Every
day we hear news--good or bad about our family, work, business, surroundings or
any happenings in our hometown as well as in other parts of the world.
Those news will most likely enter in our ears, regardless we have or don't have
television set, radio, or newspapers. Hearing those news will result
either way: we rejoice or we fear. No one is immune from any of these.
Every time we are to choose whether to stay joyful or become fearful. A lot of people say that fear is normal. Since we live in this world, therefore having fear is natural. Some people say that they actually don't want to fear but the feeling creeps into their hearts. Other people say that we are not angels and thus it's okay to fear.
As a born again Christian who believes that Jesus lives in heart, it's not natural for you to fear!! Fear belongs to those people of the world, whose life is regulated by sight, hearing and feelings. For you and I who believe the Lord Jesus, we must live by faith. We don't have to fear, and so we don't. If we invite Jesus to come into our heart, we become the son of God and automatically we live in the kingdom of God.
Imagine this for a moment. We live in the kingdom of God where Father God is the King and mighty angels on guard at the borders of the kingdom. Everyone who lives in God's kingdom has been equipped with spiritual armor in the might of God. This armor is able to take down strongholds, bring into captivity the devil's wiles and quench his fiery darts. Those who live in the kingdom of God are grown-ups--children are not equipped with such powerful weapons. God's kingdom is filled with ready-for-battle army who are vigilant at all times.
Living in a country demands us to follow the local rules and regulations. As Christians we are to live in the kingdom of God according to our Living Manual, the Bible. Where is the kingdom of God? Is it in heaven? If God's kingdom is in heaven, why are we equipped with spiritual armor? Why do we have to be vigilant in the spirit? Why were we given the power to lay hands on the sick so that he shall recover, to set free the captives, to heal the broken hearts, to give liberty to the oppressed?
Even though I haven't been taken to heaven, I believe that there is no devil and his cohorts in heaven, no sick people and no one is oppressed. According to the book of Revelation and testimonies of those who have been to heaven, we know that heaven is a place which beauty is indescribable. God's kingdom is in your heart and mine, and since we are still in this world, this is where the kingdom of God is! (read Luke 17:20-21; Matthew 12:28).
Now
I will take you to see with your spiritual eyes. Although you are still in
this world, you receive protection from Jehovah God, IF you dwell in Him and His
Words dwell in you. You can be free from fear, depression, stress,
confusion, frustration, and worries. Read carefully: you may choose to be
free or not to. It's up to you. If you live in Indonesia, that's
where you receive "shalom—peace”,
not in other country. There is no safe place in this world, not in
America, Europe, Australia, not even North Pole! Where you are
"planted," that's where you eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19).
Let's study God's promise of protection in Psalm 91.
This scripture is narrative. If one wants to dwell—not going out, coming in, living forever—in the secret place of most High, he is the one who wholeheartedly trusts in the El Shaddai. This person is stable and strong with no doubts at all to dwell in the secret place of El Shaddai. If he trusts wholeheartedly it means he is obedient and loyal. This kind of trust may be developed in someone if he spends enough time to get to know the individual that he's willing to entrust his life with, even his whole household, career, finances and future.
It demands time investment to meditate on the Word of God until we reach the level of trust with whole heart. This process should be gone through consistently. The result of meditating the Word and being in His presence will bring our deeds in line with the Word. Psalm 91 says that it has to be engrafted in one's heart. Remeber that the Word that you hear today—not the Word you've heard last year—that will save you! What you do will save you.
Praise
the Lord that we live in the days of grace and mercy, and we'll never be too
late to call on Him. But if we don't train yourself to spend enough time
in His Word daily, then it'll be difficult for You to call on Him when danger
approaches. What you consume daily, it will come out of your mouth first. Why is
that? It's because you're trained that way. What you need to do now is start
dwelling in His Word. If not then the price that you have to pay is greater than
what you're willing to (read Proverbs 1:29-31).
This is our part to say. What one believes in his heart, it will come out of his mouth (Romans 10:9-10). He speaks in faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). He says that "The Lord is my refuge and my fortress, I will only trust Him!" You should come to this point, where the Word will come out of your mouth automatically.
Before we made Jesus our Lord, negative words used to blurt out our mouth. We then make excuses by saying, "It slipped out of my mouth." It only happened because we put those negative words into our hearts so that it spilled out of our mouth (Matthew 12:34-35). What we must do now is do otherwise, fill our heart with the Word of God so that it will overflow out of our mouth! As simple as that.
Don't you underestimate the Word of God because it is God Himself (John 1:1). That Word is life and spirit. When we say, "God is my refuge and my fortress", those words will create spiritual barricades around us and our family so that we are well protected from danger. That's how powerful the Word is.
This deliverance in the natural is the result of speaking verse 2 from time and time again. You know indeed that Jehovah will deliver you from all kinds of snare that the devil put to harm you. Jehovah will deliver you from plague, infections, tuberculosis, chicken pox, hepatitis, AIDS, cancer, tumor (Luke 21:11, The Amplified Bible). He "delivers" means that you've already in the trap but He is able to pull you out of it. Jehovah is able to heal you, Jehovah is able to deliver you. There is always hope in Jehovah.
