Armor Of God

Taking Up the Whole Armor of God

Paul, an apostle of God's first-century Church, was accused of sedition, beaten, arrested, almost assassinated, shipwrecked, attacked by a snake and placed under house arrest. Many would say that this was a stoke of bad luck, but to Paul, he saw it as part of his job description. While imprisoned in Rome for two years under the watchful eyes of Roman soldiers, Paul was able to write four epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon) and continue preaching “the kingdom of Gods and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ” to all those who came to hear him (Acts28:30-31).

Those two years with the Roman soldiers, Paul was able to study and understand the function of each piece of armor that they wore. Each piece has their own importance and is necessary to have on. Paul was able to get a God-inspired analogy on the armor. The Roman soldiers required physical armor to fight their wars, we Christians require spiritual armor to successfully fight ours. Paul saw that each piece of Roman armor had a powerful correlation with our own spiritual defenses.

Piece of Armor	Use	Application
Belt	Truth	Satan fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but believes have God’s truth, which can defeat Satan’s lies.
Body Armor (Breastplate)	God’s Righteousness	Satan often attacks out heart--the seat of our emotions, self-worth, and trust. God’s righteousness is the breastplate that protects our heart and ensures his approval. He approves of us because we have trusted Christ to save us and cleanse our hearts from sin.
Shoes	The peace that comes from the Good News (Gospel of Peace)	Satan wants us to think that telling others the Good News is a worthless and hopeless task--the size of the task is too big, and the negative responses are too much to handle. But the “shoes” God gives us are the true peace that is available in God, which prepares us to share the news with others.
Shield	Faith	The shield of faith protects us from Satan’s fiery darts in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. With God’s perspective, we can see beyond out circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours.
Helmet	Salvation	Satan wants to make us doubt God, Jesus, and our salvation. The helmet protects our mind from doubting God’s saving work for us.
Sword	The Word of God	The sword is the only weapon of offense in the list of armor. There are times when we need to take the offensive against Satan. When we are tempted, we need to trust in the truth of God’s Word.

What Do We Need Armor for, Anyway?

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

As Christians, we are expected to withstand incredible pressures and not be defeated. How can we possibly stand up against everything the world has to throw at us and still expect to emerge victorious?

The answer lies not in us, but in a divine and unbeatable defense: the armor of God.

What is the armor of God?

Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Armor of God is a great metaphor for action we need to take in our spiritual lives. We are fighting a war, and the stakes are higher than they have ever been in human history. Our enemy isn’t flesh and blood, no human foe—we fight against a much more fearsome opponent whose forces are described in Ephesians 6:12. Satan and his host of demons have only one purpose, and that’s to Obliterate the children of God.

Having our attention focus on the world that we live in today can easily make us forget the severity of our battle. But none of the less our spiritual lives and future in God’s Kingdom are on the line. If we lose this war, we lose everything. What can we do to face such an overwhelming task?

In Ephesians 6:13, Paul gives the call to arms. By putting on all of God’s armor, we can be assured of withstanding out enemy’s onslaughts.

When Paul describes the armor of God, he is talking about more than a simple set of helpful tips. He is talking about the impregnable defenses of the Almighty God. These are keys to withstanding the attacks and onslaughts of the great dragon of old, Satan the devil. They are ultimate and infinitely powerful tools available to us as Christians.

The Belt of Truth

The belt is a very important piece of the armor, for without the belt we wouldn’t be able to hold our weapon, which in this case is a sword. The belt girds on (secures) all the other pieces of our armor. You can say that it’s the base that holds everything together, without it you will fall apart. Truth should cleave to us as a belt cleaves to out armor.

What is truth?

John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Jesus, praying to the Father, gives a clear and straightforward definition of truth: God's Word. The Holy Bible (Scripture—the word of truth) was given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16). The Greek expression translated "inspiration of God" literally means "God-breathed"! He actively and fully inspired the Bible to reveal His truth to us.

