From Pastor Brad: After the terrible events that took place in Uvalde, TX last Tuesday, where 19 children and 2 teachers died in a senseless act of murder, my heart was heavy. I went to the Lord in prayer about these things and what would He want me to do to address them. His instructions were very clear to me:
“No parent of Mine should have to live in fear where sending your child to school is concerned and so teach them what My Word says in Psalm 91 about My promise of Divine Protection and how they can live in it.”
(Some of the content for these messages came from Your Promise of Protection – The Power of the 91st Psalm by Gloria Copeland.)
See if these Scriptures describe our world accurately:
Genesis 6:11-12 AMPC The earth was depraved and putrid in God’s sight, and the land was filled with violence (desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power). (12) And God looked upon the world and saw how degenerate, debased, and vicious it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction.
God’s instructions to Noah were very simple:
Genesis 6:14 AMPC Make yourself an ark…
The ark was to provide Noah and his family deliverance from the events that were to come to pass in the earth and would keep them safe while the world was perishing around them.
God is saying the same thing to us today: Build an ark; not made of wood, but an ark made from the Word of God.
If you build God’s promises of protection and deliverance into your heart and life, you can live in this crazy world with all its danger and still feel secure. You don’t have to be frightened by the things happening around us because even in the worst of times, God has proven He has the wonderful ability to deliver His people from danger.
God’s Promise of Protection
Psalms 91:1-16 NKJV He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (2) I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (3) Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. (4) He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (5) You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, (6) Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. (7) A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. (8) Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. (9) Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, (10) No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; (11) For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. (12) In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. (13) You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. (14) “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. (15) He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. (16) With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”
- The person who meets the conditions of God’s protection is someone who dwells and abides in Him.
There is something else important about the person who lives in the protective care and shadow of the Almighty:
- He speaks words of faith.
Psalms 91:2 NKJV I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalms 91:2 AMPC I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
This man is doing more than just trusting God with his heart. He is saying it with his mouth.
- Faith brings God’s supernatural power into this natural realm.
- Faith is released into this natural realm with our words and our actions.
- Very often we underestimate the power of our words.
Proverbs 18:20-21 NKJV A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. (21) Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:20-21 GNB You will have to live with the consequences of everything you say. (21) What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.
James 3:2-5 TPT We all fail in many areas, but especially with our words. Yet if we’re able to bridle the words we say we are powerful enough to control ourselves in every way, and that means our character is mature and fully developed. (3) Horses have bits and bridles in their mouths so that we can control and guide their large body. (4) And the same with mighty ships, though they are massive and driven by fierce winds, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder at the direction of the person at the helm. (5) And so the tongue is a small part of the body yet it carries great power! Just think of how a small flame can set a huge forest ablaze.
James 3:7-8 TPT For every wild animal on earth including birds, creeping reptiles, and creatures of the sea and land have all been overpowered and tamed by humans, (8) but the tongue is not able to be tamed (by humans). It’s a fickle, unrestrained evil that spews out words full of toxic poison!
- God has given us the ability to use His Word to bring our tongues under control.
Speaking God’s Word by Faith
Mark 11:12-14 NKJV Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. (13) And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. (14) In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
Mark 11:19-24 NKJV When evening had come, He went out of the city. (20) Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. (21) And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” (22) So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. (23) For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (24) Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Did you notice that Jesus said in verse 23, if a person confesses something “and shall not doubt in his heart” – in other words, if he believes the words he is speaking with his mouth will come to pass – he will have exactly what he says.
Doubt (GREEK) is from the Greek word diakrinomai, which means to hesitate, to waver, to doubt, or to differ.
In context, Jesus is saying that when a person’s heart doesn’t differ from what his mouth is saying, the combination of his heart and mouth in agreement will always release the power in the Word of God!
- We call this concept “the heart-mouth connection.”
- For instance, if you believe in your heart that Jesus purchased your salvation, and you put your heartfelt faith together with the confession of your mouth, you can literally receive that salvation and make it an eternal fact.
- For instance, if you believe in your heart that Jesus purchased your healing, and you put your heartfelt faith together with the confession of your mouth, you can literally bring that healing into manifestation in your physical body.
- God’s creative power is released when the heart and mouth get into agreement!
That is why you must be careful about what you believe in your heart and say with your mouth, because when your heart and mouth get “in sync” with each other, it literally makes things come to pass!
- Notice that Jesus did not pray about the mountain – He did not ask God to remove the mountain for Him. There is nothing wrong with praying about your mountain, but that is not enough. Speak to your mountain.
- Notice that Jesus’ words went to work at the root of the situation and the effect was not immediately visible to the natural eye. The change started at the root (invisible) and then worked its way outward (visible).
Psalms 91:2 NKJV I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalms 91:2 MSG Say this: “GOD, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!”
A refuge is a place where people can fall back to in times of hardship and danger. A fortress is a building designed for battle. It provides safety from an attacking enemy.