Jehovah will protect you under His wings (He's like an eagle). His righteousness and His faithfulness will become your shield and buckler. Psalm 91 is a Psalm that may be applied to any situation, any time, and by any body who makes Jehovah his shelter and fortress.
We live in such a modern time where weapons become more and more deadly sophisticated to kill thousands of people in one shot. Chemical and nuclear weapons that can destroy a city have been discovered. In the midst of increasing crime rate, Jehovah promises that we can stand untouchable!! No weapon can touch us, hallelujah. He clearly says that a thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand and we're standing right in the middle. Even though we're caught in the middle of extreme demonstration group, we can expect protection from God. And that kind of protection is here on earth, not in heaven.
Fiery darts, guns and blades will not touch us because we wear the invisible shield. We have total protection since we make Jehovah our shelter. Besides that we don't have to think of revenge to those who try to harm us because those who curse us will be cursed (Genesis 12:3).
By making Jehovah our refuge and shelter, no catastrophic events, witch craft, or evil spell can come near our dwelling. Awesome! No witch doctor can penetrate the protection we receive from God. We don't even have to fight those evil weapons so that it won't touch us.
Do you know that you have angels ready to serve you any time? This is one of benefits being a child of God (Hebrew 1:14). Angels are there where we are. When we're who, they're there. When we go to workplace, there they are. When we are incarcerate, they're there too. When we go to war zone, they go along with us. If we work as pilots or air hostesses, they're flying with us. Those ministering spirits are ready to do anything according to the Word of God from your mouth.
The key to order or move the angels is God's Word. They've been programmed that way (Psalm 103:20). You may think that we only have one angel as we're told when we're kids. But we have a legion of angels, even as many as required.
One way angels operate is recorded in the Old Testament when Israel nation warred against the king of Syria. It's written that the servant of prophet Elisha was afraid waking up in one morning to see how they're surrounded by a great host of chariots and artillery. Then Elisha prayed for God to open his servant's eyes to see His protection for them. The Lord enabled his servant to see that His host of angels protecting them were more than the enemy's. (Read 2 Kings 6:15-17). Notice the first words that came out of Elisha's mouth: Fear not! Fear opens door for devil to work on our lives. Your faith opens door for God to work on our lives.
Another popular and astounding story is about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego recorded in Daniel 3. Three faithful Jews who claimed that If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it know unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up (Daniel 3:17-18). This bold statement obviously enraged the king. However that statement moved the angel of God to save them from the furnace that had been increased 7 times in heat. Even the guards who threw them three to the furnace were killed of the heat. Miraculously that furnace didn't burn Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego because they're covered by the presence of God, an awesomely powerful protection from Jehovah. This testimony resulted in promotion to higher rank for the three of them.
This verse states the signs that will follow those who believe in Jehovah (see also Mark 16:17-18). When Apostle Paul's hand was bitten by a viper, he only shook it off into the fire and he didn't suffer from any thing (Acts 28:3,5).
Daniel was thrown into a lion's den but he got out of there without a scar because he believed in His God (Daniel 6:24). God saved Daniel because He always saves the ones who dwell in Him by faith. You can turn your life to the Lord and He will do just the same as He did Daniel.
I say if you dwell in Him by faith, believe and expect and speak the delivering power of God. Many people thinks that angels don't work any more because the Word of God happened thousands of years ago. It only worked then and not now. I advise you to wake up from your sleep and smell the roses. This world will vanish, but His Word will not as His Word is eternal! Take heed of His Word. Don't live on what people say, just believe what Jesus says and you will be saved.
Another
case is recorded in Acts 12 when Peter was set free from prison. Peter was
incarcerated with maximum security. He slept between two soldiers and was
bound with two chains. Do you know anybody who was incarcerated that way these
days? See how someone who walked in faith, when there's no hope to be free, he
was still able to praise God, pray and believe for His protection. And all his
doings were not in vain. In verse 7 an angel of God came to break his chains and
open the prison door (Acts 12:5-11).
God sees heart. Because he has set his love upon Me, he knows Me that he entrusts Me his life, therefore I deliver him (bullets will miss him, weapons can't touch him, he misses deadly traps) from dangers. I will build fortress surround him that no evil force can touch him. This Word promises that you actually will not fall into the evil snare.
We have fallen into evil snare. However we are equipped with His Word. His mercy is sufficient for us. He has given us His Name, His Word, and His Spirit. Whenever we're in danger, under pressure, He is with us. When we need His goodness and favor, it's available for us. When we need money, it will also be available for us. His angels are ready to do all our words. His eyes are upon us. He's never leaves nor forsakes us. We can go through all situations, because the warfare is the Lord's and the victory is ours.
We have to train ourselves to hear guidance from the Holy Spirit in our hearts. It takes time. Since God is Spirit, therefore He speaks to our spirit in our hearts. The Holy Spirit get information from Father God and He will inform our spirits all things to come. Start practice and sharpen your spiritual senses. Hear and do whatever simple instructions from the Holy Spirit. Every guidance from the Lord is for our goodness, not for Him. Adjust your lifestyle, eating habit, the way you dress, the way you make friends and befriend, just do it. Listen to your heart! You will have long life (if you correct your eating habit or do exercise), and you will have peace in all aspects of your life. You will not be afraid about your mate, children, job, business, ministry, household expenses, because you have made Jehovah the Lord over your life.