The terror of threats

Only with spiritual eyes can we see what God wants to do in the lives of those who obey Him. We can clearly see that most situations we experience in the present have already been experienced in the past. The evil spirits that used the enemies of the kingdom of Israel are the same ones that use the enemies of the Kingdom of God today.
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, despite his loyalty to the Lord God, was taken aback when his ministers brought the news that fierce enemies had united to invade their nation. And not only that, but they were already on their way, near Jerusalem.
His immediate reaction was fear, in the sense of terror.
This news terrorized all the people of Judah. If the king was terrified, imagine the people.
Their terror was not like normal fear; it was rather a feeling of desperation. Only those who have lived or are living under death threats can understand the situation. Jehoshaphat and his people knew very well what their enemies could do; armed to the teeth, they would invade their land and destroy everything.
The news took him by surprise. He was not prepared for war nor did he have enough time to prepare for it.
How many times have we been overwhelmed by the same kind of fear? This happened, for example, to a householder in Rio de Janeiro. Unable to pay his debts and resolve his economic problems, and driven by fear of humiliation before friends, acquaintances and relatives, he killed his two young daughters, his wife and then killed himself.
The spirit of terror blinds its victims to the point of preventing them from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But beware that not always do the facts match up with what you hear or what people say. How often do people make hasty decisions without knowing that the real situation is not exactly as they were thinking?
Satan knows this and he uses it to sow terror. People who are ignorant of the Word of God, or who do not practice it, have become desperate and emotionally unbalanced.
Given the situation and knowing the history of his forefathers, their achievements through faith in the God of Israel, Jehoshaphat did not hesitate and was willing to seek help from above. He immediately proclaimed a fast throughout the kingdom of Judah and summoned his people to cry in the Temple.
All Judah became like one man to beg help from the Lord. People from all the cities of Judah joined with Jehoshaphat in the same faith.
Following Jehoshaphat’s example, we are inviting people who are terrorized by the threat of losing their jobs; the threat of losing the husband or wife to someone else; the threat of having their kids taken away from them; the threat of dying of an incurable disease, and many other situations of extreme fear. In other words, this is a campaign of faith for those who are being threatened by Satan and the hosts of hell.
On 20^th January, we will do as Jehoshaphat did. We’ll fast on behalf of those who are being threatened by bad news, gossip and other situations that do not even depict reality, but which lead people to instability and emotional disaster. We’ll appeal to faith. This Sunday, we will fast and humble ourselves before the God of Jehoshaphat and ask Him to deliver us.