Set Yourself to Seek

Do you feel like the enemy is in your territory? Maybe he slipped in before you even noticed and he is closer than you realized.

In 2 Chronicles 20 Jehoshaphat’s men came to let him know that the enemy was coming to make war. Not only were they coming, they had already crossed the sea and were in Jehoshaphat’s territory. Before the people even realized it the enemy had entered their land. Look at how Jehoshaphat responded after hearing the news that the enemy was coming.

“Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (2 Chronicles 20:3 ESV).

He may have been afraid but he knew how to respond. No one had to advise him, no one had to tell him what to do, he already knew who to turn to. He had set himself to seek the Lord. Then he took it one step further and proclaimed a fast throughout the nation.

It seems like we try all of these different ideas but we should be going to God first. The scripture doesn’t say Jehoshaphat prepared his army and then they sought the Lord, it says he sought the Lord and fasted first.

On this earth we are going to have battles in all areas of our lives. How are you responding when the enemy comes at you? Have you set yourself to seek the Lord listening for His answer? Or are you letting the enemy defeat you before the battle even begins? Don’t let there be any question on how you are going to respond. God is our source, He is our strength. No foe stands a chance against Him. Seek Him first.

I used to drive by a horse farm on my way to work. If I drove by at just the right time, I would see a trainer leading a horse and buggy around the property. The horse would be wearing blinders so that the trainer could keep him focused and heading in the right direction.

Sometimes we need to do this during the battles of our life. Put your blinders on to shut out the distractions around you. No matter what is coming against you – you have to set yourself to seek the lord. We are not going to waiver and we are not going to doubt. You have to be determined to seek God wholeheartedly. Keep your focus on God and let Him take care of the needs in your life. You are on the winning side, keep your eyes on the Lord.

We have to continuously stay in communion with the Lord. He is our strength, He is our shield, He is our everything. We pray, read the Word, praise, worship, and give thanks while spending time with the Lord. We do these things to stay prepared for battle. We need to live in the ready position. Stay ready to avoid the cost that comes when you are hurried to battle because the enemy has already stepped into your territory.

One of my favorite parts of this chapter is in verse 21 when the “praise team” is sent out ahead of the army to sing to the Lord. When the people began to sing and praise, the Lord set out an ambush against the enemy. Just think about that, with every song of praise that we sing an ambush is being sent against our enemies. That just makes me want to start singing right now, or at the very least start playing some praise music.