Praise Builds Protection

Intro:

Today we will continue our series entitled, [Praise in Progress]. It is my prayer and utmost desire that we will settle in our hearts, God needs us to praise BEFORE He comes through and AFTER He comes through for us. The subject of today’s message is, [Praise Builds Protection].

Some of my favorite memories of church when I was little occured after the altar services and after the dismissal prayer. My friends and I would gather together and we would play hide and seek.

As a child it was wonderful. As a pastor, I would prefer it not happen! But he didn’t seem to mind and no one else did either. I assume they loved the sound of kids in the church. (How many agree?) It is great to hear the sounds of toddlers, children, and teenagers in our congregation.

Back to my story, our church had a lot of places to hide. Our parents made sure we did not got into any Sunday School classrooms alone. In reality, we hid in plain sight.

The seeker would close his or her eyes and count to thirty. The hiders would disperse and hide. The object of the game was to hide so well that we would not be found.

As long as we were hidden we were safe. Our rules may be a little different from others, but if the seeker found us, we had the option to outrun them to base. If we could get to base, then we were safe.

As I read , my mind went back to my childhood, hiding and running to a safe place. If we could see behind the veil of time and space, we would see the game of life is not that different than the childhood game of Hide and Seek.

We have a real adversary named the Devil who is out to get us. The stakes are similar to the childhood game, EXCEPT, if he get us and we do not get free, the consequences are much more severe.

It is more than mild embarrassment, or being “it” next round. If we do not avoid contact with Satan, if we do not learn to overcome temptation, then our eternity will be sealed, apart from God.

But I have good news, there is a realm in God where we can go. God calls it the “secret place.” If we get to the secret place, we will abide in supernatural protection.

When we commit to trust God and depend on Him, then He will protect us DURING the attacks of the enemy. As we read this want us to notice that trust in God does not mean that the enemy will cease all attacks.

Instead, God will PROTECT us in the time of trouble! But it ONLY happens when we get to the secret place. How do we get to the secret place? We learn to praise God in progress.

If we will look at our troubles and trials in the face and declare, I praise God, I thank the Lord, audibly, out loud, with hands raised, something supernatural will occur.

We will moved into the secret place and be protected by the Lord. In the first two verses we find four names for God: the Most High, the Almighty, the Lord, and My God!

As Most High, He is greater than any threat we face.

As the Almighty, He has power to confront and destroy every enemy.

As the Lord, we have confidence that His presence will always sustain us.

And as My God, we know display confidence that we know God personally. He is not A God, but MY God!

When we call on Him in praise and worship, declaring Him the Most High, the Almighty, the Lord, and My God, we will enter in the secret place and begin to abide under Him!

Jesus promised:

John 15:7 NKJV

7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

and in

John 14:16 NKJV

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

When we praise God, every member of the Godhead is at work in building protection. Jesus gives us access to our Father, and we are comforted by the Holy Spirit!

The enemy shouts throughout this world, ready or not, here I come. When he comes to destroy us, which is his ultimate goal, we must be hidden in the secret place.

Let’s look at the protection that comes in the secret place. Our praise brings, [Protection from Afflictions], [Protection from Attacks], and [Protection from Above].

Let’s begin

1. Protection from Afflictions

Affliction is defined, something that causes pain or suffering.

Notice the confidence of the Psalmist, SURELY HE shall deliver you from… He did not say, He MIGHT, it is POSSIBLE, it COULD happen, but SURELY!

When we get into the secret place, we will have confidence rise in our hearts and trust rise in our spirits. We know that God will deliver us from the every trap.

The snare of the fowler refers to a bird trap. When birds come to the ground to eat and drink, they are vulnerable to hunters and traps.

Perilous pestilence reminds of plagues of destruction, in our health, on our property, in our business dealings, there is supernatural protection when we stay in the secret place.

I love the imagery of God covering us with the wings of His feathers.

David Jeremiah explains, “mother birds spread her wings over the fledglings to protect them from storm and predator. She will allow herself to be wounded to protect them. She keeps them warm and sheltered, and the baby birds feel safe in her embrace.”

We have a God who protects us from afflictions that come our way. Satan knows where and how to attack us, but in the secret place we have protection.

Knowing we have this protection, what is our response?

The Hebrew day was divided into four parts:

Night was from 6:00 pm to midnight.

