Somebody is in a don't season today I don't have what it takes and I don't know what to do You don't have to raise your hand I would not single you out for that but you listen to me If you are in a don't season today I don't have what it takes and I don't know what to do

I want to tell you an Old Testament story about a king named Jehoshaphat You can find his story in 2 Chronicles 20 There are several chapters about his reign There are some peaks and some valleys some good decisions some bad decisions sometimes he trusted God and sometimes when he trusted his own flesh and his own mind

But in this particular case I think he's a wonderful example for what to do in a don't season See he was doing good He was doing really good He was a king of Judah which was the southern kingdom and this was a very rebellious idolatrous nation much like ours

We don't have all of these same shrines they have but we have all of our same priorities mixed up We worship status and we worship stuff and we worship people's opinions more than we seek God's validation and commands So we relate to this He was doing good as a king

He went out on one bad run with Ahab Ahab died He lived I think he was sobered up by coming that close to death You know how when you have a close call when you're like Oh I have to get it together I think that's what happened to him because he started sending all of these priests all through the kingdom to reestablish the covenant the people had with God that he was to be their God that the Lord said Do not put any other gods beside me or before me

Don't do it So he was kind of sending a revival wave through the nation and in the process of all of this building a lot of military power But there came a battle upon him that he was not expecting was not prepared for and didn't know what to do

So when they came to him in 2 Chronicles 20 verse 1 and told him there was an attack it says After this after all the good things he was doing… By the way we tend to assume that if things are going bad in our life that we must be off track with God If things are going good in our life then we must be on track with God

Sometimes the Devil will leave you alone if you're not following Christ and you'll actually feel like you're in a good season when actually you are in a season of compromised faith Not always but sometimes Now Jehoshaphat who is doing good religious reforms and revival… Remember

God corrects his people for rebellion but the Enemy attacks God's people when they're in revival And you might be in a revival in your life right now but the attack is strong So they said they're coming at you the Ammonites the Moabites even the Meoites which I'd never heard of before So enemies are coming out of everywhere Enemies I've never even heard of before in the Bible are coming after this guy The Bible says he was alarmed by this He was surprised by it Now one of the reasons we struggle with spiritual attacks is because we're surprised when they happen

If we could just make our minds up to know that I'm not surprised… I'm not surprised by this I'm not surprised that the temptation came back strong I'm not surprised that things are starting to act… This would be my fourth point Don't be surprised But his surprise drove him to a place of seeking strength and seeking the Lord and seeking strength from the Lord

So now he begins to pray and he begins to remind God of all he did for his people in the past He said God you said if we would stand here and pray to you that you would drive back your enemies for your glory You promised this from the time of Abraham You've been doing this a long time God Now I need you to do what you do God Here is the key phrase of 2 Chronicles chapter 20 verse 12 He said O our God will you not judge them These are enemies that are bigger than us These are enemies that are positioned to kill us and they are close by They are already in En Gedi a day's march away

So by this time tomorrow they are going to overtake us We do not have time to strategize We do not have time to build up for this Our enemies did not ask our permission or give us advance notice before they snuck up on us This season of my life did not ask my permission before it came It didn't even schedule itself on a chronos calendar I didn't see this coming just out of nowhere O our God will you not judge them For we have no power We don't have what it takes

Do you feel that way today We don't have what it takes I don't have what they need and I don't have what this moment requires We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us and we don't know what to do

We don't have what it takes and we don't know what to do Is that you today in a don't season I don't have what it takes It's too strong for me now God I don't have what it takes You have been saying that this week I know you have A lady told my mom yesterday… I think Pastor Stephen has cameras in my house when he preaches because he says the thing I was saying all week I know what you've been saying because I've been saying it too because I've been holding too tight

and I've been traveling to tomorrow and I only can come to the conclusion I don't have what it takes This is the worst part of all I don't know what to do We don't have what it takes We don't know what to do

We did not come to church because we have it all together We did not come to church because we have all knowledge We did not come to church because we're omniscient We did not praise God because we have no problems We are not praising God because the truth always feels true We are not singing because we always intellectually make sense out of the words we sing We are not worshiping God because we know why everything is happening in our lives That is not why I'm serving you I'm looking to you God because I don't have what it takes and I don't know what to do but our eyes are on you