His promises, His commands, His word—they are all truth, plain and simple. After all, "The LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:27). If God says something, there is no force that can stop Him from doing it—we can rest assured that it will be done.

What does truth have to do with a belt?

1 Thessalonians 5:21
Test all things; hold fast what is good.

As Christians, we are to test all things and then hold on only to that which is good—the truth—discarding all else. We are to be like the Bereans who "searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). If we are not convinced that our principles and beliefs are without exception 100 percent true, how can we expect to accomplish anything?

Proverbs 3:3-4
Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.

A belt encompasses the waist. Does our conviction to the truth encompass us? As the above scripture notes, truth must be bound around us and written on our hearts—our conviction must reach beyond an outward show.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

In each fight that you are in you, need the protection around your chest area. It is the biggest area and easiest to hit. The breastplate is there to protect you from those deadly blows. In the spiritual sense, you need to protect your heart from the lies and deceit that the devil throws your way. To be righteous is to do what is right in God's eyes. God's commandments are righteousness. In contrast, lawlessness is sin, and sin is the opposite of righteousness. So to be righteous is to obey God's laws of love.

Putting on Righteousness

Facing the hordes of Satan, you brace yourself and pray. The hosts of your enemy share a collective, malicious grin, waiting for the command to do their worst.

The battle cry sounds. They begin their charge; you tighten your grip on your sword and raise your shield. Weapons begin swinging with unrivaled fury; you do your best to parry the onslaught, but there are too many weapons to block. Eventually, you watch as one of your opponent's swords begins making a clean arc that continues right past your shield and toward your chest.

You brace yourself, preparing for the worst and expecting your quick demise, watching the weapon move ever closer to you as time slows to a maddening crawl—waiting, waiting, when CLANG! The reverberating noise of the sword striking your breastplate pierces the air.

Shaking your head in disbelief, you look down to find that the breastplate of righteousness stopped the deadly blow in its tracks. Delivered by righteousness and with renewed vigor, you plunge back into the fight.

Why is righteousness associated with protective armor like a breastplate?

Proverbs 11:4
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

Without righteousness, we leave ourselves open to almost certain death. With righteousness—just as with a breastplate—the otherwise fatal attacks of our enemy are thwarted.

What is righteousness?

Psalm 119:172
My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness.

1 John 3:4
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

1 Corinthians 15:34
Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

The Shoes of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace

Paul traveled to Jerusalem knowing that the Holy Spirit testified in every city, saying that chains and tribulations awaited him (Acts 20:23). Paul’s brethren and fellow workers didn’t want him to go because they have heard of these prophecies and they couldn’t bear the thought of their friend willingly walking into this. But God, through His Holy Spirit, has summoned Paul to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), and Paul was intent on answering that call.

Paul did not just write about the armor of God; he also wore it. At this time in his life, he was able to call upon the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace. He found protection and strength in the knowledge of what God's gospel meant for him and for the others he shared that good news with. His footing was sure and unshakable, and he was prepared to carry the gospel wherever God sent him.

What purpose do shoes serve?

Our main purpose here on is to spread the Gospel of God. The reason that the shoes are called the Gospel of Peace is because God gives us the ability to spread His Good News. In order to do that we need to use our feet and go to the places that need to hear the Gospel. Trust in the Lord to steer us in the right direction just has Paul trusted in Him. Without the trust in the Lord and not believing in the strength of the Gospel is like having no shoes on during a battle. A shoeless soldier could run into real trouble in the heat of battle. Unless he is fighting on Astroturf, he is going to encounter some debris. It may be nothing more than twigs and pebbles, but to a bare foot that can cause serious pain—and one of the last things you want to deal with in the middle of a fight is worrying about where you step.

In short, shoes allow us to step freely and without fear while we turn our full attention to the battle at hand.

 The Shield of Faith

Taking the Shield

Up until now, Paul's description of the armor of God has been limited to items we wear. We put on the belt, the breastplate and the shoes, and they essentially hold themselves up.

