appreciate every one of you!
Yesterday, we went to a church in the area that we have been to before. A travelling
minister was in yesterday by the name of Ron Waters - you can see a YouTube video
Yesterday, he began to shake under the power of God, and he gave a very convicting
message concerning Psalm 91 that I wanted to share with the readers.
Many people reference Psalm 91 as a prophecy of protection and comfort in their
lives, but Ron pointed out something very important concerning this prophecy - "He
that dwelleth...". Ron began to make a valid case for the word "dwelleth". The word
"dwelleth" comes from the Hebrew word "יָשַׁב" (yashab), which means "to dwell,
remain, sit, abide". His point is extremely valid - how can we expect to embrace a
prophecy when we don't obey the conditions to fulfill it in our life?
Prophecy comes from God, given to man via the Bible (or through a prophet), and it is
based upon FAITH. You cannot allow prophecy to work in your life unless you
BELIEVE! Not only that you believe - you must OBEY!
This is a two-part work that must be done on our heart to activate the prophecy in our
lives. First, we must BELIEVE. A person with a hard heart of unbelief cannot be
moved by the Word of God, so how can they expect God to work miracles in their
lives? Just because someone is saved doesn't mean they cannot have a level of
unbelief in their life. God's will is to increase our faith by quenching our unbelief. As
we come into new situations and circumstances in life, God will begin to move, being
faithful to show us His mighty hand in action, which whets our appetite to have more
of Him in our life. If we refuse to hear, how can we expect God to move? You can
read it for yourself in Matthew 13:58 - "And he did not many mighty works there
because of their unbelief."
Second is obedience - you can believe, but still not be obedient! James speaks of
this in James 2:18-20 / 18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have
works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by
my works.
19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also
believe, and tremble.
20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? If you say
you believe, yet you do not act upon that belief, of what worth is your belief? It is
nothing more than an EMPTY CONFESSION!
Of course, we cannot take for granted that a person's eyes must be opened to this
new walk of faith. Until the eyes are opened, the person is blind to the idea of
obeying God in this manner. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT A PERSON DOES NOT
KNOW TO OBEY! It is that the person may not be aware of this new walk that God
is calling them into - God must open the blind eyes of the Christian to the new level
He is calling them to. Until that point, God winks at the ignorance (Acts 17:30),
allowing us to operate in the level of perfection that He has revealed to us. He will be
faithful to reveal new levels of perfection to us step by step as we spend alone time
with Him. We read this in Psalm 36:9 - "...in thy light shall we see light...".
What is the point? HOW DO WE EXPECT GOD TO FULFILL HIS PROMISES IN
OUR LIVES IF WE DON'T FULFILL OUR END OF THE DEAL? We must first believe,
and then we must obey!
Going back to the original scripture, Psalm 91:1 - "He that dwelleth in the secret
place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Let's
break it down one piece at a time slowly so we can absorb how the promise is given.
"Dwelleth" means "to sit, to rest, to abide". The secret place? Well, this is a whole
extra lesson in itself, but in short, it involves spending alone time with God, meditating
on His Word, and allowing His Word to penetrate our hearts and cleanse us from our
sin. This is a daily part of growth in God - His Word cleanses us so that more fruit
can grow.
The last part of the promise? "...shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
This is akin to having a Big Brother, or a bodyguard. In short, God will look after you
and preserve you. You are His cherished creation, and you are bought by the blood of
His son Jesus Christ!
Today, consider - you can have the promise of God in your life! But it is going to take
you embracing the promise by faith, and then obeying the promise's conditions! If you
do, you will be very pleased with the outcome!
God bless!