measure of faith you have been given.

You stand before the One who has everything you need to win.

So gather your family, your friends, all the people near and far for whom you carry any burden and stand there before God and lift your eyes to Him alone.

And wait.

I hope and pray you will find some kind of quiet place this weekend and do this.

I look forward to regrouping with you on Monday as we continue on this journey.

May the Lord meet you in your outpouring and may He pour out on you wisdom and comfort, peace and joy.

May He hear your cries and may you experience His mercy and grace over all that is coming against you and those you love <3