by Ivan Maddox
Recently I came across a card containing the slogan that I used as the title for this study. To some, that slogan might sound like a positive, inspiring, almost godly statement of... faith. When I saw it, it seemed to cut right to the heart of the problem with the "Law of Believing".
Stated briefly, the Law of Believing, which supposedly works for saint and sinner alike, is this: what you confess with your mouth and believe with your heart, you will receive, whether good or evil. Believers are encouraged to be specific about the results they wish to receive, and to form and focus on a clear picture of what they wish to receive, and to hold on to that picture, as well as their confession, until they receive what they believed for. Scriptures can be found which seem to support this, so that it appears to be a biblical teaching. What it leaves us with, however, is a faith divorced from God, so that faith, not God, becomes what we rely on to meet our needs and be our sufficiency.
This is not what the Word of God teaches. As children of God, we do not look to some mindless law to supply our needs or answer our prayers; instead, we look to God, our Father, who loves us, who already knows what we need before we ask, and who tenderly gives us what we need, sometimes in spite of what we ask for. Our Father gives "every good and perfect gift" (James 1:17), while we ourselves "know not what to pray for as we ought" (Romans 8:26).
In spite of some wrong teaching on the subject, faith is still a critical ingredient in our relationship with God. God does want us to believe His Word, to act on His promises. If we are going to walk in accordance with God's Word in this area, however, it is essential that we be able to separate truth from error.
What is faith? How does it work? How do you know whether or not you are really believing God? What does your confession, or what you say, have to do with what you believe? What is the relationship between fear and faith?
One way we can clarify what the Word of God teaches on this subject is to look at practical examples of faith in the Bible, and see what was and wasn't involved in faith in these examples. One excellent example of faith is found in II Chronicles 20.
Jehoshaphat was a descendent of David, and was king of Judah, the southern portion of what had once been David's kingdom.
II Chronicles 17:3-6.
And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim [idols];
But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel [the northernpart of David's kingdom].
Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honor in abundance.
And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves [locations for idol worship] out of Judah.
Jehoshaphat established one policy that was uniquely his own: he sent a team of princes, Levites [worship leaders] and priests from city to city to teach God's Word.
II Chronicles 17:9-10.
And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.
And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
But several years into his reign, Jehoshaphat made a serious mistake in judgement: he joined together with Ahab, the ungodly king of Israel, to fight against a common enemy. While this was a logical course of action according to man's logic, it did not please God. Judah and Israel were defeated in the battle that followed, and Ahab was killed. After the battle, Jehoshaphat was reproved by a prophet of God.
II Chronicles 19:2-3.
And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon the from before the LORD.
Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.
As a result of this defeat, the nations round about Judah lost their fear, and allied themselves to make war on Judah.
II Corinthians 20:1-3a.
It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.
And Jehoshaphat feared...
Jehoshaphat's reaction when he saw the strength of the forces coming against him was fear. This is a normal reaction when threatened with death. What was important was not whether or not he was afraid, but how he responded in the face of fear. As we shall see, fear, in and of itself, does not defeat the promises of God.
Jehoshaphat had several options to choose from in the face of this approaching danger. He could seek alliances with other nearby kings; he could bribe another king to fight his enemies for him; he could move his soldiers into his fortified cities and grimly wait for the enemy's siege. He could ride out boldly into battle and go down in a blaze of glory.
He chose none of these. Instead of trusting in his troops, or his fortified cities, or his gold, or his allies, he decided to trust God.
II Chronicles 20:3-4.
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
Jehoshaphat called together the whole nation of Judah for a prayer meeting. Now the work he had done in sending princes, Levites and priests from city to city, reading and teaching God's Word, paid off. When the people were gathered together, Jehoshaphat prayed before them. His prayer is a beautiful example of trust in God.
II Chronicles 20:5-6
And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
Jehoshaphat began his prayer, not by asking God for something, but by giving praise and glory to God. A quick look at the Lord's Prayer will show that Jesus did the same thing. Next, he remembered some of what God had done for His people in the past. In doing so, Jehoshaphat was beginning to make his case before God for deliverance.
II Chronicles 20:7-9.
Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
Jehoshaphat reminded God, and at the same time, the people, that in gathering the nation together before the Temple they were not merely holding a prayer meeting, but were also fulfilling the conditions of a specific promise made by God. Then he did something very interesting: he told God why he thought God should deliver them.
II Chronicles 20:10-11.
And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
Jehoshaphat ended his prayer with what might be regarded by some as a negative confession.
II Chronicles 20:12a.
O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do...
He did not confess deliverance, he did not confess victory. Instead, he confessed what his senses told him. He confessed that he and his people were helpless against the enemy coming against them, and that they had no idea what to do. According to the Law of Believing teaching, these were negative confessions that should have never crossed Jehoshaphat's lips, and that should have all but guaranteed his failure.
