WORSHIP CHANGES THE OUTCOME | PAUL DAUGHERTY | WORSHIP SERIES PT. 2

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Victory Church: Paul Daugherty
Episode: WORSHIP CHANGES THE OUTCOME | PAUL DAUGHERTY | WORSHIP SERIES PT. 2
Date: November 30, 2025
Host/Speaker: Pastor Paul Daugherty

---

Episode Overview

This episode, part of Victory’s worship series, focuses on the transformative and overcoming power of worship, especially in times of trouble. Using 2 Chronicles 20 and the story of King Jehoshaphat as a scriptural anchor, Pastor Paul Daugherty illustrates how worship shifts our perspective, invites God into our battles, and often changes the outcome—not always by altering circumstances, but primarily by changing us.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. When You’re in a Battle You Didn’t Sign Up For

• Scriptural Focus: 2 Chronicles 20
• Jehoshaphat is blindsided by adversity when multiple armies threaten Judah without provocation.
• Everyone faces battles—temptations, fear, anxiety, depression, habits—often privately and unexpectedly.
• “The enemy is not your in-laws…not your boss…oftentimes the enemy is the enemy. It’s insecurity, it’s fear…” (01:16)

---

2. Responding to Crisis: From Alarm to Resolve

• It’s not sinful to feel alarmed; it’s what you do next that matters.
• “It’s not a sin to feel alarmed. It’s what you do when you feel alarmed.” (02:37)
• Jehoshaphat models:
  • Feels alarmed but “resolved to inquire of the Lord.” (03:40)
  • Focused on seeking and worshipping God, not running to distractions or unhealthy comfort.

---

3. Source of Stress and Where to Run

• Stress can come from:
  • Place (environments),
  • Pace (life rhythm),
  • Problems (challenges),
  • People (relationships).
• “Usually the thing that's stressing you out is the category you run to try to fix.” (13:50)
• Only God—through worship—can truly address the core distress.

---

4. Jehoshaphat’s Prayer: Remembering God’s Track Record

• Jehoshaphat recounts God’s past victories as faith-building (06:00):
  • “Are you not the God who delivered our fathers…out of distress?”
  • Reminding oneself of God’s faithfulness shifts focus off the present problem.

Memorable Quote:
“Sometimes you need to tell yourself who God is.” (06:50)

---

5. Worship Lessons from Jehoshaphat

(19:14–38:00: Interwoven teaching and worship) Pastor Paul draws practical steps and lessons:

a. Worship Should Be Our First Response

• Don’t use worship as the last resort.
• Examples: David after sin, Hannah in barrenness—went straight to worship.

b. Worship is a Choice, Not a Feeling

• “You don’t have to feel like worshiping to worship...It’s a choice.” (16:19)
• Even in the mundane or crisis, choose worship.

c. Worship Sets the Atmosphere

• At home, in the car—parents choose the spiritual “playlist.”
• “You can choose the atmosphere of your house and your car rides. You can correct the atmosphere...” (18:14)

d. Worship Opens Doors

• “Worship opens the door for God’s presence, God’s power, God’s provision, God’s protection, and God’s promises.” (18:14)

e. Worship is Your Weapon

• When worship goes before you, God fights your battles.
• “It is the secret weapon of the believer that when you choose to worship, the devil hates it.” (20:15)

f. Worship Changes You Before It Changes Circumstances

• Worship shifts our attention from problems to God's presence.
• “Worship changes you first. If you get changed, you face those problems differently.” (36:37)

g. Worship Invites the Prophetic

• Opens the door for God to speak and bring clarity in confusion.
• “Worship opens the door for the prophetic.” (26:41)

---

6. Faith and Obedience: Marching to Victory

• Even when the battle belongs to God, you have to show up! (28:50)
• “Half the battle is just showing up…”
• Some miracles require motion—doors won’t open until you move toward them.

---

7. Standing Firm and Praising Ahead of Victory

• Worship is an act of faith: praising before the breakthrough.
• “Sometimes you gotta praise before the breakthrough. You gotta praise Him like He’s already done it.” (37:06)
• Jehoshaphat and the people worship before seeing the outcome—then God brings the victory.

---

8. Corporate Worship and Community

• Engages both men and women in worship:
  • “There’s something about a group of men singing…” (45:00)
• The whole congregation is drawn into active praise, illustrating the power of unified, corporate worship.

---

9. Breaking Barriers to Worship

• Pride, envy, worry, anger, depression can hold back worship.
• “What is holding back your worship?...Worship is the cure for all these problems.” (42:34)
• Encouragement to lay down barriers and freely give God glory.

---

10. Worship Reclaims and Restores

• After worship and victory, not only survival but “plunder”—blessings and restoration.
• “Worship reclaims what the enemy stole from your family.” (49:05)

---

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “It’s not a sin to feel alarmed. It’s what you do when you feel alarmed.” (02:37 — Paul Daugherty)
• “Sometimes you need to tell yourself who God is.” (06:50 — Paul Daugherty)
• “Worship changes you before it changes the circumstance.” (21:46 — Paul Daugherty)
• “Worship is a choice. You don’t have to feel like worshiping to worship...” (16:19 — Paul Daugherty)
• “Worship opens the door for the presence of God, for the protection of God... Worship goes in front of your week.” (20:12)
• “The battle is not yours. The battle belongs to the Lord.” (25:05)
• “When you go to worship, God goes to work. Even when you don’t see it, he’s working.” (30:51)
• “Worship is your weapon.” (46:03 — Pastor Paul, as he dons a headband and rallies the congregation)
• “Worship changes the outcome.” (48:33)
• “Worship reclaims what the enemy stole from your family.” (49:05)
• Group song/anthem:
  • “I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail...” (47:18)
  • “Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper…” (53:09–55:39)
• Prayer of Surrender and Trust:
  • “My eyes are on you. My hope is in you. And I choose to worship you...because you are good, you are faithful, and your love endures forever.” (55:46 — Congregational Prayer led by Pastor Paul)

---

Memorable Moments (Timestamps)

