(Special thanks and acknowledgement once again to Peggy Joyce Ruth for the helpful resource of her book – “SHIELD OF PROTECTION”) (1)
SHIELD OF PROTECTION
God’s TRUTH is like a protective shield. Special protection is needed in these last days. Throughout history there have been SHIELDS OF PROTECTION over individuals and groups who have stood on Psalm 91, and claimed the special promises found there. Troops have been protected, individuals have been protected, and even whole nations have been protected!
Psalm 91:4 – He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shall you trust: HIS TRUTH shall be your shield and bulwark (tower of PROTECTION).
Jesus said, “And you shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall set you free. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed!” – John 8:32,36
TRUTH IS OUR PROTECTIVE SHIELD
MAY THE TRUTH OF HIS WORD BUILD FAITH IN OUR HEARTS FOR PROTECTION IN THE MIDST OF WHATEVER WE MAY FACE IN THESE LAST DAYS!
The TRUTH sets us free from bondage and sin!
Throughout history there have been SHIELDS OF PROTECTION over individuals and groups who have stood on Psalm 91!
TROOPS PROTECTED
One of the most famous examples comes from WW I about a unit that was completely protected. On both sides of the Atlantic, publications reported the story of a miracle regiment whose soldiers went through some of the most intense and bloodiest battles without a single combat casualty It is said that every officer, as well as enlisted men, daily placed his trust in God by faithfully reciting Psalm 91 together, and that unit is known to have suffered not one single combat casualty. Psalm 91 has been a shield for entire troops of soldiers in wars since WW I as well. There are stories of Psalm 91 having shielded whole units who have claimed its promises. This is the bulwark aspect of the shield of protection.
INDIVIDUAL PROTECTED
This Psalm also has powerful promises for individual people. In May of 1940 the British army had been forced into total retreat and lay exposed on the sandy shores of Dunkirk. Many miracles occurred. A British chaplain told of lying facedown in the sand for what seemed an eternity on the shell-torn beach at Dunkirk. Nazi bombers dropped their lethal charges, causing shrapnel to kick up sand all around him, while other planes repeatedly strafed his position with their machine guns blazing. Lying hopelessly exposed, pinned down by Nazi planes and heavy artillery, and armed only with their rifles, the brave troops were seemingly trapped by the channel with no place to turn for protection. Although dazed by the concussions around him, the British chaplain suddenly became aware that in spite of the deafening roar of the shells and bombs falling all around him, he hadn’t been hit. With bullets still raining down about him, he stood and stared with amazement at the outline of his own shape in the sand. It was the only smooth and undisturbed spot on the entire bullet-riddled beach. His heavenly shield must have fit the exact shape of his body. (Carter – “The Mighty Hand of God” – p 29-30) (2)
GOD’S WORD IS TRUTH
John 17:17 – Jesus said (in His prayer to our Father), “YOUR WORD IS TRUTH!”
John 1:14 – And the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and TRUTH.
John 18:37-38 – Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the TRUTH. Everyone who is of the TRUTH hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is TRUTH?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.
John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 8:31-32 “If you abide in My WORD, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you free.”
GOD OF TRUTH / LOVING THE TRUTH
Deuteronomy 32:4 – He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A GOD OF TRUTH and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
Psalm 31:5 – Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord GOD OF TRUTH.
Zechariah 8:19 – “Thus says the Lord of hosts: … LOVE TRUTH and peace.’
Isaiah 65:16 – he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the GOD OF TRUTH…
THE CHURCH IS THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF TRUTH
I Timothy 3:15 – I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the TRUTH.
THE TRUTH IS OUR SHIELD
HIS TRUTH shall be your shield and bulwark (tower of protection)! – Psalm 91:4.
JESUS WORDS ARE TRUE AND FAITHFUL
Revelation 21:5 – Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are TRUE and faithful.”
Psalm 25:5 – Lead me in Your TRUTH and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.
Listening to our FAITHFUL & TRUE GUIDE!
“LISTEN TO THE VOICE”
Please take time to listen to the above link! It is a short, powerful testimony of a man who carefully followed the voice of the control to safety in a death-threatening emergency…
There are some interesting analogy’s in this testimony that illustrate some timeless truths!
The Control Tower
(analogy – LORD) 1 – “My job is to get you home safe! If you want me to get home safe – you gotta promise me that you’ll OBEY MY VOICE!”
