Let’s begin. We’re going to be in Psalm 91 this morning. (Read through the entire Psalm before delivering the message)
(1) He that dwelleth in the secret pace of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty,
The first thing I want to point out: you have to make a decision to dwell. God doesn’t come and grab you and say come on. We have to make the decision to put aside whatever else we are doing if we are going to dwell in that secret place with our Father.
The word “dwelleth” means to sit down, to remain; to settle, to marry. How many of you are married or have been married? You know that when you marry someone, you just don’t leave that relationship whenever you like. When you marry someone, you are attached to that person. That is your mate. That’s the person that when things are not going well, you go to because you know he or she will help you deal with it.
Dwelleth – do you see what God is telling us? He that marries me. He that marries me. Do you see this? We know that the Psalms are prophetic. He’s talking about the Body of Christ! He that marries me.
The “secret place” is a covering. It’s protection. Most of the time we see the word “secret” and we believe that only a select few know where the place is. Let me tell you something. Everybody knows where the secret place is! Everybody! It’s God’s presence! Satan knows where the secret place it!
So, it’s not about it being a secret place. It’s about a place that you have to have something that will allow you to enter it. If you don’t have God’s mark on you, you cannot enter the secret place. If you haven’t been washed by the blood of Jesus, you can’t enter the secret place. This is what gives you access to the secret place of the Almighty!
This tells you, ladies and gentlemen, that everybody can’t go in.
Let’s look at the characteristics of a secret place.
In Psalm 31:20 it says “Thou shalt hide them in the secret place of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.”
In Psalm 32:7 is says “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about twitch songs of deliverance. Selah.”
God is our hiding place. Ladies and gentlemen, grab a hold of that. When we dwell in the secret place, God is our protection. When we dwell in the secret place, God is our covering.
Do you see the word “abide”? It means to rest. When you know that you’re covered by the shadows of the Almighty, you can rest. But you have to know, you have to believe, that the Almighty is covering you. Why? Because you’ve made the decision to rest in His secret place. God is our defense!
(2) I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
What are the first three words? “I will say.” Now listen to this.
? “I will say to the Lord, God, you are my shelter!” That’s what the word “refuge” means.
? Do you see the word “fortress”? It means net. Think with me. If God is my defense, my shadow, and my net, how far can you fall if God is your net? And the thing that came to mind was “safety net.” “I will say to the Lord, God, you are my safety net!”
? “I will say to the Lord, God, you are my God!”
? “I will say to the Lord, God, you are the only one I trust!”
When you home tonight, repeat these confessions! Repeat them! “God, you are my safety net. I’m not concerned about anything because you’re my God and I trust only in you.”
(3) Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
The word “deliver” means He’ll snatch you away. I immediately thought about Colossians 1:13 where it says he snatched us from the power of darkness.
The word “fowler” means someone who uses bait to trap his prey. If you are dwelling in the secret place with God, He can help stop you from getting trapped by bait. Let’s be clear folks. Satan knows the kind of bait that will get our attention.
The phrase “noisome pestilence” is evil desire to cause calamity. God going to snatch us away from those things that want to cause us harm. But think about it. If you’re not dwelling in that secret place, you’re leaving yourself open.
(4) He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and bucket.
You can see the imagery he’s giving here of how the mother hen covers her chicks with her wings. And we know from John 17:17 that Jesus says thy word is truth.
This word “shield” is interesting. Hold your finger here and turn to Amos 4:2. “The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.”
The word shield means a hook. God is going to hook you. He’s going to grab you. When you are grabbed by a hook, you go where the hook takes you, right? That’s part of the deliverance.
(5) Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; not for the arrow that flieth by day;
When God says you shall not be afraid, He’s not making a recommendation. He’s not making a suggestion. He’s telling you “Don’t you dare be afraid.” Satan wants to grab our emotions with sudden fear and God says you have no reason whatsoever to fear. I am you defense. So when you find yourself in situations where fear begins to rise up, you shut it down. You say “My Father covers me. My Father surrounds me. I will not fear!”
What’s the difference between “thou shalt not fear” and “thou shalt have no other God before me?” Do you see this? It’s the same thing.
Look at Psalm 112. Verse 7 – “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. The word “fixed” means you’re standing in an upright position because you trust in the Lord. You are now cowered down by anything!