• 00:00 – Opening remarks on worship and feeling “alarmed.”
• 04:44 – Announcement of upcoming January fast and conference as an act of collective worship.
• 13:50 – Breakdown of four main sources of stress.
• 19:14 – Introduction of “Worship Lessons” with practical application.
• 20:12 – Explanation of worship as a “door opener” for God’s presence.
• 26:41 – “Worship opens the door for the prophetic.”
• 30:51 – Illustration: “The doors won’t open until you move toward them.”
• 36:37 – Impromptu acoustic worship and reflection on how worship displaces fear.
• 42:34 – Addressing what holds people back from worship.
• 45:00 – Men’s choir moment; highlighting masculine worship.
• 46:03 – Headband moment: “Worship is my weapon.”
• 47:18 – Inclusive worship: entire congregation sings together.
• 48:33 – “Worship changes the outcome”—worship triggers divine confusion and enemy defeat.
• 49:05 – Recapturing and reclaiming what was lost through worship.
• 53:09–55:39 – Extended worship with “Way Maker.”
• 55:46 – Communal prayer of commitment and surrender.

---

Takeaway Principles

• Worship is powerful, not just as an expression but as a spiritual weapon.
• When you feel surrounded, worship—God fights for you when you focus on Him.
• Show up, stand firm, and praise before the answer arrives.
• Don’t allow pride, anxiety, or comparison to hold you back.
• Worship reorients your heart from fear toward faith, even before circumstances change.
• Worship is communal—your breakthrough can be tied to the community’s worship.

---

Final Benediction (55:46)

“I choose to worship you because you are good, you are faithful, and your love endures forever...I trust in you. I surrender to you...I thank you that I have the victory in Jesus’ name.”

---

For more teaching and resources from Victory Church, visit victory.com.

Transcript

[A]

We are in a series on worship. Everybody say worship. If you got a Bible, go to Second Chronicles 20. Come on, Jesus. This whole week during Thanksgiving, this passage kept stirring in me. It was like while Ashley was cooking, while my mom was cooking, God was cooking something in me. I wasn't cooking for the family, but I was cooking for y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

This word that God started stirring in me. On worship in Second Chronicles 20, it's a story about a man who finds himself surrounded by armies that are against him. And he's in a battle he didn't sign up for. What do you do when you're in a battle you didn't sign up for? A battle that shows up on your front doorstep. And we're going to talk today about how worship changes the outcome. Worship changes the circumstances. So 2 Chronicles 20, verse 1. After this, the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Munites, a lot of ites showed up to wage war against Jehoshaphat. Out of nowhere, all these enemy armies show up. And by the way, all of us in this room have enemies. The enemy is not your in laws. The enemy is not your mother in law. It's not your family, it's not your boss, not your co workers. Oftentimes the enemy is the enemy. It's the insecurity, it's the fear. It's the tendencies to go back to bad habits, sins, addictions, temptations, or even just depression. The feelings of defeat, laziness. We all have enemies that are waging war against our soul, against our spirit, against our destiny, our future. And Jehoshaphat is in a battle he didn't sign up for. Some people came and they told him, there is a vast army coming against you. They are bigger than you, they are stronger than you. You can't do this. Jehoshaphat, right, he's all of a sudden starting to feel like people are telling them, like you're in over your head, this thing is bigger than you. You're up against a. A vast army. And I love the next verse because the next verse shows us how he's feeling in the moment. It says in verse three, alarmed. Everybody say alarmed. Jehoshaphat is feeling all of these alarms going off on the inside of him. Like this morning, you heard an alarm before you got out of bed and you walked into the freezing 25 degree weather of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Some of you wanted to hit that alarm, snooze and sleep in your bed. But the week before Thanksgiving, our daughter Gianna, she had a Thanksgiving chapel. And they Were asking the kids what they're thankful for. And each kid was like, my mommy, my daddy, you know, my sister, my brother. They get to Gianna, our daughter, and she goes, my bed. I'm thankful for my bed. And people were like, amen. How many are thankful for your bed? Some of y' all want to be in there right now. So here's the reality, is that we all have alarms at times that go off. But this was an internal alarm. The body keeps the score. Your body has an alarm system that starts to feel anxious, afraid, worried, discouraged. It's not a sin to feel alarmed. It's what you do when you feel alarmed. Do you run to the bar? Do you run to a girl, to a guy? Do you run into another, like, situation, another bad habit? Where do you run when you feel alarmed? Jehoshaphat was alarmed and another word for alarm. Could be panicked, could be anxious, could be insecure, could be afraid, overwhelmed, in over his head, not knowing what to do. But I love that when he's alarmed, he resolved. Everybody say, resolve. He resolved to inquire. This means to seek, to put his hope, to put his trust, to worship the Lord. I want to title this message. Worship changes the outcome. Worship changes the outcome. What do you do when you feel alarmed? What do you resolve to do? We all do something, right? We all run somewhere. And there are some things that, like, no one can fix but God. There are some, like, I don't know who you call when you feel stressed or when you feel overwhelmed. There are certain people that, in my mind, I'm like, okay, if I sit down and talk with Ashley, right? If I sit down, if I call this pastor, if I reach out to this mighty man of God, if I talk to my best friend, he can help calm me down. But there are some things only God can fix. And you got to be careful who you call when you feel stressed, because they can stir up even more stress in you. They can make you feel even emptier. After the phone call, you're like, well, that did no good. I still feel worried. I still feel alarmed. I still feel overwhelmed. So I love how Jehoshaphat gives us a strategy for victory, that when we are alarmed, when we are anxious. Paul said it like this in Philippians 4. When you are anxious, trust in the Lord. Don't be anxious about anything. But in everything, through petition, through prayer, through thanksgiving, present your request to God. God. This is what Jehoshaphat's doing, right? He's seeking God. So go back to verse three. As he Inquires of the Lord. He proclaims a fast for all of Judah. We're going to do this in January, y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