The Control Tower
(analogy – LORD) 2 “You can’t see me, but I can see you. Follow me – OBEY MY VOICE or you’re gonna die!” When we can’t see anything, we become very disoriented. Without His voice helping give us clear direction, we will die!
The Control Tower
(analogy – LORD) 3 “Don’t look at what’s going on around you, or pay attention to the storm – ‘JUST MY VOICE’!. If you watch the storm you will die, but I’ll take you though it! You will crash into the mountain and die if you don’t FOLLOW MY VOICE!”
The Control Tower
(analogy – LORD) 4 – There are many other voices. Listen to ‘THE VOICE’ – that’s the KEY! Trust THE VOICE – not the other distracting voices around you that try to be the controlling voice.
The Control Tower
(analogy – LORD) 5 – The Lord says, “I want you to be a living sacrifice!” Put yourself on the altar. Let MY VOICE BE YOUR VOICE!” Don’t rely on your own senses…
Romans 12:1-2 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies A LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The Control Tower
(analogy – LORD) 6 – “I’m going to bring you in – right down the runway . At the foot of the runway are lights in the form of A CROSS.” Don’ forget this – the cross is the way home and way to safety!
The Control Tower
(analogy – LORD) 7 “Stay with me”. Jesus says, “My sheep know my voice and they follow me!” Even though it was a bumpy landing (around 7 times) – they made it SAFE!
The Control Tower
(analogy – LORD) 8 “Thank you for listening! I watch them crash and burn all the time because they won’t follow my VOICE! The can’t understand – I can see them, even when they can’t see me, but they listen to other voices in their head and they kill themselves. They self-destruct. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!”
If our lives are not on the altar as a living sacrifice, our head is full of voices. It brings confusion and we get dis-oriented. That is why our kids crash and burn, and marriages are falling apart and destroyed.
JESUS SAYS – “STAY WITH ME! STAY WITH ME!! Don’t listen to what’s going on in your head, and watch the storm… STAY WITH WITH ME, AND I’LL TAKE YOU THROUGH!”
ONE DAY WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING JESUS “THE VOICE” – THE ONE WHO HELPS US TO MAKE IT SAFELY HOME!
Recap: Listen to God’s voice. Be a living sacrifice, with a renewing of our mind (Romans 12:1-2). The cross-life is the way home and the way of safety. In the midst of the bumpy, rough ride – hand in there! Jesus can help you land safe and sound! One day soon we will see Jesus – “The voice”…
Psalm 91:15 – He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
GOD’S VOICE
Learning to hear His voice is dependent upon cultivating an intimacy with him through His Word and prayer. As His people, we can learn to discern His voice within us – knowing by our own inner witness when He has spoken.
John 10:27 – My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
His voice is His special way of communicating with us. He speaks to us in many ways (His Word; Prayer; Dreams; Visions; Inner voice; Impressions; Burdens; Prophecy; Through circumstances etc.)
As we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we learn to discern His voice within us – knowing by our own inner witness when He has spoken.
He is speaking all the time, whether we discern His voice or not. Sometimes we are not listening. Sometimes we are not hearing Him say what we want Him to say. Sometimes he may be speaking about things we don’t want to hear and dismiss what we have heard as not being from Him.
Time and maturity will in increase our ability and consistency to know when and how He speaks.
God speaks to each of us somewhat uniquely depending on our gifts and callings. We need to develop a sensitivity to how He speaks to us.
THE STORMY SEAS
Luke 8:22-25 – He (Jesus) and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, Let us go across to the other side of the lake. So they put out to sea.23 But as they were sailing, He fell off to sleep. And a whirlwind revolving from below upwards swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in GREAT DANGER. (AMPC) 24 And the disciples came and woke Him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing (about to die)! And He… rebuked (took command) the wind and the raging, violent waves; and they ceased, and there came a calm.
SPEAK TO THE STORMS — SPEAK GOD’S PROMISES.
GOD says, “You will not be afraid of terror, arrows, pestilence or destruction – it will not approach you, if you are obedient to dwell in My shelter and abide in My shadow”. (Psalm 91:1-5)
PSALM 91 – PREVENTION AND PROTECTION
This special Psalm provides a preventive measure for calamities that God has given to us – not just a cure, but a plan for complete prevention! We can be immune in the midst of mass destruction! There is a place where calamity literally does not and cannot approach us.
