WHAT TO DO IN THIS TIME OF GREAT SHAKING
PSALM 91
Date Teaching Given: October 20, 2023
When we see shakings and things intensify, God tells us to stand, fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12), and have a firm, focused foundation on the Father so we will not be moved or afraid.
Do not fear. (Isa. 41:10, 13; Deut. 31:6; Gen. 50:21; Josh. 8:1; Matt. 10:26)
The enemy wants your attention on the problem(s).
Do not be distracted. Focus on God, and you won’t walk in fear.
Psalm 91:1
This is an example of having a firm, focused foundation on the Father.
If you pray and fellowship with God, you will get to know Him intimately.
When you know Him intimately, you know what He is going to do.
You may not know how, but you know that He will save, deliver, protect, and provide.
When you dwell (live) in the shadow of God, you are:
trusting and abiding in His love;
reading His Word and focusing on Him; and
fixed and stable; immoveable.
When you get into God’s Word and presence, He will give you:
revelation knowledge;
joy, which is His strength; (Neh. 8:10) and
peace, which passes all understanding. (Phil. 4:7)
When you fellowship with the Lord in these ways, no foe (enemy) can withstand you.
The enemy has no power that is greater than God’s.
God is the Most High God.
If you trust in God, abide in His love, spend time with Him, and focus on Him:
then God’s Glory will fill you up to overflowing;
He will give you peace and joy; and
the enemy can't stop you from receiving God’s overflowing Glory.
God’s Glory is His manifested presence, power, and goodness.
God wants you to experience His Glory every day.
God tells us to dwell (live) in the secret place (of the Most High) and fellowship with Him. It is through fellowship with the Father that you enter into His Glory, receive the joy of the Lord, and walk in peace knowing He will protect you.
God’s Glory is your defense.
God is in between you and the enemy. (Ex. 8:22-24, 14:19-20)
The enemy can do nothing against the Glory of God.
Psalm 91:2
God is your refuge– where you go when you need protection.
God is your protection- your safe place from danger and trouble.
The word ‘refuge’ means the condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.
It’s important to know Who God is so that in times of trouble, you know:
what He is going to do;
that He is faithful to perform His Word; (Jer. 1:12) and
that He can’t lie. (Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18; Titus 1:2)
A fortress is- a military stronghold, a strongly fortified town fit for a large garrison, a barrier, a castle or stronghold, or a place of defense- for the protection against large-scale attacks.
God is your defense mechanism, your shield, your impenetrable hedge of protection. (Job 1:9-12) He is your protection on every side.
The hedge of protection around Job could only be brought down by one person- Job.
God refused to take it down because Job was His child.
Satan couldn’t take it down because his power is not greater than God’s. God has disarmed Satan and brought him to nothing. (Col. 2:15)
Job is the one who brought down the hedge of protection with his fear.
Verse 12 – Job’s fear gave the power (over his life) to the adversary.
Fear turns power over to the adversary.
God’s love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18)
Get into the presence of God through prayer and reading His Written Word.
When you say, “Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ Name,” you get Heaven’s attention.
The Name of Jesus is above every name. Every knee must bow to the Name of Jesus. (Phil. 2:9-10) And Hell quivers at the sound of that Name. (James 2:19)
The Name of Jesus and the Blood of Jesus are your hedge of protection. (Ex. 11:4-7, 12:1-30)
You stay under God's hedge of protection, in His shadow, and under His refuge by keeping Him as the first priority in your life. You do this by spending time daily in His Word and with Him- fellowshipping, worshiping, and praying.
You keep God’s hedge of protection around you by:
pleading the Blood of Jesus over you and your family daily; (Rev 12:11; Ex. 12:13)
commanding your guardian angels to protect you everywhere you go; (Ex. 23:20-21; Ps. 34:7; 91:11-12; Heb 1:14) and
speaking His Word, which states that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. (Isa. 54:17)
God doesn’t fail.
Psalm 91:3
God will deliver you.
The word ‘pestilence’ means a fatal virus, sickness, or disease.
Decree over yourself, “I am protected from all pestilences. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. (Isa. 54:17) God is my refuge and fortress. I rest in the shadow of the Most High God. (Ps. 91:1) No sickness or disease shall come near me in the Name of Jesus. I am protected by God, and no foe can withstand the power of Almighty God.”
Nothing protects like the power of God.
Satan is the author of sickness and disease. Because of sickness and disease, God instituted cleansing rituals to keep His people safe from the spread of germs.
Satan perverted God’s intent with these rules by using the rules to make people feel alienated (with social distancing).
The social distancing used today isn’t a new concept because there is nothing new under the sun. Satan doesn’t have new tactics.
Two examples in the Bible where Satan twisted God’s intent regarding cleansing are the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34) and leprosy. (Lev. 13) Satan used the rules (intended to keep God’s people safe) to make them feel unclean and unworthy, thereby drawing them away from God in shame.
Psalm 91:4
A buckler is either a small, round shield held by a handle or worn on the forearm or a large, portable shield surrounding the person.
God’s Word is truth. It is your shield and hedge of protection.
God’s truth sets you free. (John 8:32)
In the beginning was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. (John 1:1) And the Word became flesh. (John 1:14)
The Word is God speaking to you.
When you renew your mind with the Word of God (Rom. 12:2), you then come to a greater understanding of Who God is to you personally.
When times get tough, you call on your defender– God.
Psalm 91:5
Do not fear the evil plots, plans, and schemes of the adversary.
When you are dwelling with God- spending time with Him under the shadow of His wings- there is nothing to fear. (Isa. 41:10)
When you truly rely on and trust in God, you will do what the Israelites did in Goshen (obey what God said to do). They put the blood of the spotless lamb on their doorways (as He told them to) and were completely protected under God’s refuge. (Ex. 12:1-30)
God stops the power of the enemy.
Put your shield of faith up and put on the entire armor of God. (Eph. 6:16, 10-17)
Psalm 91:6
God is your line of defense.
Psalm 91:7
God has warned that everything that can be shaken will be shaken. (Heb. 12:26-28) But He is your refuge, shelter, and fortress during times of great shaking.
You do not have to fear because God is your line of defense.
When you have a firm, focused foundation on God, you will not be shaken regardless of what is going on around you.
Decree over yourself, “A thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, but it shall not come near me because I have God as my refuge, fortress, and line of defense. God is my safe place, so I don’t accept any attack. Lord, You protected the Israelites in Goshen from plagues and death, so I know you will protect me, too.”
The joy of the Lord is your strength. (Neh. 8:10)
Psalm 91:8
The Israelites living in Goshen only watched what happened in Egypt; they were only spectators of the reward of the wicked. They had protection from the plagues and the Angel of Death. (Ex. 8:22-23, 9:4, 10:23, 11:7)
God warns many times. He is longsuffering (Num. 14:18; 2 Peter 3:9), but at some point, people reap what they sow. (Gal. 6:7-8)
But only a spectator shall you be because you are in this world but not of it. (John 17:13-17)
Jesus isn’t affected by what goes on in the world because He dwells in the secret place of the Most High (at the right hand of God).
Psalm 91:9-10
When you make God your safe place, He is your line of defense; therefore, no evil can touch you.
You can’t do it in your natural ability; you have to get into the Word of God.
It is a spiritual fight.
Psalm 91:11
Whether you see them or not, God has angels protecting you.
God’s angels are greater in number than the enemy (army) against you. (2 Kings 6:15-20)
Psalm 91:12
The angels have a responsibility to protect us.
When you make a mistake, walk out of love, or sin, the angels can’t forgive you; only God can. (Ex. 23:20-21; Mark 2:7)
But, as soon as you repent, the angels will be right there to protect you again.
When you sin and do not repent but continue walking in the wrong direction, the angels cannot protect you.
You have to repent.
Psalm 91:13
You are supposed to trample on the adversary; the enemy is under your feet. (Psalm 110:1)
You have the Lion of the tribe of Judah on the inside of you. (1 John 4:4)
Psalm 91:14
When you trust and rely on God, He delivers you and makes you victorious.
God will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut. 31:8)
Getting these truths down in your spirit will bring you peace.
Psalm 91:15
When you call upon God, do so in Jesus’ Name, then God will answer your prayer. (John 14:13-14)
God is faithful and cannot lie. (Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18; Titus 1:2)
Don’t listen to your feelings; call upon the Lord even when you don’t feel like it.
Satan will try to deceive you with feelings.
God will not let you fail or fall.
Psalm 91:16
God will bring you peace during a time of shaking.
You are to live under the shadow of the Most High God.
Trust, rely, and lean on God. (Ps. 37:3-7, 62:8; Prov. 3:5)
Get into His Word. Reading His Word builds your faith.
Have a firm, focused foundation on the Father.
Trust that God will not fail you; when you call on Him, He will answer and deliver you.
God destroys the power of fear.
Call upon your refuge and fortress, which is God.
God is your line of defense from the enemy.
God’s Word is revelation, and His revelation is truth that sets you free. (John 8:32)
Prayer
John 8:32
Ps. 91:2
Ps. 91:7
Isa. 54:17
Ps. 91:1
Ps. 37:3-7, 62:8; Prov. 3:5
Deut. 31:8
Neh. 8:10
Eph. 6:10-17
