God spoke to the kings of Israel and Judah through the law and the prophets. When they would chart a course of their own will, God was faithful to send His messengers, the prophets, to warn them of their fate. Even Joash, who had a righteous start because of Jehoida, the priest, fell to evil practices by adopting the gods of nations he conquered. He even murdered the son of Jehoida. This was his downfall.

A life of devotion to the Lord’s Word and His Spirit can avoid the devastation that comes with rejecting God’s counsel.

PRAYER: By Your mighty grace, preserve us all the days of our lives through the direction of Your Word and Your Spirit. We resist leaning upon our own understanding. We trust You.

READING: 2 Chron. 23-25

When Jehoshaphat and Judah were threatened by invading armies, he inquired of the Lord and sought His help. God’s message was, “Don’t be afraid. The battle is not yours but the Lord’s.” In truth, God demolished their enemy and they didn’t even have to fight.

A key ingredient of their battle plan was send out singers ahead of everyone to praise the Lord. As the singers sang, God sent His heavenly troops to fight the enemy.

Facing a daunting battle? Begin praising the Lord in song.

PRAYER: Lord, forgive us for not praising You in times of distress. You ARE the victory. You are the Mighty Warrior.

READING: 2 Chron. 20-22

An evil spirit had the ability to essentially speak through all the prophets being consulted by the king of Israel when he was considering going to war. He was hearing from them just what he wanted to hear. God’s true messenger, however, was a singular prophet who predicted disaster if he went to war. It turned out that a random archer from the enemy put an arrow in the king, thus proving that the king had indeed listened to the wrong messenger.

Paul said, “Beloved, try the spirits to see if they be of God.” A simple prayer to God, asking Him for His will to be done, is the first step to staying away from the enemy’s snare.

PRAYER: Lord, deliver us from evil.  We chose only to follow You and Your Word.

READING: 2 Chron. 18,19

For 35 years of his reign, King Asa trusted the Lord and sought Him with all his heart. God granted them peace on every side because of the king’s faith. However, for whatever reason, Asa thought an alliance with Benhadad, the king of Assyria, would offer him protection from his enemies.  Mistake!

Taking God’s blessing and protection for granted for 35 years, how tragic it appears now to see how foolish he was for transitioning his trust from God to protection he purchased with gold.

“Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain.” Ps. 127:1b

PRAYER: Father, we will keep our trust in You through daily spiritual devotion to You by the reading of Your Word and prayer. Apart from You, we can do NOTHING!

READING: 2 Chron. 15-17

Sadly, the rift between Jeroboam (Israel) and Rehoboam (Judah and Benjamin) caused a period of strain, war casualties, and regression among God’s people. Akin to the Civil War experienced in the U.S., it was a blemish on the history of the nation.

Clearly, the kings of Judah followed the precepts of David more closely.

Power struggles are not without casualties. Leaders who determine to put the Lord first and avoid conflict will be honored in the end.

PRAYER: Lord, our heart’s desire is to abide in unity with other members of Your body. Grace us to stay close to You in devotion and practice so Your Kingdom can make advances against our true enemy, the devil.

READING: 2 Chron. 10-14

As Solomon built the temple and his own home, nothing but the best was used. Silver was too common to use. Gold was the standard. It must have been a sight to see … this king in all his regal beauty.

However, he was merely a prefiguring of a King to come who would far transcend Solomon’s glory, only the King to come would use different standards to show value. He chose to focus on the inside of man, the heart, rather than outward appearance. Rather than an ivory throne covered in gold, King Jesus preferred to sit on the throne of the hearts of His people.

The best is an inner thing, an inner quality.

PRAYER: Father, help us not lose focus on the things You value, the heart and motives of man. Your kingdom is within us. The purity and splendor of Your kingdom consist of rightousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

READING: 2 Chron. 7-9

Solomon’s Temple was dedicated in such fashion that God’s presence filled it so that they couldn’t even continue ministering. Much praise and music that so pleased God prepared an atmosphere like none other. It was then that Solomon knelt, lifted his hands to heaven, and uttered one of the Bible’s most profound prayers.

This gives the NT believer a healthy pattern of approaching God through praise and worship. God inhabits the praises of His people.

PRAYER: Lord, we are SO GRATEFUL to You for the countless blessings we receive from Your hand. We will lift our hands and our voices in praise to You every day.

READING: 2 Chron. 5,6

When God offered to grant to Solomon his request, Solomon did not ask for anything that would be of personal benefit to himself, rather for wisdom that he could rule his people wisely. His request really was to benefit the people. His request greatly pleased God, and He ended up taking very good care of Solomon’s personal needs also.

Jesus said “Your Heavenly Father already knows what you have need of.”

PRAYER: Lord, forgive us for being so selfish, and grace us to put our eyes on the needs of others, especially at Christmas.

READING: 2 Chron. 1-4

Wisely, David selected capable leaders to place around himself to fulfill his leadership responsibilities. God even thwarted his plans to personally build the temple in favor of delegating it to his son, Solomon. In addition to simple oversight, this allowed David to devote himself to his ministry to the Lord and the composition of Psalms. Hence, we have rich volumes of personal worship expression after which we can model our devotional lives.

Unwise leaders try to do everything themselves.

PRAYER: Lord, teach us to recognize the giftings of those you’ve placed around us in the Body of Christ. Deliver us from the subtle pride that wants to facilitate a selfish demeanor in our Christian service.

READING: 1 Chron. 27-29

When David set up the system of ministry to the Lord, he designed a hierarchy of order and service to insure that the Lord’s presence would be worshiped continually. The Levite priests all had the responsibility to train up their sons to follow in their footsteps.

Contemporary fathers are wise to train their children to likewise serve the Lord. After all, each NT saint is a member of the priesthood of believers. Priests minister to their God.

PRAYER: Lord, stir the hearts of fathers to see the responsibility they have to train their children to love and serve You. Sweep over our land with revival.

READING: 1 Chron. 24-26