Let me tell you what to don't if you don't know what to do Don't look around for your help You lift your eyes to the hills beyond the hills to where your help comes Your help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth He said I'm not looking around because I don't have what it takes and I don't know what to do but my eyes are on you So God I need you to show me what to do about this situation I need you to show me what to do about this loan I need you to show me about this relationship I need you to show me what to do about this decision I have to make about my future by Tuesday I need you to show me what to do about this

apartment I need you to show me what to do about this job I need you to show me what to do about this person I can't fire but they won't quit I need you to show me what to do about this depression I need you to show me what to do about this bipolar I need you to show me what to do about these thoughts that are going through my head making me crazy I need you to show me what to do about the stretching schedule and the shrinking time frame I have to get it done I need you to show me what to do Verse 13

All the men of Judah with their wives and children and little ones stood there before the Lord not knowing what to do They are in a don't season a don't season and they need the Lord to show them what to do Here's where it gets good You say This is already pretty good to me

It's about to get gooder It's about to get goodest This is about to be the goodest sermon you've ever heard The Bible says they stood there before the Lord in a don't moment In a don't moment I don't know what to do but I know where to go I'm standing here until you speak Now watch what the Bible says Verse 14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jehazio

son of Zechariah son of Benaniah son of Jeel son of Mattaniah son of a Levite and descendant of Asaph as he stood in the assembly He said Listen King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem this is what the Lord says to you He's about to show me what to do about this attack coming up from behind me He's about to show me what to do about these enemies that are coming after me He's about to show me what to do about what I'm going… He's about to show me what to do This is what the Lord says to you Don't be afraid and don't be discouraged

So when you tell God I don't know what to do the first thing he will tell you is what to don't Don't be afraid because you can't hear what he says next if you filter it through fear because if fear is your filter you will not clearly hear the voice of God

So the first thing you need to do is don't be afraid I'm not afraid of tomorrow I'm not ashamed of my past I'm standing in the presence of God because of what Jesus did for me Don't be afraid and don't be discouraged because of this vast army for the battle is not yours but God

Get ready to shout I'm giving you five seconds to warm up because the prophet said because the Word of God said because the Bible said for the battle is not yours but God's

Verse 16 Tomorrow It's God's tomorrow not yours Tomorrow is God's job Don't be afraid Don't run away Don't turn back Don't stress about this Don't pick up the phone Don't run yourself ragged This battle is not yours It belongs to God

Now let's time travel Verse 16 Tomorrow march down against your enemies the ones you don't know what to do about the ones you don't know how to handle the ones you don't know how to defeat the ones you don't know how to deal with the ones you didn't see coming March against them tomorrow and 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 Here is the good news for everybody who's on the verge of giving up

When you get there… Hold on God I don't know how to fight this battle All you have to do is don't

You will not have to fight this battle This is all you have to do Don't

Don't Don't fight it in your own strength Don't fight it in your own flesh Don't fight it with your own logic Don't fight it with your own strength Don't fight it in your own flesh Don't fight it in your own logic All you have to do when you don't know what to do is don't You take up your positions

You stand firm and you see the deliverance of the Lord which he will give you Judah and Jerusalem Do not be afraid Go out to face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you

Ain't it good to have a Father who's already in tomorrow that can tell you what happens tomorrow so you can do what you need to do today Let us not grow weary in doing good for in due season we will reap

All we have to do is don't give up And y all when they march down there in verse 18 with a word from the Lord… I see you marching toward your challenge with a word from the Lord I see you marching out of this church with a word from the Lord I see you marching out of church still not knowing but going forward in the strength of the Lord by the word of the Lord

Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground because he didn't know what to do and he bowed with his face to the ground because he didn't have what it took All of the people fell face down with him in worship before the Lord What God does is his business What you do until he does is worship and walk

and all you have to do is don't David is in the cave with Saul He's called to be a future king He has the opportunity to kill Saul right now and take a shortcut but don't Do it God's way Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were in the Persian kingdom and they were told to bow down and worship a false god but don't

because even if they throw you in the fire you can't burn up if God is in there with you Don't All you have to do is don't Jesus could have called legions of angels from the cross and come down but don't because if he came down we could not be saved through his blood

All you have to do when you don't know what to do when you are in a don't season all you have to do is don't We will reap if we don't give up What a relief it was when they found out you don't even have to fight this battle You don't Not by yourself Now you have to face it but you don't have to fight it alone

Hope to see you back here again really soon