| My Shelter (part one) Do you ever feel in need of encouragement? Read through Psalm 91.1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 “Because He loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Psalm 91:1-16. (NIV). We will look into more detail next time, but for now let these words soak into your very being. Be blessed. ACC 2/03/12 My Shelter (part two) Did you take some time this weekend to read over and meditate on Psalm 91? Let’s look at the first two verses. 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2. (NIV). What does it mean to “dwell?” Well, at www.m-w. com it defines the word dwell as 1: to remain for a time. or 2a: to live as a resident b: exist, lie. Using these definitions we can ask ourselves are we going to remain in His shelter? Are we going to reside there or exist there? Are we going to lie down to rest there? The Amplified Bible puts it this way: 1HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].2I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! Psalm 91: 1-2. (Amp). A footnote in the Amplified says this about these two verses: “The rich promises of this whole chapter are dependent upon one's meeting exactly the conditions of these first two verses (see Exod. 15:26).” There verses from Exodus puts it this way: 26Saying, If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God and will do what is right in His sight, and will listen to and obey His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord Who heals you. Exodus 15:26. (AMP). So are you dwelling in the shelter of the Most High? Are you resting in His shadow? Is He your refuge and fortress and do you trust in Him? If you do, we will see in the next few sessions just what is promised for you there. If not, then seek Him now while He may be found and enter into His shelter. Be blessed. ACC 2/06/12 My Shelter (part three) So, now are you dwelling in Him? Whether you are or you are not, let’s look at some of the things He said that He would save you from. 3 Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. Psalm 91:3-8. (NIV). The Amplified Bible puts it this way: 3For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.4[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. 5You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,6Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.7A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. 8Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked. Psalm 91:3-8. (Amp). When God the Father is your shelter and your fortress, when you are dwelling there, those things that beset the wicked will not come near you. Be blessed. ACC 2/08/12 My Shelter (part four) God has legions upon legions of angels at His beck and call. If He ever came down to not having enough angels, He would simply create more. These angels are just waiting for the Lord to give them an assignment or for us to speak the Word of God. Read these next verses and see what, if you have made the Lord your refuge, God is ready to do for you. 9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. Psalm 91:9-13. (NIV). The Amplified Bible puts it this way: 9Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 10There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.11For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].12They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. Psalm 91:9-13. (Amp). Now, we all know who the serpent is, if you have ever read Genesis, in closing, read these verses from 1 Peter about the lion that we will trample under our feet. 7Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 8Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 9Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset--rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world. 1 Peter 5:7-9. (Amp). Be blessed. ACC 2/10/12 My Shelter (part five) Now, in this fifth and final section, look at what the Lord God, the Father of all creation says about us. 14 “Because He loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16. (NIV). The Amplified Bible puts it this way: 14Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]. 15He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation. Psalm 91:14-16. (Amp). What more could we ask of our Father? Be blessed. ACC 2/13/12 |
| My Shelter |