"Don't let the odds intimidate you!"
"Don't be intimidated by the odds!"
.."Behold I have set before you an open door and no man can shut it; with the strength that you possess you have kept my word and have not denied my name...." Revelation 3:8
Life has a way of surrounding us with burdens and some times we find ourselves among people, in places, and in positions that appear to consume us. It becomes very hard to think, to be thankful, and even to pray. Things that once did not bother us are now irritants and from the looks of it all, nothing seems to be going right. This reminds me of how the children of Israel must have felt after the northern tribes were carried away in capacity and the Assyrians were now threatening to so the same thing to Judah. Many of them possessed pure hearts, true faith, and a sincere desire to serve God but from the outward view they appeared vulnerable. King Hezekiah who had previously paid tribute to Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:13-16) became hard pressed by the Assyrians to surrender his kingdom. The devil was trying to strike a deal.
When Sennacherib invaded Judah, the King responded by cutting off the water supply outside the city, rebuilding and repairing the wall of Jerusalem, providing weapons and officers while encouraging the people to look to Jehovah instead of fearing their enemies. He did all he could do, the rest was up to God. It would seem to be a strange answer to prayer from God to the faithfulness of His servant to have a strong foe invade the kingdom. In evaluation of the text we learn that Hezekiah had flung off the yoke of the king of Assyria which his father Ahaz had consented to wear. Then Sennacherib invaded Judah. In a moment of weakness the King consents to pay a heavy tribute to his opponent in an effort to buy him off. The outcome was not what he desired; Sennacherib demanded an unconditional surrender. First and foremost you can not make a deal with the devil for he is a liar and unable to keep any promises. Secondly, you should not make permanent decisions during temporary hardship. This to shall pass. In an hour of crisis that resulted from his own vacillation, the king's faith and courage were renewed. Don't let the odds intimidate you; "be strong and be courageous, do not be afraid neither be dismayed of the multitudes that be against you; there are more with us than be with them against us; for with them is the arm of flesh but with us is the Lord our God. He will fight our battle" (2 Chronicles 32:8-9). Don't be intimidated by the odds.
When God leads you to the edge; trust Him fully and let go. There is only one of two things that can happen. God will either catch you when you fall or He'll teach you how to fly. Prophetically I declare, today God is going to shift things around for you and let them work in your favor. God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close. If you need God to open some doors for you today; step out on faith in spite of the odds. Hezekiah did all that he could do. He managed to stop the water by concealing the springs outside the city and then he dug a tunnel to bring water to the Pool of Siloam inside the city walls. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Do all you can do and leave the rest to God. Hezekiah hid the source of water and made it unavailable to the enemy. Don't tell everybody all of your business, keep some stuff between you and God and watch Him work it out. Just do your part and God will do the rest.
You are not your own, you were brought with a price! God knows how to preserve, to protect, and to provide for you when the odds are against you. The "more with us" described in the text does not refer to Judah's army but to the hosts of heaven. Like Sennacherib, the enemy will try to destroy your faith, by causing you to shift your focus and eventually loosing your footing. He will remind you of your past, he will replay prior failures and he will flood you with previous reproach. If you allow him, satan will tell you that our God is likened unto all other powerless gods. But, he knows better. The Assyrians thought the true God was no different than the gods of other nations that they had subjugated and plundered. Assyria was so confident in their ability that they sent collection letters to Judah to intimidate them into surrender. The same devil that mocked God and brought about war on His people returned shamed faced to his own land. Sennacherib who doubted God's ability to preserve His own under estimated the power, the passion, and the purpose of our Savior and he died a violent death in the very act of worshiping his god. God allowed his sons to assassinate him some years after the siege of Jerusalem.
Hezekiah became ill shortly after Sennacherib's defeat. The Prophet Isaiah declared to King Hezekiah that he would recover but the king wanted a confirmation. The sundial moved backward for him ten degrees adding forty minutes to the day. God granted Hezekiah extraordinary favor. Hezekiah's heart lifted up and pride sank in and in response he received Babylonian envoys who came to congratulate him and to blindly lead him in their support against Assyria. Their visit ignited his desire to show off the treasures of the kingdom and because of this indulgence in pride; God's fury was looming. A few quick reflections; when it appears that God is doing nothing; He is up to something. He knows your work and will fight for His own. Trouble and testing sometimes come to the believer who has been completely faithful and obedient to God. However, the assurance of faith is this; the one who is with us is so great that He can overcome all that the enemy throws against us. Secondly; God will never do for you what you can do for yourself. You have to do your part and leave the rest to Him. Lastly, the test is nothing more than preparation for the testimony that God will have you share with others. Don't be intimidated by the odds, God's got this!'