Darkness was from midnight to 6:00 am.

Day was from 6:00 am to noon.

and Noonday was from noon to 6:00 pm.

Notice how God has the ENTIRE day covered.I will not be afraid of the terrors of night or of the dark. I will not be afraid of disease that stalks in darkness. I will not be afraid of the arrows or attacks that come in the day. And I will not be afraid any disaster that comes at noonday.

When I wake up in the morning, til I lay my head to rest, I will have confidence in God, because I AM BLESSED!

David promised:

Psalm 34:19 NKJV

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

When we praise in progress, our praise brings protection from afflictions. Next, our praise brings...

2. Protection from Attacks

Let me survey, who has ever been attacked by the enemy since you have been saved?

I can guarantee this, when we decide to live for Jesus, work for Jesus, and serve Jesus, spiritual attacks are inevitable. Why? Because we are a threat to the enemy!

When these attacks come, I can make another guarantee, if we will praise God and get in the secret place, we will stand! Notice he said a thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, those evils will not touch us.

Why? Because we are standing in cleft of the rock, safely hidden in the secret place! Then when the enemy attacks, we can look and see how God honors those who are faithful to Him and He is far from those who are wicked!

As we read this, I feel the enemy may say to some, “that is good and all, and maybe it works for those who have never fallen, but you have made too many mistakes, you have disappointed God too many times. Therefore you are exempt from this promise.”

That is nothing but an attack for we stand on the promise in:

Proverbs 24:16 NKJV

16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

If we have fallen, we need only to reach our hand to God and He will lift us up from the pit and help us! We read what we have, what do we do?

Psalm 91:9–10 NKJV

9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

Psalm 91:10–11 NKJV

10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

Think of this promise, BECAUSE we made the Lord our refuge, He will protect us from these attacks. Nothing evil will overtake us or come near to us.

Some might read that and think, how can this be true? We can go through our laundry list of every bad thing that has ever happened and question God about this verse.

I’d rather think of it this way, what would have happened IF God had not been with me?

I remember having a blood clot in my left lung when I was seventeen. What would have happened if Jesus hadn’t been with me?

I could tell of a time when I was lied about and severely attacked by people who had an angst about someone else and got in their line of fire. What would have happened if Jesus hadn’t been with me?

We have a choice, look at the negative or realize that God has protected us every step of the way. Our praise brings protection from afflictions, attacks… and our praise brings...

3. Protection from Above

Beyond the visible realm is a supernatural dimension full of light and darkness, good and evil, ANGELS and demons. I do not pretend to be an authority on angels.

I know a few things, they are not barely clothed beings floating on clouds in heaven. I also know that people do not become angels. When someone dies and goes to heaven, God doesn’t get another angel, He gets another worshipper, one who saved by grace.

I do know that angels are supernatural beings who are equipped by God for protection and proclamation. If we could see in the Spirit, we would see that God dispatches angels to fight on our behalf.

One of my favorite stories about angels in the Old Testament is found in:

2 Kings 6:16–17 NKJV

16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The prophet’s servant thought the armies that surrounded them would overcome them. But God opened His eyes and showed that those who are WITH them were greater than those who are against them.

When we get this in our spirits, we will have confidence in God knowing that He will protect us with supernatural activity from above!

What is our response?

Psalm 91:12–13 NKJV

12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

Because God has given His angels charge over us, they will hold up our heads, we will not even hurt our foot on a stone!

We will trample on the lions, snakes and the serpent, the devil, who comes to attack us has ZERO power when we have support from heaven!

When I read these verses and I feel God’s presence, it makes me want to dance a little, to stomp my feet a little, to shout a little, because I KNOW that SATAN is beneath my feet and I have protection from above!

Close:

When we determine to praise God in progress, He will take us to the secret place, and our praise will bring God’s protection from afflictions and attacks by sending help from above!

We read what a Psalmist believed about the power of our praise, now let’s see what God has to say about our praise!

When we set our minds to love Him, serve Him, honor Him, and praise Him, He will protect us! We will call on Him and He will answer!

He will be with us in trouble! He will rescue and honor us! And He will reward us with long life and show us His salvation!

From where I stand, it seems like a win-win situation, we praise God, He protects us! He hides us in the secret place!

—> PRAY ABOUT INCLUDING PASSAGES FROM MOSES IN ;, look up notes in Defenders Study bible, page 901