I am pumped for the new year. I know we're going to finish strong this year, but we're going to have a fast. We're going to do a victory conference in January. I believe this, like God has greater things for this next year than you've ever seen in our church and in your life. Don't miss church in January. So he gets his people ready. He says, we're gonna fast. We're gonna pray. And the people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord. Who do you run to when you feel stressed? Where do you run when you feel alarmed? Indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek God. And Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah at the temple of the Lord in front of the new courtyard. And I love what he says here. He begins to pray. He says, oh, Lord, God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? In other words, Jehoshaphat be to remind himself who God is and what God can do. He begins to remind himself of the resume of God. Are you not the God who delivered our fathers and forefathers out of distress, out of hard times? He begins to recount the blessings of God, the victories of God. He reminds himself, no matter what I'm facing, God is still on the throne. Friends, when you're facing a crisis of any kind, you need to remind yourself, in the midst of that crisis, God is still in heaven, seated on his throne. He is bigger than your problem. He is bigger than your diagnosis. He can fix your situation. He can heal your son. He can restore your marriage. He can pay for that thing that seems impossible to pay for. He can fix the problems you're facing. This is what Jehoshaphat begins to do. He begins to remind his soul. God, you are bigger than any kingdom of the earth. Power and might are in your hand. No one can withstand you. Now, God knows this. God already knows this. So why is Jehoshaphat saying it? He's telling himself, sometimes you need to tell yourself who God is. That's who God is. He's reminding himself, our God. Did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land? In other words, he's like God. This is not your first rodeo. You've been here before. You've handled things that are bigger than this. You fix things for Moses. You fix things for David. You fix things for Esther. You fixed things for people in the Past. And you can do this right now. We need your help. We need right now. He says, you gave this land to us forever. Everybody say forever. That's a sandlot reference for any 90s kids in the room.

[B]

Forever.

[A]

