These are things you I need to go over regularly so that they become part of my being. Knowing these truths will eliminate fear and enable me to expect and experience the good and wonderful things God has for me. Knowing these truths and expecting them is a key part of them working for me.
Psalms 9:9-10 – The Lord also will be a refuge and a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge and a stronghold in times of trouble (high cost, destitution, and desperation). And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on and confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God’s Word and the right of their necessity].
Message – You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow. Say this: God, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe! That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. If you’ll hold on to me for dear life, says God, I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!
Lord I do sit down in your presence and abide during the day. I need to spend the night in your shadow also. That is the time when my thoughts go in areas I don’t allow during the day.
How do I make this all work? Say this: God you’re my refuge. I trust in you and am safe. You are my very own home, I abide in you, and evil can’t get close to me. I hold onto you for dear life, because you are my life.
This is a key He wants to emphasize for me. The goal of my life is to stay in His presence, to abide there always and not let anything separate me. This is what I need to do above all things: Hold onto Him for dear life!
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 – And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being and with all your might. And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then] you shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets (forehead bands) between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 – Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?
Deuteronomy 10:20-21 – You shall [reverently] fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and by His name and presence you shall swear. He is your praise; He is your God, Who has done for you these great and terrible things which your eyes have seen.
- To fear the Lord.
- To walk in all His ways.
- To Love him.
- To serve the Lord with all your heart, mind and entire being.
- To keep His Word for your own good.
- Cleave to Him.
- Serve Him and cling to Him, hold onto Him for dear life.
I hear what the Lord is speaking to me, to cling to Him and hold onto Him for dear life, to make staying in His presence and abiding in Him my #1 focus.
Deuteronomy 11:22-25 – For if you diligently keep all this commandment which I command you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him— Then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea [the Mediterranean] your territory shall be. There shall no man be able to stand before you; the Lord your God shall lay the fear and the dread of you upon all the land that you shall tread, as He has said to you.
When I abide in Him and stay in His presence, when He alone is my refuge and place of safety and I stay there, all of the blessings of God will come upon me and overtake me.
When I do what He wants, when I love Him and walk in His ways, when I cleave to Him – then He will drive out my enemies and I will dispossess things greater and mightier than me. Then every place upon which the sole of my foot shall tread shall be mine. Then no man shall be able to stand before me. Then I will live and enjoy the abundant life Jesus came to give me.
When I am living in the shadow of the Almighty in His place of safety, always trusting Him, He will rescue me from every trap and snare of the enemy. Though a thousand fall at my side and ten thousand around me, the evil will not touch me. If I am in Him and He is my shelter, how can evil overtake me or plague come near me?
Living – We live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by the God who is above all gods. This I declare, that he alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. For he rescues you from every trap and protects you from the fatal plague. He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor. Now you don’t need to be afraid of the dark any more, nor fear the dangers of the day; nor dread the plagues of darkness, nor disasters in the morning. Though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, the evil will not touch me. I will see how the wicked are punished, but I will not share it. For Jehovah is my refuge! I choose the God above all gods to shelter me. How then can evil overtake me or any plague come near?
For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will steady you with their hands to keep you from stumbling against the rocks on the trail. You can safely meet a lion or step on poisonous snakes, yes, even trample them beneath your feet! For the Lord says, because he loves me, I will rescue him; I will make him great because he trusts in my name. When he calls on me, I will answer; I will be with him in trouble and rescue him and honor him. I will satisfy him with a full life and give him my salvation.
He alone is my refuge. He alone is my place of safety. He is my God and I am trusting Him. I can safely face the enemy. He will rescue me and make me great when I know Him and trust in His name. He will rescue me from every trap and protect me from plague and disease. I am shielded with His wings (If I get out of His presence, I am not under His wings any longer. That is why I must cling to Him, cleave to Him and hold on for dear life. That is why staying in His presence is my goal – everything else comes from this.). Then I no longer live in fear or dread. Though a thousand fall at my side and ten thousand are dying around me, the evil WILL NOT TOUCH me. This is because the Lord is my refuge; He is my shelter. The better I know and trust Him, the better care He takes of me.
