100 Days of Right Believing: Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing (31 page)

T
oday I want you to see two more powerful keys to winning life’s battles from the account of King Jehoshaphat. The first is to believe in the Lord, and you will be established. God’s Word tells us also to believe the words of His prophets (the pastors and preachers whom God has placed in your life), and you shall prosper! That is the power of right believing. Don’t be myopic and be caught up with your current challenges, running around like a headless chicken, trying to solve your problems in your own strength. God doesn’t want you to live in a perpetual state of uncertainty, anxiety, stress, and fear. When you believe right, you will experience true Bible hope and start living with a certain, joyful, confident expectation of good regardless of your current circumstances.

The second key is to go into battle singing praises to God. This was what Jehoshaphat did. It may have been an unusual military strategy, but as the Israelites began to sing and praise, God caused confusion among the enemies’ camps, and they utterly destroyed one another. Judah did not draw a single sword that day, but the battle was won. In fact, it was won before Judah’s troops even arrived at the scene.

God deliberately records for us the words with which the people of Judah praised Him: “Praise the L
ORD
, for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 118 begins and ends with this same refrain—a refrain so close to God’s heart that it features very prominently in many key moments in Israel’s history (see 1 Chron. 16:7, 34; 2 Chron. 7:3). My friend, there is something very special
about these two simple lines of praise. The word for “mercy” here is the very potent Hebrew word
hesed
, which speaks of God’s grace, love, tender mercies, and loving-kindness.
⁵
No matter how many times you have failed and fallen short, and even if the troubles that surround you are a consequence of your own actions, would you turn to the Lord today and praise Him for His goodness and His
hesed
(His grace)?

When you are feeling down, overwhelmed, or fearful, worship Him with these words, and as you praise Him, He will “set ambushes” against all your enemies, troubles, fears, challenges, and addictions, as He did for Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah (see 2 Chron. 20:22). By the time you reach your battlefield, I believe your enemies will all have fallen. Not a single one of your adversaries will escape because the Lord Himself fights your battles.

I
want to begin this day by giving you this challenge: ask God for big things! What do you desire to see in your life—in your family, health, finances, and career? What would you ask God for if you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that He is good and that His love for you endures forever? Ask God for them! Jesus came so that you might live a life that is marked not by lack, but by abundance; not by despair, but by the fullness of His love, joy, and peace.

I would like you to write down in your journal what you would ask God for if you knew that He hears your prayers. What are your dreams, hopes, and aspirations? What would you like to see come to pass in your life? What are you battling with today? Which area of your life would you like to see God’s power work in? Write it down. Write it all down. Write what you want to see happen with Bible hope in your heart that He hears you and will supply. Write with a certain, joyful, positive, and confident expectation of good.

Don’t just ask God for small things. Ask Him for big things! For instance, don’t ask Him for just a job. Ask Him for a position of influence. Don’t just ask Him to restore your health. Ask Him for a long and healthy life filled with many good days. Enlarge your faith to believe in God’s goodness. He is pleased when our faith is big. He is not offended when we ask Him for big things.

Would you do that right now? Just take a few moments and pen down your requests to God—God, who is almighty and more powerful than we can ever imagine. God, who hung the planets in their places and spoke order into the world. God, who led His people in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God, who rained manna from heaven and brought forth water from dry rock. God, who turned bland waters into the finest wine. God, who made the lame walk, the blind see, and the deaf hear. God, who multiplied five
loaves of bread and two small fish to feed five thousand men. God, who raised the dead and conquered the grave.

Ask what you need of God, who loves YOU with an everlasting love!

T
here was a man in the Bible by the name of Jabez. His name was rather unfortunate. It means “sorrow”
⁶
because his mother “bore him in pain” (1 Chron. 4:9). What a name to have! But Jabez cried out to God, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” (1 Chron. 4:10).

Some preachers claim that believers should not pray “selfish” prayers for themselves to be blessed. Jabez’ prayer would probably fall under their definition of a “selfish prayer” as it was all about him asking God to bless him, enlarge his territory, be with him, and protect him. But God didn’t reprimand Jabez for asking Him for these blessings. Without any fanfare, the Bible in the very same verse simply records that “God granted him what he requested.”

That was all. No drama, no long list of what Jabez had to do or not do. It’s really that simple. God heard his prayer and granted his request! No rebuke, no instructions, no “Jabez, if you want Me to bless you, you must first do this.” No, God honored the man’s faith and turned his sorrow into
joy
and his pain into
blessings
—all because he had an unshakable confidence in how good God is and asked big!

My friend, have a good opinion of God. He is not out to get you. He loves you and desires to unleash His favor into every area of your life. He loves it when you call upon Him. And He promised that He would answer when you do. Just see Him declaring to you Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Could it be that we are not seeing many breakthroughs because we have made asking God for big things a taboo with our religious and legalistic rhetoric? Could it be that we are just not seeing many blessings because we have not been asking God and seeking Him with a confident expectation of good?

My friend, it gives your heavenly Father great joy when you ask Him. It’s His good pleasure to bless you as well as your family (see Luke 12:32). Stop being held back by erroneous beliefs about God, and start asking Him for whatever is on your heart today!