Scripture: Psalm 91 v 2 - 10: "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."
These are the promises of our Lord for those who love and obey Him. We went through a terrible pandemic which is covered in v 3. A noisome pestilence refers to a terrible plague. If you are alive, you survived it. It's part of our divine protection. In Revelations it is prophesied that there will be seven more terrible pandemics before the end of the Tribulation. Let's avoid them at all costs.
Psalm 127 v 1: "A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
If the Lord is not watching over our cities, we are vulnerable so how do we ensure that He is protecting us?
Firstly, to find out if we are in danger of sudden or unpredictable terror attacks, we should pray before we go out into 'troublespot' areas. We should seek the wisdom of He who knows everything so we can avoid becoming a victim of terror, mugging, carjacking or being caught in the cross fire.
Before we plan an outing, ask Jesus if that place is safe for us to be there. The Bible says, he who asks receives. He will answer you. There are various ways He does this. Most often He will lead you to a verse or passage of scripture. It may be simply two words in Romans 3, God forbid!
In Acts 16 Paul was forbidden twice by the Holy Spirit to journey into Asia. He waited until he was shown where he should go in a dream. God speaks to us like this too. He wants to keep us safe but we need to ask permission and if He says No then do not go.
Secondly, the more Christians there are living in your area, the more prayer is going up to Heaven. God sees, hears and responds. So if Christians are thin on the ground, that's your workspace. Start sharing the Lord's love and forgiveness all around. Share your testimony of salvation with them.
Thirdly, Jesus Christ is our Rock. He is the Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee. There is a gap in that Rock for every one of us to hide from terror. He shall cover us with His feathers, like a mother hen covers her chicks.
There was a great testimony of a Christian lady who had her bag snatched as she walked through some shops. She yelled, I am covered with His feathers! The thief stopped in shock, dropped her bag and fled. The Word of God is powerful.
We are alive IN Jesus Christ. In Him we live, and move and have our being. No weapon formed against us shall prosper. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.
The closer we are to Jesus the more protection we have, not only against demonic terrorists, but against disease, theft, accidents, injury and untimely death. We can safely trust Him to deliver us out of danger. He never said we could always avoid storms and trouble, He said He would be with us in it and see us through it.
1 Timothy 2 v 6 - 7: "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
When we are full of the Holy Spirit we can bestow His gifts on others by laying our hands upon them and imparting the gift He wants to give them. It's like jump starting a car's battery with cables. Power is transferred and the gifts are alive in those needing them. And along with the gifts God gives us love and a sound mind.
The world is reeling now from the ravages of many earthquakes every day, simultaneous volcanic eruptions across the globe. There are wars, fires, hailstorms, floods and mudslides. But the Lord says Fear Not. He is able to protect us or send rescuers to help us. He is the Divine Protector for the Body of Christ.
The church is rejoicing at the spreading revival bringing thousands to the feet of Jesus He counter-balances the weight of the world with the garment of praise. He comforts us and brings hope.
Jesus preached that whenever we try to save ourselves we lose, and whenever we lay down our lives for our brethren, we find life. If we must die then let it be for Him who died for us to live. When we pass from this life we will be with Him forever. Alive, alive, alive forevermore.
Laying down our lives does not always mean death, it also means making sacrifices of time, availability, finances, skills, to help those in need. To love our neighbours. To uplift the poor. To give, love and pray. To go where no one else will go to save the lost.
This message is to exhort you all to seek the faith the original apostles had. It is an overcoming power that frightens Satan. Faith frightens him because he has been defeated by those who refuse to compromise.
Like those three brave Jews, Meshech, Shadrack and Abednego, in the book of Daniel. They defied the decree of King Belteshazzar to bow down to a golden image of himself whenever music played, or be thrown into a fiery oven. . No one expected the Son of God to show up in that fiery oven giving divine protection to those three. Not a blister, not even the smell of smoke upon them, yet seven men who threw them in perished from the fierceness of the flames!
That scares our enemy! Jesus says we must never compromise our faith. He will always see us through and we must trust Him to do it. Our Divine Protector is most faithful.
Jesus is the Captain of the Lord's Host, and He is ready to do battle against the forces of darkness. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood people but against spiritual wickedness in high places. The demons we fight are in corrupt leaders making corrupt laws; in criminals, gangsters, druglords, warlords, Satanists, cults etc. Jesus has an army of warriors, Christians who do battle through prayer. And we get attacked for being on the frontline, and we need divine protection all day every day.
There are many wolves in sheep's clothing that have infiltrated the Church bringing false doctrines and false prophecies to mislead many into error. We need the gift of discerning of spirits of good and evil from the Holy Ghost. It's one of the most amazing gifts. When you have this gift the enemy trembles.
Through this gift we now know our enemy and all his tricks so it's easier to outwit him. We have the full armour of God, and all the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. We have spiritual weapons that pull down evil imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And Jesus is with us guiding our prayers so that we are effective against our enemies. This is the calling of Watchmen who must be alert to danger and give warnings for the flock to take cover.
So trust in God and pray that all ministries work effectively and in unity with His divine purpose, so that the Father's will shall be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven. Rejoice that all believers and followers of the Lamb are covered by His Blood, the power to protect against death.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, the storm clouds gather but Jesus, the Light of the world, shines through them to give us divine protection from enemy attacks. Hear us when we pray, Lord, and guide us through the minefield of terror, fear and death, to the glory of Your presence in the midst of fire. Thank You for always being with us to love and help us. In Jesus' name. Amen.