PROTECTION FROM A TORNADO
Late one night after building their new home in the country Peggy Joyce Ruth’s family received a severe weather alert. The local radio station warned that a tornado had been sighted just south of the country club – the exact location of their property. Some were watching as the funnel cloud of the tornado seemed to be heading straight for their house. Jack (her husband) quickly ordered their family to get outside with their Bibles, and start circling the house – quoting Psalm 91 and taking authority over the storm.Jack had their children speaking out loud directly to the storm, as Jesus did. The eerie silence turned into a roar, with rain pouring down in what seemed like bucket-fulls. Finally, sensing the danger had passed, they went back into the house just in time to hear the on-location reporter call the radio announcer and exclaim over the air, with so much excitement he was almost shouting, “This is nothing short of a miracle – the funnel cloud south of the Brownwood Country Cub has suddenly lifted up and vanished into the clouds.”
What a joy it is to know that there are promises in Psalm 91 that can protect not only you but also those in your family and “near your dwelling” as well!
COVERING
Psalm 91:4 – He shall COVER YOU with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge…
Proverbs 10:12 – …love covers all sins.
A SHIELD OF PROTECTION IS PROVIDED
Psalm 91:4 – … HIS TRUTH shall be your SHIELD and BULWARK.
GOD’S WORD IS THE TRUTH!
Jesus said (in His prayer to our Father), “YOUR WORD IS TRUTH!” (John 17:17)
THE SEED OF THE WORD
Luke 8:11,15 (Parable of the sower) The seed is the WORD OF GOD… But the ones (seed) that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard THE WORD with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience…
Luke 8:21 – …He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the WORD OF GOD and do it.”
Matthew 17:20 – So Jesus said to them… I say to you, if you have faith as a MUSTARD SEED, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Luke 13:18-19 – Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a MUSTARD SEED, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
THE SEED – GOD’S PROMISES
God’s faithfulness to His promises is our shield of defense, as we believe and confess.
We can have not only have protection for ourselves (individually) but our families (collectively).
ANGELIC PROTECTION
God’s angels are watching over you and me. He gives them authority to take charge, and act on our behalf, and give aid. As we proclaim God’s Word, the angels hasten to carry it out. Angelic protection is one of God’s unique ways to provide protection.
Psalm 91:11-12 – 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.
Hebrews 1:14 – Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation.
A REAL LIFE ANGELIC VISITATION
Jimmy Jones was a survivor of a vicious tornado, a F4 with estimated wind velocity of over 185 mph while driving his delivery truck along and Interstate Highway. Listen to Jimmy personally tell about his experience in the link above, and how he believed he the Lord sent an angel to keep him company under an overpass where he had taken refuge for protection…
THE PATONS PROTECTED
John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Paton’s and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men with you there?” Paton knew no men were present–but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.
GOD ANSWERS OUR CALL
Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things!”
911
Psalm 91:15 – He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble…
I John 5:14-15 – …this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
PROTECTIVE ARMOR AND WEAPONS
Ephesians 6:10-18 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with TRUTH, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Special note: ABOVE ALL TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH… In the midst of all of the armor mentioned, notice the importance of the SHIELD OF FAITH!
SHIELD OF PROTECTION
In these last days, the Lord has provided a COVENANT OF PROTECTION! It is found in HIS PRECIOUS PROMISES!
Psalm 91:4 – …HIS TRUTH (WORD) IS OUR SHIELD & BULWARK!
WE HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE OF PROTECTION! IT IS FOUND IN JESUS & HIS WORD (THE TRUTH)! As believers – we have a wonderful shield of protection! It is a place of protection that God ALMIGHTY has provided for us! HALLELUJAH!
PS
I mentioned to some of you that I would add a few pictures of the big Tangigue fish that we were blessed with yesterday. One of the fishermen in our congregation pulled up to the beach at our mission base here with some freshly caught fish with his hook and line. Tangigue and Barracuda are delicious fish! What a special treat for our Thanksgiving week! (Note the beautiful colors on the 6 kilo Tangigue fish in pics below!) God is amazing!
- Special thanks and acknowledgement to Peggy Joyce Ruth for her book “Psalm 91 – Real Life Stores of GOD’S SHIELD OF PROTECTION”; copyright 2010 by Peggy Joyce Ruth Ministries; published by Charisma House.
- Ibid… page 32-33.