But Jehoshaphat was very honest with God about what he felt about his situation. His words are similar to words we find in the Psalms, very honest and straightforward with God about the situation and the feelings of the individual involved. Far from being displeased by such talk, God seems to encourage it, if the Psalms are any indication of how He wants His people to pray.
But Jehoshaphat did not stop with confessing his lack.
II Chronicles 20:12b.
...but our eyes are upon thee.
This was the bottom line of Jehoshaphat's prayer. In spite of his admitted weakness and insufficiency, in spite of his lack of wisdom, he and the people of Judah trusted God.
Jehoshaphat's prayer was not nearly as specific as Law of Believing teaching leads one to believe it should have been. While he did ask for God to judge his enemies, he was not at all clear about what he wanted God to do to them. This hardly qualifies as a clear, focused mind picture.
Nevertheless, God honored his prayer.
II Chronicles 20:14-17.
Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
God's words to Jehoshaphat began with, "Be not afraid..." This suggests that Jehoshaphat and the people were afraid of the enemy even as they prayed. God would not tell them not to be afraid if they had no fear to begin with.
According to the Law of Believing teaching, this certainly should have guaranteed their defeat, because where one has fear, one cannot have faith. The two are opposites.
But there is no sign of reproof in God's words to the Judeans. Instead, He gave them a reason not to be afraid. The upcoming battle was not their battle, but rather God's battle. God told them to show up for the battle, and told them where and when, but added that they would not have to fight in that battle.
Jehoshaphat and the Judeans now had God's specific promise regarding their situation. Like many of God's promises, this one was conditional. If they showed up for the battle at the time and place given by God, He would fight the battle for them. They would not even have to fight.
Receiving God's Word regarding their situation had an immediate and dramatic effect on the Judeans.
II Chronicles 20:18-19.
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.
And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
Immediately Jehoshaphat and the Judeans behaved as if their fear was gone, and God had already delivered them from their enemies. Clearly their faith was not in faith itself, nor was it some vague and general feeling that God would do something or other. Rather, their faith was the result of a specific promise of God regarding their specific situation.
It is not necessary for us to receive direct revelation from God in order to know God's will regarding each and every situation that confronts us. If God has already dealt with a situation, need or problem in His written Word, then we already know His will regarding that situation. Like Jehoshaphat, we can then have faith based not on a vague feeling that God will "do something," but on God's promise regarding our situation.
Once they received God's Word, the Judeans had a decision to make. Their situation, according to the evidence of their senses, had not changed a bit. Even more serious, God's instructions to them were to go directly to meet the enemy. If these instructions weren't really from God, or if God didn't come through on His promise, they would be slaughtered. Jehoshaphat and his people had to decide whether to trust God or use "common sense." Trusting God meant marching into the waiting arms of their enemies. Once they received God's Word, faith in God meant obedience to what God said do.
The Judeans' actions made it very clear that they trusted God's Word to them implicitly. God had told them to show up for the battle some time the next day. They got up early to obey God.
II Chronicles 20:20-21.
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
From a military point of view, going into battle singing was suicidal. The Judeans were announcing to the enemy exactly where they were, and letting them know where to set up ambushes to trap them. They were acting like an army that had already won a battle rather than like an army ready to fight one!
It was only now, after they had God's promise for their situation, that Jehoshaphat began to exhort the Judeans to believe God. Before they prayed, and even during their prayer, no mention was made of faith or believing. Believing and obedience were their response to God's promise.
II Chronicles 20:22-24.
And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and theywere smitten.
For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
The battle that followed was one of the most unlikely battles in the history of the world. While the Judeans were on their way to the battle, their enemies wiped each other out... to the last man! Not one Judean was killed or wounded. They could have not done better militarily had the odds been overwhelmingly in their favor! God not only delivered them; He delivered them so spectacularly that none of their enemies dared attack them again during Jehoshaphat's lifetime.
II Chronicles 20:29-30.
And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.
So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.
There are several lessons we can learn from this record:
1. We must place our faith in God, not in our own faith.
2. Fear is not a danger to us unless so long as we do not allow it to become greater to us than God.
3. We can, and should be, open and honest to God in our prayers about our feelings, the circumstances confronting us, and our own sense of lack and inadequacy.
4. Believing God's promise regarding our situation will dispel our fear.
5. We need to be specific in prayer regarding our need, but not about how we want the need to be met. God can handle that part without our help!
6. Visualization and positive mental images play no role in receiving anything from God.
7. Believing God is required after you have received God's promise regarding your situation.
8. Rejoicing in the Lord for what He has promised to do for you is highly appropriate; and is a very effective method for maintaining your faith in God until you receive what He has promised.
9. Faith requires acting on what God has instructed you to do.
10. God is able and willing to deliver us on a scale far greater than we are able or willing to ask for.
Like Jehoshaphat, we don't have to cringe with fear when we're confronted with deadly enemies or overwhelming odds; nor do we have to rely on our own faith. Rather, we can put our trust in God, who loves us, and act on His Word regarding our situation. This is the heart of what it means to believe God.