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Want to be a spiritual failure? In Second Chronicles 18 there’s a story that unveils an effective game plan if you aspire to spiritual failure. In the story, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, visited Ahab, king of Israel. Next, Jehoshaphat formed a military alliance with Ahab’s army—even though God made it painfully clear that this was not His will. The result? A spectacular spiritual blow-up. So Jehoshaphat high-tailed it back to Jerusalem to contemplate the error of his ways.

You can read all about Jehoshaphat’s failure if you’d like—again that’s in 2 Chronicles 18. But the important question is this: “Did Jehoshaphat learn from his failure?” And what about us? After all, everyone carries a portfolio of failures, right? What can we learn from Jehoshaphat’s blunder? How does someone turn failure into something positive?

To answer such questions we need to read the rest of the story in 2 Chronicles 20. The first two verses tell us, “After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat.

“Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea.”

Now it’s important to understand what has just happened to Jehoshaphat. He engaged in a war against the will of God. The result was catastrophic. So now Jehoshaphat’s military advisors report that neighboring nations are baiting God’s people into war. But before Jehoshaphat goes prancing willy-nilly onto the battlefield again, he calls a “time out.” This time he sincerely wants to know God’s will and he determines to follow it.

So Jehoshaphat declares a fast for all Judah. Then he addresses the assembly gathered at the temple in Jerusalem and prays this prayer:

“O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’”

I love that commitment that Jehoshaphat makes. He promises God that no matter what happens he is committed to standing in God’s presence. Through calamity, judgment, plague, or famine—Jehoshaphat promises God, “…we will stand in your presence.” He then concludes the prayer in this way:

“…we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

Friend, that’s a great prayer to recite when facing temptation or seeking to know God’s will. Use Jehoshaphat’s prayer: “I do not know what to do, but my eyes are upon You.”

Following this season of fasting and prayer, God delivers His answer. Verse 15 says “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.’”

I know of no principal more important than this one when it comes to this topic of spiritual victory. In your failures, never forget, “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” In fact, that’s precisely why we fail—we forget that the battle belongs to God.

Too often we approach spiritual life like an assignment to keep a hundred beach balls submerged in the Pacific Ocean at the same time. Well, you may keep a ball under water with your feet and couple more submerged with your hands, but soon you’ll feel defeated and exhausted.

Similarly, some people think, If I can just keep my sins like pride and gluttony and lust under the surface so others don’t see them, then maybe I’ll at least appear holy. Friends, that’s a sure recipe for failure. Soon you will feel defeated and exhausted. What’s the answer? Get out of the water and into the boat with Jesus. The key is not to try harder to be good; rather, it is to remain in the presence of Jesus. For you see, sin and Jesus cannot coexist in the same heart. Remember: “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” Your battle is to always remain in the presence of God in order to let His life be willed through you.

It’s like the father who tells of watching his three-year-old daughter fight the temptation of the cookie jar. The girl doesn’t notice that her father is watching from a distance. So she climbs a shelf in the pantry and stretches to snitch a snack. Now she knows the cookie jar is off limits. Her spirit wants to resist temptation but her flesh craves a sugar hit. Just as she grabs a cookie, dad clears his throat. Instantly she drops the cookie and scoots away.

Think about it: one moment the kid could not resist temptation but in an instant she models the resolution of a saint. What made the difference? It’s simple. It was the presence of her Father.

Our battles with temptation work the same way. In our own strength, the flesh always wins. But when we live in the presence of our heavenly Father, we are then positioned to allow God to fight the battle for us.

Thomas Kelly put it this way: “Don’t grit your teeth and clench your fists and say, `I will! I will!’ Relax. Take hands off. Submit yourself to God. Learn to live in the passive voice—a hard saying for Americans—and let life be willed through you.”

That’s precisely what the Israelites did. Rather than scheming some strategy to trick the enemy by dressing the king up as a peasant (as King Ahab had done in Jehoshaphat’s last battle—but with calamitous consequences), this time Jehoshaphat let God fight the battle for him. He focused on remaining in the presence of God by practicing the spiritual disciplines of fasting, prayer, and corporate worship. In fact, they approached war as an act of corporate worship, singing the hymn “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21).

When the Israelites reached the battlefield they were stunned by what they saw. Their enemies had turned on themselves. The Israelite soldiers stood on the bluff overlooking a valley of corpses. God had already arrived to conquer the enemy on their behalf.

The Bible records, “There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the LORD” (2 Chronicles 20:25-26).

Jehoshaphat learned that indeed the battle belongs to the Lord. You see, God loves us so much that He takes the responsibility of transforming us into His character.

The children's book Little Lord Fauntlery helps to illustrate. It tells the story of a seven-year-old boy who went to stay with his grandpa. Although the grandpa had a reputation of being mean and selfish, the lad took a great interest in him. Over and over the boy complimented his grandpa, finding only positive things to say about him.

“Oh, Grandpa,” he gushed, “how people must love you! You're so good and kind.” No matter how disagreeable the elderly man was, the grandson saw the best in everything grandpa did.

Finally, the youngster's unquestioning love softened the heart of the cantankerous old man. Grandpa couldn't resist the unwavering trust that the boy had in his goodness. As a result, he gradually began to change his ways, and in time he became the unselfish and kind person his grandson thought him to be.

Although it’s just a make-believe kid’s tale, it does capture the true story of us all. From God’s perspective, we offer Him little to love. Nevertheless, God takes a great interest in us. Scripture tells us “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

You don’t have to clean up your act for God to love you. No need to go to church or memorize Leviticus or kick that nasty habit or buy a Bible. Every splinter of the cross screams of God’s unquestioning love.

You are good enough just the way you are for God to love you. But God loves you too much to let you stay the way you are.

Like the grandpa in Little Lord Fauntlery, you and I can change. We can become unselfish and kind—just like Jesus! Now mind you, this change does not occur by trying hard to change. That’s as fruitless and frustrating as trying to get a tan in a dark room by gritting your teeth and clinching your fists and chanting “I will get a sun tan.”

How often do we fight temptation by that method of trying a little harder? “I will not take a drink, I will not gossip, I will not eat that pie, I will not…” It’s much simpler. To tan, live in the sun.

Similarly, to overcome sin, live in the Son—that’s spelled S-O-N. Don’t waste your time trying to be holy. Instead, live in the presence of He who is holy. Then, as you live in the security of God’s unconditional love, He will fight your battles and you will be changed into His likeness.

So next time you fail spiritually, what can you learn? You can learn to live in the presence of God. That’s the key to turning failure into victory. Remember, the battle belongs to God.

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