Just to recap so far. Our Lenten theme is a call to turn from our wicked ways. We looked at the call to bare arms, which was about God’s power defeating our enemies and then we talked about a call to come to our senses which was about the realization that we cannot survive on our own without God. Today and this week, our call is to surrender to God. Surrender means “to cease resistance and submit to authority.” The military definition of surrender is “the relinquishment of control over territory, combatants, fortifications, ships or armament to another power. A surrender may be accomplished peacefully or it may be the result of defeat in battle. When you apply this to the church, we could have chosen to surrender our lives to God peacefully. All we had to do was repent and the kingdom of God would have come near. Instead, the church decided to go their own way and battle followed, leaving the church desolate. Due to our rebellion, God turned His face from us and the only way for God to shine on us once again is to return to Him. 

    This means we will stop trying to do things in our own power, with our own hands and submit to following wholeheartedly our sovereign God. You may think you are not resisting, but by being part of the rebellion and following false gospels, you are resisting. Ever since way back in the Garden of Eden, satan has and will try to get you to reject God and do things on your own. Most people in the church have no idea the deception that has taken place nor do they understand the delusion God has brought on them for disobeying His word. satan said to Eve, Genesis 3:1 “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The answer was, 2 “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” It was at this point they should have obeyed what God commanded and resisted satan but instead they listened to satan who said  4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.” satan wants you to reject the commands of God so that you will be cursed and so that he won’t be defeated. He knows the power of God but most in the church do not. So even though God said disobey and you will die, satan said no you won’t and they believed satan.

         Today and down through the ages the church still listens to that same voice. They hear, sure it’s okay to go your own way; God will not really do what He said He would do. God is a God of love, you won’t go to hell if you disobey, He will just be upset with you. He didn’t really mean when He said Matthew 25:41 “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” The eternal fire was not prepared for you and I but for satan. satan has deceived most of the church to go their own way, meaning they follow the teaching of men and women and the doctrines of demons also known as other gospels. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” Scripture is very clear that if you disobey and reject God’s word, you will be destroyed. The good news as we will see today is this promise. 2 Chronicles 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” Peter said Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

    The deception and delusion in the church has been devastating and the church has been corrupt for a long time. As you watch the news and see the destruction of war in Ukraine, picture the church and the decimation that satan has brought on it. This is hard for most people to see. They see churches and may even attend churches that are blatantly teaching other gospels, yet they sing praise to God. It looks like all is well but in reality what you are seeing is death and destruction, just like you are seeing in the news today. God made it clear He will turn His face from us when we reject His word. Solomon was told, 1 Kings 9:6 “But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 9 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’” God also said Amos 5:21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.” Isaiah said Isaiah 1:4 “Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. 7 Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; 13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!” Zechariah 7:11 “They refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry. 13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Jeremiah 7:23 “I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’ 27 “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.”

    The deception and delusion is the church as we know and it looks nothing like the church Jesus is the head of. Truth has been replaced with deception and delusion because of rebellion. When Jesus was asked about the end, He responded by saying “Watch out that no one deceives you.” He talked about the abomination that causes desolation. Matthew 24:15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” Only a remnant is left because God gave David a promise that the there would always be a remnant. Because the church rebelled against God, God has let satan prevail against the church but that is not how it was supposed to be. The rebellion has already occurred and satan proclaims himself to be God. Paul said 2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Daniel warned us this would happen. Daniel 8:12 “Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.”

    Again, picture the church as a war-torn country. If war was happening to you, you would be calling out to God. If people could actually see the demonic forces all around us, they would be on their knees. The war we are in is spiritual and far more devasting than physical war. Yes, that is hard to comprehend. Winning or losing a war like we are seeing on the news today does not decide your eternal future. Winning or losing a spiritual war does. Matthew 25:46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” You only win if you obey what Jesus says. If those in church who follow other gospels, could see that standing at the front of their church is satan opposing everything that is called God, they would repent, at least they should. Millions of people who thought they were Christians have been deceived and led astray and will not see eternal life. Even though most Christians would not say it out aloud, they believe God approves of their lukewarm life and their adherence to other gospels. They really don’t believe hell exists or that God would allow them to spend their eternity there so they don’t really fear God. Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Like Adam and Eve, satan has deceived people in the church to not listen to what God actually states in His word but this is what the bible says Revelation 3:15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Yet the church is filled with the lukewarm.

    As you listen to people preach, you will hear some words of God but mostly their own. At first glance or listen, the words sound like the bible, but upon further inspection you will see that they are not the same. You will hear people sound very intelligent. They might even throw in some Greek or Hebrew but if you listen carefully (test the spirits), you will see there is a lot of in-between the lines where the white on the page becomes more important than what is actually written. We have talked already about the dangers of the study bible. The words at the bottom are not the words of God but man’s words about God’s word. It seems these days every guru has their own study bible. We talked about dispensationalism and how the Scofield Study bible spread the false teaching of Darby. Many just use the bible to get their own point across. I have even heard people preaching where the very passage they were reading from showed their teaching to be false, if they had just read the passage a little further.

    The lack of power in the church is why we know all this is true. If the church was actually like Jesus, the church would be doing as Jesus did. Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” We would also be doing as the disciples did. Acts 8:6 “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” So many in the church have bought into the lie that this is all there is to the church. Many have perfected their services and week after week people attend and remain the same. The church doesn’t see the kingdom of God come near so there is no power to heal or cast out demons. The church does not do as Jesus did even though Jesus said, John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” This is not happening because the church has rebelled against God. 

