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Then you stick with that confession. You don’t say a bunch of unbelieving junk that contradicts it. You don’t say stupid stuff like, “Well, everyone at work has the flu, so I suppose I’ll be next. There’s just no way around it.” No, you say what Psalm 91:2 says and nothing else. What happens when you do that? Someone else starts talking. Read Psalm 91 all the way through and you’ll see what I mean. It’s written in a way that clearly indicates more than one person is speaking. In verse 2, for instance, the believer speaks and says, “The Lord is my refuge, in Him will I trust.” But in verse 3 (and throughout the rest of the psalm), someone else takes over and responds to the believer’s confession of faith by saying, “Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.” I’ll never forget the first time I noticed that. I thought, Who is talking in those verses? It can’t be God because they refer to God as “He.” So there’s someone else speaking in this psalm. I asked The LORD about it and He said, 'It’s Jesus.' Isn’t that amazing? When you and I declare our trust in God, Jesus starts speaking and giving us insight into what that trust brings to pass for us. He steps into His role as our High Priest and declares what God is going to do for us. In verse 4, for example, He tells us that God “shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust.” We’ve all heard the expression, “he took me under his wing.” There’s a whole lot to that: It not only means to cover someone and protect them from outside harm; it refers to providing them with expertise and resources. When God says He’s taking you under His wing, He’s talking covenant language. He’s saying, “When you come into My house, you’re covered. I take care of everything.” That in itself is so thrilling we could be tempted just to set up camp around verse 4 and celebrate. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. In verses 5 and 6, He goes on to say, “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” When Jesus says thou shalt not be afraid, He’s not just trying to comfort us. He’s not patting us on the head and saying, “Now, don’t worry about this, little darling. You won’t be scared.” No, He’s giving an emphatic command. He’s saying to us, “You shall not be afraid!” Keeping the Switch of Faith Turned On Why is Jesus so adamantly opposed to us being afraid? Because all the benefits listed in Psalm 91 are faith-dependent; and for us to stand in faith, we must stand against fear. The New Testament story about Jairus confirms this. Do you remember what happened to him? A ruler of the synagogue, he went to Jesus with a desperate situation: His little daughter was so sick, she was about to die. Certain that Jesus could help her, he went to the place where He was preaching, “fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live” (Mark 5:22-23). At the time, Jesus was surrounded by a huge crowd of people but, moved by Jairus’ faith, He responded to his plea and started walking with him toward his house. ***article continues on next page*** ****ADVERTISEMENT******* Pull the Plug on Terrorism As a believer, a member of God’s family, you can be protected from harm. You were designed for peace of mind—no matter what! In this series by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, you’ll learn how to stay in God’s safe haven of protection regardless of what the news reports say. You’ll also discover the simple, everyday decisions that make the difference between life and death, faith and fear. Pull the plug on terrorism today when you take your place as a born-again, Spirit-filled child of God…one who is "Delivered From Fear"! "Delivered From Fear" 5 CDs sale $19.99* reg $25 #B150505 kcm.org/mag 1-800-600-7395 U.S. only +1-817-852-6000 *FREE standard shipping included. Offer price valid until May 31, 2015 ************************************* BVOV : 28

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