2 Chronicles 18

1. Jehoshaphat’s first mistake in his leadership as king, as written in 2 Chronicles chapter 18, is that he began to have a loss of faith in God’s promises and provision by making a marriage alliance with king Ahab, obligating him to come through on Ahab’s request to go into a war that was not sanctioned by the Lord. As you take an honest look at your own life, what are some areas where you are struggling to trust the Lord with His promises?
2. Think of this current struggle or challenge in your life as noted above, then look up some correlating Scriptures that speak God’s truth into that challenge. Do you believe that those Scriptures are living and active for you as you consider the threats against your walk with Jesus? What steps do you need to take to begin grasping onto these truths?
3. Ahab surrounded himself with “yes-men” – false prophets who only told the king what he wanted to hear, and worse yet did it in “the name of the Lord.” Ask yourself: “Who around me is able to speak truth into my life?” If you have trusted friends, mentors, or family members who are able to do so, continue to listen to them. If people avoid speaking truth to you because of how you’ll react, prayerfully consider why that might be and whether you need to start opening your ears more to the Lord through the fellowship of other believers.
4. Our mistakes in life can often linger in our hearts longer than they should – we go from a healthy measure of guilt that leads us to repentance and fellowship with God under His grace to an unhealthy measure of shame that leads us to pull away from the Lord. Prayerfully spend time examining your heart to see whether you’ve fully surrendered to God’s grace made available at the cross… no mistake, whether small or huge, can outweigh or outlast the love and grace of our Father’s forgiveness given to us by the merit of his Son Jesus Christ. If there’s hope for Jehoshaphat, there is hope for all of us!