.."Behold I have set before you an open door and no man can shut it; with the strength that you possess you have kept my word and have not denied my name...." Revelation 3:8
Life has a way of surrounding us with burdens and some times we find ourselves among people, in places, and in positions that appear to consume us. It becomes very hard to think, to be thankful, and even to pray. Things that once did not bother us are now irritants and from the looks of it all, nothing seems to be going right. This reminds me of how the children of Israel must have felt after the northern tribes were carried away in capacity and the Assyrians were now threatening to so the same thing to Judah. Many of them possessed pure hearts, true faith, and a sincere desire to serve God but from the outward view they appeared vulnerable. King Hezekiah who had previously paid tribute to Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:13-16) became hard pressed by the Assyrians to surrender his kingdom. The devil was trying to strike a deal.
When Sennacherib invaded Judah, the King responded by cutting off the water supply outside the city, rebuilding and repairing the wall of Jerusalem, providing weapons and officers while encouraging the people to look to Jehovah instead of fearing their enemies. He did all he could do, the rest was up to God. It would seem to be a strange answer to prayer from God to the faithfulness of His servant to have a strong foe invade the kingdom. In evaluation of the text we learn that Hezekiah had flung off the yoke of the king of Assyria which his father Ahaz had consented to wear. Then Sennacherib invaded Judah. In a moment of weakness the King consents to pay a heavy tribute to his opponent in an effort to buy him off. The outcome was not what he desired; Sennacherib demanded an unconditional surrender. First and foremost you can not make a deal with the devil for he is a liar and unable to keep any promises. Secondly, you should not make permanent decisions during temporary hardship. This to shall pass. In an hour of crisis that resulted from his own vacillation, the king's faith and courage were renewed. Don't let the odds intimidate you; "be strong and be courageous, do not be afraid neither be dismayed of the multitudes that be against you; there are more with us than be with them against us; for with them is the arm of flesh but with us is the Lord our God. He will fight our battle" (2 Chronicles 32:8-9). Don't be intimidated by the odds.
When God leads you to the edge; trust Him fully and let go. There is only one of two things that can happen. God will either catch you when you fall or He'll teach you how to fly. Prophetically I declare, today God is going to shift things around for you and let them work in your favor. God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close. If you need God to open some doors for you today; step out on faith in spite of the odds. Hezekiah did all that he could do. He managed to stop the water by concealing the springs outside the city and then he dug a tunnel to bring water to the Pool of Siloam inside the city walls. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Do all you can do and leave the rest to God. Hezekiah hid the source of water and made it unavailable to the enemy. Don't tell everybody all of your business, keep some stuff between you and God and watch Him work it out. Just do your part and God will do the rest.
You are not your own, you were brought with a price! God knows how to preserve, to protect, and to provide for you when the odds are against you. The "more with us" described in the text does not refer to Judah's army but to the hosts of heaven. Like Sennacherib, the enemy will try to destroy your faith, by causing you to shift your focus and eventually loosing your footing. He will remind you of your past, he will replay prior failures and he will flood you with previous reproach. If you allow him, satan will tell you that our God is likened unto all other powerless gods. But, he knows better. The Assyrians thought the true God was no different than the gods of other nations that they had subjugated and plundered. Assyria was so confident in their ability that they sent collection letters to Judah to intimidate them into surrender. The same devil that mocked God and brought about war on His people returned shamed faced to his own land. Sennacherib who doubted God's ability to preserve His own under estimated the power, the passion, and the purpose of our Savior and he died a violent death in the very act of worshiping his god. God allowed his sons to assassinate him some years after the siege of Jerusalem.
Hezekiah became ill shortly after Sennacherib's defeat. The Prophet Isaiah declared to King Hezekiah that he would recover but the king wanted a confirmation. The sundial moved backward for him ten degrees adding forty minutes to the day. God granted Hezekiah extraordinary favor. Hezekiah's heart lifted up and pride sank in and in response he received Babylonian envoys who came to congratulate him and to blindly lead him in their support against Assyria. Their visit ignited his desire to show off the treasures of the kingdom and because of this indulgence in pride; God's fury was looming. A few quick reflections; when it appears that God is doing nothing; He is up to something. He knows your work and will fight for His own. Trouble and testing sometimes come to the believer who has been completely faithful and obedient to God. However, the assurance of faith is this; the one who is with us is so great that He can overcome all that the enemy throws against us. Secondly; God will never do for you what you can do for yourself. You have to do your part and leave the rest to Him. Lastly, the test is nothing more than preparation for the testimony that God will have you share with others. Don't be intimidated by the odds, God's got this!'
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