ACTIVELY PREPARED

Dining with Jesus Christian Episodes

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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Does the Lord bless the passive? That is a good question. As I look through scripture, I see lots of examples of the Lord calling his people to be prepared for action, even if the action that is needed actually comes from the hand of God. It would seem that the Lord wants his people to get up, get ready, and be prepared for what our Heavenly Father wants to accomplish in and through us. 

There is a great example of this idea found in the following passage. 

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.’ ”

(2 Chronicles 20:15-17 NIV11)

Promise

The Lord sent his prophet to the king, who was facing an enemy that was far too powerful to defeat. The people were scared and did not know what to do. The Lord told the king and all of his men to trust that the Lord would fight the battle on their behalf. 

The king and his men did not just stay home the next day. No, they did what the Lord called them to do; they got up, got ready, and went down to face their opponent. 

But as they went, the king and his people remembered the promise of the Lord and chose to lift up their praises to God. As they worshiped, the Lord went to work. 

Blessing

What happened next was that the armies that were coming up against the people of God were thrown into confusion and ended up taking each other out.  When King Jehoshaphat and his army finally made it to the battle site, not sure what the Lord would do that day, they found the following:

24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.

(2 Chronicles 20:24-25 NIV11) 

Ready

The Lord fought the battle, but the people of God had to be active and prepared. The Lord did not bless them because they sat back and waited. The Lord blessed them because they were ready to face their enemy, trusting that the Lord would meet them in their trial. 

They had no idea how the Lord would act, but it was impossible to miss the blessing of the Lord. 

Application

  •   If you are in a place of need or expectation today, how can you take action to prepare yourself for the blessing of the Lord that will come to you as you act in faith?
  •   What would it look like for you to be passive given your circumstances?
  •   Are you willing to bring others into your place of prayer and need so that they too can experience the way in which the Lord will bring you deliverance? 

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I want to be someone who takes the right action at the right time. I do not want to run off, thinking I know what to do about my needs and concerns. Please work in me to help me know how to best take action so that I can be prepared for the blessings that you will bring into my life. Thank you Jesus!

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Senior Pastor at PARK HILL BAPTIST CHURCH


Worked at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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