“If you make The Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you every where you go.”
-Psalm 91:9-11 (NLT)
Would you ever go outside when it is 100 degrees, bright, and sunny with out something to protect your skin from getting sun burnt? Probably not! You would make sure you had sunscreen to protect you. And no soldier would go into battle without the proper equipment. They would lose the fight.
The same is true for us Christians when we go out into the world. We need the proper equipment.
Let’s take a look at Psalm 91:9-11.
“If you make The Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you every where you go.”
Do you see that little word “if” in there? That’s a conditional word. It means that when we pay attention to that little “if” we will receive it’s condition. Here it says, “If you make the Lord …” “Make” means “to see Him or put Him” as in a position. The word refuge is pretty easy to understand. It’s a shelter that protects you from whatever it is that’s outside of it; a safe place. But how do we practically make The Lord our refuge?
Go back to verse one, which sets up the entire chapter of Psalms 91. It says, “Those who live in the shelter …” To make Him, to see Him and place Him positionally as a refuge or shelter in your life is to live in Him.
Jesus said in John 15:10, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” To abide is a fancy way to say live, or make a home there. Jesus lived in the Father’s love, and Jesus has invited us to live in His love. But…did you see that itty-bitty word again? “If you keep my commandments …” How do we abide, or live in the shelter He provides? Keep His words; own them, do them, use them, take hold of them, treasure them! Doing so is the proof of a home under His shelter. This also means that we can step out from under His shelter.
The verse goes on to say, “… no evil will conquer you, no plague will come near your home.” This is pretty cut and dry! It is impossible for any evil to gain the upper hand, and sickness stays away from you! What a promise! Just remember to pay attention to the “if”! Without that “if” we don’t get the rest of the promise.
God is not done yet, though. He promises more! Verse eleven says, “He will order His angels to protect you every where you go.” From the Master of the Universe Himself, you get a special order for divine protection everywhere you go! Everywhere! Where are you at right now? Divine protectors surround the very place you occupy.
We all need protection from the Devil. Jesus explains in John 10 that the enemy (the devil) comes to steal, kill, and destroy us. Think about one bad thing that has happened in your life and most likely it falls under the category of stealing, killing, or destroying. It is not the Lord that brings any kind of evil in our lives. Where have you placed Him? Where do you live? Do you have enough faith in the Word of God to say, “Never again, devil.”? Make Him your refuge; live in Him everyday and He promises to be your everyday protection.
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everydayMISSION:
C.S. Lewis said that when Jesus is in His rightful place, all other things seem to work out. That’s a powerful place He occupies in our lives! It’s a simple decision to make everyday. Also, His blood holds a powerful place as well. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony …” (Revelation 12:11 NKJV). So plead it over you and your family! In the same way that you wouldn’t go out on a hot summer day without sunscreen, don’t go out into the world without The Lord in His place as your protector and His blood refusing the enemy any place in your life!
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everydayCONVERSATION:
Father, I thank you that my footsteps are ordered by you. I place you as The Lord and the Most High over my life. Thank you for your angels that surround me and protect me everywhere I go. I plead the precious blood of Jesus over me and my family! In Jesus’ name, amen.