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Christina is a friend of the ministry and our personal
friend. She has offered to
write for us. Recently she suffered the loss of her husband
Carlos who worked for
many years in full time ministry and was a total
blessing to Kevin and myself.
Christina has four growing teenagers she lives in Miami Florida in the USA. This family have been our friends for many
years.
The Lord is our Shield
Christina
Romero
‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and
I
am helped. Psalm 28:7 NIV
Everything in our lives can change in an instant. Fears, anxieties and
questions about tomorrow can quickly surround us. We cannot know what
each day holds, let alone what tomorrow will bring. Often we focus on
the everyday burdens of life pressing upon us. Weighed down by the many
cares and stresses of daily living we can sometimes lose hope; but what
will we do in these moments of desperation?
We will seek the Lord, for He is our shield and protection and we will
trust him to deliver us.
David was fleeing for his life from his son Absalom, who in a
successful revolt against his father has just been proclaimed king at
Hebron
(Psalm 3). A story of conspiracy unfolds as Absalom steals the
hearts of the people, igniting them to rise up against his father,
David (2 Samuel 15). His enemies gain strength against him, seeking
to
destroy him. David describes himself as being up to his neck in
troubles and that he is worn out looking for God (Psalm 69). He is
suffering. Powerful people are rising up against him who hate him and
are capable of destroying him. At this point, he has so many
enemies
that they number more than the hairs on his head.
In his desperation… he cried out to the Lord:
‘Oh Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many
are
saying of me, “God will not deliver him” Psalm 3:1 NIV
David knows he can trust God to deliver him even in the midst of his
distress. Revealing his strong faith, he declares that he will praise
God in song and glorify him by giving him thanks (Psalm 69: 30) .
David was in a battle for his life in a defining moment of desperation.
Maybe you find that your life is in the middle of a battle; your health
in decline, relationships torn, or financial ruin is upon you.
Pressures and worries threaten to keep you down and you find yourself
in a vulnerable position. All is not lost! David found himself in the
very same vulnerable position and the Lord lifted him up! You can be
assured that He will do the same for you. As David cried out to God, he
began to let go of all his fears and concerns as he placed them into
the hands of God.
David was all alone with God and nobody could truly know the cry of his
heart. Hard times can be lonely, but we are not alone. David sought the
Lord, his shield and protection and the Lord heard his cry. God will
hear the cry of your heart as you look up to him as your shield and
your strength. God is the only one who has the power to shield you from
the enemy. Be encouraged to focus on the Lord, get to know who He is
through His Word. Occupy your heart with God’s Word. Cry out
to God.
He will reveal Himself to you. He will lift up your head, and give you
hope. Trust him to protect you. He is your shield. He is able. The
shield of the Lord will cover your spirit and protect you. Trust Him.
David was a man after God’s heart, known for his bravery, courage
and
strength. In (Psalm 1: 1-2) we see him cry out to God about all his
troubles and what people around him are saying. Yet, in the middle of
his pleas for help, he is able to make a firm declaration of faith
saying:
‘But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and
lift up my head.’ Psalm 3: 1-3 NIV
David was going through major difficulties but he is not about to let
that keep him down. He knows in whom he trusts, and he gladly
declares
it aloud! You may be going through some life altering situations, but
this is not the end. This is not all there is to it! Do not lose
heart! God’s faithfulness and mercy always come through. God is
your
shield in times of trouble. David put his trust in God and not himself
and God was able to rescue him even when he felt forsaken by God.
Psalm 9:9-10 ’The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold
in
times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you,
Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.’
Psalm 5:12 ‘For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you
surround
them with your favor as with a shield’
Be confident that he will see you through, he promises to be your
shield and protection, so he will not leave you uncovered if you put
your trust in Him.
"Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be
made into a burden." Corrie Ten Boom
Prayer: Lord, Cover my family, my home, business,
ministry…with your
shield of protection. I am trusting you to keep me from harm. You
are
my strength and my help in times of trouble. I declare that you are a
shield around me O Lord; you bestow glory upon me and lift up my head!
Thank you for your faithfulness.
Denise writes
MOVING IN
THE STRENGTH OF
HIS PROMISE
“For as many as are the
promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ].
For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to
God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory
of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20 – Amp.).
God showed me that I can move in the strength of His
promise and have the yes of His approval on all He has
promised. I have found this to be true. When I say yes to
Jesus I say yes to His revealed will. I say yes
to His promises. Let us learn to say yes to Jesus. When we
keep a firm grip on His promises He always keeps His Word.
Which
way are you moving? Where are you going? Are you moving in the strength
of His promise? When we think about what this means we see that strength
means; permanence, prevailing power, might, strong support, wealth,
force, protection, toughness, of His command, word, announcement,
instruction, guarantee, message, pledge, covenant, prediction.
Before my husband and I left New Zealand in 1998, we signed over power of
attorney to our family to sell our house, then, with only two bags each,
we left our beloved country by faith with eight hundred dollars, two
connections in the USA, and a round-the-world ticket for
one year. We left in the permanence of God's command, believing that God
was true and faithful to His Word. God was faithful and within two
weeks in Florida we had the 2000 US dollars we
needed to go to a nearby nation for three months’ ministry.
Prompted by the Holy Spirit, in a house church, I ‘punched’ a pain-filled
woman in the stomach, moving in the toughness and the prevailing
p-o-w-e-r of His guaranteed Word. The woman vomited everywhere, and from
that moment the severe pain she had left, and she was totally healed of
terminal cancer!
I laid hands on a tiny baby in that nation.. Everyone
was very upset as the baby, just a few days old, had been diagnosed with
a genetic disorder. There was no hope for this baby to grow or develop
normally! A year later I was in a house and there was a small child
playing, walking, and talking normally! This was the same child, totally
healed because we moved in the wealth and strong support of God's command
to lay hands on the sick.
When Dayle fasted and prayed for forty days after she
was given a death sentence from cancer, which was spreading throughout
her body, she moved in the force and might of His pledge and covenant.
She travelled to an Asian on a missions’ trip when others would
have accepted the death sentence and given up. But not Dayle - she went
to regardless. There she knelt on the floor, and, along with the team,
some leaders prayed over her. Within two days she was totally healed; not
a sign of cancer was in her body. All because she moved in the strength
of God's promise.
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Are
you moving in the strength of His promise?
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Are
you keeping a firm grip on the promises of God?
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God
always keeps His Word.
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