The shield is different. Paul tells us that the shield is something we must take up, something we are required to raise. Just strapping it to our arm won't do any good at all if we don't make the effort to hold it aloft and use it.

Faith is the hardest part of armor that we would have to carry. For a shield is very heavy and hard to hold up to protect yourself.  With the world, surrounding us with all these false truth can shake our faith. Just remember that this is Satan’s work, he doesn’t want us to have faith in our Father. Having Faith will give you the strength to bare up that shield to deflect the lies and deceit that Satan is lashing out. The stronger our faith, the thicker the shield and the higher and longer we will be able to hold our shield up.

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Here is a biblical definition of faith that clears up some common misconceptions. If faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," then this has far-reaching implications. Substance is tangible, and evidence is solid proof. Faith is, by definition, not some hazy emotion without any grounding in reality. It is the irrefutable truth. It is real.

Romans 8:24-25
For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Though it is based on solid evidence, that doesn't mean faith comes naturally or easily. Paul here makes the obvious but necessary point: You don't hope for what you already have. Faith involves a huge element of trust. We must examine the evidence and see that God has proved Himself to be unchanging and consistent, and then we must firmly believe that He will fulfill His promises to us.

Helmet of Salvation

The reason that we wear the helmet is to protect our mind. Our mind takes is a lot of information each day. This world is surrounded by temptations that we as Christians should not be indulging in. As Christians, we need to be careful what we see and hear, for just a small thing can open the door for Satan to set his roots in. We must keep our whole armor on at all times.

Taking the Helmet

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians about the helmet of salvation, some of them may have found the analogy to be a familiar one. In the book of Isaiah, a description of God shows Him as having put on both the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation (Isaiah 59:17). In referencing the Old Testament scripture, Paul drives home the point that it is in every sense of the word the armor of God—the same armor He Himself wears.

What is salvation?

Salvation basically means to be saved or delivered from something (see examples in Exodus 14:13 and Micah 7:6-8). In the New Testament, as we will see, it is generally used to refer to deliverance from the eternal death penalty of sin and deliverance into God's Kingdom.

 The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God

The sword is our only defense against our enemies. Without it we wouldn’t have anything to defend ourselves, and believe me we have plenty of things to defend ourselves from. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires (Hebrew 4:12).

Taking the Sword

The sword is the only item listed by Paul that serves in an offensive capacity. Even if we have all the rest of the armor equipped perfectly, without our sword, we amount to little more than heavily armored moving targets.

Perhaps this is why we remember the name of King Arthur's sword and not, for example, his footwear. While the rest of the armor is undoubtedly vital, it is the sword and only the sword that allows us to attack—to directly do the work that needs to be done.

What is the Word of God?

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

God's Word—the Holy Bible—illuminates. It reveals to us the good and the bad, the wise and the unwise. It is the ultimate tool in learning how to live the best possible life, free from the restraints of stumbling in darkness.

John 17:17
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

God's Word is truth, plain and simple. We can have perfect confidence in the fact that His words are accurate, true and unerring. When followed, they guide us without fail in the paths that we need to walk.

We can be destroyed by lack of the knowledge of God (Hosea 4:6), but we will be blessed if we hear and keep the Word of God (Luke 11:28). And the knowledge is not just for us. We are to be ready to answer others who ask us (1 Peter 3:15).

She Is a Warrior

Yes, she is a warrior In the Army of her God

Following Him Forever Wherever he may Trod

With her Helmet of Salvation This Warrior she will stand

For She is Protected by Her God’s Mighty Hand

With her sword she fights For it’s His Mighty Word,

Working to spread His Gospel, Until everyone has heard

Down on bended knees, She fights her best fight

Marching in His power

Yes, in His Glorious Light!

Spiritual Pics that I drew

CLOSER TO GOD

I have never been closer to God than I am right now. I've been through a turning point in my life, and it couldn't have come soon enough. God picked the right time and moment to give me what I needed. At the time I didn't think of it, but as my weekend progressed I was feeling His love. I still have some hurtles to get through, but I think I got pass the first hurtle, which is usually the hardest. Let me share my experience with you, so you may get encouragement from it.

