Pastor’s Corner: “God’s Protection Package”
Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) – 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.
The “Iron Dome” is a modern day air defense system developed and deployed in Israel to defend against incoming missiles from terrorists. This system uses rockets to intercept and destroy incoming rockets launched by the enemies of Israel. God’s protection package for the believer is very similar in many ways to the “Iron Dome” system. It is deployed as a “shield of faith” to repel and destroy the incoming fiery darts of our enemy. Ephesians 6:16 (TLB) – 16 In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.
In Isaiah 54:17 we find God’s promise that He is still honoring to this day, though sometimes it can be difficult to see. Every time we read a news report about believers being killed for their faith, it seems like the enemy is winning, as though the weapons formed against them are defeating them. It is in those moments that we must do as Proverbs 3:5 tells us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Though earthly weapons can destroy the body our souls live in, there is no earthly weapon that can destroy our relationship with God or separate us from His love and care.
Over and over again history has recorded that when persecution comes and tries to destroy believers, the result of that persecution is in fact strengthened faith, not defeated faith. To this day persecution causes faith to spread. And it isn’t just the faith of those directly involved that is strengthened, but that of all believers and unbelievers around the world who are watching. We are told in Acts 8:4, “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” God’s ambassadors are constantly being placed in important places to be both strengthened personally and to bring God’s hope to others. As believers we will be attacked. Weapons will be formed against us to destroy us, but they will not prosper!
Sometimes when we end up in a certain situation, we’ll say, “Why did God allow this to happen to me?” Then later on, after a few years pass by and we have the hindsight of 20/20, we are able to look back on certain circumstances and see why the Lord did what He did—or why He did not do what we thought He should do. We are able to see He was with us, protecting us even when we could not see. And ultimately what the enemy meant to destroy us God used to strengthen and bless us as well as others. Genesis 50:20 (NLT) – 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
Some days get hard. Attacks get hurled our way that we didn’t even see coming. The enemy loves to stir up strife and division and he does his best to heap on insults and kicks us while we’re down. But be assured, whenever you are afflicted, attacked, ridiculed, or abused, God takes notice. Remember His Iron Dome over you. He rises up strong on your behalf. You are His precious child. As believers, we can know that God Himself has the final say over our lives. Not the accuser.
In a world that seems to be spinning out of control it’s comforting to know God has promised to protect His children. No weapon or cruel accusation is able to stand over us for long. It will fall away, for His Power rises above all and what is hidden in the dark, He brings out into the light.
People may be able to lie and fool everyone for a time, but eventually it all will come to light. It all will be declared for what it is. The good thing is that even if people are plotting against you as a child of God, you don’t have to be afraid. The Lord is with you. We are His children and He can’t help but to come to our rescue and defense. THIS IS OUR HERITAGE!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton