Rhapsody of Realities TeeVo; Monday, 19th August 2019 ;
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome DSc., DD;
GUARD YOUR PERIMETER ;
(You’re Protected And Heavily Fortified!);
TO THE BIBLE Proverbs 15:4
“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
LET’S TALK
There’s a solid hedge of protection—a sort of perimeter or force field—around you which shields you from every attack the devil can throw at you. Sadly, some Christians breach this hedge without realizing it, through perverse or unwholesome communication. 1 Peter 3:10 GNB says, “…If you want to enjoy life and wish to see good times, you must keep from speaking evil and stop telling lies.” Speaking evil means saying things that contradict God’s Word. And every lie is the contradiction of the Word of God.
There’s a lesson to be learnt from Job in the Old Testament. Job was a righteous man and God blessed him on every side. The devil couldn’t afflict Job, despite his several attempts to do so. In Job 1:10, satan admitted this much: “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”
Yet, with all of God’s protection built around Job, by engaging in negative talking, he gave satan the backdoor into his life to whop him. He broke the hedge God built through perverse speech and his confessions of fear, discouragement and danger that were all contrary to God’s Word about him. This is the reason God doesn’t want you speaking words of fear, or admitting that you’re not in safety, irrespective of the perceived danger. Rather, He wants you declaring all the time that no evil shall befall you, and that your life is hid with Christ in God (Isaiah 54:17, Colossians 3:1). You’re in safety, so speak that way only!
GO DEEPER
Psalm 91:2-6
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
Psalm 91:1-7
Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Speak
I reside in the secret place of the most high, and abide in His holy presence; I’m safe and no evil shall happen to me, neither shall any plague come near my dwelling. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
Daily Bible Reading
ONE YEAR
1 Corinthians 4, Psalms 113-116
TWO YEAR
Philippians 4:14-23, Jeremiah 4
Act
Read part of Job’s negative confessions in Job 3:25-26. Then declare “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high” (Proverbs 29:25 AMPC).