by Gloria Copeland
Several years ago, the Lord told me: Separate yourself and you’ll be separated. Choosing to follow God separates you from evil. In fact, living on purpose in God is the only safe place to live. The Bible is filled with accounts of supernatural protection for God’s people. It’s no problem for God to bring you out of a fiery furnace or shut the mouth of a lion. He proves time and again He’s able to get the job done no matter what the circumstances. God’s promise of protection is powerful! However, it needs activation because it is not automatic. There are things you have to do in order for God to be your refuge. There are choices you have to make.
Choose to be like the person in Psalm 91 who made the choice to dwell, or abide, in the secret place of the Most High. As a result, he received the protection that Psalm 91 promises. His dependence is on God. And he stays stable and fixed under God’s shadow by being obedient. The good things of God—the blessings and deliverance from the curse—are only for the obedient. They are not for everybody. The good things belong to those who do what God says—to those who seek Him. Protection is for the resolute—those who have resolved to walk with God.
Choose to Research God Yourself
These are serious days. You must decide where you are going to dwell—where you are going to put your trust and dependence. Your dependence is not going to be on God without spending time with Him and His Word, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. By spending time in the Word, you will become fully persuaded that God is faithful. Assurance comes in your heart that gives peace instead of fear. Our responsibility in life is to seek God—always. The Hebrew word for seek (doresh) comes from a root word that means “to tread or frequent.” In Hebrew seek means “to ask, diligently inquire, require or search.”
Rabbi Isidor Zwirn, in his book The Rabbi From Burbank, explained that doresh could be translated “to research.” When I saw that, I thought, That is exactly what it takes to stay in the will of God, to grow in God and to get God involved in all your affairs. It is the best word to describe how we ought to live. We should always be researching God, His Word to know more about God, and His way of doing things. We should always be researching God. Constant victory comes as we do this.Remember what was necessary to write a term paper? Research! The more the research, the better the paper! I believe if we desire to experience the best in life, then we must spend time researching God.
Choose to Trust God’s Protection
David researched God. He knew he could put his trust in Him. In Psalm 3:3 David said, “But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me….” The Tehillim reveals that when you look at David’s battle history, he did not find security in any armour or shield. He only found security in God. The Tehillim also says David often repeated this plea, “ ‘Protect me, O God, for in You I take refuge,’ until it enveloped and encircled him like a crown.” The protection of God is a tangible force. The recognition of this tangible reality, the recognition of the power of God, the recognition of the protection of God “constitutes a dynamic force which fortifies those who possess it and protects them from evil.”
When you truly walk with God, you never walk alone.
Gloria Copeland
This concept is seen in the Word over and over when it talks about protection. When we walk with God, we are said to be encompassed, encircled, covered and overshadowed by His goodness and protection. Psalm 25:12-13 in The Living Bible says, “Where is the man who fears the Lord? God will teach him how to choose the best. He shall live within God’s circle of blessing….” Your circle of blessing goes with you wherever you go. It surrounds you and protects you when God is your refuge. Psalm 27:1, 5 in The Amplified Bible says, “The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? In the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will He hide me….” God surrounds you and hides you like a tent.
Ephesians 6 lists the whole armour of God and verse 17 says, “And take…the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God” (The Amplified Bible). Ephesians 6:13-18 charges us to put on the whole armour of God. As one commentary points out, a shield only partially protects its wearer on three sides, while armour completely surrounds its wearer. The Hebrew word for armor implies circle. You’re completely covered! Psalm 91:4 also says: “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
Choose to Seperate God’s Truth
I love what the Tehillim says about the Word: “Torah, which is God’s truth, is a shield and a weapon for those who study it. But casual Torah study is not sufficient.” That goes back to the importance of researching the Word. This commentator goes on to say, “The diligent student must treat Torah as precious merchandise.” That is what the Lord taught me to do. The Word is not a casual thing for me. I live by it. When I say that, I don’t mean that I just obey it. I stay alive by the Word of God.
In order for the truth of the Word to become your shield and buckler (armour), you must have more than just a knowledge of what the Word says. You could have the whole Bible memorised and still be living a totally defeated life. The Spirit of God has to reveal the truth to you for you to actually walk in that truth. It takes revelation from the Holy Spirit.
So start digging into the Word like precious treasure. Spend time studying the promises of protection, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal them as truth in your own life. Be diligent to declare that the Lord is your refuge. When you determine to continually dwell in the secret place of the Most High, you will step into God’s circle of blessing and protection.You can’t see your circle but it’s there. You may not be able to see your angels either, but when you truly walk with God, you never walk alone. You walk surrounded by His protection—above, below, north, south, east and west! See yourself in your divine armour.
Watch Kenneth Copeland speak on The Power of Psalm 91 for Protection and Healing.