John and I, we could only say certain quotes from sandlot. Like, there was a quote on that movie where the guy's like, you're killing me, Smalls. And my dad was like, we're never going to confess. You're killing me. You're going to say, you're living me. So John and I would be like, you live in me, Smalls. And people are like, what's going on with the pastor's kids? What are they talking about? And John and I were like, we're not allowed to say, you're killing me anyways. Forever. This land was given to them forever. In other words, God gave them this possession. Whatever God gives to you, he plans to protect it for you. Don't stress over something God gave to you. Jehoshaphat was saying, God, you gave us this. You didn't give us this for us to lose it to some enemy armies. So why am I stressing? Jehoshaphat was choosing not to stress, and he was reminding himself, God, you gave me this kid in the first place. God, you gave me this land in the first place. Whatever God promises you, God will protect for you. Whatever God gives you to possess, he will protect it for you. You don't need to stress. Some of us are stressing over things that God has already taken care of. Some of us are fighting battles that do not belong to us to fight. And God's like, I need you to give that battle back to me. Some of us are so stressed, we're like, I'm gonna have to pick up five jobs to fix this situation. I'm so stressed. And we can feel your stress. On a scale of 1 to 10, how many in this room are, like, 10 being the highest one being like, no stress at all? Just show me by your hands where you're at. Are you a five? Are you a ten? Are you a one? I'm seeing some nines. I'm seeing some eights, seeing some fives. I'm seeing some people just going like this. Alarms are going off right now. And this is where he's at, right? I mean, he's in his stress. He's choosing to give it back to God. He's saying, God, this is not my battle. I hear the Lord just saying, give me my battle back. This is God's battle. This is not your Battle, stop fighting a battle that God says, I'm going to fight that for you. You don't have to fight that. Moms, you don't have to fight that battle. Dads, you don't have to fight that battle. I'm not saying you do nothing. I'm just saying God says, let me fight this for all of us in this room have stress, right? When I just asked that all of you in some way, if you didn't raise your hand, you secretly were raising your hand in your heart. You're like, I'm probably an 8 or a 9. And stress comes from a lot of different places. I want to just real quickly point out where your stress might be coming from. Four categories, where your stress, where my stress is, comes from. It either comes from a place like your job can stress you out. Sometimes even coming to a church can stress you out because you're finding a parking spot, you're waiting in the kids line, your kids are acting kind of crazy. You got in a fight in the minivan. You're stressed a little bit about when Ashley asked you to turn and shake hands with people. You're like, ah, I'm stressed. I got to meet new people. I got to. And a place can stress you out. For some of us, it's a pace, right? We are running so fast. We are multitasking. No wonder you're stressed. You, you're trying to do 100 things in one day. You're like, well, Paul, I'm a multitasker. And all of us are like, yeah. And we're like on pins and needles around you because you are stressed from the pace you're running at. You know, God created the earth in six days. And on the seventh day, he rested. God gave us a rhythm of pace that we're not supposed to work all day every day trying to accomplish a million things in one day. There were certain things that God had on his list to do that. He said, I'll do that tomorrow. Like, he did one thing on one day and he was like, okay, it's good. Then he did another thing on another day. And you might have been up in heaven with the angels. And they were like, well, aren't you going to get to the fish in the sea? And he's like, no, not yet. I can handle that. On the fourth day, God had a pace. Some of us are running at such an unhealthy pace. We're like Martha in the Bible. Martha was stressed and worried about so many things. You don't even have to be In a battle to be alarmed, you could just be in your own house, alarms going off, stress, anxiety, worry, fear overwhelmed. And Mary, in that same story, is just sitting at the feet of Jesus right here. She is just in the presence of Jesus. And Martha's like, get over here and help me clean this house. Some of y', all, that's like PTSD from this last week during Thanksgiving. You're like, I heard those words a thousand times. I'm not saying that you don't do your chores or that you forsake all responsibilities. I'm just saying, are you living at a pace that's creating even more stress for you and everyone else around you? Because worship helps de. Stress your pace. The fact that you're having worship on Sunday, worship oftentimes has to precede the week. You need to get worship out in front of your Monday because it sets the pace for the week. That's why you shouldn't miss church any Sunday. As many Sundays as you can be in church, just set the pace for the week with worship. Some of us are stressed not because of a place or a pace. Some of us are stressed because of a problem. And this is where Jehoshaphat is at right here. He's got a problem. He's got three enemies surrounding him, coming from the backside, coming from the sides, and they're all coming to kill him, and they're coming to take the land from Israel. They want to destroy the Jewish people. Like, the tribe of Judah is under attack. Some of you have a problem right now. You have a problem in your marriage. You have a problem in your health. You've been given a diagnosis from your doctor, or maybe it's your mom's health or your son's health. Maybe it has something to do with your daughter. I don't know what the problem is. Maybe it's in your business, finances. But it's stressing you out. It's messing with you. It's stirring up anxiety. And then the fourth stress, you're like, can we stop talking about what stressed me out? The fourth stress is a person. There is a person that's stressing you out. Don't look at him right now. Some of you are like, it's this guy, Ashley. Don't look at me. Don't point at me right now. How many? Know some people that just stress you out, right? And you're like, if I didn't have to look, if I didn't have to deal with this person, I wouldn't be as stressed as I am. And all of us have. And here's the problem. Usually the thing that's stressing you out is the category you run to try to fix. So if you're stressed out by a person, you go try to get a person to fix that stress. And this is where a lot of people get in trouble with affairs, with all kinds of just running to another. There are things like we're trying to squeeze out of a person what only God can do. Your spouse can't fix all your stress. And an affair is not going to fix all your stress. Only God is going to fix your stress. Some of us, it's a problem. And so we try to run to another. Like, we try to get another thing. We try to get another job, another business, another something going and another iron in the fire. And for some of us, it's a pay. And you gotta. Ultimately, you gotta run to God. God is the only. I want to give you some worship lessons today that we can learn from Jehoshaphat. Everybody say worship lessons. Let's talk about how do we change the outcome? If worship changes the outcome, how do we begin to see that shift happen? Number one, worship should be our first response. In battles, blessings, and even in the bruises of life. Worship should not be our last resort. Like, it shouldn't be. Like, well, first let me go to the bar, let me drink a little bit, let me go do some stuff, let me gamble a little bit, let me just de stress myself, then I'll go and worship. Worship should be your first response, not your last resort. This should be the first thing we do. We run. When David got in trouble, when David sinned, when David walked through his miscarriage with Bathsheba, what does he do? He goes to the house of the Lord. He begins to weep and worship. When Hannah was overwhelmed that she couldn't get pregnant, couldn't have kids, and she's watching this other girl named Peninnah in the Bible, who's having kid after kid after kid, just rubbing it in her face. What does Hannah do? She goes into the house of the Lord. She begins to worship. Your first response, in battles or bruises, and in even the successes of your life. Give the glory to God. Give the glory to God. Worship should be our first response. Response number two, what do we learn from Jehoshaphat is that worship is a choice. Worship is not a feeling. You don't have to feel like worshiping to worship. Just like you don't have to feel like going to church to go to church. You don't have to feel like loving Your spouse to love your spouse. You don't have to feel like loving your kids to love your kids. It's a choice. Every say it's a choice. Are you guys cool if I play a little bit of worship for you today? Worship is a choice. I don't have to feel like it's to do it. I can choose to worship. There have been some days, y', all. Like, just a month ago, I was driving down the road, and our kids, they struggle with fomo. Y' all know what FOMO is? Fear of missing out. Just gotta clarify that for anyone who thinks it's like a bad word or something. Fear of missing out. So our kids, they oftentimes compare. They're like, benny got to do this. We got five kids, by the way, in case you didn't know. And they're 11, 10, 7, 6, and 4. And so they each kind of get into these comparison traps. About one kid gets to do this. So I'm driving down the road about a month ago in someone else's truck, and we're on the highway, and I got Mac with me. It's just me and Mac. And we were going to pick up Benny. He was at another place playing basketball. And as we're driving down the highway, Mac is already like, I'm gonna brag to my brothers. I got alone time with Daddy. I was like, don't brag, Mac. And anytime I have alone time with the kids, we'll go to Kwik Trip and get, like, a hot cocoa or something. He's like, I'm going to tell him you took me to Kwik Trip, right? I was like, matt, don't do that. And so we were driving down the highway, and we were going about 60 miles an hour. You know, it's the highway. 65 is the speed limit. And out of nowhere, this car pulls out. I'm going north. This car is supposed to be at a stop sign. They run through the stop sign. I see them coming out of distance, and I'm like, surely they're going to stop y'. All. They did not stop. They drove through the stop sign. They ran right into my truck. And y' all, like, I shouldn't be here today. The fact that I'm alive and that Mac is alive is a miracle. How many all know you shouldn't be here today? Some of you should have died in some situations that happened. But I, I, I look at that moment, and Mac thought it was the coolest thing ever. He was like, that was awesome. Can we do that again? I was like, no. You know, he was like, I can't wait to brag about that to my brothers. And he sure did. We went to pick up Benny. He was like, guess what, Benny? I got in a car wreck with Daddy. And Benny was like, what? It's not fair. Why did you do it with Mac? When are you gonna do that with me? And I was like, what are you. Why are we gluttons for pain? What is going on? Our family just loves trauma or something. Benny was like, how come you always do car accidents with the other kids and not with me? I was like, oh, my goodness. Anyways, that morning, we had started the morning off with worship. We try to keep worship on in our house as often as possible, by the way. You can choose the atmosphere of your.

[B]

House.

[A]

You can choose the atmosphere of your car rides, And you can correct the atmosphere in your house. You don't have to let the kids dictate the theology in the house or dictate whether or not you should be listening to worship music. Our kids, sometimes they'll want to listen to some other stuff. They'll be like, dad, we want to listen to this. And I'll say, no, dad and mom choose the playlist in the house. And you need to choose the playlist in your life. You need to stop letting other people choose what songs get stuck in your head, what the. What the vibe is like just listening to depressing sounds, just listening to misery. Like, we had started that morning off with worship, and then after that accident, I honestly think worship delivered us. I think, like, spending time in God's presence. Here's number three. Number three. Worship opens the door for God's presence, God's power, God's provision, God's protection, and God's promises in your life. Everybody say, worship opens the door. When you came into this room today, you came through a door. You either came from that door or that door or this door over here or one of those doors back there. And every door has hinges on it. That's how it opens, right? And a lot of doors have locks on them. And the only way to get in is you got to have the key. How many have ever heard my story about the master key, Right? How I didn't know I had a master key for, like, three years. I had. I had a master key to this church, and I didn't even know I had it. That's kind of like worship, though. Psalms 104 says, Enter his gates with thanksgiving in your hearts. Enter his courts with praise. In other words, the only way into his presence is worship. Worship literally opens the door. You're outside the door, you're feeling discouraged, depressed, overwhelmed, frustrated, afraid, alarmed. But when you begin to worship.

