 faith over fear and I want to take couple stories from the Bible of King Saul and Bible says that in Samuel chapter 13, 14, 15 there is a story developing where King Saul he's faced with Philistines that's about to attack him. He's faced with almost certain death because Saul has only 3,000 men. He has an army of 3,000 people and the Philistines that are coming against them they have just chariots alone, 3,000 chariots plus 6,000 chariot riders and Bible says a vast army like a like a sea sand on a shore. So King Saul he's facing a threat of death. He's facing a threat of slavery. He's facing a threat of occupation. He's facing a threat of financial loss. She's facing a threat of humiliation. He has a legitimate right to be afraid. This was the scenario that he was facing and King Saul he started out the right way. He started out seeking a prophet seeking a word from God but as the prophet delayed we see the army begin to scatter Bible says they begin to be fearful of Philistines. They begin to run into the caves and hide and then Saul eventually gives in to that fear and he that fear led them to disobey God. Fear will lead you into disobedience. We see King Saul he runs out of patience. He gives into this public fear and this commotion that's going on and he brings a sacrifice and as soon as he finished that King Saul prophet Samuel comes to him and says Samuel what have you done? Why have you not waited as you've been instructed? You should have waited for me. He says because you gave in to fear because you did what was pleasing in your side because you were impatient now your kingdom will be taken away from you forever and because of that decision that he made based on a temporary situation based on the fear that he was facing his future was destroyed. Don't based your permanent decisions on your temporary situation. We see that that disobedience led them to destruction unchecked fear will lead you to make critical mistakes. As faith breeds patience fear gives you fear breeds impatience and so we see that King Saul he suffered a devastation devastating loss. He lost his kingdom. He lost not only he he lost his own life eventually but he lost he lost his family. He lost everything and so as people of faith as children of faith as people that have inheritance of faith we must we must choose faith over fear in the same type of situation almost exact King Jehoshaphat he hears that the nation of Moab and Amon and a few other nations they coming against them. King Jehoshaphat he is facing annihilation he's facing slavery he's facing exactly the same thing that King Saul was facing but in that moment in that time King Jehoshaphat he makes a different decision. He makes different he takes different approach and different step different steps he takes steps towards faith instead of fear and his story turns out to be different. So I want us to take a look at what King Jehoshaphat did and there's four things that I found for myself to encourage my faith and hopefully this will encourage you and your faith that King Jehoshaphat did to combat fear and to build his faith. We see in verse 3 in 2 Chronicles chapter 20 Bible says first thing he does he seeks God through prayer and fasting. I think when you face with uncertainty first thing that you gotta do you have to go talk to God. We gotta pour our heart out to God we gotta let God know that we are afraid God is not afraid of your fear let him know that you are afraid of your enemies let him know that you are afraid of the uncertainty let him know that you are afraid of the fact that I'm not sure what tomorrow is gonna bring. God is not afraid of your fear because often we think that that faith is absence of fear but it's not it's faith is simply looking to God for a solution faith is simply looking to God that he is your provider he is your healer despite of faith is not what if but faith is even if somebody somebody said that faith is not what if God doesn't come through but faith is even if God doesn't come through he's still God and so we see that the way Jehoshaphat he combats his fears and he builds his face he goes to God. Second thing that I see that Jehoshaphat does in verse 5 then Jehoshaphat stood in the assemblies of Judah and Jerusalem and the house of the Lord before the new court. Jehoshaphat he went to church once the quarantine is over be part of the community be part of a local church don't be a person that while we promote church online while we promote being connected through online but make sure you also have a local church where you are part of a pastor that you have that can pastor you a leaders that you have that you're submitted to so that you can be discipled so you can grow in Jesus and be held accountable be a part of the church go to church Bible says that do not forsake us not not forsaken our own assembly together as the habit of some but encourage one another in Hebrew 10 25 Bible says in Proverbs 27 17 that iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another see we were never meant to be alone our mind can't handle it we need see God gave us the spirit to connect to God he gave us the body so that we could connect with the world physical world with the earth and he gave us a soul so that we can interconnect with each other one thing I want to encourage you is don't be alone when devil will succeed if he can isolate you he can send you thoughts of fear I'm worthless I'm nobody nothing's happening nothing's working out in my life I will gonna die from this disease find yourself in a community get plugged into home groups that's why home groups are so essential you gotta be part of a circle you gotta be a part of the group that knows you and you know them go to church amen the next thing that he does in verse 10 actually starts from verse 7 he begins to remember God's promises and past victories if you want to combat fear and build your faith you have to remember God's promises to you and his past victories we read verse 7 says are you not our God who drove our inhabitants from this land before your before your people of Israel and gave it to the descendants of Abraham your friend forever he begins to recall and tell God he begins to encourage himself with the past victories that God has done don't focus on what you're gonna lose what you might lose or what you already lost or losing but focus on the goodness of God in your life focus on what God has already done in your life focus on how far God has brought you through and begin to speak it begin to confess that he says that you have a Jehoshaphat he begin to say begin to speak God's promises of your life he begins to remind God said God we can't be annihilated by this army because did you promise this land this land is a promised land to Abraham and his people and his descendants we cannot be annihilated God because you said remind God of his word remind God of his promises in your life don't get defeated don't give in to fear allow his word to rebuild you speak his word be reminded of of God's victories in your life of God's promises what you focus on will determine what you will be filled with if you feel yourself that God has spared seven thousand he will spare me you will be encouraged we see that Elijah he meets God on the mountain he goes to church he meets God there God refocuses him he focuses on it and then we see Elijah being renewed he worships God and it brings me to a last point point four is that Jehoshaphat in verse 25 he begins to worship God he sets aside Levites and he sends them out and the whole before he sends them out the whole nation praises God since praises to the Lord and they and they said they're saying praise the Lord for his mercy endures forever it takes faith to worship God in spite of hardship in spite of a loss in spite of death it takes faith to worship God to worship to truly worship God it is an expression of faith if we worship God God will bring us through supernatural if we focus on God's goodness if we pray in fast and see God's faith if we consecrate ourselves if we worship God from the bottom of our heart from everything that we have I believe that God will bring you through this time and anytime that you face hardship supernatural in in the story of Jehoshaphat we see that their battle plan was simple Levites upfront and then soldier followed and as they were praising God as they are worshiping Bible says there came a confusion into the can to the enemy scam and enemies began to kill each other and by the time they came to the place of battle by the time Israelites came to the place of battle the enemy was destroyed every single one of the Bible says not one escaped without fighting a single battle they were enjoying a spoils of war I want to tell you today that you're gonna come out of this this quarantine better than you were before