Reliance upon the Lord
2 Chronicles 16:7-9 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.=======================
We find the story of Asa in 2Chronicles, chapter 16. Asa was a good king...he led Judah well, he destroyed the idols and tore down the high places of worship, and he relied upon the Lord until he was comfortable in his success. THEN, he began to rely upon himself – he made an alliance with the king of Syria to perform a desired result instead of seeking God, His counsel and His wisdom and following His plan.
The result of Asa’s actions was to reap what HE had sown...the natural consequences of our actions are sometimes much harsher than we anticipate. God, who is outside of time, knows not only our actions but the results and desires the best for us...thus wisdom dictates that we should follow the counsel of God over the counsel of men (including our own counsel).
God, gives us great reason to follow HIM...in 2Chron 16:9 we see God speaking through the prophet Hanani to Asa who tells him (and us) that God is looking for men and women whose heart is perfect toward Him so that He can show Himself strong to them. This means that if we are seeking Him and His leading for our lives, He’ll not only give us counsel but He will be our strength!
If God is desirous of leading us and guiding us and has the best for our lives foremost in His mind, shouldn’t we be humble enough (and wise enough) to let Him? Doesn’t God, who is outside of time, who sees all, who knows all, & who is all powerful has a little more insight into our lives than we. Wouldn’t it seem a lot foolish to tell our creator and the creator of the universe that we don’t need His help as we can “take it from here”?
Pray with me that our hearts are perfect towards God and that we let Him show Himself strong on our behalf...

Email me (Pastor Jim) at pj-brown@sbcglobal.net or visit our website at: www.calvarychapel.com/hcfw
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