[B]

How great.

[A]

Is our God? Sing with me how great is our God and all will see how great. How great is our God. Worship opens the door for the presence of God, for the protection of God. Worship goes in front of your weak. Worship goes in front of your kids. Worship goes. This is what Jehoshaphat is about to do. Jehoshaphat is about to station worshipers at the front of the battle. He's about to get a strategy for victory. And the strategy is worship. Now, that's. That. That sounds crazy to people who have swords and knives and they're. They're ready to fight. They're like, worship. What kind of weapon is that? It's the greatest weapon. It is the secret weapon of the. The believer that when you choose to worship, the devil hates it. When we worship God, it is the one thing the devil hates.

[B]

Why?

[A]

Because he used to be the worship leader up in heaven. Before the devil was the devil. He was Lucifer the angel. He was the head musician up in heaven. And something inside of Lucifer wanted the glory for himself. Something inside of Lucifer. He hated that. All the worship, all the praise, all the attention, all the focus was going to God and something about Lucifer. He hated it so much that he began to want the worship for himself. And ultimately Lucifer fell and a third of the angels fell with him. And this is why it's so important, y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

Because if we choose to refuse to worship, we are never closer to the devil than when we choose to refuse to worship. Like that literally. We're literally following in the footsteps of Lucifer. When we say, I'm not going to worship, I don't feel like worshiping. I'm upset. I'm going through a battle. I got bruises right now. That's when you need to worship. I don't worship when I feel good. I worship so I can feel good. I don't worship when I wake up and my body's final. I worship to wake my soul up. I awaken my soul with worship. I don't worship when everything's going my way. I worship through the hard times so that I can see the victory on the other side of the it. And here's the fourth thing is that worship changes you before it changes the circumstance. And I was thinking about how Jehoshaphat. I want to go back to this passage because he's beginning to worship. He's beginning to Pray to God. I want to go back to second Chronicles 20. He begins to point all the attention to God. Watch what he does here. He says, God, you gave us this land. He and you said in verse nine, if calamity comes, we made the decision. We made the covenant. If calamity comes, if any crisis comes, if any sword or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your name. Like Jehoshaphat is not being entitled. He's not being demanding. He's just reminding himself, this is the place where we find refuge. This is the secret place where we find strength. You need to have a secret place where you find strength. You need something where you draw. You need a war room. You need a worship room. Because that's. I'm telling you, the devil can't stand it when you get on your knees and you begin to worship. So here he is. He says, I'm going to cry out to you in our distress. Everybody say, distress. Where do you run in your distress? Jehoshaphat is saying, when we are stressed over things that are going on in our lives, personally, privately, that nobody else knows about, and publicly that everybody knows about, we are going to run to you. We are going to trust in you. Who you going to call? Not the Ghostbusters. Who you going to call when you're walking through stress, when you're walking through crisis? Because I'm telling you, that's going to determine the outcome. That's going to determine the outcome. So he says, we're going to turn to you now. Watch what he says next in the next verse. Here we are, and there are people that are coming, and they are invading and they are coming to destroy us. These are people that we did not destroy. We didn't fight them. They came to fight us in verse 11. So he says, see how they are repaying us. In other words, he said, we didn't do anything mean to these guys. And now they're trying to take the possession you gave us as an inheritance. And I love this next verse. This is where it gets really good. He says, our God, will you not judge them, for we have no power. Worship is to recognize I am completely dependent on God. We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do. I have no clue what to do right now in this situation. But our eyes.

[B]

On you.

[A]

Our eyes are on you. Our eyes are on you. Everybody say, our eyes are on you. So here he is. He's admitting God. I need your help here I need your strength, Lord. My focus. This is what worship does. Worship shifts your focus. Worship shifts your focus from your problems to God's presence. It shifts your focus from your problem. So Jehoshaphat is like, God, I'm gonna focus on your goodness. I'm gonna focus on your faithfulness. I'm gonna focus on your presence. I'm gonna trust in you. When I don't know what to do, I'm gonna run to you. I'm gonna look to you, and I'm gonna find peace in you. When I'm worried and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep.

[B]

And I fall asleep counting my blessings.

[A]

When my bankroll is getting small. I think of when I had none at all.

[B]

And I fall asleep counting my blessings.

[A]

Your goodness is running after. It's running after me. Your goodness is running out. It's running after me. With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now I give you everything your goodness is running after. It's running after me. So he's worshiping God. He's counting God's blessings in his life. He's finding peace. He's like, look, the times are hard right now. Things are crazy. I am stressed. But God is still good. And watch this as he's worshiping. Go back to second Chronicles 20. As he's worshiping at the end of this, he says, our eyes are on you. In verse 13, all the men of Judah with their wives and children and little ones stood there before the Lord. They're looking at him. He's looking at them. It's kind of like this right here. And we're like, so what's next? Because we worshiped and we're still surrounded by enemy armies. And we're all staring at each other like, who's got the answer? But here's what worship does. Worship opens the door for the prophetic. And so watch what happens in verse 14. All of a sudden, the spirit of prophecy comes in their camp. The spirit of the Lord, man, I could feel it right now. Spirit of the Lord is in this place. Some of you are in a battle that's bigger than you. You are in over your heads. But when the spirit of the Lord shows up, watch this. It's a bunch of sons, like the Son of this and the Son of that. They had to give, like, a legacy. They had to always give the generational legacy, which I think has some meaning to it. If you were to look up each of these names. We don't have time to do it. Each of these names has a connection to what's about to be said. He says to them, 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. That's a word for some of you right now. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, because of this problem, because of this lawsuit, because of this diagnosis, because of what you're up against, because of how you're feeling right now, because of how much you owe for the battle. I love this right here. For the battle is not yours. The battle belongs to the Lord. Give the battle back to God. This battle is not yours. Tell the person next to you, this battle is not yours. Stop stressing. Stop stressing. This battle is not yours. The battle belongs to the Lord. That was a word from God. I felt that this week. Someone needed to hear that in this room. This week, tomorrow. But here's the key. Just because the battle belongs to the Lord doesn't mean you don't have to do anything. You still gotta show up. He says, tomorrow, march down. In other words, show up. Half the battle is just showing up. Half the battle is just showing up to the place you're supposed to be in the house you're supposed to be in with the kids you're supposed to raise. And I'm going, God, this is too hard. This is too much. And God says, you show up. I'll fight the battle. You show up. You march down there, you. You put on your big boy pants. You go do this thing. You're gonna have to, like, there are some miracles that are motion activated. The miracle is gonna happen, but there are some doors that won't open until you stand right in front of the sensor. And as soon as, like, from a distance, the doors look closed, and there's no handles on the doors. And you're like, how in the world are we gonna get. Like, oh, my gosh, how are we gonna get through this? God says, I need you to march closer, because once you get in that sensor, those doors are going to open. What looks closed. Like. Like worship. When you go to worship, God goes to work. When you begin to worship, God begins to work. Even when you don't see it, he's working. Even when you don't feel it, he's working. There are some water faucets that won't turn on until your hand gets right under the faucet. From a distance, you're like, there's no water here. Spring up.

