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Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus, part of the growing repentance remnant, cleansing as His Bride, getting ready for His soon return as our Bridegroom-----
The One in the above graphic sitting on a hill overlooking Jerusalem has ALL authority in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18). He wants you and me to know Him by abiding in Him fully. The teaching below by our sister RaJean Valter is very anointed; it's appropriate for all believers and a warning also. It includes repentance. It's a great gift for me and for YOU:
Friends & Family,
Below and attached is a teaching I did for the churches in India. It is appropriate for all believers anywhere and a warning for us all. Feel free to pass it on.
RaJean
PSALM 91
RaJean Vawter
While many people are praying Psalm 91 with faith and the fear of the Lord, many others are using this Psalm as a talisman or as a lucky rabbit’s foot. The Psalm is anything but “lucky.” It is a promise – a wonderful promise – made by the Creator of the Universe through His servant David. Like God Himself, it is true and faithful. However, like most, if not all, of God’s promises in Scripture, there are conditions that must be met before the promises can be experienced.
So, what is necessary to gain the full benefit of Psalm 91? As always, we must let the Bible interpret the Bible. The very first verse states the conditions: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High God.” A person who dwells anywhere is someone who lives, abides, inhabits and remains somewhere. In context, this chapter is for the person who knows what a secret place in God is. A person who lives there on a continuing basis. It is the prayer closet, the place where we commune with God. It is an awareness of God’s presence, the absence of fear, honesty in communication and the ability to hear His voice.
Psalm 78 gives a wonderful list of prerequisites for being able to claim Psalm 91 as learned from the sins of the children of Israel. Listed in order of appearance these prerequisites are . . .
- Don’t rebel against the Most High when going through a hard time (vs. 17).
- Don’t test God in your heart (vs. 18 vs. 56).
- Don’t speak against God (vs. 19).
- Don’t disbelieve in God (vs. 22).
- Trust in His salvation (vs. 22). God gave them the Bread of Heaven which is Jesus – salvation. But they weren’t satisfied and wanted something else. Not trusting Him, they craved meat. However, they weren’t able to handle meat so it harmed all and even killed some. We must trust that God knows the level of salvation’s riches we are able to handle at any given time so don't be afraid to go deeper in the Lord and in spiritual warfare. Just make sure you know your boundary at any given point (vs. 23-31).
- We must believe in His wondrous works (vs. 32). No rationalizing or explaining things away allowed. An example of such rationalization would be claiming that your blessings are the result of your own efforts.
- We must not flatter God with our mouths (vs. 36). Flattery is telling someone something nice about them that you don't really believe with the motive of gaining an advantage for yourself.
- We must not lie to Him (vs. 36). Don't tell Him you will do something, then not do it. Or tell Him you think or feel a certain way when you really don't.
- Our heart must be steadfast with Him (vs.37).
- We must be faithful to His covenant (vs. 37). A covenant is more than a promise; it is a legal contract. Even when a situation looks impossible, we must move in faith. When we take communion, we are actually renewing our part of our covenant with the Lord. That's why we must always make sure that we are taking it in faith, honoring Him and our fellow believers.
- We must not provoke Him during hard times (vs. 40, 56, 58). A simple definition of provoke is to stimulate or incite someone to do or feel something. Especially by arousing anger in them. Complaining about anything is a way to provoke God.
- We must not grieve Him (vs. 40). Again, when we complain, it grieves Him because the essence of complaint is that God is not a good God.
- We must not tempt God (vs. 41).
- We are not to limit the Holy One of Israel (vs. 41). It's always amazing to me when I hear someone say that God can't or won't do something. He can't sin because He's perfect. And He can't have fear because He doesn't have any. But beyond those two things that man is very good at, it's ignorant and unrealistic to limit Him.
- We must remember His power (vs. 42). Remembering what He's done for us and others in the past, builds our faith and keeps us centered on Him.
- We must keep His testimonies (vs. 56). Obedience to what He says is a key to His provision of safety and blessings.
- We must not turn back (vs. 57). Instead, we need to keep going forward, deeper and higher in our walk with Him.
- We must not act unfaithfully (vs. 47). This is where trust comes in. When we trust in God and follow His guidance even when it doesn't make sense to us, we are moving faithfully. To do otherwise is unfaithful. This is when we need to remember that His thoughts are not our thoughts and our ways are not His ways (Isaiah 55:8).
- We must not move Him to jealousy (vs. 58).
Each one of these conditions could become a sermon. But, assuming you understand each point, let us now look at Psalm 91 with a few of my own amplifications.
PSALM 91
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells In the Hebrew “he” is talking about a leader or ruler, royalty, which every believer is (1 Peter 2:9). The word “dwells” literally means to remain, abide, inhabit. This is a lifestyle. One of the meanings of ‘abide’ is to spend the night. That meaning fits with the rest of this first sentence:
In the secret place of the Most High Matthew 6:6 lets us know that the prayer closet is the secret place of the Most High. According to Dr. Brian Simmons, these last two words, "Most High" come from a Hebrew root word that can have many different meanings. Examples are. . . God of the mountains, God the destroyer of enemies, God the self-sufficient one, God the nurturer of babies, and God the Almighty. (The Passion Translation, Copyright 2017, Broadstreet Publishing Group, LLC. Used by permission. All rights reserved. thePassionTranslation.com.)
