Obey God First, You will be Safe

Articles, Christian Living | Our Masters Voice | September 13, 2009 at 4:14 pm

Obey God First You will be Safe

In today’s world everyone is talking about safety and security. People dread a terror attack or a military attack or an attack of deadly pestilence. Whatever it may be one thing that rules the thought and mind of people is FEAR. Fear is the cause of every thought & action of an individual. That is why Bibles refutes it saying ‘Fear Not’ over and over again. God’s Word is the lamp that lights our path and this Word of God directs us to fear God our Creator out of reverence. God’s Word gently speaks to us saying:

Fear God and keep His Commandments, for this is whole duty of man.- Ecclesiastes 12: 13

If you make the Most High your dwelling, even the LORD, who is my refuge, then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. Psalm 91:9

What an amazing assurance! This month God Almighty wants you to know the awesome protection that He has placed in you, around you and over you. He also wants you to know the reasons that cause a breach in that wall of protection.

Satan stands before God saying “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? – Job 1:10”. Look at that there is a hedge put around you, your household and everything that you have by God the Creator of Heaven and Earth. It is a protection that you and I can’t see with our mortal eyes. In 2Kings chapter 6 we read that the king of Aram was enraged because the king of Israel with whom he was at war was on guard at every place that king of Aram was attacking. He doubted that his commanding officers had taken sides with his enemy. When he questions them he finds out that Elisha the prophet of God in Israel was telling the king of Israel the very words that he was speaking to his officers in his bedroom. Fuelled with anger he sends his army to capture Elisha.

The strong force sent by the king of Aram surrounds the city in which Elisha was living. The servant of Elisha who sees the army is filled with fear and trembles saying “O Lord what shall we do?-2Kings 6:15. It is here Elisha prays saying “O Lord open his eyes so he may see”. The Lord opens the servant’s eyes and he sees the hills full of horses and chariots and fire all around Elisha. Friends please pause here for a minute, your mortal eyes can’t see the awesome army that’s on guard around you, your eyes of flesh can’t see the chariots of fire that’s engulfing you, but they are on duty under the command of your Father God Adonai. King David who believed it and trusted it declared ‘You are a shield around me -Psalm 3:3”. God is a shield around you as well. Psalm 121:5-8 assures us that the Lord himself watches over you, your going and coming day and night so that nothing neither the sun or the moon would harm you. It is so true that the God who fashioned you is on call watch over you 24 x 7 all days of your life on this earth. Would you do that to your son or daughter? Would you do that to your father or mother? Would you do that to your husband or wife? You would do unto some point only. But the Bible says that the Lord watches over you both now and for evermore.

The protection of our good God is not just around us or over us, it is in us as well. Every human being who believes that God raised Jesus from the dead and confesses with his or her mouth that Jesus is Lord becomes a child of God (Romans 10:9). John 1: 12 says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”.

Are you a child of God?? This message has come to you with a purpose not by accident. My dear friend you may be a person from a different faith or you may be a modern day guy seeking a cool stuff to worship or you may be a gentle, kind, lovable person clean and good before God and man yet if you don’t believe that Jesus died for your sins (all your secret and worst sins inclusive) and rose up on the third day and is very much alive pleading your case before God the Father then my friend you need to take some serious decision right now. Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father God except through Him. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling you just as you are. He knows your pain & agony, your secret & deliberate sins, your failures & disappointments, yet He loves you just as you are. Won’t you repent and run into His open & outstretched arms and give your all to Him right now. Don’t push it off; there may not be a tomorrow for you.

When we become the child of God the Spirit of God comes and dwells in us. He guides us into all truth and convicts us of sin. Yes the Spirit of God dwells in you from the day you become the child of God He is the power in us that protects us. 1John4:4 says, “…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world’. He is the Overseer of your soul (1Peter2:25). The protection that God has placed is inclusive of your soul as well. 2 Thessalonians 3: 3 says

“The Lord is faithful and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one”. The evil one refers to Satan and His ways.

God is not a man to lie. He is a keeper of His word. Mathew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33 emphatically says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall never pass away”. Please think about this, my friend, three men who lived and walked with Jesus have penned the same words. That’s not something that you can just shrug and walk off. It is absolute truth. You just can’t doubt it. God’s protection is there just as the Bible quotes and it shall never fail.

The walls of protection that God has placed can breach or the hedge of protection can get lowered depending on the choices that you make in your daily life.

