The Government Will Take Care of It!

That is the attitude of a large portion of Americans today.  The 2012 election will tell us exactly how many people believe this.  If you believe this, you also probably believe that the "check is in the mail".

Many Christians have this same attitude toward God.  I just give everything over to God and let Him take care of it.  It is true that that we are told to cast all our cares on Him; but, that does not mean that we have nothing to do.  We are not to be couch potatoes spiritually.  We are not to worry or fret; but we are to be engaged in "spiritual warfare".  What then is the proper role for us as Christians in this "spiritual warfare"?

Let’s just examine our actions.  Do you go to work each day to meet the needs of you and your family?  Yes.  Do you think that it is appropriate to go to the doctor when you are sick?  Yes.  Do you believe that, as a Christian, it is our duty to evangelize the unsaved?  Yes.  I could go on; but I think you get the point.

Some of you are now thinking about a Don Francisco song from the 70’s called “Jehoshaphat”, which is based on 2 Chronicles 20, where Jahaziel, a priest tells King Jehoshaphat, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s”

I love the song. The lyrics are great:

Now Jehoshaphat was King in Jerusalem a long, long time ago
When the children of Judah all worshiped the Lord from the high on down to the low
Judah was a wealthy kingdom-- everybody's children were fed
Because Jehoshaphat studied the Word of the Lord and did everything He said

But out the east came an army one day after Jehoshaphat's gold
And they were marching right straight to Jerusalem and Jehoshaphat soon was told
So he called all the people together and everybody fasted and prayed
The Lord God answered the people and said, "There's no need for you to be afraid.

"Because the battle is mine tomorrow-- it's not yours and it's not the king's
And all you gotta do is just stand and watch to see the salvation I bring
Just believe that what I told you is exactly what I'm gonna do
And go out tomorrow against them because the Lord's gonna fight for you
Great jumpin' Jehoshaphat!

The army rose early next mornin', and they marched on out with the king
Jehoshaphat chose some singers, and he told those singers to sing
They praised the beauty of holiness, 'stead of shoutin' out a battle cry
And all the way down to the enemy's camp they sang to the Lord on high

They were singin'--
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord our God His mercy will never end

The Lord God set up an ambush-- He got the enemy all turned around
And they started in killin' each other, you know, 'til they all lay dead on the ground
And the riches and the jewels that they left behind it took 'em three whole days to haul
The children of Judah all praised the Lord 'cause He saved them one and all

They were singin'
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord our God His mercy will never end

If the parallel's not real obvious, now, I'll spell it right out for you
When you see trouble comin' to rip you off here's all that you need to do:
Pray to your heavenly Father, and believe that His Word is true
And then step out and shout the salvation of God 'cause He'll win that battle for you

(And) praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord our God His mercy will never end-- it'll never end!

The truth is, the battle is the Lord’s and Christ has defeated Satan; BUT, even though the outcome has been decided, Satan is still fighting.

Christ assigned the task of binding Satan and his fallen angels, to His church:

“I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

If we were not intended to fight in the warfare, we would not need God’s armor.  We were not intended to sit around allowing Satan to run free. 

When we ask:  “Why did God allow that that horrible thing to happen?  

God is saying: “Why did my people allow Satan to do that horrible thing?”