Friday was very busy for me; I worked all day and had to go home to pick up my mom and the kids (my niece and nephew). We had to pay some bills and I had to make sure that I was back by 6:30pm so I can go to the Gateway House of Prayer (GHOP) conference with a friend. By the time we return home I was tired and didn't feel like leaving again. I called my friend ready to tell her I'm not going, but didn't get the chance before she asked if I was going. With just her asking me if I was going change my mind into going. I no longer felt tired, but excited with a hint of nerves. I didn't really know what to expect besides being around a bunch of people that I didn't know. I don't do well in big groups of people; I tend to clam up and try to make myself invisible, hince the nerves.

When we arrived my friend showed me around, and then we went to go sit down in the Prayer room. Around 7 music started so everyone stood up. I watched the band play as everyone else sang. I was still a little uncomfortable singing out loud, but once the second song started playing I didn't care about singing out any more; I just started belting it out. My body was swaying to the music (out of my control), but I did keep my body from jumping up and down. The worship lasted at least an hour, but it felt longer; I don't know I wasn't looking at a clock. I just know that by the time I sat down my knees where sore from standing too long.

As much as it felt good to I didn't want the music to stop. The conference had to move on, so it was time for the speaker to teach us the word. It was good to hear, and it's something that I want to look more into.

Fast Forward.........

Now it's the end of the conference, my friend and I are about to leave when a guy around my age approached me. At first I was shocked that a guy even approached me. Once he started talking I made sure to pay attention to what he was saying. I looked him in the eyes when he spoke, which I never do unless I am real comfortable with you. The guy told me that during the worship he saw a glow around me. That God gave him words to speak to me. He said that God was peeling my layers away like an onion, which will be uncomfortable, but He will give me strength through it. He will continue to give me strength throughout my journey and that I will be given my new wineskin. Once he was done I thanked him for giving me the message. I didn't really grasp what was given to me at the time. I think it's because I was in awe of everything, but I was blessed that God spoke to me. Out of all those people, God made sure that I received a message from Him.

Fast Forward.......

Now it’s Saturday afternoon and I'm with the ladies from church for our monthly luncheon. It's a great way to hang out with the people I love and talk about the Word. I was sitting on the couch with my head back and my eyes closed. I was tired, but I made sure that I was listening to the women around me. Then suddenly I got hit with this scared feeling in my stomach. It almost felt like I was going into a panic attack, I kept my eyes closed as my body began to shake terribly. During this whole time I was switching between listening to the women and praise the Lord. At one point they asked me what was going on, and I just said nothing. They left me alone and continue to talk to one another. Finally my wonderful friend came over and sat next to me and placed her hand on my arm. She can feel my body shaking and jerking, she laughs from joy. The Holy Spirit was flowing through me, and all I can do was let it flow. I lay down as my friend continues to have her hand on me and praying. I can still hear the rest of the women talking, but didn't pay to much attention to what they were saying. For what seemed like hours, the Holy Spirit let go enough to stop the shaking. When I got up I felt worn out, but good.

Rewind......

Friday night/Saturday Morning I had a violent dream, so viewer’s discretion is advised...lol. In my dream I was fighting against something, and this something I knew personally. In the process of fighting this thing, I cut its head off, and before the head hit the ground I was abruptly awaken by a Charlie Horse in my leg. At first I thought that God gave me the Charlie Horse to wake me out of a bad dream, but now I am not so sure. I tell you why, but first I need to fast forward again.

Fast Forward......