He rescues me from hidden traps, shields me from deadly hazards. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze me. Yes, because God is my refuge, the High God my very own home, evil can’t get close to me. Even can’t get near me because I am abiding in Him who is GOOD. I couldn’t be safer than in His presence. Lord, I hold on to you for dear life, and I know that you’ll get me out of any trouble.
BBE – Happy is he whose resting-place is in the secret of the Lord, and under the shade of the wings of the Most High; who says of the Lord, He is my safe place and my tower of strength: he is my God, in whom is my hope. He will take you out of the bird-net, and keep you safe from wasting disease. You will be covered by his feathers; under his wings you will be safe: his good faith will be your salvation. You will have no fear of the evil things of the night, or of the arrow in flight by day, or of the disease which takes men in the dark, or of the destruction which makes waste when the sun is high. You will see a thousand falling by your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. Only with your eyes will you see the reward of the evil-doers. (These evil things are not called blessings of the Lord but the reward of evil doers.) Because you have said, I am in the hands of the Lord, the Most High is my safe resting-place; no evil will come on you, and no disease will come near your tent.
For he will give you into the care of his angels to keep you wherever you go. In their hands they will keep you up, so that your foot may not be crushed against a stone. You will put your foot on the lion and the snake; the young lion and the great snake will be crushed under your feet. Because he has given me his love, I will take him out of danger: I will put him in a place of honor, because he has kept my name in his heart. When his cry comes up to me, I will give him an answer: I will be with him in trouble; I will make him free from danger and give him honor. With long life will he be rewarded; and I will let him see my salvation.
He is my safe place. He is my tower of strength. He is my God and in Him is my hope. I am safe beneath His wings, and have no fear of evil things or disease or destruction. Though I see a thousand falling by my side and ten thousand at my right hand, it will not come near me. Why? Because I say I am in His hands and He is my safe resting place, no evil will come on me and no disease will come near my tent.
New Living – Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. 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 wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The Lord says, I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.
He alone is my refuge and my place of safety. He is my God and I trust Him. He will rescue me from every trap and protect me from deadly disease. His faithful promises are my armor and protection. He has provided His word as my armor, but I must put it on. If I make the Lord my refuge and the Most High my shelter (this is something I must do; it doesn’t just happen), no evil will conquer me and no plague will come near my home.
Amplified – He 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]. I 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! For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. [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. You 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, nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, there shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.
For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. Because 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]. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.
I can STAY in His presence and REMAIN stable and fixed under His shadow.
I 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! For [then]… all of these wonderful things will be mine.
I don’t just trust from my heart, I must SAY who He is to me and what He will do for me – FOR THEN…all of the other promises can happen.
A thousand may fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand, but it shall not come near me. Only a spectator shall I be [myself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as I witness the reward of the wicked. Because I have made the Lord my refuge, and the Most High my dwelling place, there shall no evil befall me, nor any plague or calamity come near my tent.
What the Lord is emphasizing to me today is the abiding part. If I don’t abide in Him, I am open and vulnerable to the devil. I am thrown away as a branch and dry up and am gathered and cast into the fire and burned, partaking of the evil along with the world.
If I abide in Him, I will bear much fruit. If I ask what I wish it will be done for me.
John 15:4-7 – Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Some things that stand out:
- If you’ll hold onto me for dear life, says God, I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
- His goal for me this year is to stay in His presence, to abide there always and not let anything separate me. Here is what I need to do above all things: Hold onto Him for dear life!
- The Lord is speaking to me to cling to Him and hold onto Him for dear life, to make staying in His presence my #1 priority – more than ever before.
- Part of what I need to do in order to prosper and enjoy all He has provided is to love him, to serve Him with all my heart, mind and entire being, to keep His Word to me for my own good, to cleave to Him, and to cling to Him, hold onto Him for dear life.
- I can STAY in His presence and REMAIN stable and fixed under His shadow. Jesus said I must abide in Him, continue in Him, stay in His presence.
- It works by speaking. I 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! For [then]… all of these wonderful things will be mine. I don’t just trust from my heart, I must SAY who He is to me and what He will do for me – FOR THEN…all of the other promises can happen.