[B]

Oh, well.

[A]

And no water's coming out, you're talking to it, it's not coming out. And God's like, I need you to not just talk to it. I need you to move towards it. This might mean you need to sign up for discipleship class. This might mean you need to go to rehab. This might mean you need to give an offering. This might mean if you're expecting a harvest, you need to sow a seed. This might mean you need to do something by faith. You need to act towards your miracle. Every prophetic word needs prophetic work. There is no prophetic fulfillment of a word until there is prophetic fulfillment of the work towards that word. He said, I need you to march towards your victory. You're going to move towards your victory. You're going to put your hands in front of the faucet. The water is going to flow as you get in the place that I've called you to go. So watch this. He says, listen, you're going to march down. They're going to be climbing up. You will find them. In other words, you're going to have to go there to find them. And because you have to go there, you're going to think, you have to fight this, but you don't have to fight this. You will not have to fight this battle. You will only have to show up. You need to take up your positions and stand firm. Everybody say, stand firm. You need to stand on business. You need to stand on the word of God. When everyone else is faltering, when everyone else is doubting and skeptical and everyone else is questioning, is God's word really true? You need to stand firm on the word of God. I'm taking tired of the deconstructionist movement because it is ripping away faith and it's leading people into an empty, like, emptiness. Like, there's nothing. If you deconstruct anything, you get to a place where it's like there's nothing left. At some point, it requires faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things that don't. You can't see in the natural. It doesn't make sense. If it all made sense, it wouldn't be faith. Faith begins where understanding ends. At some point, you have to let go of your reason and your logic and your scientific. You know, I can't figure this out logically. That's where faith comes in, my friends. And you go, well, it just sounds crazy that the battle belongs to the Lord and all I got to do is march down there. You're gonna have to do your part. But this is not your battle to fight. He says, you're gonna have to take your position. You will need to stand firm. And you need to see it before you see it. You need to see the deliverance of the Lord. Before you see the deliverance of the Lord. You need to see what he's going to do before he does it. That's what the prophetic does. The prophetic invites us to see things before we see them. The room you're sitting in used to be a soccer field. I remember I used to play for TSC right here. Tulsa Soccer Club. I wasn't that great. I loved it. And I played out here, and it would rain, and there would be puddles. You're sitting right where the biggest Puddles. Puddles were right over there. You're sitting in the puddles. My dad used to walk over to this field right where we're all sitting, and he would say, what do you see? And I'd say, I see puddles. I see uneven field here. Like, somebody didn't. The tractor didn't level this land right. And my dad was like, no, not what do you see with your natural eyes? What do you see on the inside? And I'd say, I don't know. And he'd say, I see a massive auditorium with thousands of people, and I see altars filled with people getting saved, healed, and restored. And I was like, oh, you're talking about the maybe center over there. Because I was looking over at the maybe Center ORU's big building over there. He's like, no, no. I'm looking at something you can't see. I'm seeing something that you can't see out here. You got to see it in here. Today we're standing in the reality of what my dad saw in his heart before he saw it on a field. You got to see it in here before you see it out there. Here's what worship does. Worship gives you a vision of the prophetic. Worship gives you a vision of the prophetic. Worship shifts your focus. Number six. Worship renews your mind and heart. From worry and fear to faith and hope. Worship renews your mind. I want the band to come out. Worship renews your mind and your heart. From worry and fear to faith and hope. When you begin to worship God, it literally displaces panic. It literally displaces worry. There have been times I'm in the key of E. If the band comes out, just play an E. There have been times, y', all, where I've been stressed and worried, and I Pulled out my guitar. And sometimes I didn't have my guitar. I just started singing, just started worshiping. Better is one day in your courts. Better is one day in your house.

[B]

Better is one day in your place and thousands elsewhere.

[A]

Better is one day in your cruise.

[B]

Better is one day in your house. Better is one day in your place than thousands elsewhere. This is the air I breathe. This is the air I breathe. Your very spirit is living in me.

[A]

This is my daily breath.

[B]

This is my daily breath. This is my daily breath.

[A]

Your very word, your very word.

[B]

Spoken to me and I. And now. I'm desperate for you, Jesus.

[A]

I'm a little out of tune.

[B]

And now. I'm lost my. Without you, Jesus, I'm falling on my knees offering all of me, Jesus, you're.