It's Saturday night, my friend and I went to GHOP again. I was feeling good and praising the Lord. That night a different speaker was teaching. As he was teaching he happens to mention a vision he had when he was praying. God gave him the task to minister in the heart of Tibet, which is very hard to get through the Eastern Gate to Tibet. They had an idol overlooking the Eastern Gate, besides there has to be special clearances in order to get in. It isn't easy to get those clearances. As long as he was down there he couldn't get to the heart of Tibet, and everyday he prayed for the clearance to pass through the Eastern Gate to get to Tibet. When he only had 4 days until he has to leave he prayed again for passage. As he was praying he got this vision of a demon attacking him. His tone of praying became like a battle cry. He vision himself with a sword, which if you know the armor of God, the sword represents the Word of God. As he continues to pray he was battling this demon until he was able to cut the demons head off. Once the demon was defeated, he was given word that he has defeated the Gate Keeper (Idol of the Eastern Gate), and now he will have clearance to goto the heart of Tibet.

Now the reason I mentioned this story was because as soon as I heard that he cut the head off the demon, it brought me back to my dream. I believe that the thing I was slaying was some sort of demon, if not a demon but a symbol of something that was holding me back from getting closer to God. Then God gave me a Charlie Horse in my leg, so I would be able to remember my dream. For those that know my past, knows that this was a big breakthrough for me. I can feel myself growing stronger in my Faith, and becoming more open in my life. Without God I would still be a quiet lonely woman, with nowhere to go with my life. So I thank the Lord for putting the wonderful, loving people from Church in my life, that I love, but most of all Thank You Father for loving me.

Same Sex Marriage.......Chick-fil-A

There has been a lot of talk recently about same sex marriages and Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A is run by devout Christians who believe in strong marriages, devoted families, and the highest standards of character for their workers. There mission is to "Glorify God" and "enrich the lives of everyone we touch." They are also close on Sundays to give their employees the chance to worship and rest. I fully support their beliefs in what they are doing. Now I am not her to place judgment on any one, that is not my place. I am just trying to clarified what the Bible says about homosexual acts, since I have seen people get it wrong, but first I want to tell you a little about myself. This will show you that I am not here to place judgment on the homosexuals.

I have family and friends that are gay and I love them like any other person. I myself at one point had gay relationships, well it wasn't until this year when I stopped my activities. For most of my lift I had fought my feelings toward other women because I was taught that being gay was a sin. Then I started telling myself; how can this be a sin? People can't help who they fall in love with or have an attraction to. If it was such a sin, then why does it feel so good? So of course I started acting on my feelings toward women. At this point I wasn't attending church as much. After a relationship broke up, I went back to church. I had this feeling that what I was doing was wrong, I was feeling it for awhile, but I kept doing my homosexual acts.

It wasn't until a few months ago and some counseling, that I completely changed my perspective. I knew what I was doing was wrong and ask for help with this issue among others as well. I was in a middle of a relationship when I decided to choose the path of God. Breaking off the relationship with her was very hard. I loved her and still do, but I had to do what was right. You may ask; what makes me right about what I was doing was wrong and that being gay is a sin? I will show you.

In 1 John 5:17 it states that All Unrighteousness is sin: but not all sin leads to death. When the Bible means death, they are talking about the Death of Your Soul. You commit sin and don't repent your sin to the Lord, ask for forgiveness, believe in Him and not commit that sin again, then you will face death. If you do all those things then God promises you eternal life. Knowing that All unrighteousness is sin brings me to 1 Corinthians 6:9.

New Living Translation (NLT) version: Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality....

King James Version (KJV) version: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, not idolaters, nor adulterers, not effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.....

I have heard someone said that why should we live by Paul's values on homosexuality. Just because Paul wrote books in the Bible doesn't make it any less true. The Bible is God's law and truth, so why not live by what Paul wrote. Where do you think he got it from? He lived the way of Jesus his Lord, as we should. Every person needs to be born again. John 3:3 Jesus said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. This word born again means to be born from above. Our Spirit man receives the Living spirit of God. We are three part beings created in the image of God...Body, Soul and Spirit. The body is this earthly container. The Soul contains our mind, will and emotions. We live in the soul realm. Close your eyes....this is the soul realm...now the Spirit is in belly....

