Peak of the Week: Overwhelmed, Part 2 of 4

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6 KJV

The next two steps when overwhelmed:

2 Chronicles 20

1. FIX YOUR ____________ ON _______________.
   vs 12: “We do not know what to do, … I stopped there last week. Let’s finish the statement. “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
   We need to be overwhelmed by the ____________ and the __________ of our God.
   vs. 14: “…the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel.”
   vs. 15: “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.”
2. TRUST THE ______________ OF _____________.
   Through Jahaziel, God tells them:
   vs. 16-17: “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.”
   James McDonald wrote a book some years back about the promises of God, in which he encouraged believers to memorize God’s promises so that when trouble comes – our confidence remains fixed in God, and we don’t get discouraged.
   Here are the five promises, as he articulated them:
   1. Promise #1: God Is Always with Me; I Will Not _________________________.
   2. Promise #2: God Is Always in Control; I Will Not _______________________.
   3. Promise #3: God Is Always Good; I Will Not ____________________________.
   4. Promise #4: God Is Always Watching; I Will Not _______________________.
   5. Promise #5: God Is Always Victorious; I Will Not _______________________.
      Trust God, trust his promises, keep your eyes on Him!

QUESTIONS & EXERCISES
For Daily Devotionals or Bible Study Group

1. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6, KJV).
   1. When you are overwhelmed, or feel pressed by problems, is your first instinct to try to handle it with your own strength and resources instead of bringing it to God?
   2. What are ways in which you find yourself trusting in your own “might,” or strength instead of God?
   3. What are ways that we turn our troubles over to God?
2. Our problem is that we often put our eyes on the problem, and don’t put them on the Lord. In Jeshoshaphat’s prayer he acknowledged: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
   1. What are examples of people in scripture who overcame great challenges by fixing their eyes on God?
   2. What would it look like for you today, to take your eyes off of your problems and put them on God?
      Read Philippians 4:6-7 and 1 Peter 5:6-7. Consider writing out a prayer that lays what makes you anxious before the Lord, and expresses trust in him.
3. When the people prayed, God responded by sending a message to a Levite named Jahaziel (see vs. 14). Jahaziel told them not to be afraid or discouraged, “the battle is not yours, but God’s” (vs. 15).
   1. How does God’s Word help us to keep from being overwhelmed with life?
   2. What are a few promises in God’s Word that come to your mind when you’re anxious?
   3. How would you describe to someone what it means that “the battle is not yours, but God’s?”
      Among the passages we’d encourage you to commit to memory is this one: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15. Speak this verse to yourself and repeat it when you are faced with what feels like an overwhelming situation.
4. Multiple times in this text (read verses 15-17), God, through Jahaziel, tells the people not to be “afraid or discouraged.”
   1. What causes fear in our hearts?
   2. What are avenues that Satan uses to discourage you?
   3. Can you list anything good that fear has ever accomplished?
   4. How do you turn these fears into faith?
   5. What have you seen faith in God accomplish in your life and others?
5. Kevin mentioned five categories of promises from God.
   1. Which of these do you most need to trust today?
   2. Why?

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