Did the doctor say your disease is terminal? Are you being sued for divorce or battling
for custody of your children? Are you facing financial ruin? Did the pediatrician tell you that
your precious little baby will never be normal?
Perhaps you grew up in a negative environment where you constantly heard “bad
reports” from parents who declared, “I’m sorry you were ever born!” or “You are so
stupid...You will never amount to anything!”
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
A Bad Report
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with
them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and
told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the seas,
from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar" (which is EnGedi). (2 Chronicles 20:1-2)
There are always “some” with a bad report. The Biblical record is filled with their
gloomy proclamations:
C Moses received a bad report concerning the dangerous depths of the Red Sea
which blocked Israel’s exodus from Egypt.
C Messengers came to Nehemiah describing Jerusalem in ruins with its fortified
walls collapsed in devastation.
C Naomi, a woman whose story is recorded in the book of Ruth, received a series of
bad reports: Her husband and both dons died.
C King David looked out over the plains and saw a messenger running with news
from the battlefield. It was a devastating report that his son, Absalom, was dead.
C A righteous man named Job seemed to have a propensity for bad news. He
received word that his children were killed and his servants and herds captured by
the enemy. Lucky man--he also had a wife who seemed to delight in
emphasizing these negative reports (as if Job needed someone to tell him how
bad things were). Her advice was to “curse God and die.”
C As Jarius hurried towards home bringing Jesus to his ailing daughter’s side, his
servant met him with the tragic news that the child was already dead.
There are always "some" with a bad report. In fact, there are usually “more” than “some”
because we live in a negatively oriented world. If you don’t believe it, observe what happens
when you share an innovative idea. The common response is for others to immediately point out
why your plan won’t work. This negative mind-set is tremendously evident on the evening
television news where practically every report concerns crime, political wrangling, or societal
crisis. Even the weather report is negative. Why not say “80% chance of sunshine” instead of
“20% chance of rain”?
them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and
told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the seas,
from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar" (which is EnGedi). (2 Chronicles 20:1-2)
There are always “some” with a bad report. The Biblical record is filled with their
gloomy proclamations:
C Moses received a bad report concerning the dangerous depths of the Red Sea
which blocked Israel’s exodus from Egypt.
C Messengers came to Nehemiah describing Jerusalem in ruins with its fortified
walls collapsed in devastation.
C Naomi, a woman whose story is recorded in the book of Ruth, received a series of
bad reports: Her husband and both dons died.
C King David looked out over the plains and saw a messenger running with news
from the battlefield. It was a devastating report that his son, Absalom, was dead.
C A righteous man named Job seemed to have a propensity for bad news. He
received word that his children were killed and his servants and herds captured by
the enemy. Lucky man--he also had a wife who seemed to delight in
emphasizing these negative reports (as if Job needed someone to tell him how
bad things were). Her advice was to “curse God and die.”
C As Jarius hurried towards home bringing Jesus to his ailing daughter’s side, his
servant met him with the tragic news that the child was already dead.
There are always "some" with a bad report. In fact, there are usually “more” than “some”
because we live in a negatively oriented world. If you don’t believe it, observe what happens
when you share an innovative idea. The common response is for others to immediately point out
why your plan won’t work. This negative mind-set is tremendously evident on the evening
television news where practically every report concerns crime, political wrangling, or societal
crisis. Even the weather report is negative. Why not say “80% chance of sunshine” instead of
“20% chance of rain”?
The Biblical Text
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with
them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.
2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you
from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast
throughout all Judah.
4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah
they came to seek the Lord.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the
Lord, before the new court,
6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule
over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so
that no one is able to withstand You?
7 “Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people
Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
8 “And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,
9 `If disaster comes upon us-- sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine-- we will stand before
this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in
our affliction, and You will hear and save.’
10 “And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir-- whom You would not
let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and
did not destroy them--
11 “here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You
have given us to inherit.
12 “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude
that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the
Lord.
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah,
the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the
assembly.
15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King
Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: `Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this
great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 `Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you
will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 `You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the
salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be
4
dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.
19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites
stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they
went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of
Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His
prophets, and you shall prosper.”
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the
Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and
were saying: “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.”
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of
Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to
utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,
they helped to destroy one another.
24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the
multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them
an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped
off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering
the spoil because there was so much.
26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed
the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this
day.
27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of
them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their
enemies.
28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the
house of the Lord.
29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the
Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.
2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you
from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast
throughout all Judah.
4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah
they came to seek the Lord.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the
Lord, before the new court,
6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule
over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so
that no one is able to withstand You?
7 “Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people
Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
8 “And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,
9 `If disaster comes upon us-- sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine-- we will stand before
this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in
our affliction, and You will hear and save.’
10 “And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir-- whom You would not
let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and
did not destroy them--
11 “here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You
have given us to inherit.
12 “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude
that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the
Lord.
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah,
the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the
assembly.
15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King
Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: `Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this
great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 `Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you
will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 `You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the
salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be
4
dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.
19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites
stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they
went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of
Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His
prophets, and you shall prosper.”
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the
Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and
were saying: “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.”
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of
Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to
utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,
they helped to destroy one another.
24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the
multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them
an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped
off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering
the spoil because there was so much.
26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed
the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this
day.
27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of
them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their
enemies.
28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the
house of the Lord.
29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the
Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
What To Do...
When You Don’t Know What To Do
Biblical Strategies For Confronting Crisis
A hazy sun was obscured by the smoke of numerous fires, casting an eerie morning light
over the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. The scene from my third floor hotel room was one of
complete devastation. Car windows were smashed, buildings were riddled with bullets, stores
were ransacked, and dead bodies lay in the streets. After 19 years of peace, the city of Nairobi
was caught in the crossfire of a bloody coup between rival military powers attempting to
overthrow the government.