John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

We are at the mercy of our soul when our soul (mind, will, emotion) is out of control. Don't give in to Sins that so easily entangle us. At this point I am speaking the sin of Homosexuality, but this also contains all sin that we all commit. Our Flesh (body and soul) wants the pleasure that comes from committing sin.We live in a world that what ever sin we commit is everyday life, so we don't think twice about what committing those sin would do. I was committing a sin of homosexuality, once I realized and accepted what I was doing is wrong I stopped and ask for forgiveness. I didn't change my way of life because I was pressured into it by family or other Christians. I didn't get any hatred from other Christians either. After doing my homework on the Bible and praying to God I made my decision. The choice was always up to me, as it is up to you as well. I took control of my thought and emotions and remember the inward presence of God. I found truth within Him and I have never been happier because of it. Of course I still have some test thrown my way because I am fairly new out of this sin. My flesh still craves for sin, but my spirit and in the name of Jesus Christ will control it.

You have the choice to choose your path, that is why God gave us free will. He doesn't want to force you to love Him. He wants your love to be genuine and come from your heart. James 4:8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. When you love God you won't have any problems changing your ways of life. We can't be perfect like Jesus, but we can do our best to follow Him.

To all the Gay people out there, I Love You, just as Jesus loves you. I can relate to you, but I don't agree with you. Just because someone doesn't hold the same beliefs as you do, doesn't mean that you have to ridicule them. The people that are for gay marriage shouldn't try to make Chick-fil-A change their beliefs or keep them from opening a restaurant because they don't hold the same beliefs. We are intitled to have our opinion on things. All I can do it speak the truth about God's Word, it is up to you to do your part.

Graffiti Words

Perfect Protection

Lets start this off my asking a question; Can God keep you safe?

The answer is yes, God can keep you safe, but you have to make sure that you do your part. God won't be able to help you without you giving Him something. I know what you thinking, you have to give in order to receive, nothing is free. The only thing that God seeks from us is our love for Him. All He wants is our hearts, faith and words of our love for Him. That is simple to give, and once we have that then He is by our side protecting us.

It isn't up to God for us to have Salvation even though He wants everyone one of us to be saved. We have to chose to be saved, that is why the Lord has given us free will. To have Salvation you must confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord. In Psalms 91 will show what He will do as long as we confess with out mouth and do our part.

Psalm 91:2-6

(Our Part): I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
(God's Part): Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the Fowler (evil), and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
(Our Part): Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; not for the destruction that wasteth at noon-day.

As long as we have no fear, trust in the Lord to protect us and do our part thousands will fall at one side and ten thousand at your other, but it will not come to you. God says that He will protect and He will do so, you don't have nothing to worry about Him going back on His word. His word is law and He stands by it and we need to speak it to others. Speak this out right now as you read:

"I say of the Lord, He is my refuge, my fortress, my protector, my God. I trust in Him to keep me."

Trust that you will be safer in the will of the Lord than out of it. For Example; if you are in the Will of God and in the middle of a people shooting guns you will be safer than you being at home and out of the Will of God with no one shooting guns. Being in the Will of God, which is basically having Faith in Him and speaking His word, you have God's protection. This means you are doing your part, and those bullets will fly past you. Being out of the Will of God, you have no faith in Him so you are likely to fall victim to harm or possible death at a younger age.

Fear can be contagious, for example, you have a love one in the hospital with a deadly illness, and you see their health get better when they are around people that have the Faith in the Lord and no fear of death. Now you have family members come in that fear of their love one dieing you can see their health going down. The fear from the family has seeped in to the sick loved one. I am not saying that you should cut all ties with people that have no faith. Limit your time around that person and keep your trust in the Lord that He will protect and keep you. Also with people that have fear, it will be a good opportunity to speak the Word to them. Life and Death is in the power of the tongue.

Where there is God there is a way. You can cast the fear out and not come victim to it. You can still have the feel of being afraid but you shouldn't let it stop you from doing what needs to be done. Call upon the Lord that you won't be afraid.

