Do the right thing and be attacked... perfect!

Garth Heckman The David Alliance [email protected]      2 Kings 22 2 Chronicles 32 ISAIAH 22   He Promoted Obedience to God’s Law   He restored:   * The priesthood * Temple offerings * Tithing systems   The nation became spiritually and economically stable.   How powerful is tithing… when you start it you will see blessing and then the enemy will come at you!  Don’t tithe if you don’t want to be attacked… oh and if you don’t want to be blessed by God.    The Assyrian Crisis (701 BC) The superpower of the day, Assyria, led by King Sennacherib, invades Judah. They conquer 46 cities and surround Jerusalem. This is Hezekiah's "darkest hour," where he takes Sennacherib’s threatening letter to the Temple and spreads it out before God in prayer.   The Propaganda War: Sennacherib attempts to demoralize Judah, but Hezekiah encourages his people to trust that "there is a greater power with us than with him".   c. Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars: The Assyrian accuser knew that King Hezekiah had implemented broad reforms in Judah, including the removal of the high places (2 Kings 18:3-4). Yet in the Assyrian’s thinking, Hezekiah’s reforms had really displeased God, so he should not expect help from the LORD God of Israel. The Assyrian would say, “Look at all the places there used to be where people would worship the LORD God of Israel. Now, since Hezekiah came in, there is only one place. More is always better, so the LORD God of Israel must be pretty sore at Hezekiah!”     The enemy of our souls has an amazing way of discouraging our obedience. If Hezekiah was not careful, this argument of the Assyrian would start to make sense, when really it was demonic logic through and through. Doubt leads to fear and then it leads to our own self building fear and we defeat ourselves before we even fight.    Satan can sound so caring and convincing: You choose to go on a diet and a friend comes to you and says - “Wow, good for you. That shows great discipline and that you want to take care of your body. You will look and feel so much better, way to go. Did you know that sometimes a person on a diet needs extra protein and carbs for energy? Hey you know what… cake has eggs, milk, flour in it. With your daily intake of sodium… boy if you get low on sodium you can cramp up. Plus what I like is that cake gives you an immediate burst of energy… and lets not forget how good it tastes. THIS IS ALL TRUE - BUT THE MOTIVE IS YOUR DESTRUCTION.