KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Chapters: 2 Chronicles 18-20
Message: Making The Right Choices
Hello My Friend,
Choice, the voluntary act of selecting from two or more things that which is preferred. Every where we go, we have choices. Look down the aisle of a supermarket for some rice and you will see ten versions of the same item. Let me tell you, they may look the same, but they are not. How do we determine what we prefer? Most of the time we go by sight. I have to real labels, if I just grab anything and it contains an ingredient that hurts me I suffer. How many times do we suffer because we make the wrong choice? I have more times that I can count. You know, when we choose Christ, it is not something that we automatically do, it gets thought about, and when we finally get to that point where we know we need Him, that is when He becomes our choice. And that is the best choice we can ever make. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15.
Jehoshaphat was a godly king, and he and the kingdom prospered greatly because of that, but Jehoshaphat had a problem. He, like many of us, try to see the good in everyone, he often aligned himself with the enemy, and that caused him to be put in some very compromising situations. First, we learn of him making an alliance with Ahab, king of Israel, and that almost cost him his life. “So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle. Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the king of Israel. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him.” – 2 Chronicles 18:28-32.
“but put thou on thy robes.” Ahab intended for Jehoshaphat to get caught in the fire and die, trying to overthrow the prophecy that would bring death to him. However, God intervened when Jehoshaphat called out to Him and was saved that day. We cannot change fate, when God says He will do something, it will happen no matter how many people try to stop Him. Every Christian tries to see the good in everyone, but Jesus Himself said some people are born evil. Incidentally, we are all born to do evil, just because we are saved that does not mean are are incapable of doing something evil. But thank God that Jesus has intervened and became the sacrifice that would save us, and that makes us good in God’s eyes. “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” – Matthew 7:16-19.
Making bad choices is not necessarily sinful, but can cause problems later on that can be sinful. The best way to make the right choice is by going to God first. However, God knows we are going to make the wrong choice sometimes, thankfully His grace covers that. When Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem he got a visit from Jehu.
“And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beersheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers. And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.” – 2 Chronicles 19:1-7.
“for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God,” It is not God who makes things hard for us. We make the wrong choices, and although, praise God, He protects us more than we realize from those choices, God treats no one different. Instead of rebelling and making things worse, use those bad choices to start making the right ones, which is what Jehoshaphat did. The important thing to remember is that while every choice is not going to be right, God will point us in the right direction. Tell me there have not been times when you made a choice and immediately knew it was wrong? That’s God telling us, I know what you did, and do not do it again. “What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.” – Psalms 25:12-15.
Shortly after Jehoshaphat got the kingdom back in order the Moabites and Ammomites came up against them. Jehoshaphat did not make one choice without praying to God, not only did Jehoshaphat pray, but all of Judah. God heard their prayers. “And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.” – 2 Chronicles 20:15-18,24.
“for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” The battles we face, whether they come from bad choices we make, or for no reason at all, they are God’s. If we stand still trusting and believing, He will win the battle for us. Apart from Christ, we lose, we cannot win any battle without Him. You know, salvation from hell is only the beginning of what Jesus does when we receive Him as our Saviour. He saves us from our past, from what our future would have been without Him, and from the consequences those bad choices. We may not always seek God’s advice before we do something, and we may not always make the right choice even when we do, but His grace is for. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” – 1 Peter 5:10.
Jesus Christ Revealed: By Micaiah, who told the Truth even though it was unpopular with his listeners (18:12-27). We are reminded of Christ when He spoke the unpopular Truth to the Pharisees (Matthew 12:1-14). Jesus responded, “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.” – John 8:40.
Today’s Prayer: God, As much as I try to do make the right choices, I often find myself stuck in compromising situations because I do not want to offend or make someone feel bad. Thank You for helping me endure every situation I got myself into by not coming to You in the first place. And thank You for always watching over me and protecting me wherever I go. Lord, help me to keep from making choices that will compromise my relationship with You or what I believe in You. Help me to not even walk into compromising situations in the first place by keeping my eyes on You and listening for Your warnings. And give me Your power to stand still and let You take care of my battles. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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