Psalms 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Isaiah 41:10
Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Say: "I will not fear any disease, any man, any criminal, any enemy, any devil, any terrorist, I refuse to fear any of it, God protects me."  So what is two things that we need to do to have God's protection?

1. Say out loud that God is your God and Protector
2. DO NOT FEAR

"The Lord does this for me, the Lord moves so that my enemies don't desire my stuff, lost their desire to hurt me, any that would think to harm me and mine. The terror of God falls on them and they flee and do it not, for God is my protector, I trust Him."

Gen 35:5
Exodus 15:16
Proverb 16:7
1Sam 14:15
2 Kings 7:3-6

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength, Peace, I give to you. Cast all your worries onto Him and He will keep you at perfect peace. How do you get mercy? Confess with your mouth, forget it and then quit it.

Know that you don't have to worry, nor take medicine for anything. Say that you have any trouble sleeping read Psalm 4:8.

Psalms 4:8
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Keep up your Faith and Trust in the Lord and you will live a long, healthy and bless life. God Bless all of you.

WARNINGS = PROTECTION

Psalms 91 is a very effective reading to those that need the reminder that God is here to protect you. Just read and say out loud:

Psalm 91: 2-6
"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surley He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilance. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afriad for the terror by night; not for the arrow that flieth by day; not for the pertilence that walketh in darkness; not for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

God doesn't want us to parish in any way. He wants us to live and spread His word to the ones that still don't believe in Him. The deaths that you hear on the news or from other sources aren't God's Fault. He may allow the death to happen but He wasn't the one that caused the accident/sickness that killed. Satan is the one that set the traps in order to kill us. You can go at any time, and if your not right with God then you are in trouble. If you are right with God you will have no fear of death, because you know that you will be will the Heavenly Father once your gone. God will deliever you from the trap of the devil. Don't be afraid to die, because if you are then you are not walking in faith.

Since God doesn't want us to parish too soon, He sends us warnings. Warnings can come in the form of a dream or in a scense. Have you ever had the scense that you shouldn't have done what you did? Well that's because God was giving you a warning telling you that you shouldn't have done that.

Proverbs 27:12
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

The prudent man is protected by God because he has faith in God to protect him and not steer him wrong, so he listen to the warning that God has given him. Now the simple man was foolish and not walking in faith, so he didn't listen to the warning and continue on his path and he was harmed. Both men saw the warning but only one believed in God to know that he should pay attention to it. It is important that you pay attention to these feelings of thinking that something is wrong, these are a warning from God. Now people that don't believe in God, so they won't know that they are getting warnings. This is why it is important for us Christians to speak the Word of the Lord to the none believers. Speaking with our mouth to others will not only hopefully save them, but make our faith in God stronger.

2Kings 6:8-10
When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, "We will mobilize our forcest at such and such a place." But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, "Do not go near the place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilizse their troops there." So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there.

You can continue the reading on that chapter, but the point was that God has given warning to Elisha and he passed that warning on to the king of Israel.

Ezekiel 3:17
Son of manm U have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

Matthew 2 mentions the warning that God gave Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt and take Mary and Jesus away so Herod won't kill Jesus. With Joseph faith in the Lord, had him listening to the warning.

Also read Acts 27: 10-24. It talks about a warning from God, but the unbelievers didn't listen to the warning.

So the next time someone you love dies or hear about a horrible death, don't ask the question "Why did God do this?" That is the wrong question, what should have been asked; "Why didn't you heed the warning?" Also don't say well it was time for them to home, it is never time to go home, we are suppose to be here on Earth to spread the word of God. Speak with your mouth Psalms 91 and believe in your heart and you will be protected. If you have trouble with something or don't understand just pray to the Lord and he will answer your prayers. Remember He is there for you with every step you take, lean on Him. He is the one that will give you the ultimate gift. All you have to do is have Faith in Him.