Our Sword and Shield

Defender

One thing that God is good at is protecting His children.

Those of you who are familiar with the 91^st Psalm know that dwelling in God’s secret place remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].

God is our Refuge...

God is our Fortress...

God is our Defender!

We may not be able to avoid feeling pain or receiving disappointments, but we have confidence that whatever people may do, God has our back. We see an example of this in the life of an Old Testament prophet.

²³ He went up from Jericho to Bethel. On the way, young [maturing and accountable] boys came out of the city and mocked him and said to him, Go up [in a whirlwind], you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!
²⁴ And he turned around and looked at them and called a curse down on them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and ripped up forty-two of the boys.
²⁵ Elisha went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

2 Kings 2:23-25 [AMP]

The Prophet Elisha had just seen his spiritual father, the Prophet Elijah, leave the earth in a whirlwind. That was God’s special way of taking His servant home. This was a glorious thing to witness, but also a time of sadness and mourning. Elijah had been more than just a boss or a higher ranking prophet. He was in a sense like a father. I remember the pastor who was there during my initial foray into the service of the Lord. He was like a father to me. Losing him was very painful.

As Elisha was returning after seeing this great man in his life leave the planet, he was accosted by some juvenile delinquents. Some expositors believe that the insults about his bald head was the reason for their punishment. But it was more likely the fact that they were telling him to go up in a whirlwind. In other words, they did not want to hear the word of God for their lives from Elijah and also did not want to hear it from Elisha. Still, the man of God had a very painful experience and we see how God defended him off by sending the two bears.

While you may not have grizzly bears show up to slap the living daylights out of those who bother you, you do have the assurance of knowing that God is protecting you by His power and His might. We go into more detail about this in our audio teaching entitled Defender. Feel free to listen to this teaching if you need to know more about God’s protection from your enemies. Particularly, satan and his evil forces.

by Brotha DC

Empowered by the Holy Spirit

Before he ascended into heaven Jesus said: But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit is your divine helper, counselor, advocate, intercessor, strengthener and standby. He will take the things of Jesus and reveal them unto you for He is the spirit of Truth sent to lead you into all truth. Acknowledge the Holy Spirit in everything you do; He will help you pray when you don't know how, and He will show you things to come.

Father God as a member of Your royal race, I have been made a king and a priest unto You. I am Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do the works You have prepared for me to accomplish. Because I was born for such a time as this, I will make a difference in this generation and influence future generations. You bestowed upon me Your creativity and ingenuity, and they are expanded through the power of the Holy Spirit, which You sent to be my Helper and my Strength. Amen

And formed us into a kingdom (a royal race), priests to His God and Father--to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion throughout the ages and forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

Revelation 1:6 [AMP]

For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

Ephesians 2:10 [AMP]

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?

Esther 4:14 [AMP]

³ For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).

⁴ By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.

2 Peter 1:3-4 [AMP]

by Judypie