Pastor Bill Johnson preaches on the huge role Holy Spirit plays in us finding deliverance from pain, sin, and suffering in our lives. We find our refuge and protection in the Lord but we may have a tendency to ignore the Holy Spirit’s power over what we’re experiencing.
I cannot over emphasize the importance
of us learning to live with continuous
affection for the person of the Holy
Spirit there’s something about that
abiding presence it’s not just that he
protects us it’s it’s the the closer I
stay to his heartbeat the more I know
what to do in a difficult moment
verse 3 surely he shall deliver You From
The Snare of the Fowler and from the
perilous pestilence
to me this implies snare with the Fowler
they would set a trap for a bird to
catch to catch a bird
Fowler snare
he will deliver you from the snare
to me it implies
that maybe you got caught in the snare
and he’s going to release you
so if if if you if you didn’t get the
protection you’re supposed to get to
keep you from the snare once you’re in
it he’s going to release you the whole
point is so all of you that are watching
some of you are in absolute Divine
Health others of you are struggling he
will deliver You From The Snare if you
got caught in this snare it’s not shame
it’s not condemnation we live in a world
of sin we get exposed to stuff and it’s
not your fault the good news is he will
deliver You From The Snare of the Fowler
and from the perilous pestilence verse
four he will cover you with his feathers
under his wings you shall take refuge
his truth shall be your shield and
buckler a buckler is a small Shield so
it’s more of a hand-to-hand combat type
picture all right I I always quote this
verse when people complain about
feathers appearing in our meetings
laughs
he shall cover you with his feathers
well that’s not literal Bill and I’d say
I know that’s what I thought all right
of course
verse 5.
verse five you shall not be afraid of
the terror by night nor of the arrow
that flies by day this is important
the distinction
in in the New Testament the arrows are
the the enemy’s thoughts
you remember the the example of the
armor of God the shield of Faith it’s to
absorb the shield of faith is to absorb
the thoughts the ideas the suggestions
The Temptations all the junk that the
enemy throws our way so that’s what the
arrow comes during the day when you’re
alive and thinking at night is the
terror
and so he’s he’s distinguishing if if
you go to bed with fear you you are
you’re embracing this thing that says I
could something could happen in the
night it’s that it’s that thing that
foreboding spirit that Chris deals with
a lot the the expectation or
anticipation of something wrong
happening oh man I hope our family
member I hope I hope something bad
doesn’t happen to this person that
person that foreboding spirit is that
Terror in the night and so the Lord is
actually equipping us to take a position
shield and buckler the The Shield of
Faith to absorb the stuff that comes at
us during the day but to do it so well
during the day that when it’s time to go
to bed
we can go to sleep in rest knowing that
he will defend us now I’m going to throw
in a word it’s not a Biblical word it’s
a word it’s it’s the one of two times in
my life I’ve had the Lord wake me up in
the middle of the night with his voice
it happened about
um
oh goodness 23 probably 23 years ago
here soon after we came to Redding we’ve
been here I think it’s 24 maybe it’s 25
years I lose track 24 years 24 years
this last month
so it’s about maybe 23 years ago I was
awakened in the night with this phrase
he watches over the watch of those who
watch the Lord
he watches over the watch of those who
watch the Lord of course we know in
pondering after I heard that he awakened
me with that voice I don’t ever want to
equate that with scripture I’m just
saying he spoke something to me that was
important for me to hear in that season
but also right now
he watches over the watch we know what a
Watchman is a Watchman is positioned on
a wall to see what might be coming
towards the city
good good news here we have people
coming in to trade open the gates bad
news here we have uh we have people
trying to sneak into the city city to
kill steal and destroy and so the
Watchman keeps away and this verse said
he will watch over my watch if I’ll
watch him
so this Terror by night thing is that
is that we go to sleep literally with
our eyes on him knowing that he will
watch our watch on our behalf
amen bill that was an excellent point
all right
Let’s uh verse 6 is basically the same
thing nor the pestilence that walks in
darkness the destruction that lays waste
at noon Day verse 7 a thousand may fall
at your side ten thousand at your right
hand but it shall not come near you only
with your eyes shall you look and see
the reward of the wicked
I I want to be careful here first of all
the Judgment verses in the Old Testament
I don’t want to ignore I don’t want to
wash them away and pretend they don’t
exist that’s not healthy nor is it
accurate
whenever I see a a person who lives in
corruption in evil it doesn’t matter how
deep they are lost I always am praying
for Mercy I don’t care how lost they are
how you know how demonized they are how
they may be a self-proclaimed devil
worshiper makes no difference to me I’m
going to pray for the mercy of God but I
will let you in on a secret
if I in my prayer Lord if they
absolutely refuse to repent and they
will not turn
then please use your dealings with them
to release the fear of God to the people
of God awaken us to this to this reality
now another thing I need to say
is just because you have difficulty or
are struggling or you’re sick or
whatever that’s not the Judgment of God
all right so anybody who’s watching
online here we’re going to pray for this
at the end it’s not the Judgment of the
Lord that’s not what he’s doing this is
a quite a different deal here all right
verse 9 let’s move on from that because
you have made the Lord who is my refuge
even the most high your Dwelling Place
referring back to verse one no evil will
befall you nor shall any plague near
come near your dwelling
for he shall give his angels charge over
you to keep you in all your ways let’s
go back over verse 10 and 11 again
I’m sorry verse 9.
because
so here’s a reason because you have made
the Lord who is my refuge even the most
high your Dwelling Place
no evil shall befall you nor any plague
come near your dwelling stop right there
I just want to re-emphasize learning to
live in the manifestation of the of the
presence of God the abiding presence of
the Holy Spirit
I I cannot I cannot over emphasize the
importance of us learning to live with
continuous affection for the person of
the Holy Spirit there’s something about
that abiding presence it’s not just that
he protects us it’s it’s the the closer
I stay to his heartbeat the more I know
what to do in a difficult moment
the disciples come to Jesus and say why
couldn’t we cast The Demon out of the
child
Jesus says it only comes out with prayer
and fasting and he didn’t pray or fast
why because the tenderness the closeness
was already there the devil was on his
shoulder and remained so there was a
continuous ongoing relationship and
awareness of the spirit of God so he
didn’t need to turn aside what is
fasting for is to refine our Focus to
the kingdom
is to say no to other appetites so that
we can truly hunger for the the reality
of the Unseen Promises of God that are
to become manifest that’s what it is
fasting is refining Focus Jesus didn’t
fast in the moment why he lived with a
refined Focus he lived with the
connection to the abiding presence of
the spirit of God so This Promise here
is not just this casual the holy spirit
is with us always thing it’s the
invitation to develop an awareness of
the spirit of God Upon Our Life in such
a way it’s not just to protect me from
plagues it’s to is to keep me in the
center of what he’s doing on planet
Earth it makes me the the offensive
weapon if you will the one who can bring
hope in Hopeless situation the one who
refused to to cower in the face of
threat and disease and all the junk that
goes on unwilling to cower I will not I
will not give honor to a disease
I will not give honor to a disease
cancer
is with a small C
Jesus is a capital j
always keep it big
let me see him silly to you but that’s
that’s what’s going on in my head all
right