I believe that the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God. It is through his dictations to His anointed scribes that his personality and character are shown. (II Timothy 3:16a, II Peter 1:21) As the believer opens the Word, the supernatural becomes a natural experience. We see God in a personal way. God, known as I AM (Exodus 3:14), has become accessible. The Grace of God, displayed through the life of Jesus and his finished work on Calvary, has rent the veil of separation between God and man. The way is now open for us to confidently come before Him in worship and adoration. When we can grasp this truth, there should never be a situation where there is a contemplation of defeat. (Romans 8:31b) Sure there will be tough times, but God will never let that situation get out of hand if we let Him “drive.” Only when we decide to be our own “commander and boss” will the outcome be in doubt. Depression in believers is a carnal sin. Depression is the result of questioning God’s ability to help us overcome the challenge. When we begin to express the negative and its potential influence, we have moved from faith to reason. Reasoning magnifies the negative while faith eliminates the negative!

King Jehoshaphat of Judah showed a working model of how to overcome life’s challenges. When his land was being invaded by an army that outnumbered his own people, he first recognized God’s sovereignty and that He was his God. He then declared a fast throughout the country and called on God. He expressed how desperate the situation was and that without his intervention all would be lost. He closed his sentence by saying, “…our eyes are on you.” Soon after, a prophet stood in their midst and spoke words of encouragement to the King and the people. He basically said that the battle was God’s and not theirs. The prophet then told them that they should go out to the battlefield the next day and see what God was going to do. What Jehoshaphat and his people did next was a life-raising experience. They fell on their faces and worshiped the Lord. The Levites then led a worship meeting where they raised their voices in praise of God. The next morning, the King challenged his people saying: “… believe in the Lord your God, and you will be safe; believe in his prophets, and you will prosper.” He then assigned singers to precede his army. They would go out praying to the Lord and singing at the top of their lungs. As a result of his trust and faith in God, his enemies were defeated! (II Chronicles 20)

The next time the gauntlet falls and the clouds of darkness begin to invade the outer banks of our minds, let us acknowledge the supreme government of God. Depending on the gravity of the situation, we may fast to submit our body to our spirit and soul. Let’s recognize our limited resources and visualize Him instead of the problem. Let us watch and listen to the biblical encouragement through the written and spoken Word. Sometimes God speaks to us through the Pastor’s message. (I wonder how many times God was using that message to encourage us, but due to a headache or sleeping too much, etc. we missed it!) When we receive the Word, let us immediately begin to worship Him for who He is and praise Him. for what you are about to do. Let us encourage others who face or will face similar situations by singing or speaking with high words. The people of Jerusalem began to recognize their vertical praises horizontally. They let everyone hear their victory chorus as they marched to victory. What a simple formula for victory, yet countless believers don’t ask for help until they have used their own resources to no avail. Oh, how many unnecessary things we suffer for not seeking God early!

It is time that we recognize and trust Him, or that we continue to exhibit a life that accentuates our human frailty. The world watches us to see if what we confess really works. When our crisis situations do not complement our confession, we are doing more harm to the Kingdom of God than being a silent believer. If we say that we are more than conquerors, let us live as such.