And How To Access the Antidote to Fear
Dear Zikora,
How are you today?
With today’s entry, I hope that “afraid” will not be among one of the feelings you have. Today’s reading will bring you calm and assurance that your protection is guaranteed. It will also give you an answer to questions like “What’s in it for me as a Christian?”.
Psalm 91 outlines the wonderful benefits God assures us are ours because we maintain a deep, intimate, and trusting relationship with him. Check out this blog post for how to create this kind of relationship with God: How to Have a Close and Strong Relationship with God.
Read this post for how to maintain it: Psalm 81: How to Preserve Our Relationship with God and Ensure a Soft Godly life
Psalm 91 is quite specific in the way it speaks to our promises from God. It emphasizes that these promises are for those who “dwells” in the Lord. Take a look:
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the Shadow of the almighty”…Psalm 91 vs 1.
This means that, these promises are for those who choose to have a constant close relationship with God. It is for those who make God their top priority. Psalm 91 further breaks down these promises in 3 parts. By specifying the rewards and assurances that are inherently ours in three parts, the importance of the intentional ways we must be with God are emphasized. To be clear, God’s promises are available to us, however, knowing exactly how to get to them gives us confidence, and ensures that we actually enjoy and utilize them.
Now that you have chosen to dwell in the lord, here are the promises you have in God in three parts:
1) Promises For Those Who Intentionally Trust and Commit their Ways To God:
Intentionally trusting God is crucial and gives us audacity and confidence to face any fear. Plus, it is backed up by many promises. Here are some of the promises in a direct quote:
Psalm 91 vs 2-8:
“I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust;
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, not the arrow that flies by day; nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destructions that wastes at noon-day.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked”.
2) Promises for Those Who Intentionally Choose God:
With God, you have to be intentional. You have to deliberately choose God in all you do. This is the freedom that the love of God affords you. God does not force you to choose him, or to choose to do his will. You have the free will to do whatever you want, however, choosing God is the best decision you can ever make. If you choose to remain in God’s camp, here is the reward for you in a direct quote from Psalm 91 vs 9-13:
“Because You have made the Lord your dwelling place- the most high, who is my refuge- no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.
For he [God] will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot”.
This particular portion is loaded with so much promise for you to walk in boldness and have no fear or anxiety. I want you to memorize this portion because it will be your antidote for scary times or days when you are frightened but need to show up with boldness.
3) Promises for Those Who Intentionally Know and Love God:
Loving God is our first great commandment. It is the first step in your journey as a Christian. See this post: Why Love is Non-Negotiable
Here is your reward in a direct quote from Psalm 91 vs 14-16:
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With Long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation”
After reading the above portion, what more do you need, eh? What more incentive do you require? As a child of God, there is a lot of benefit for you. I hope you remember Psalm 91 whenever you start to be afraid of what the world is becoming.
Before you go, remember that if you feel that you do not get to partake in these promises because of your sin, please ask God to forgive you of your sins and truly repent of them (that is, don’t deliberately repeat those sins). Loving God and doing God’s will is a daily conscious effort. God sees your heart and knows your intentions, so don’t let guilt rob you of your boldness and rights in God.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you so much for the gift of Psalm 91 in this scary and trying times. Thank you that I get to live each day knowing that your protection is guaranteed. I thank you so much for your patience with me as I get to know more about you and your love for me. You are worthy of my praise Lord. Help me to always remember Psalm 91 and to operate from a place of confidence and not fear as I go about my daily activities. Thank you oh Lord my King. I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus name. Amen.