    Jesus came to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3:8 “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”) and the church was to continue in that work. Instead, because the church refused to obey, the work of the devil flourished, and the church was decimated and if this time was not cut short, we all would have no hope of a future. That tells you how powerful this attack on the church is. Another deception by satan is that all this deception would happen way off in the future. Meanwhile satan is raging against the church and people think this is what church is. They think that power and peace will come in the Millennial Kingdom where Jesus will reign back on earth for a thousand years. The problem is that the bible tells us His kingdom already came, as did power and peace. The Jews rejected Jesus because according to them, He did not meet their criteria for the Messiah, so they crucified Him. Now we have Gentiles who believe the same nonsense about Jesus, and they too are crucifying Him all over again. Instead of reading what God’s word actually says, they reject it for words of man and end up powerless against our enemies, yet still refuse to repent. 

    satan has ravaged the church. Not only do we have false teachings, doctrines of demons, a lack of power and truth nowhere to be found, we have churches accepting as truth lies from satan. The last couple of days we talked briefly about homosexuality and then yesterday the diverse church which has accepted all of these “2slgbtqia+ as approved by God.” You can look that up. I think if most people were honest, you would be saying what is happening to this world? I am amazed at how many churches have rejected God’s word for the reasoning, traditions, and experiences of man. The bible says abomination and man says my tradition, my experiences, and my reasoning all say otherwise, yet they do not understand that satan is telling them that God really did not say what He said and wrote down and like Adam and Eve they believed him. The bible is not words of men but as Peter said 2 Peter 1:21 “prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” God said Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” 

    It sounds as if there is no hope but there is. Even though the church has been decimated, God will keep His promise to David and there will always be a remnant even if the remnant also goes into captivity. 2 Chronicles 36:20 “He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power.” David said to Solomon. 1 Kings 2:2 “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.” God even told Solomon 1 Kings 9:4 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.” Solomon rejected the word of God but there was still a remnant just as God promised. It was all downhill from there. You then had Israel and Judah who both in the end fell to their enemies because they were disobedient. Nehemiah 9:32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our ancestors did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways. 36 “But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.” The church is so deceived it doesn’t know enough to be in distress.

         The other morning there was an amazing sunrise and at the same time the full moon was setting. Every time I look, I am reminded Jeremiah 33:20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’” So, I have great hope because the covenant is still going. Even though the church has been decimated, God will keep His promise to David and to Abraham so stand firm on His word. 

    Yesterday we saw this amazing verse that follows verses that tell you this type of life will not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul said 1 Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” Paul then said 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Jesus said Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” The gospel message is much more than going to church and remaining unchanged. When the kingdom comes near, so does power from on high. The disciples Mark 6:12 “went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” This happened because God confirmed His word. Mark 16:20 “The disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” Paul said 2 Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” Paul also said this 2 Corinthians 12:21 “I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.”

    True repentance is much more than saying a little prayer and then going to church or the rest of your life. Many who have said the prayer end up going to churches that teach and preach other gospels. 2 Peter 2:19 “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.” Jesus said Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” 

    When Paul said that is what some of you were, that meant they were no longer the same. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Revelation 21:3 “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” They had surrendered their lives to live for God and not themselves. This power that comes with the gospel is what changes people. The church presently does not have this power as God has turned His face from shining on us. The only way to get it back is to turn back to God and turn from our wicked ways. Zechariah 1:3“Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” When that happens, the power we read about in the gospels will return and the church will do as Jesus did and the Kingdom of God will come near but we must surrender our lives completely to God. When you think about what some people were, it is astounding at what God promises those who repent and turn from their wicked ways. Don’t be deceived by thinking your life is free from sin. You may be the nicest person in the world but if you have not repent of your sin, you are the same as the worst. 

    Some people think that if they surrender their lives, their life will never be the same. Yes, that is true but not in the way they think. Most only know what they see in the church as it now stands; powerless and desolate. Why would you want to be part of the church as we know it today? But if you read the gospels, that is the church you want to be part of. What Jesus is offering many reject it and you can still reject it. Many will still be as stubborn as the ones Jesus was angry at. Mark 3:5 “He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” Jesus even rebuked His disciples. Mark 16:14 “Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.” Paul said 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Without God shining His face on us, people who think they are the church, really are not. They are just people gathering in a building. Many think they were baptized and sanctified but they were deceived and remain unclean and are still the same except they go to church. They just got wet. If they truly did have the Spirit of God in them as they say they do, they would have knowledge and run from what is being taught or they would speak against it and then probably be kicked out.

    Nehemiah was told Nehemiah 1:3 “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” The good news was that God was with them just as He promised the remnant. Nehemiah prayed, “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. 8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ 10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name.” Nehemiah then said Nehemiah 2:17 “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace. 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, Let us start rebuilding. So they began this good work.”

    They repented and surrendered their lives to God, and He blessed them and protected them. The church today stands desolate but as Daniel prayed, there is hope if we pray the same. Daniel 9:17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” A vast army has infiltrated the church and we have no power to defeat them. Look around at the church and it is easy to see all the false teaching, false doctrine and errant theology. Truth has been thrown down and is nowhere to be seen.

    Jehoshaphat king of Judah, had a vast army coming against him. The only thing he could do was to surrender everything to God. 2 Chronicles 20:3 “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.” This is what the church needs to do today so that our enemies will be defeated. 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us. For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 

    Today our enemies rage against the church and there is a famine of hearing the word of the Lord and our only hope is to do as King Jehoshaphat did. 2 Chronicles 20:14 “Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah. 15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” 18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” The vast army was destroyed 29 “The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.”

    Will you trust God enough to surrender to Him? Will you say “we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Choose wisely Deuteronomy 30:19 “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live,”