Verse 8 – “His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.” That word “established” means you’re laying something on someone or something. What are you laying on God? Your fear. Get this image ladies and gentlemen. Everyone around you may be fearful but not you! The Lord is your shadow, your defense. The Lord is your hiding place.
Remember when he talks about the terror by night? He’s talking about those things that come up suddenly. You get some bad news suddenly and it causes your heart palpitate. It causes your fingers to tingle. It causes your emotions to begin to rise up in you. But God says don’t fear.
And what’s the #1 thing that brings a sudden fear, a sudden terror, into people’s lives? It’s when they hear the word cancer. It brings fear rushing into your life. So, I asked God “why do people who are diagnosed with cancer die?” And He says it’s because that’s what they’re told over and over and over again that when you get cancer, you die.
Do you want to know how to stop dying from cancer? And these are the words that the Lord used: You bombard your soul with the Word of God over and over and over and over. If you want to stop dying from anything, bombard your soul with the Word of God.
Jump down to verse 9.
(9) Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, they habitation;
“Because thou hast” – You made a decision. Now I want you to think back to Genesis 3:14. After the serpent seduced Adam and Eve, God says “Because thou hast…” And He did the same thing with Adam later in the chapter. He uses these exact same word. God tells the serpent and Adam, because you did that, this is what I am going to do.
Ladies and gentlemen, this verse is telling us that because we have decided to make the Lord our refuge, look at what it says in verse 10.
(10) There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
(11) For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Who quoted this passage to Jesus? Satan. Do you think it applies to us? Not a trick question. Yes it does!
The word “befall” means to walk toward. It’s a combination of two different words. The first means to walk toward; the second means seek an occasion to do you harm. When you dwell in the secret place of the Almighty, you won’t have to worry about terrors by night. You won’t have to worry about evil catching you off guard. Why? God is your defense. He is your shadow – if you are in that secret place.
Because we made the Lord our refuge, no plague will come near our building. That word “plague” means a blemish created by touching or striking. When we dwell in the secret place, when God is our defense, when God is our shadow, Satan can’t touch us. He can try to affect us with situations and circumstances, but God says he won’t be able to touch you.
(12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash this foot against a stone.
(13) Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shall thou trample under feet.
Do you see this? Let’s see this in the New Testament. Turn to Luke 10. Look at verse 19, “Behold, I give unto you power (or authority) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you,” Do you see that? He’s given us authority over all the power of the enemy. We have power over the kingdom of darkness.
(14) Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
What are the first three words? We’ve seen them before. The word “set” means to be attached to, to bind oneself to. In other words, you don’t let go and that is what God is saying to us – You don’t let Me go!
(15) He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.
This verse says God will deliver us when we set our love upon Him. This verse says God will honor us when we set our love on Him. When we get to the point that we are bound to Him because we love Him so much, He honors us. How? One example: When we pray for a person’s healing that person is healed! Praise God!
(16) With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.
I want you to read verse 16 again and I want you to see what it is saying. Our Father desires long life for us ladies and gentlemen. Long life. Dying at 30 is not long life. Dying at 50 is not long life. Are you with me?
I really want you see “long life will I satisfy him.” Turn to Isaiah 65. We’re going to read verses 20 through 22.
(20) There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accused.
Do you see this? Babies aren’t going to die babies. Do you believe this? The same is true for the old man who has not fulfilled his years.
(21) And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
See this! You’re going to build house and live in them. You’re going to access your inheritance! And, you’re going to plant and eat the fruit of what you plant. Does that sound like poverty to you? Does that sound like financial hardship to you? Does that sound like living paycheck to paycheck? No! Now verse 22.
(22) They shall not build, and another inhabit [I love this. What you build will be yours. You are not going to die young and then someone else enjoys what you have build! Do you see this?]; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree [Of all the analogies he could have used, he uses a tree!] are the days of my people; and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
God says that as the days of trees, so your days be. Do you believe that? Hallelujah! And it all starts when we make a decision to go to that secret place that is really not a secret at all! Everybody knows where it is but everybody doesn’t have access.
My prayer is that this message blesses you.
So tonight, before you go to bed remember:
? God, you are my shelter!
? God, you are my safety net!
? God, you are my God!
? And, God, you are the only one I trust!
Amen! Please stand.