[A]

All my heart is. That was my bonfire worship days, back in the day, just standing around the fire, just singing something about worship. It just changes the atmosphere. It renews your mind. It displaces worry and fear and anxiety, and it gets you fixed on faith and hope. And so here Jehoshaphat is, spirit of the Lord is speaking. You don't have to fight this battle. Take up your possessions, stand firm, see the deliverance. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Go out to face them. That's what he says. Go out to face them. Go out to face them with God's peace. You don't have to face that battle with anxiety. You don't have to face that family member. You don't have to face that situation with fear or worry or like, man. You don't have to face those bills. How many? Got some bills you need God's help with. How many? All need some, like God's provision in your finances. Fifteen of us in the room, the rest of us are just too embarrassed to raise our hands. How many need God's help in your finances? Let's just be real for a second. You got some big dreams. You're like, man, I could really use God's help on this stuff. And you can either face it all by yourself, and I'm all by myself. I'm gonna have to work a ton of jobs, gonna have to raise all this money all by myself. Gonna have to do this by myself. Or you can face it with faith that the Lord is with you, that he's got your back, that as you've been worshiping, you've been opening the door to his provision. You've been opening the door to his presence. You've been opening the door to his protection for your kids. Raising those kids, parenting those kids, the wisdom. Like, I'm stepping into the times now where Ashley's asking me to give the talk to our boys. And I'm like, oh, Lord, my dad didn't give me the talk till I was 20, 24 years old. And then. Then you're like, in a society where everything's at their fingertips, it's like. Like every screen is a potential portal into something that's bad. And you're like, how, God, I need your help. How many all just need help raising your kids in this world? It's crazy, right? You just need help. And you can either face it with feelings of fear and worry and anxiety or inadequacy or even just insecurity. I'll walk off this stage today, and I'll go home, and all the problems still exist. Worship doesn't change the problems first. It changes you first. And if you get changed, you face those problems differently. They're still facing the same enemy, but now they're facing that enemy. They're facing that problem with faith in God, that God is with them. So watch what happens next. Jehoshaphat bows down with his face to the ground. He worships before the victory. Can I give you a few more points? Number seven. Worship is standing firm on the promises of God's word. Standing firm on the promises of God's word. This is what worship does. Worship reminds your spirit, he's never failed me. He won't fail. He won't fail. He won't. Number eight. Oftentimes you have to praise God before the victory is seen as an act of faith, like he's already done it. Sometimes you gotta praise before the breakthrough. You gotta praise him like he's already done it. This is what Jehoshaphat does. He bows down and he thanks God. Y' all remember that old Boys to Men song? Thank you in advance. Ten of us in the room thank you in advance. This is what. Like, this is what Jehoshaphat's doing. He's saying, thank you, God, in advance, for what you've already done. I know you're gonna do it. I can trust in your word. You're faithful, your character. I've seen your resume. You've done it for Moses. You did it for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. You're gonna do it for me. So all of a sudden, he begins to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. Come on. Worship is not a quiet thing. Some of us go into worship. And by the way, what's holding back your Worship. What's holding back your worship? I'm almost done. But what is holding back your worship? I want to just throw up a couple reasons. Some of us, we won't worship because we're worried right now. Well, the only way to conquer worry is to worship. Some of us won't worship because of pride. Where I'm just too proud. Some of us are like this, you know, we're just in worship like this. It's like that meme. It's like that. Just cool guys just chill. And you need to like, you need to rip up your cool card. You need to stop trying to just be super chill. And you need to remind yourself, like David said, make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Lift your hands. All you people clap your like, worship is not just a hands in your pockets thing. Don't let pride lead you down the path of Lucifer. Refusing to lift your hands, refusing to worship because you're too cool or you're too entitled or you're a self made millionaire or you're a big deal. Kind of a big deal here. No, no, God's the only big deal in this church. We don't worship celebrities, we don't worship preachers, we don't worship actors, actresses. I don't care if you're a politician. If the President of the United States came in our, we're only going to worship Jesus. We're only going to bow to Jesus. He's the only one worthy.

[B]

He's a big deal. He deserv the glory, the honor and the praise.

[A]

Somebody told me a year ago, they were like, did you know so and so is in the room. I was like, who's that? They're like, they're a big deal. And I was like, well, who are they? They're like in Washington D.C. they're like a huge political person. And they were sitting out in our room just attending church and I was like, hey, everyone in our room is just another believer that's saved by the grace of Jesus or they're an unbeliever that's about to get saved by the grace of Jesus. Nobody's a big deal but Jesus here. What's holding back your worship? Is it anger? Is it bitterness? Is it depression? Is it discontentment? Well, I'm just, I'm just frustrated with my life. If I had a bigger house, if I had a nicer car, if I had a job, if we could just get pregnant, if I could just, if I could just get married. What's holding back your worship? Is it envy? Well, Their grass is greener over there.

[B]

And.

[A]

And listen, can I tell you, worship is the cure for all of these problems. If you're in sin, you need to worship your way out. You need to shift your focus off of that thing that you keep going back to and start worshiping God. If you have a defeated mindset, a defeated heart, listen, no matter how bad the scoreboard looks right now, you can make a comeback, but the comeback is going to come through worship. Did anybody see, oh, you win yesterday, yesterday. Did anybody see the Dallas Cowboys come back and beat the Eagles this last week? Did anybody see the Thunder game a week ago when they were down by 25? They made a comeback. Sports teams, they're notorious for comebacks, right? They look at the scoreboard and they go, we can. We can turn this around. But as believers, we should have the greatest confidence. No matter what the scoreboard looks like. I got Jesus on the inside of me. He can turn this thing around. I'm going to praise my way out. I'm going to walk, worship my way out of this. What's holding back your worship? So here's what Jehoshaphat does early in the morning. Verse 20. As they left for the desert, as they set out, he says, listen to me, Judah. Listen to me, Judah. Listen to me. Tribe of Judah and people Jerusalem, have faith in the Lord your God, and you will be upheld. If you have faith in God, you will be successful. If you trust in the Lord, you will succeed. After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed. I love this. He appointed Men, let's go, men. Where's the mighty men at? If you're a man in this house, will the men stand up? Will the real men. Come on, men, stand up for a second.

[B]

Come on.

[A]

Give it up for the mighty men. This is the man of victory.

[B]

Hey, hey.

