2 CHRONICLES 20:22 – PRAISE A WEAPON
“The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.” (2 Chronicles 20:22, BSB)
I am bubbling over in excitement at the prospects of my enemies of destiny being smitten and sent packing. This is the Lord’s doing and it is profoundly humbling to behold in the spirit. In this change season it will become the reality, as the Year of Sabbatical Release unfolds to give restoration and rest to the people who have waited patiently on the Lord for His well-timed deliverance. We have been earmarked for this season of a New Order. The glory belongs to the Lord.
Discerning In The Spirit
It was a season of loss in the early years of my life change that would bring me to this junction of faith. There are some levels of prophetic calls that will undoubtedly bring personal loss of possessions and life relationships because the restoration period will reveal the power of God to bring all things to a godly conclusion. In the case of Job, his friends surmised that he had sinned why he should be met with such levels of loss and suffering. To the contrary. It takes a pure heart to spiritually discern when God is doing a mighty work for His glory. A carnal understanding that the enemy desires, brings such discord and virtually irreparable relationships along the way. I announce to the Body of Christ that this next season will be a departure from what we have known, Hold loosely to everything except God’s Word. We are in for some humbling surprises as change takes place around what we have been comfortable with. Decisions will have to be made as to where the Spirit is leading. These will be personal soul searching times because Jesus wants His beloved people to have an intimate relationship with Him, independent of organisational reliance. What is coming to our world will test the people of God on personal isolating levels that requires drawing on the intimacy of our relationship in Jesus in ways we have not known in past times..
Spiritual Integrity Under Testing
God allows inevitable life changes and sufferings to bring his servants to a place where they are pliable as softened clay in His hands. In our brokenness, subdued and willing we submit to the disciplines of the Spirit. In that state of surrender to God’s leading we are rendered compliant and serviceable for the call of God. What He will do through willing vessels will be remarkably extraordinary. Testings for prophetic levels of service brings with it the deepest brokenness imaginable,. For this global strategic call it is also intended to show the watching world God’s power to bring reverential fear in the hearts of mankind.
This was a word given to me in 2013 at one of the lowest ebbs of my prophetic training, “He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun” (Psalms 37:6, BSB). I am about to see that word come to pass before the watching world. We are definitely in the season of God showing up in a visibly profound way in the affairs of the unsuspecting warring nations. The same God who brought fear and terror to the watching nations in the time of Israel’s departure from Egypt after 430 years in bondage, is the same God today. His word to me in 2015 of an ‘out of Egypt deliverance’ is still active as I am about to pass through another level of deliverance, reminiscent of God’s people leaving Egypt’s bondage. What the Pharaohic spirit has fiercely held onto that belongs to God’s people will be released in this moment. The nations will know that God has roused Himself from His holy place to demonstrate His mighty delivering outstretched arm.
Be assured, when one goes through levels of loss and life changes running parallel with the challenges of a spiritual journey, particularly a prophetic healing call to destiny, it is because God will undoubtedly get the glory. God will only come through when the situation is complex, misunderstood by the people and irredeemable but for His mighty act. It is also intended to test the spiritual integrity of that servant given the prophetic word. Spiritual integrity is being able to remain consistent under variable life challenges. You remain the same person who is steadfast and trusting in God under intense pressing and unfavourable conditions. Job was tested for his integrity, “Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9, BSB). He proceeded to rebuke her as speaking out of place as one of the foolish women. To remain steadfast, believing in what the Spirit reveals to you regardless of counter attacks and to follow the leading of the Spirit by faith counts as spiritual integrity. Your stance will no doubt attract the enemy of destiny but like Nehemiah you cannot come down from doing the work as led of the Spirit. “So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3, BSB). One must keep pressing in because a faithful God will not permit your enemies to have the upper hand. The time comes when the table turns and your vindication will undoubtedly be of God as He rewrite your story.
2 Chronicles 20:22 – Praise A Weapon
I was given this Spirit-thought today, the 15th day of February 2022. I was meditating over the next move of God to bring His promised restoration to my life after the seasons of the destroying agents. “The LORD says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. (26) Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced. (Joel 2:25-26, NLT). A faithful loving Father always brings an end to suffering in the fullness of time.
As I continued in prayer I was immediately drawn to 2 Chronicles 20:22. The chapter was given to me in the early years of my spiritual journey. I had continued to pour over its verses in the intervening years. Yet it was only today that verse (22) churned in my spirit in a way I have not previously known. It was yet again a prophetic aligning taking place to bring my long awaited restoration to completion in this moment of the 7th Sabbatical Year. My spirit was being fed that the contents of my book ‘’A Bloody Scene” was about to come to past. 2 Chronicles 20 was one of the scriptures that formed the basis of its contents, and it is primarily about praise and worship as a figurative weapon of the spiritual battle..
“The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.” (2 Chronicles 20:22, BSB). In this season I have been given a higher and unique level of praise to use as a weapon against my enemies. It was praise that elicited the blessings for Judea as the enemies of God’s people turned on each other. As the people of God began to sing praises they procured the victory.
The battle one goes through in the Baca Valley, a place of weeping is to overcome the enemy. The struggles may brings tears and reproach but the ardent worshippers, illustrated in Psalms 84, wept profusely on their way to Jerusalem, longing to take hold of the Ram’s horn at the altar in the temple. The Ram’s horn, a representation of Jesus, denotes strength. Here in 2 chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat with all Judea and Israel supplicated in fasting and prayer. The Spirit then rushed upon Jahaziel and he prophesied. *15) And he said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God. (16) Tomorrow you are to march down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel. (17) You need not fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you.’” (v 15-17). King Jehoshaphat and Judea could only behold the bloody scene of a fierce battle. It was a mighty display of God’s power, as the three armies lay scattered across the slopes on the Ascent of Ziz.
As they made their way to the Beracah Valley the victory was elicited by lifting up the Name of the Lord. His lovingkindness towards His people endures forever. The enemies of Judea were devoted to destruction because of betrayal amongst themselves. Effortlessly the people gathered the spoils from the battle over three days. With rejoicing and praise they made their way to Jerusalem to the temple to give thanks to a faithful God.
GWENDOLYN SMITH. #NEWPENTECOST. 15th FEBRUARY 2022