29 Apr Psalm 91 (Protecting your family in Dangerous Times) PART 3

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Right in the middle of these dangerous times filled with pestilences, there is protection for you and your family!  It is found in that magnificent chapter of Psalms 91.  Let’s review…

We began to share with you “Three Protection Points”:

  1. The Prerequisites of Protection (Ps. 91:1-2)
  2. The Promises of Protection (Ps. 91:3-16)
  3. The Practicalities of Protection (Luke 22:38)

Then we shared the “Prerequisites of Protection”:

Psalm 91:1-2 says, “He that 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.”

Please notice four very simple words:

  1. Dwell
  2. Abide
  3. Say
  4. Trust

In order to ascertain the promises in these verses, we must meet the prerequisites of these verses.  You see, there is always a “man side” to every miracle and a “God side” to every miracle.  The Bible tells us, “The horse is prepared for battle, but victory is of the Lord” (Prov. 21:31).  Preparation is my side of this equation.  Victory is of the Lord!  I can’t do His side… victory.  He won’t do my side…preparation.  

Do you remember Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana (see John 2)?  In Jesus’ first miracle, there was a man side…they had to fill the empty pots to the rim.  There was a God side to the miracle…He turned the water into wine.  You can’t do His part.  He won’t do your part.

Remember this:  Miracles occur when human participation meets divine orchestration!  Therefore in order to receive the promises in this powerful chapter, you must meet the prerequisites.  

The first thing you must do is “dwell.”  When you dwell somewhere, this is a place you frequent often.  I have a teenage boy and he eats all the time (I think he must have one hollow leg where he stores all the food).  He dwells by the refrigerator!  You can tell this is not a casual Christian but one who is daily spending time with His Heavenly Father.

This week let’s continue with…

The second prerequisite we must fulfill is “abide.”  This is referring to our fellowship with God.  If we do something that displeases our Heavenly Father we don’t break relationship with Him, but our fellowship is temporarily broken.  

It is similar to Anne and me.  Anne and I have been happily married for almost 30 years, but I can tell you if we get in a “Holy Ghost heated discussion” (“Christianese” for argument!), I have to go to her and ask her forgiveness.  Before I asked her forgiveness we still had a marriage relationship, but our fellowship was temporarily broken.  Thank God that’s why I John 1:9 is in the Bible.  It says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Notice the word “confess.”  This is the Greek word “homologeo” which is a compound Greek word.  “Homo” means “same,” “logeo” means “word.”  Put these Greek words together and “confess” literally means “to say the same thing.”  In other words, when I sin I say the same thing as God.  If God calls it a sin….I must call it a sin. 

I don’t go to God and tell Him “Well, everyone in the culture says it’s not a sin.”  I don’t go to God and “re-brand” sin.  Pornography gets rebranded to “adult entertainment.”  Alcohol gets rebranded to “adult beverage.”  Cussing becomes rebranded as “adult language.”  (We wonder why our kids grow up and do all these things…. it’s because the culture has rebranded this as exciting things “adults” get to do when they grow up!)

If God calls something a sin, then so do I!  If I do, then God is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.  (The last phrase is a cleansing from all guilt associated with past sin.)

Please remember the following when it comes to I John 1:9:

  1. When you mess up…fess up, don’t cover up (see Prov. 28:13)
  2. Admit it!  Quit it!  Forget it!
  3. Don’t nurse it, don’t rehearse it…disperse it!
  4. Learn from it!  Laugh at it!  Let it go!
  5. I John 1:9 is not a license to sin, it’s a license to serve
  6. Grace is not the power of God to overlook sin.  Grace is the power of God to overcome sin.
  7. When you confess it is not when God found out about it!
  8. When you sin, don’t run from God…run to God!
  9. The more mature you become it’s not that you’ll never sin.  You simply fix it quicker!

So let’s dwell and abide with God on a daily basis and from that position, let’s go on to the third and fourth prerequisite…say and trust. 

From that secret place with God, let’s speak the Word of God concerning our protection in this crazy hour!   Remember this:  Faith is voice activated.  

Remember this also:  Don’t use your words to describe your life use your words to design your life!  

Speak the promises of God concerning your protection directly from this Psalm.  Speak verses 3-16 and then fully trust God for your divine protection in dangerous times.

Next month we will continue our series….