That day we were scheduled to start a training institute for African Christian leaders from
all over the continent. The administrator of the facility we were renting for the institute was
frightened by the coup and did not want us to open the sessions. Due to anti-American
sentiment, the Kenyan government was advising Americans to flee the country if they could find
a way out. A Swiss airline crew staying in the hotel where I was residing offered me a ride to
another city from where I could catch a flight to America, and I was seriously considering it. Our
national coordinator and the African delegates, however, wanted to open the training institute as
scheduled. The final decision was mine, but--what should I do?
To be honest, I gave serious consideration to hopping a plane back to the safe haven of
my California home, but would this be wisdom or a cowardly retreat? Should I remain in
Nairobi and open the institute as scheduled, despite the danger? If I did, it could cost someone’s
life--maybe mine!
While every dilemma we face in life is not quite as dramatic as the situation I confronted
in Nairobi, complex circumstances frequently result in the same question: “What should I do?”
We are usually taught that to find God’s will we should pray, study the Scriptures, listen to the
inner voice of the Holy Spirit, seek Christian counsel, and analyze the circumstances. But what
happens when there is no angelic visitation, no audible voice from God, no supernatural
manifestation, no time to seek counsel--but you have a pressing situation and need an immediate
answer?
In 2 Chronicles 20 the Bible records the story of a man who faced such a dilemma. A
formidable enemy was rapidly advancing to invade King Jehoshaphat’s nation. As the massive
army marched towards him, Jehoshaphat fearfully acknowledged that he had no strategy to face
the crisis. He didn’t have time to search the Scriptures, make an appointment with a Christian
counselor, or wait for circumstances to work out. Jehoshaphat’s story begins with confusion but
ends in conquest because he learned what to do when he didn’t know what to do--and so can
you! Once you master the strategies Jehoshaphat used you can apply them to every crisis you
encounter.
2
That terrifying day in Nairobi I decided to open the training institute as scheduled,
despite the continuing coup and governmental warnings. Hundreds of our African delegates got
on their faces before God and interceded for Kenya until some 52 hours later the government
triumphed and President Daniel Moi publicly gave glory to God for restoring peace to his nation.
That day, I learned that my life, the spiritual destiny of others, and perhaps even that of an entire
nation may be profoundly affected by what I do when I don’t know what to do.
If you are seeking God’s will but you are confused and perplexed--then this book is for
you! Like Jehoshaphat, once you receive this revelation you will never again be fearful or
indecisive when you don’t know what to do.
-The Author
Biblical Strategies For Confronting Crisis
A hazy sun was obscured by the smoke of numerous fires, casting an eerie morning light
over the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. The scene from my third floor hotel room was one of
complete devastation. Car windows were smashed, buildings were riddled with bullets, stores
were ransacked, and dead bodies lay in the streets. After 19 years of peace, the city of Nairobi
was caught in the crossfire of a bloody coup between rival military powers attempting to
overthrow the government.
That day we were scheduled to start a training institute for African Christian leaders from
all over the continent. The administrator of the facility we were renting for the institute was
frightened by the coup and did not want us to open the sessions. Due to anti-American
sentiment, the Kenyan government was advising Americans to flee the country if they could find
a way out. A Swiss airline crew staying in the hotel where I was residing offered me a ride to
another city from where I could catch a flight to America, and I was seriously considering it. Our
national coordinator and the African delegates, however, wanted to open the training institute as
scheduled. The final decision was mine, but--what should I do?
To be honest, I gave serious consideration to hopping a plane back to the safe haven of
my California home, but would this be wisdom or a cowardly retreat? Should I remain in
Nairobi and open the institute as scheduled, despite the danger? If I did, it could cost someone’s
life--maybe mine!
While every dilemma we face in life is not quite as dramatic as the situation I confronted
in Nairobi, complex circumstances frequently result in the same question: “What should I do?”
We are usually taught that to find God’s will we should pray, study the Scriptures, listen to the
inner voice of the Holy Spirit, seek Christian counsel, and analyze the circumstances. But what
happens when there is no angelic visitation, no audible voice from God, no supernatural
manifestation, no time to seek counsel--but you have a pressing situation and need an immediate
answer?
In 2 Chronicles 20 the Bible records the story of a man who faced such a dilemma. A
formidable enemy was rapidly advancing to invade King Jehoshaphat’s nation. As the massive
army marched towards him, Jehoshaphat fearfully acknowledged that he had no strategy to face
the crisis. He didn’t have time to search the Scriptures, make an appointment with a Christian
counselor, or wait for circumstances to work out. Jehoshaphat’s story begins with confusion but
ends in conquest because he learned what to do when he didn’t know what to do--and so can
you! Once you master the strategies Jehoshaphat used you can apply them to every crisis you
encounter.
2
That terrifying day in Nairobi I decided to open the training institute as scheduled,
despite the continuing coup and governmental warnings. Hundreds of our African delegates got
on their faces before God and interceded for Kenya until some 52 hours later the government
triumphed and President Daniel Moi publicly gave glory to God for restoring peace to his nation.
That day, I learned that my life, the spiritual destiny of others, and perhaps even that of an entire
nation may be profoundly affected by what I do when I don’t know what to do.
If you are seeking God’s will but you are confused and perplexed--then this book is for
you! Like Jehoshaphat, once you receive this revelation you will never again be fearful or
indecisive when you don’t know what to do.
-The Author
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