Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, was a decent king, but bad associations caused him a lot of trouble. He hung out with the evil king of Israel. They decided to attack Moab, but didn't ask God about their plan. The choices they made led them through an area that was low on resources, and they didn't bring enough provisions to sustain the army.
Many times Christians make decisions without asking God. When they get into trouble, they blame Him. Just because someone is in leadership doesn't mean God put them there. People put them there.
Finally, they call for Elisha who was close by. Elisha comes only because of Jehoshaphat. He regarded his presence but not his judgment.
Elisha calls for a musician, and God's revelation comes to him. Often we do not hear from God because other things block His voice or dull our hearing. The music we listen to, the company we keep, the lack of prayer, etc. can all affect us.
A word comes from the Lord. They are told to dig ditches, and the valley would be filled with water. They had to DO something. Did you ever notice in scripture how people were told to do something unusual or to repeat a previously unsuccessful action. The disciples were told to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. This made no sense to them since they'd been fishing all night. Yet, when they obeyed, they caught many fish.
Revelation comes to our spirits not to our heads. When we filter revelation through our minds, reasoning can come in and corrupt it.
There are 5 things we must do when revelation is given in order to see the end result. We're using the acronym: SHAPE.
1) Seek it - Ask God for revelation.
2) Hear - not just with your physical ears but with your spiritual ears.
3) Accept it. We don't always like the revelation we get.
4) Perform it. Obey the word of the Lord.
5) Endure - Persevere. The road isn't always easy, and many obstacles may be in your path.
To hear the entire message, please go to our website, and click on the Listen tab. You can download it to your MP3 player, listen online, or podcast FREE.
If you're visiting in the area or looking for a church home, we invite you to our Sunday Morning Servivce. Zoe Christian Fellowship is located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Route 611), in Warrington, PA 18976. The church phone number is (215) 343-7686. All welcome!
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