In Mathew 22:37, 38 Jesus the Son of God says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment”. The word commandment by itself explains that it is decree or demand, yet the other two words first and greatest emphasize the highest importance of that decree. Now ask yourself ‘Do I diligently obey this commandment every day in every way?” I can hear everyone say ‘I do”. Let me ask you ‘Do you know what it means to love the Lord? 1 John3:5 says “This is love for God to obey his commands and his commands are not burdensome”. Yes obeying God’s word is the true way of expressing our love for God. This is not an option it is mandatory. When you love God with all your heart obeying His word will come naturally. It will be your burning desire to please God through your obedience. This enables you to make the right choice in God’s sight. When you disobey God’s commands the wall of protection develops cracks and weakens. You might be a person raised in all Christian traditions; you might be a devout church goer or disciplined at meditating the Word of God yet if you disobey God’s instructions you my friend have a broken wall of protection.

The Bible calls disobedience as rebellion.

Pride is the most important cause for rebellion (disobedience). Many affluent countries like the USA, UK etc., have rebelled against God. They call themselves as a Christian nation or one nation under one God but disobey God’s commands. Pride of their intellectual ability, wealth, and military power has caused them to rebel against God Almighty through disobedience. They disobey God in the name of freedom. Their choice of freedom have destroyed young girls of their virginity, destroyed young men due to alcohol and drug abuse, destroyed homes of love, peace & joy (due to divorce, single sex marriages), destroyed the nation of its wealth, health & security. In Amos 5:4 the Lord says “Seek me and live”. ”God is there for those who seek him.” Isaiah 12:15 says, “But if you do not obey the Lord and if you rebel against His commands, his hands will be against you”. Today the Lord’s hand is against those nations who have failed to love God through the obedience of His word. When they obeyed God’s commandments, God prospered them.

Faithlessness is the other cause for rebellion (disobedience).

Faithless people are the ones who have backslidden from their love for God. They disobey the word of God. King David tells in Psalm 119:158

“I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word”. Many a times we never realize that we have backslidden until the wall of protection disappears. Psalm 78:34, 35 says “Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer”. Don’t wait for God to slew you and bring you back into obedience.

More than sacrifice God wants your obedience. That is why HE says in Jeremiah 3:22 “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.”

When children of God rebel against God the consequences are deadly. The Lord led the Israelites from bondage. From the time they started from Egypt the angel of the Lord went ahead of them as a pillar of cloud by day and as a pillar of fire by night. When their enemy the pharaoh and his army pursued them the pillar of cloud moved from front and stood behind, coming between the armies of Israel and Egypt. It brought darkness to the enemy’s side, but it gave light to the side of the Israelites. In spite of all the miraculous and mighty presence of God with them, the Israelites became impatient and spoke against God and against Moses. Do you know what God did to them? Numbers 21:6 says “Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them, they bit the people and many Israelites died”. Yes my dear friend God allows certain things to touch you or your wealth or your health not to crush you but to heal you. Trials or tests come into our life so as to heal us of our dark areas in our life. Don’t let the luxury of this world to turn your heart from obeying God’s Word. Let not your wisdom and intellectual abilities question the existence of God or His decree. Don’t try to imitate the freedom seekers but seek the giver of freedom from sin. Only when you obey His Word, His promises can be claimed. Every promise of God has a condition attached to it. You can not by pass the condition to posses the promise. The Great & Almighty God has promised this protection for each of you, provided you fulfill your duty.

According to Psalm 91:3-6 things like a fowler’s snare, deadly pestilence, plague, terror by day & night stalk us always. But if you are a child of God who fulfills the duty of obeying God’s word then be of good cheer my friend God’s awesome protection stands firm. Even if you are picked to pass through that valley of darkness God’s grace and mercy will prevail. If at all by any chance you have not accepted Jesus and become His child or disobeyed God’s command then don’t worry God is giving you this opportunity. Kindly pray this prayer with a sincere heart and receive your citizenship in heaven and the protection on earth.

Lord Jesus, I believe in my heart & I confess with my mouth that you are God & that you died for my sins & rose again. I need you in my life as my Savior & Lord. I have rebelled against you by disobeying your commands. Now I understand my mistakes & I repent with all my heart. Pl ease forgive my mistakes & all my wrongdoings & cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Give me a heart & mind that would always be obedient to your words, in the precious name of Jesus I ask AMEN.

Friends, If you have prayed sincerely then you are not alone. Jesus is with you and His angels will protect you. Don’t forget to hate sin & obey God’s word..

Buy a new Bible & read it every day. Search for the promises and comply with its conditions, goodness and love of God will follow you where ever you go.

Rev. Brite Sundar