Last Sunday morning, I got to church early and pulled out my phone as I waited for service to start. Immediately I saw headlines flooded with news of the mass shooting in Orlando which had taken place in the wee hours of the morning. I immediately felt a stirring in my heart as the Lord was reminding me of what He was wanting me to share on the blog about activating the promises of protection we find in the Word of God.
Just two Sundays ago, I was a split second away from an accident that could have potentially been life-altering for me, and maybe even could have ended my life. I was traveling in my SUV and stopped at a red light, there was one car stopped in front of me. The light turned green and the car in front of me made it's way through the intersection and as I started to make my way through the intersection, something horrific started to unfold out my driver side window. A car to the left of me had fully stopped at his light which was now red, but behind him came a second car at full speed who obviously didn't realize there was a car was stopped at the red light (I can only guess the driver of the 2nd car was on a cell phone or somehow completely distracted from the road.) The speeding car barreled into the stopped car, pushing it rapidly into the intersection as I came through. I looked out my driver's window and both cars were coming straight for my door. This was a very small space, a tight intersection, I had nowhere to go. I pushed the gas pedal of my SUV all the way to the floor and miraculously wasn't hit by the two cars now in the middle of the intersection.
This whole accident happened on Sunday, June 11. Just two days earlier, I was home with my daughter Holiday and my husband David was in California for business and would be flying home later that night on a red eye. I had plans to take dinner to a neighbor with a new baby that evening and the next day we were hosting a dinner party so I spent the entire day in the kitchen prepping, cooking and baking. While doing so, I was listening to a sermon from our Senior Pastor, Joseph Prince. At the end of the message, Pastor Prince always prays a blessing over the congregation. When this part came, I was busy washing dishes, but I felt a strong prompting from the Holy Spirit to stop what I was doing and to actively receive this blessing. Several times during this blessing, Pastor Prince spoke specifically about protection for you and your family. I plugged into the prayer, lifting my hands and praying in the Spirit. In my own logic, I thought maybe I was receiving something for David who would be flying later that night. But as I prayed on in the Spirit, in my mind I could see myself, David and Holiday and then immediately saw my parents and started praying over them and then my sister Jenn, her husband Nathan and their family as well. Within less than ten minutes of receiving that blessing, I got a text message from my sister that my mom had just been in a car accident. She believed my mom was okay, but that was all she knew at the time. My mom did walk away, unharmed, from what could have been a much more serious accident. A few days later my brother-in-law Nathan was also rear-ended and then my "almost" accident occurred a few days after that.
One of the most remarkable, life-altering revelations the Holy Spirit has given me over the past 15 years of my life is how to hear His voice, the voice of the Holy Spirit. You see, according to John 16:3, it says that, "When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, for whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come." Being able to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit is of paramount importance if we are to take hold of the promises of protection spoken of in the Word of God.
But before we can even get to hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, which I will cover in a separate post later this week, first we must understand what the Word of God says about the Believer and our protection here on earth.
As with any promise in the Word, we must see the promise, believe with our heart and confess with our mouth to lay hold of that promise. Romans 10:9-10, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." There is a right belief that must happen first. As we are reading the Word, the Holy Spirit comes alongside of us and illuminates the Scripture to us, He changes our minds and thoughts to line up with the mind of Christ. As our beliefs change, what we speak begins to change too. This is all part of a life-long process as a Christian of becoming more and more like Jesus Himself. This changing of our minds to be more like Christ is actually the very Biblical definition of "Repentance!" It is simply changing our minds to see things as God sees them.
So what does the Word actually say about protection for the Believer? I want to point out that some of these verses were spoken to specific people in Scripture in specific circumstances. However Christ Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8,) and it all reveals the nature of the Father to protect His children.
I know there will also be some who believe that even though there are promises in Scripture, God wills when He will or won't make those promises available to you. There's an idea that He may cause or allow something bad to happen in your life in order to teach you a lesson. I will tell you what the Word says, it says this in John 10:10, "The thief (Devil) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly." So if a situation in your life is stealing, killing and destroying you or your family, you can rest assured it is not the Lord, He is bringing you LIFE and life MORE abundantly!
I walked through a life-threatening illness with a friend who was really struggling with this understanding, believing God wanted him to be sick in order to make him more like Christ. As I walked with this person, I prayed the Lord would give me the words to speak. The Lord said this to me, "Do you believe I am complete in and of Myself?" Of course I said, "Yes Lord!" To which He replied, "Then why would I need anything from the enemy, whether it be poverty, sickness or lack to perform or perfect any good thing in the life of a Believer?" WOW! That word form the Lord forever sealed this question for me. His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit are MORE than enough to perform and perfect every good thing in the life of a Believer. He needs NOTHING from the enemy or his arsenal which are merely the effects of sin here on the earth.
So I hope that you will open your heart up as you read these Scriptures on the protection afforded to the Believer. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the Father's heart, character and nature and later this week, we'll continue with more specifics of how to tap into these promises and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit:
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Psalm 51:11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love Your Name may rejoice in You.
Psalm 34:19 The righteous person may have troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble.
Psalm 57:1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in You I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed.
Psalm 59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
Psalm 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life. You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes; with Your right hand You save me.
Psalm 140:4 Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.
2 Samuel 22:3-4 My God is my rock, in Whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my Savior--from violent people You save me. I called to the Lord Who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness, mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life; And the house of the Lord and His presence shall be my dwelling place.
Psalm 121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills- from whence comes my help? My help comes for the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 91 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him will I trust." Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. "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. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation."