King Asa 3of4: Man’s Reliance On God Is For God’s Glory, Part 1of2, Evans Olang

2Chronicles 16:1-14, “7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand… 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”

In the last message we saw how God promised to give king Asa and the people of Judah peace and victory over their enemies if they remained with and in God. 2Chronicles 15:12, reads “Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; …15 – And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around“. This is God’s promise to those who remain (abide) in Him.

When You Don’t Know What To Do, Part 2of5, Evans Olang

2Chronicles 20:1-30, vs. 12 “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

In sharing from this passage, you can sense Jehoshaphat’s plea to the Lord as earnest because he was a man in deep distress, troubled, however, it was not so much about him but for the people in his kingdom. When he purposed to seek the Lord you can see that he is assembling Judah and Jerusalem that they may all seek the Lord. I can imagine him praying, “Lord for the sake of your name and these people you have given me to lead, please hear our cry”. Instead of exhausting every means before calling on God, he called on God first. A few past chapters in 2Chronicles 7:14 preps them for what they are about to face, “14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land”

We Fast Because He Is Worthy, Evans Olang

Zechariah 7:4-5, “4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 5 Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me?

By definition, fast means to abstain from food for a period of time. This is a discipline practiced by believers, not as an end in itself (severity), but as a sign of repentance in seeking God. In the Scriptures, people fasted when under chastening, under judgment, to seek God’s will, for victory over the enemy, for deliverance, for purity before the Lord, as part of sorrow for sin. Fasting is connected in scripture with times of distress example, 2Chronicles 20:3-4, “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD”. While all these is true, I believe they are benefits to fasting. There is a greater reason we should fast as I will share.

Divine Movement, Part 1of2, Pastor Phil Sessa

Luke 2:1-3, “1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city”

Have you ever had the “joy” of moving? There was a season in my life where I had to move four times in four years. This was certainly not fun. I recall the day getting home from our honeymoon, that my wife and I were blessed to be introduced, through my in-laws, to see our last apartment. The only slight dilemma was that I had just moved all of my things, prior to our honeymoon, into another apartment. This would mean more moving, but it was certainly worth it. Although it was only temporary, Mary and Joseph had to move from Nazareth to Bethlehem. However in doing so one can see how God moves one or a group of people from one place to another to accomplish His will and Divine Plan.

We Are At War, Part 1of2, Evans Olang

2Corinthians 10:3-5, “3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh…”

It is vital for Christians to know who they are in Christ and their position in the Kingdom. It is also good to know exactly where you fit in as a player in the game. In major sports there are different positions and every player knows their position in the field. I am not good at sports so I cannot tell what positions are there but one thing I know is that there are defense and offense in different sports. The Kingdom of God also has defense and offense structure. Before salvation, “…we were enemies of God through wicked works” Colossians 1:21 for we played or served the devil. At salvation, we made peace with God Romans 5:1. We are now on the Lord’s side.

We are At War, Part 2of2, Evans Olang

Ephesians 6:10-18, “11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…”

We looked at how the enemy always gives us the wrong impressions on who to fight. We therefore need to learn how we prepare with the tools and the right clothing.

I face the enemy every single second of the minute of the hour of the days of the months of the year. Sometimes he might just leave me for a season but he is bound to come back. I need to be ready at all times and so should you.

Whose Voice Are You Listening To? Part 2of2, Evans Olang

1kings 13:16-17, “16 And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. 17 For I have been told by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’”

While we talk about the old lying prophet, can God use a false prophet? Absolutely. Can a false prophet say true things biblically? absolutely. Does saying some good things make them true prophets? Absolutely NOT. From what I read, anytime God used a false prophet, it was NOT to bring blessings but to bring judgment.