HOW DO WE EXPERIENCE GOD'S BLESSINGS IN OUR LIVES?

2 Chronicles 17:1-6 - "The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments... Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord."

After King David died there was a vacumn in leadership. Both godly and un-godly men were in places of position and power and the result was a great division in the land. It was eventually divided into "north" and "south" with good and bad leaders on both ends. The bottom line was this: if they walked after and followed God - then blessing followed them in their leadership and prosperity came upon the land. However, if they did not follow God - the opposite took place. It became so important for the godly leaders to hear the voice of God to lead and navigate them through the rough waters that lay before them.

Jehoshaphat was one of the good guys who led the area of the south. I like the scripture in 2 Chronicles 17:6 that says "His heart was courageous in the ways of The Lord." He led with integrity and wisdom. He listened to and heard the voice of God and as a result - the land prospered greatly under his leadership.

There are principle's in 2 Chronicles 17, that if applied to our own lives will bring great help and understanding will help us navigate through the land mines that we call life. Jehoshaphat knew how to listen to and hear the voice of God.  He was obedient to follow God.  As a result he and the people he led experienced great blessing from God in their lives.

How Do We Experience God's Blessings In Our Lives?

What do we know about Jehoshaphat?  

First, He sought after the Lord and the Lord was with Him - 2 Chronicles 17:3-4. As a result, the Lord blessed him because of this and established his kingdom 17:5. Not only did he avoid war with others and with Israel (1 Ki 22:44) - He received tribute from others because God was with him (17:5,11).   Even the Philistines brought him tribute. The “fear of the Lord” or a reverence for God fell on the land. The people saw that God was with the king and didn’t attack him because of God’s hand on him. God was protecting the people from harm.

Secondly, As he sought The Lord - he used his influence to have the idols that people were still worshipping put away. He made sure that only "God" Almighty was to be worshipped. He used his power to try to draw others to the Lord and to be a good influence on them. He was obeying the 1st and 2nd commandment in Exodus 20:3-4 which tells us not to worship idols.  We must not allow other "gods" to rule and reign over our life.  We cannot compromise in regards to this.  We must only seek "The Lord" and Him only.  Idols (seen or unseen) cannot be tolerated with - even idols of the heart.

Thirdly, He taught people how to be people of the Word Of God.  He sought to influence his people to be people of the Word. He sent the Levites out to teach the people. He honored the Word of God. He felt that it was important that the people understand who the Lord is and what the Word says. He didn’t want them worshipping just because he said so. He wanted them to understand it for themselves - 17:7-9. 

I heard a humorous story that is worth conveying here: "A new minister was asked to teach a boys class in the absence of their regular Sunday School teacher. He decided to see what they knew,so he asked who knocked down the walls of Jericho. All the boys denied having done it, and the preacher was appalled at their ignorance. At the next deacon’s meeting he told about the experience. “Not one of them knows who knocked down the walls of Jericho.” he lamented. The group was silent until one seasoned veteran of disputes spoke up. “Preacher, this appears to be bothering you a lot. But I’ve known all those boys since they were born and they’re good boys. If they said they didn’t know, I believe them. Let’s just take some money out of the repair and maintenance fund, fix the walls and let it go at that.”

This is a humorous story that illustrates the spiritual ignorance that many have about the Bible. Former Secretary of Education William Bennett has concluded that “We have become the kind of society that civilized countries used to send missionaries to.”Pollster George Gallup Jr has often referred to American as a “nation of Biblical illiterates.” In his polls, he finds that only 4 in 10 American know that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. A majority of Americans cannot name the 4 gospels in the N.T. Only 3 in 10 teenagers know why Easter is celebrated. 2/3 of American believe that there are few, if any, absolute principles to direct human behavior. Earlier surveys by a man named George Barna revealed that barely half of Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians believe in the devil, but 56 percent of Lutherans and 49% of Methodists believe in UFO’s. 

Fourthly, He wasn't lazy. Even though he was at peace with Israel, he fortified the cities neighboring Israel. 17:2,12-13. He realized that the best offense sometimes is a good defense. He was pro-active in doing things for God.  He didn't just sit back and waited for God - he did something.  Faith requires action.  Step out in faith as God speaks to your heart.  It is then that we begin to walk in the blessings and prosperity of The Lord.