It is not only important to believe God, but Jehoshaphat said to the people that they must believe God's servants as well — ”So shall ye prosper.” The spirit of prophecy came upon a man named Jahaziel, who was the son of Zechariah. He told Jehoshaphat and Israel what to do, they believed it, and acted upon it.

Today, if someone gives a message in prophecy relative to persons and circumstances, people might brand him as a religious fanatic. If that is being a fanatic, I want to be used of God as one! We need more Jahaziels in our world today.

You can meditate on the steps to victory we are studying and begin to reason in your mind or try to apply human understanding to them. You can sit down and pick apart this point or that, but where will it get you? On the other hand, you can say, “Lord, I believe that you are giving me a progressive revelation each day through these devotions and though I may not fully comprehend every point, I am going to do just what the prophet of God has said and I am going to have victory in Jesus' Name.”

Are you ready for the final step to victory? This is the capstone — don't miss it because you have gone too far to stop now! The next step is praise the Lord for the victory:

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. (2 Chronicles 20:21)

The final and most powerful step of all to victory is to praise and worship the Lord. There might be a temptation to say, “This step is so wonderful, all I really need to do is start right here. I don't need to go through all the effort of those other six steps.” Man has always been prone to look for spiritual short cuts, and this is where false cults and doctrines develop. We always want to find an easier way.

It is not God's intention to make the path difficult, but He knows what we are made of and what steps we must take if victory and abundant life are to be manifested in our lives. To start this step with no regard to the other steps would make our praise a “sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.” A hollow, shallow noise that goes no further than the ceiling is the result.

I will praise the Lord for the victory, even before it comes. I will give Him the glory for what He is going to do!