[A]

Let me say something.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

You know why Jehoshaphat had the men singing? Because there's something about a group of men singing. You ever been in a room where it's just only men singing together? If you haven't, just for a second, men. What's a good key for the men? What key are we in? E. Okay. I want to hear the men sing for a second. Come on, men. Here we go. So I trust in God my Savior the one. He will never fail I trust in God, my Savior the one who will never.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Are you kidding me? That's the best men's choir you've ever heard in your life. That was incredible. Can you feel it, man? I can feel it. Something that I used to do when I was a teenager is I would put a headband on because this was my battle. This is my battle, my battle band right here. Let me get this up. There we go. But this is like. I would worship with the headband. Because here's my last point right here. Number nine, let's get it going. Worship is your weapon. Everybody say, worship is my weapon. I don't care how this looks right now. It looks silly, but look. Thank you, brother. Worship was their weapon. They were battle ready when they began to sing. Go back to that verse. Go back to that verse. Because the men begin to sing and they begin to praise and they begin to worship. And as they stood in worship, as they begin to go out singing, give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever, they were worshiping. It was their battle cry. It was their weapon against the enemy. As they began to sing, as they begin to praise. Come on, ladies. I need the ladies to join them in. Come on, ladies, Stand up here. Come on, ladies.

[B]

Come on.

[A]

We need the mighty women of God. Come on, ladies, make some noise. All the women. All right, now we're gonna all sing together. Are we still in the key of E? My guitar's out of tune. I just won't play. Here we go. I trust in God, my Savior the one who will never.

[B]

Fail.

[A]

He will never fail. I trust in God, my Savior the one who will never.

[B]

Fail.

[A]

Fail he will never fail. As they begin to sing and praise the Lord, the Lord set ambushes against their enemies, and their enemies were defeated. Come on. Worship changes the outcome. Worship changes the outcome.

[B]

Literally.

[A]

They had confusion in the enemy's camp. Come on. When you begin to worship, it sends confusion on the church devil. The devil can't stand worship. He starts trembling. He's like, hold on. I was trying to stop them from worshiping. Why are they singing? I had them outnumbered. I had them outmatched. But worship changes the outcome. Worship changes what the enemy had planned and God. Go to the next verse. Watch this. After they got the victory, Jehoshaphat, he was only praying for survival. He was like, all I want to do is just get through this. I just want to get out of here.

[B]

Here.

[A]

Not only did he survive. Go to the next verse, verse 25. After they beat the enemy, the men went out into the enemy's camp and they carried out their plunder. They found among them a great amount of equipment. You're going to come out stronger on the other side of this battle. They came out with articles of value, you know, What? Worship does. Worship reclaims what the enemy stole from your family. You're going to get it all back. Worship receipts. There was so much plunder. It took three days to get it out. Come on. Worship changes. Just say it with me. Worship changes the outcome.

[B]

I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail. He will never fail. He will never fail. I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail. He will never fail. I sought the. And I sought the Lord. And he heard and he answered. I saw the Lord. And he heard and he answered. I saw the Lord, and He answered. That's why I trust him. That's why I trust him. I saw the Lord. He changed me. He restored. He healed me. He delivered me. He rescued me. He pulled me out of your presence. He pulled me out of fear. He pulled me out of addiction. He pulled me out of sin. And he changed me. And.

[A]

I want to pray for anyone that's in a situation that's bigger than you. I just feel like some of you came into this weekend and you are similar in the story of Jehoshaphat. You're in a battle that's beyond you, but your eyes are on God. Or at least after today, your eyes are on God. If you need God's help in something that's bigger than you, I want you to just leave your seat, come and find a place at this altar. We're just going to worship. We're going to close out this service just with a song of worship, a song of praise. If you need God's help in your family, in your health, your marriage, your finances, you're single, you're. You're here today, you're divorced, you're walking through some things, and you're going, man, I just need God's help. It's bigger than me raising these kids. It's harder than I thought. There's some things that I just need the help of the Lord in. I need his provision. I need his favor. I need his mercy. I'm in a. I'm in a. Some of you are in a court case right now. You're up against lawyers. You don't. You don't have the money to go up against some of these guys. And you're going, God, I just. I need your grace. I need your help with the judge. And my. My son needs help. My daughter. Some of you, it's your mom, it's your husband, it's your wife, someone. And you're going, lord, just. I'm going to put my focus on you. I'M going to shift my eyes off my problem. My eyes are on you, God. My eyes are on you. You're here today, and maybe you're not right with God. Maybe you've lived in sin your whole life. Maybe you've been going back to sin. You've been backsliding. Come. Come down to the altar today. Get right with God. Surrender to Jesus. Come and join us. Just repent of your sins. Let Jesus Christ be Lord of your life. Come and join us at this altar. And we're just going to worship. Let's just take a few minutes. Go ahead. Faith, lead us in that worship song. Let's just begin to shift our focus from fear to faith, from worry to worship.

[B]

My God, that is who you are. You are. You are way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper. Light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are. Oh, you are way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper. Light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are. You are way maker.

[A]

Come on, worship your way through this. Worship your way through this.

[B]

Light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are. Oh. Even when I don't see it, you're working. Even when I don't feel it, you're working. You never stop. You never stop working. You never stop. You never stop working. Even when I don't see it, you're working. Even when I don't feel it, you're working. He never stop. He never stop working. You never stop. You never stop working. Even when I don't see it, you're working. Even when I don't feel it, you're working. You never stop. You never stop working. You never stop. You never stop working. Even when I don't see it, you're working. Even when I don't see it. You working, me never stop. You never stop working. He never stop. You never stop who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are. That is who you are.

[A]

That is who you are.

[B]

That is who you are.

[A]

That is who you are. Just say this with me, Jesus. My eyes are on you. My hope is in you. And I choose to worship you. No matter what I'm going through, I choose to worship you because you are good, you are faithful, and your love endures forever. So I will say, seek you first. And I thank you, Lord, that this battle belongs to you. I trust in you. I surrender to you. I cast my cares on you. Every stressful thing, every fear I cast on you. I trust in you. I repent of my sins. I receive your forgiveness. You died on the cross. You rose from the grave. You are my Lord, my savior, my God. That is who you are. And I thank you that I have the victory in Jesus name.

[B]

Amen.

[A]

And Amen. Come on, give God praise. He's faithful.