Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Let God Solve Your Problems

Rick Warren's daily devotional this morning was especially good and I want to share it with you.
Katherine

Whose Battle Is It?
by Rick Warren

“But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT)
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In today’s passage, God is talking to King Jehoshaphat and the Israelites. They’re about to be attacked by three enemies: the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Meunites.
Jehoshaphat had to be worried about how his people could defend themselves in such a battle, but God knew exactly what Jehoshaphat was thinking. He said, “You will not have to fight in this battle.” Now, that’s the kind of battle I like!

What God tells Jehoshaphat in this passage, and what he would remind us today, is this: “The battle is not yours; it’s mine. You don’t have to fight in it.”

In other words, it’s God’s problem. Let him solve it.

The fact is if you are God’s child, then your problems are his problems. And he’s much better at fighting your battles and solving your problems than you will ever be. Your job is to trust him to work it all out. Perhaps the reason we have so many tired, fatigued, and discouraged Christians is because we think, “It all depends on me.”

The day you resign as General Manager of the Universe, you’re going to find that it doesn’t fall apart. You can relax in faith, trusting that God is able to run things without your help.
Twice in this passage it says, “Don’t be afraid,” and “Don’t be discouraged.” When you face a seemingly impossible situation, don’t be afraid and don’t be discouraged. Has God ever lost a battle? No. He doesn’t lose battles.

There’s an important phrase in verse 17. God tells Jehoshaphat, “Take your positions and stand firm.” What does it mean to stand firm? It means to have a mental attitude of quiet confidence. It is never God’s will for you to run from a difficult situation. I’ve discovered that when I run from a difficult situation, inevitably God always brings it back around and gives me another chance.
Why?
Because God wants us to learn – and he wants to teach us through experience – that in every situation he is sufficient. He is competent and capable and he will meet our needs in that situation. Don’t be afraid; fear is the opposite of faith.

You stand firm on two things:
The character of God – He’s faithful. He does not bring us this far just to let us down. He doesn’t bring you out on a limb and then cut off the limb. Have faith in the nature andcharacter of God.
The truth of his Word – God’s Word is faithful. You can count on the promises found in the Bible.
Stand still. Remember Who the battle belongs to. Trust that he is able to deliver you. And then watch him do it!


Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.

5 comments:

Susan said...

Oh that we would, and could, truly get this from our heads to our hearts and live it. I got a great forward yesterday, that I posted on my Prayer blog, titled "When Christians Want To Quit...." We cannot quit.....having done all we must stand. God is moving in powerful ways and it is so exciting to see and be part of.
Susan

LillyB said...

Thank you so much for posting this! I needed it so much. If I will just get out of God's way He will do so much more for me...unfortunately I have lived my life as a single mother and have felt like I had to be Miss Independence and it gave me a mindset that I had to do everything...Now I see...I'm not driving this life! Thank you and God richly bless you and yours!
Lilly

Devoted said...

Thank you for the words of encouragement. God be with you as you serve him. ~T

LillyB said...

I wanted to let you know that I copied this and sent it to my dear friend, she called me crying and said that her teenage sons had a serious altercation and she was at her wits end. I did not know that when I sent this to her! She said it gave her strength and encouraged her to withstand what they are going thru with the kids. So you ministered to several people by posting this! Thank you so much for being obedient to God and getting His word out there!
God Bless you and yours!!

Anonymous said...

Good day!

Please include my country in your prayer also.

Thank you and God bless you abundantly!!!