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Issue link: http://magazine.kcm.org/i/1444581
For believers, success means the fulfilment of God’s promises in our lives. It means peace, joy, contentment, health, prosperity and protection. It’s the life every one of us wants to live! But this kind of success isn’t automatic. Every day, Christians find themselves besieged by evil instead of experiencing success. Why? Because the God kind of success is only available to believers who make God a stronghold in their lives. In Scripture, the term stronghold refers to a walled city. During Old Testament times, bigger and stronger walls meant security for the stronghold’s inhabitants—whether they were good or bad. The same is true of spiritual strongholds. They can be big and strong in our lives, and they can be godly strongholds or satanic strongholds. Those strongholds define our level of blessing. Take a few minutes and read Psalm 91 and take note of all the blessings afforded to those who have made God their stronghold. I’m presenting it here in "The Passion Translation" so you can get a better understanding: "When you abide under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High. He’s the hope that holds me and the stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence. He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy, and he will protect you from false accusation and any deadly curse. His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm. You will never worry about an attack of demonic forces at night nor have to fear a spirit of darkness coming against you. Don’t fear a thing! Whether by night or by day, demonic danger will not trouble you, nor will the powers of evil be launched against you. Even in a time of disaster, with thousands and thousands being killed, you will remain unscathed and unharmed. You will be a spectator as the wicked perish in judgment, for they will be paid back for what they have done! When we live our lives within the shadow of God Most High, our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm. How then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us? God sends angels with special orders to protect you wherever you go, defending you from all harm. If you walk into a trap, they’ll be there for you and keep you from stumbling. You’ll even walk unharmed among the fiercest powers of darkness, trampling every one of them beneath your feet! For here is what the Lord has spoken to me: 'Because you loved me, delighted in me, and have been loyal to my name, I will greatly protect you. I will answer your cry for help every time you pray, and you will feel my presence in your time of trouble. I will deliver you and bring you honor. I will satisfy you with a full life and with all that I do for you. For you will enjoy the fullness of my salvation!'” Often, believers will say, “Yes, Psalm 91 is true for me. No evil will befall me. No plague will come nigh my dwelling!” But when you became a Christian, you didn’t automatically make God your stronghold. It takes deliberate or subconscious action for that to happen. Of course, we can’t make God our stronghold without having a covenant with Him—but we can have a covenant with Him without making Him our stronghold. Trust vs. Faith To make God our stronghold, it’s not enough to say, “Well, I’m just going to focus on the Word and spend time with the Lord.” Those things are important to do, but there are other, deliberate steps we can take to make God our stronghold in all areas of life. Nahum 1:7 says, “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that TRUST in him” [emphasis mine]. Trust is a defining consideration for the strongholds we build. Trust and faith, however, are not synonymous—even though they are often treated that way. Faith relies on the degree to which you have the Word coming into your life. By hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God, maturity begins to occur—but that’s not trust. It’s possible to have faith, even at a reasonably high level of maturity, and still not trust. BVOV : 23