King Asa!

Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? Isaiah 2 : 22

Good morning, friends.

God's child, Asa:

The very first verse that talks about Asa says, "Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God." 2 Chronicles 14 : 2 Why does it say so? The following verses give us an answer. He removed foreign altars which burnt offerings to idols. He commanded his people to seek and to obey the Lord's commands and laws. He sought help of the Lord in whatever he did and so the Lord has given him rest.

Asa's focus:

Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you." 2 Chronicles 14 : 11 Asa prayed this prayer to His God when he saw Zerah marching against Asa with his mighty army. The Lord heard his prayer and delivered him from the hands of Zerah and struck down Zerah and his soldiers.

Asa's courage:

When the prophet Azariah came and conveyed what the Lord said, "Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded", Asa took courage and he removed all the idols from his country and he made his people to enter into a covenant to seek the Lord wholeheartedly and eagerly. Verses 12 - 15 of 2 Chronicles 14 say about it.

Asa's foolishness:

* Basha came against Asa. Asa took all the treasures from the temple of God and went to Ben Hadad, the king who had a treaty with Basha and asked him to break his treaty with Basha. And he succeeded in his effort. But the Lord's prophet Hanani went to Asa and said, "Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war." 2 Chronicles 16 : 7 - 9

Asa who relied on God when he faced a mighty war, didn't rely on the same powerful God when he thought of Basha. Instead of seeking God, he relied on the king Ben Hadad. His hope was not rooted in the Lord, but on a man. This was the first foolishness he did and when he heard the seer speaking these words, he ordered the seer Hanani to be put in prison. Thereby he failed to respect the man of God.

* When he was affected by a disease in his legs, though he was very severe, he relied only on physicians and not on God. 2 Chronicles 16 : 12 And then he died.

Moral:

It's not how good we were at the beginning, but how we are all the time, especially at the end that really matters. When we have God as our strength, we can never be shaken by anyone. Just think on where your hope and faith are rooted today. Are they deeply rooted in Christ as they were before? Or are you going behind men at your tough times? Give God 100% control over everything and when you once did it, please don't try to take that control back to you. Our past glory will never help!!! We've to live in His presence daily.