Stop Worrying! Focus on God’s Protection Covenant! Part III

Today, we will conclude our study on God's Protection Covenant from Psalms 91. There are some awesome promises in here and fortunately for us, God is committed to them all!

11-12.  For He shall give His Angels (messengers) charge (a special assignment from God) over thee, to keep (to preserve) thee in all thy ways. They (the Angels) shall bear thee up in their hands; lest (for fear) thou dash (destroy) thy foot against a stone. In these two verses, God makes an additional promise of protection. At some point in our lives we all can recall a close call in which we escaped a tragedy, where there is no explanation in the natural. The spiritual explanation was that God's Angels were standing guard over God's children. It is so awesome to me that God would give His Angels a special assignment to protect me and you and to hold us in the palm of his hand and not allow us to so much as dash our foot against a stone!

13.  Thou shalt tread (walk) upon the lion (devil) and adder (serpent) the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample (injure or destroy) under feet. As Christians, we have been given the authority over the enemy; he does not have authority over us. Luke 10:19 says, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." What awesome coverage we are provided under God Protection Covenant!

14-16.  In he remaining three verses, God is speaking directly to us. In these three verses, He gives seven promises. When we set our hearts, minds, and love on God, these promises comes into effect. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

I believe that Psalms 91 is a covenant - a spiritual agreement that God has made available to His children. In these difficult times we are living in - we truly need it. May the Lord bless each of you!

With all that said, let the Church say Amen… and AMEN!

Still Worried? Focus on God’s Protection Covenant! Part II

Today, we will continue on with part 2 of God's Protection Covenant, found in Psalms 91.

5 and 6: Thou shalt not be afraid (overcome with fear) for the terror (extreme fear) by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor from the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. Verses 5 and 6 cover an entire twenty-four hour period -- day and night protection. The Lord continually reminds us not to be afraid, because it is through faith in His word that we are protected. Being afraid comes when we think that we are responsible for protecting ourselves. Fortunately for us, His protection is already there - it has already been provided - we just need to receive it. The terror by night that's talked about in verse 5 refers to all those things that are happening around us in our every day life - like robbery and murder. However, if we abide close to the Lord in the shelter of the Most High and believe His promises, there will be no reason to fear. Remember, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

7: A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. What a wonderful statement! God wants us to know that there shall be a thousand falling by our side and ten thousand at our right hand, so while there will be destruction, but it will not approach us, because we have chosen to believe and trust in Him! By doing so, we are hid under the shadow of the Almighty.

8: Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward (recompense) of the wicked. When the children of Israel left Egypt, they were under the protection of the Almighty God and where able to crossed the Red Sea on dry land. However, but the wicked ones who were not under the protection all drown in the Red Sea. Moses told the Israelites whom ye have seen today, ye will never see them again. Just as He did for the children of Israel, he will do for us. God will protect His own! 

9 and 10: Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, (shelter) even the Most High, thy habitation; (a place of residence) There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague (disease) come nigh (near) thy dwelling. After God repeats our part of the condition in verse nine, He re-emphasizes the promise in verse ten - no plague will come near your dwelling place. What an awesome God! When our hearts are truly steadfast and we are trusting in His faithfulness, He will fulfill His promises!

Next week we will conclude God's Protection Covenant, so be sure to check back next Wednesday!

With all that said, let the Church say Amen… and AMEN!

Worried about Coronavirus? Focus on God’s Protection Covenant!

Covenant: a formal binding agreement, a promise

In Psalms chapter 91, we find one of the binding agreements that God has made with man. This covenant is just as reliable in a time of trouble as it is in a time of peace. Of course, we must have faith in that covenant and believe that our God is going to perform all of His promises just as He said He would.

In the midst of a world panicking about the novel coronavirus, I would like to break this Psalm and covenant down for you so that you clearly understand what God has promised us.

1. He that dwelleth (lives) in the secret (hidden) place of the most High shall abide (stay) under the shadow (protection) of the Almighty. Under this protection plan we shall be treated as God's guest. You know whenever we are visiting family or friends, we are their guest. And when we come under the roof of anyone who truly cares about us, they tend to take our protection seriously - just as they would their own flesh and blood - and they do everything in their power to make sure that no hurt or harm comes to us. The Lord does the exact same. Even if we are walking along the road, we can simply ask for the performance of this promise. Even though God is up there and we are down here, if we speak the word and believe, we will instantly be in the secret place of the most High; covered and resting under the shadow of the Almighty.

2. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge (Shelton) and my fortress (defense): my God; in Him will I trust (have total confidence). We all know that when you go to a shelter, it's intended to be a place of safety. This piece of the covenant tells us that the Lord will be our defense, regardless of the storm that's going on in our lives. Have you ever seen the old western movies with the army posts? Everyone is usually inside the fort and they have big gates with tall walls and men walking to and fro with weapons. Those men make sure that no one comes in and that no one goes out without some sort of protection; everybody who's inside the fortress feels safe. It’s the same way with God - when we are under His shadow, Angels are continually walking around protecting God's people.

3. Surely (not liable to fail) he shall deliver (rescue) thee from the snare (trap) of the fowler (haters of God's love and light) and from the noisome pestilence (people that try to bring us their darkness). These noisome pests can be just like mosquitoes that buzz constantly in your ear. The good news here is that as long as we are covered under the Almighty's protection, those pests will have to go through God before they can get to us. However, the choice is ours, we can choose to stay under the light of God's protection or we can listen to those noisome pestilence, which might lead us astray. God leaves that choice up to us. 

4. He shall cover (conceal) thee with His feathers (feathers in the spiritual speaks of love) and under His wings shalt thou trust; His truth (trustworthiness) shall be the shield (defensive armor) and buckler (something that surrounds a person). You might be familiar with how a mother hen hovers over her chicks and if anyone comes along trying to mess with or take her babies, she’ll peck them! That mother hen sits right there covering her chicks with her feathers of love and under her wings. God will hover over us just like that mother hen and will peck anyone who tries to harm us!

I'll be back next week with more on this awesome covenant; until then --

With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!

The Wonderful Works of the Lord

Wonderful: a feeling of amazement, or admiration

Works: the action or labor required to accomplish something

Praise ye the Lord, I will praise the Lord with my whole heart (not divided, but with all that is in me) in the assembly of the upright (honest), and in the congregation. The works of the Lord are great (remarkable, impressive, and first rate), sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable (worthy of honor) and glorious (magnificent; delightful, full of glory); and His righteouness endureth for ever. He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered (recalled, retain, and memorized): the Lord is gracious (showing kindness and courtesy) and full of compassion (sympathy). He hath given meat unto them that fear Him: he will ever be mindful of His covenant (a formal binding agreement).

He hath showed His people the power of His works, that he may give them the heritage (something handed down from past generations) of the heathen (a person or nation that does not recognize the God of Christianity). The works of His hands are verity (absolute) and judgment (balance); all His commandments are sure (not liable to fail). They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He sent redemption (Jesus Christ) unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant for ever: Holy (sacred) and reverend (respected) is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth for ever. Psalms 111:1-10.

What an awesome and great God we serve! He is so worthy of our praise for His amazing works! Deuteronomy 32:4 declares, He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. The Lord did a wonderful work in the life of my Son, he had a mild heart attack, a blockage going to his heart, a gland on his kidney that caused them not to perform properly and pneumonia - all this at the same time - but all praises to the Lord, he's fine now. Just reflect my friends, on just one of the many wonderful works that the Lord has done in your life and give Him praise for it!

With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!