How to Pray in a Crisis
40 Days of Prayer • Sermon • Submitted
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QUICK RECAP OF THE SERIES
QUICK RECAP OF THE SERIES
Purpose of Prayer
How to Pray with Confidence
The Pattern for Prayer
Praying for a Breakthrough
How to Pray in a Crisis
Are there anyone here who is currently in a crisis?
Well, if you’re not in a crisis today, congratulations!
All of us was in a crisis one way or the other
If you haven’t been in a crisis all your life, it will just be a matter of time
All of us will go through a crisis wether we like it or not
Some of us are in a crisis after the other
Our crises may come in different forms and sizes
The difference between praying for a breakthrough and praying in a crisis is the urgency of your circumstances
When Daniel was praying for a breakthrough, they were in captivity, and it took 70 years before they finally got a breakthrough
In the case of Jehoshaphat however, there was urgency in their situation
INTRODUCTION (My Big Idea)
INTRODUCTION (My Big Idea)
Well, if you’re not in a crisis today, congratulations!
All of us was in a crisis one way or the other
If you haven’t been in a crisis all your life, it will just be a matter of time
All of us will go through a crisis wether we like it or not
Our crises may come in different forms and sizes
We have crisis in the family, health, finances, and relationships
The difference between praying for a breakthrough and praying in a crisis is the urgency of your circumstances
When Daniel was praying for a breakthrough, they were in captivity, and it took 70 years before they finally got a breakthrough
In the case of Jehoshaphat however, there was urgency in their situation
Who is Jehoshaphat?
He was the son of Asa
Fourth king of Judah after the separation of the kingdom
He was only 35 years old when he became king
He ruled for 25 years
He was contemporary with king Ahab of Israel (Late 800BC)
He was actually a good king that led his people to revival
We learn how to pray in a crisis from the life of Jehoshaphat
He was outplanned, outmaneuvered, outnumbered
We learn how to pray in a crisis from the life of Jehoshaphat
Overview of the Sermon
Overview of the Sermon
(Brief Summary of My Points)
He woke up one morning to a crisis
When Jehoshaphat was told that the armies of the Moabites and Ammonites and some of the Meunites declared war on him
He was outplanned, outmaneuvered, outnumbered
But the first thing that Jehoshaphat did was to
Turn to God for Help
He admitted his inadequacy
And relied on God’s resources
He relaxed in faith
And thank God in advance for his victory
After the dust has settled, his battles was turned into blessings
Brief Summary of My Points
Brief Summary of My Points
Text:
Text:
(Bible Reference)
1. TURN TO GOD FOR HELP
1. TURN TO GOD FOR HELP
3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.
When Jehoshaphat heard about the terrifying news, the first thing he did was to seek God
Prayers must always be your first choice and not your last resort
You gotta pray more, trust more and study more
Never let a problem intimidate you, let it motivate you
When I asked earlier if there’s anyone here who is in a crisis right not, no one answered
Perhaps because you’re shy to admit
Well, that’s the spirit of pride right there
But the spirit of humility was with Jehoshaphat
He called upon everybody to pray & fast with him
That’s what you should also do when you’re in a crisis, tell some people about your crisis
Tell your Life Group about your problem, and ask them to gossip about it.. no! ask them to pray with you
Now let’s look how Jehoshaphat prayed
1. Remember How Big God is
6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!
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.
2 C
Problems shrink when God expands in your life
The bigger your vision of God, the smaller problems will appear to you
2. Remember What God Has Done
2 Chronicles 20:7
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?
7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?
Faith builder is remembering how God helped you in your previous crises
3. Remember What God Has Promised
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?
God gave them the promise land
4. Appeal to God’s Character
10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? 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.”
He was appealing to God’s justice/character
If you know who God is, you know what He could do
2. ADMIT MY INADEQUACY
2. ADMIT MY INADEQUACY
12 Our God, will you not judge them? 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.”
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Miracles never happen unless you admit that the situation is impossible without God’s help
Jesus said in “with Man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”
3. RELY ON GOD’S RESOURCES
3. RELY ON GOD’S RESOURCES
12 Our God, will you not judge them? 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.”
Jehoshaphat shifted his focus from the problem to the problem solver
Change your focus
stop looking for a sign, start looking for scriptures
stop looking for a vision, start looking for a verse
The more you know what He has done in the past, the more you’ll know what He’s gonna do in your life in the future
$500 Uber Story was a miracle. It’s God answer to my prayer that morning. My wife is a living witness to that prayer.
4. RELAX IN FAITH
4. RELAX IN FAITH
The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel
A levite, son of Zechariah, a descendant of Asaph
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.
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.’ ”
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.’ ”
,
Jehoshaphat was outnumbered 3 to 1
Fear said, don’t just stand there do something
But sometimes God will tell you, don’t do something just stand there
If you think you can fight all your battles in life, you’e wrong
He can do what only He can do
God is God, you are not
5. THANK GOD IN ADVANCE
5. THANK GOD IN ADVANCE
Strength and success
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.”
Sing victory songs before you see the victory
When we go into the battle we put the worship team in front
That’s why in our services and even during your Life Group meetings, we sing first before anything else
There’s power in praise
Maybe you are in a crisis right now, question is, when are you going to thank Him?
Thanking God after is gratitude
Thanking God before is faith
The highest form of faith is thanking God before you get the answer
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Look at the result when Jehoshaphat thank God in advance
22 And at the moment they began to sing and to praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to begin fighting among themselves, and they destroyed each other!
They needed not to lift a finger, all they they did was to lift their voice in praise
6. EXPECT GOD TO TURN BATTLES INTO BLESSINGS
6. EXPECT GOD TO TURN BATTLES INTO BLESSINGS
24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. 25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
2 Chronicles 20:24-26
At the end of battles what was left for them to gather are blessings
When you let God fight your battles through prayers
When you let God take you through your crisis
You become a witness to the people around you
And you will have peace and rest
29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. 30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
Even to this day that
When you let God fight your battles through prayers
When you let God take you through your crisis
You become a witness to the people around you
And you will have peace and rest
Application | How to Pray in a Crisis
Application | How to Pray in a Crisis
If you are in a crisis do what Jehoshaphat did
Let God do what only God can do
Turn to God for Help
Admit your Inadequacy
Rely on God’s Resources
Relax in Faith
Thank God in Advance
and Expect God to turn Battles into Blessings
Let’s call upon our worship team and altogether sing a victory song even before we see victory
and Expect God to turn Battles into Blessings
Conclusion / Exhortation
Conclusion / Exhortation
My series of crisis started when I fell away from our faith
It started when I lost my bid for re-election in 2007
When I exiled my wife to come here in the States
And when I found myself in a very deep financial crisis in 2014
I was way behind my monthly payment for my construction equipment
And what seem to be an ordinary work day, turned into a sudden crisis
Without notice, a group of armed officers escorted the Sheriff to re-possess all our heavy equipment
In the middle of a busy work day, while all my personnel are working at the job site
It was a complete surprise when my crew were all commanded to stop working and peacefully alight from their vehicles
Without any resistance, all my men did what they’re told, and they were left in the field
Sheriff and all the officers left and took with them all our equipment
Now, that was a real crisis
I was inside my room when somebody managed to call and inform me of what had just happened
And that what was when I turned to God
I admitted my inadequacy
And started to rely on God’s resources
Left with not alternative, I relaxed in my faith on Him
I played and sung along praises
And look how God turned my battles into blessings