HE Is Right There!
“His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under His covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm. You will never worry about an attack of demonic forces at night nor have to fear a spirit of darkness coming against you. Don't fear a thing!”~~ Psalms 91:4-6 (PASSION VERSION).
Ask yourself this question… Do you merely want to survive or do you want to thrive? Do you believe that God’s love is greater, more powerful than your pain and suffering? Do you sense evil all around you, and are you searching for a way out?
God Has You Right Where He Wants You …
Crises bring an opportunity for you to build your faith in the Lord. If you put your trust in Him, He will deliver you; but He will do this His way, not your own way. God is all powerful. But you have to listen to His voice and not the voice of the devil. You have to fight the enemy in the spiritual realm, not in this natural, physical realm. And as you yield to His Holy Spirit, as you trust God to deliver you, and resist the enemy, you will gain the victory over your crisis experience.
My Story …
I confess, one of my true weaknesses has been attention to detail. My husband leaves stuff around the house, and so often I’ll pick up an item and put it in its place. However, the place seems never to be the same; and my memory often fades, and I forget! Chris will ask me. “Honey, where did you place my wallet?” My response is “Right there!” And truth be told - it usually is right there! Even when he cannot see it, touch or feel it, the object I placed truly is right there!
God is the same yesterday and today; and He will be the same tomorrow, too. He never changes, and He is always “Right There.”
In the midst of our broken heart and crisis experience God is there to usher in love, joy, and peace, IF we will receive it! So often when my husband can’t seem to find what he is looking for - frustration, anger, and agitation set in. Why? Because he has zero control over where I placed the object. It is just the same for us. We have zero control over circumstances. What can we do in the midst of a crisis? How can we pass through the fire and not be scorched?
Here’s Your Answer …
You need a strategy that will enable you to gain the victory over these crises. The best one I know of begins with crying out to God and receiving His authority to do battle and win! For in Matthew 28:18-20 we find, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; go therefore … and I will be with you to the end of age.”
Do you believe this? Can you be obedient? Will you cry out to God? All through the Bible ordinary people cried out to Him in the midst of their brokenness, and God offered His hope, peace, joy, love, provision, and deliverance.
Then next, submit to God: “So submit yourselves to the one true God, and fight against the devil and his schemes. If you do, he will run away in failure” ~~ James 4:7 (VOICE)
We Are In Spiritual Warfare…
It is a battle, folks! And we must fight to win! The Bible instructs us to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you!” But how can we resist his deceptive and cunning ways? Once we recognize the devil's attack for what it truly is - (just a lie) - we must use our God-given authority to resist that temptation, or snare, or deception, and do as Jesus did. Speak directly to satan, and tell him to get out of the way. Boldly say, “Stop it, devil; that’s enough! In the authority of Jesus’ Name!” This may be new to you as it was to me a while back. But when we learn to call upon God for deliverance; and when we speak Jesus’ Name out loud, the Bible tells us that our enemy will then cease the attack. He must always quit his harassing and flee at the mention of the Name of Jesus!
Finally, expect a great victory over your circumstance. Begin to praise the Lord for the answer - even before the answer arrives. For in praising and rejoicing we recognize that as we pass through life, our trials are only temporary. Jesus, our Savior and Victor, has already paid the price for our deliverance. He promises that He will be with us, and that help is on the way even when we cannot feel, hear, or see. We must trust that HE is Jehovah Shammah, “The Lord Who is right there” with us! We must persevere and be persistent in our worship, in prayer, and in meditating upon His Word.
Will You Believe and Be Obedient to His Word? …
Let’s join hands together and purpose that we will say a resounding YES to God’s plan for us. Starting today we will seek, worship, and praise HIM more than ever! And we will be confident that His right hand will uphold, carry, and sustain us during our crisis. His eyes are always upon us. So, we need to hold fast to His promises! Believing, trusting, obeying, and never giving in or giving up!
Pray With Me …
Lord, I thank You for the promises in Your Holy Word that encourage me today. Lord, You are good. You see and know ALL things - Even though my crisis takes me by surprise, You are never surprised. Your Word tells us “For the eyes of The Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of The Lord is against those who do evil” ~~ 1 Peter 3:12.
Lord, I praise You for providing an answer for every need I have. Thank You for giving me the victory over the enemy! Thank You for Your promise: “For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps” ~~ Job 34:21.
Lord, I thank You that You see my steps. You see me even now. As Your child I now receive the freedom, the hope, and the victory that only YOU can offer me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Meditate Upon These Scriptures …
“‘Relax, Daniel,’ he continued, ‘don’t be afraid. From the moment you decided to humble yourself to receive understanding, your prayer was heard, and I set out to come to you. But I was waylaid by the angel-prince of the kingdom of Persia and was delayed for a good three weeks. But then Michael, one of the chief angel-princes, intervened to help me. I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia. And now I’m here to help you'" ~~ Daniel 10:12-14a (MESSAGE).
"So, let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the devil, and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God, and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet" ~~ James 7:4-10 (MESSAGE).
"God, get me out of here, away from this evil; protect me from these vicious people. All they do is think up new ways to be bad; they spend their days plotting war games. They practice the sharp rhetoric of hate and hurt, speak venomous words that maim and kill. God, keep me out of the clutch of these wicked ones, protect me from these vicious people; stuffed with self-importance, they plot ways to trip me up, determined to bring me down. These crooks invent traps to catch me and do their best to incriminate me. I prayed, 'God, you’re my God! Listen, God! Mercy! God, my Lord, Strong Savior, protect me when the fighting breaks out! Don’t let the wicked have their way, God, don’t give them an inch!’" ~~ Psalms 140:1-8 (MESSAGE).
“For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps” ~~ Job 34:21.
“For the eyes of The Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of The Lord is against those who do evil” ~~ 1 Peter 3:12.
“…at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow - in heaven and on earth and under the earth…” ~~ Philippians 2:10 (NET BIBLE).
“So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you” ~~ James 4:7 (GNT).
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” ~~ Isaiah 41:10.
~~ Elizabeth Bowman