When we commit any one of the sins listed in Psalm 78, we are no longer dwelling in the secret place. Fortunately, we can get right back there by confession, repentance, and cleansing (1 John 1:9).
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The connotation is that we are hidden in Him (the secret place). It can also mean that we have the ability to endure through the night. We get into the secret place and stay there and He covers us. His covering is not automatic in spite of what we do. We move and He moves. It’s both/and. (Except we get the better end of the deal.)
Psalm 91:2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust. We confess with our mouth and make a decision to trust. Faith is confidence. Trust is commitment. This is a declaration. When you go into another country, you are asked if you are declaring anything. What they mean is, "What are you bringing into this country that is of value that you claim as your own?" Verse 2 is a believer's declaration.
Psalm 91:3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler A fowler is one who catches birds in a trap or snare. Satan is often depicted as one who traps.
and from the perilous pestilence. This is disease and/or chemical warfare. The Hebrew word can mean poisoned arrows. This promise covers both physical and spiritual traps and pestilences. [including 2 Chronicles 7:13]
Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge. His truth shall be your shield, and buckler A buckler is a small shield. God covers us with His feathers like a hen covers her chicks while the shield and buckler is for warfare. Whether we need a big one that covers more or a small one for the sake of agility, truth will do the trick. According to Ephesians 6:16 our shield is to be faith which is a substance (Hebrews 1:11) not needed in heaven where everything will be by sight. If our faith is not based on truth, it is not a very good shield. When many people teach about the “armor of God” (Ephesians 6) we should put it on every morning. I am strongly opposed to this teaching because I have not been able to find anywhere that says we’re to ever take our armor off. Experience shows that we may need to straighten it once in a while but we need the protection afforded to us by every piece of the armor 24/7/365.
Psalm 91:5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night; nor of the arrow by day; This includes the physical or spiritual missiles, bombs, etc. as well as the fiery darts of the evil one. Remember, fear is not of God. In fact, where there is fear, God isn’t there for God is love (1 John 4:8) and perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18). When we feel fear, we need to get back under God’s feathers, into that secret place and abide there. It is there, in the abiding presence of God that Psalm 91:5 can be experienced.
Psalm 91:6 nor of the pestilence disease and/or chemical warfare that walks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. This can mean spiritual darkness as well as natural and physical darkness.
Psalm 91:7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Indeed, when our hearts are totally focused on Jesus, Yeshua, we don’t even notice anything else and often wouldn’t know if there were any enemies around unless God revealed them to us. A good example of this is Stephen (Acts 7). After preaching truth, the people prepared to stone him. But he was so focused on Jesus that he wasn't distracted or afraid. Instead, with his eyes on the Lord, he actually prayed blessings on those who were throwing the stones! I often have the picture of Jesus making His last journey to Jerusalem. When I look, I see the devil trying to box Him back, knock Him down, and keep Him from fulfilling His destiny. I see his fists coming within an inch of His face. But Jesus doesn’t even notice. His eyes are set on His goal: Jerusalem, the cross on which He will pay for the sins of the world and His ultimate victory. That’s how focused we need to be. Focused on Him and fulfilling whatever our destiny God has planned for us. When we are truly focused on something, we don't even see the distractions others might see. The apostle Paul was that way. Check out Acts 21:13.
Psalm 91:8 Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked. We will not receive the reward of the wicked ourselves. The reason is verse 9.
Psalm 91:9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place,
Psalm 91:10 no evil shall befall You, nor shall any plague come near Your dwelling. Wow!
Psalm 91:11 For He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You in all Your ways. Wow again!
Psalm 91:12 In their hands they shall bear you up, lest You dash your foot against a stone. God’s supernatural provision will lift you up and keep you from the stone of stumbling so that your faith is kept strong. My first trip to Israel was in 1982 with a church tour. I didn't have much spending money so, like many other tourists, I gathered little rocks from various places, labeled them and later displayed them in a shadow box. Traveling along the border between Israel and Syria, our bus stopped so any who wanted could take pictures. I went across the road to an open field looking for just the right stone to take home. Six months after returning home, a fellow tourist began to tease me in front of others about my rock-gathering. He said that our tour guide was frightened when he'd seen me in that field. "What is she doing there?" he'd asked in alarm. "That field hasn't been cleared of land mines from the 1967 Six-Day War!" From that point on, I was known as the person in our church who walked where angels fear to tread.
Psalm 91:13 You shall tread on the lion and cobra; the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. This all represents hidden treason. It also refers back to Genesis 3:14-15, God’s curse on the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The Hebrew includes lions, snakes and dragons which are all symbols of satanic power. Again, the meaning can refer to spiritual as well as physical dangers.
Psalm 91:14 Because He has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver Him; I will set (exalt) him on high, because He has known My name. Do you really know God's name? Knowing His name is more than just being able to make a list of his various biblical names in Scripture that describe His attributes. It is having a working understanding of who He is and what He does. Whether parents realize it or not, when they name a baby, they are ascribing to that child a prophecy of who the baby is or what he will become. Many names can have a positive or a negative component. It is very important, therefore, that we honor each other by calling people's name accurately as a prayer for the best in them to come forward. The name that I go by, RaJean, is often mispronounced as two names put together: Ray Jean. Both of those names have wonderful meanings which I have tried to live up to. But they are not the name on my birth certificate. Recently, the Lord impressed upon me that I was not to allow people to call me Ray Jean anymore. Instead, He wanted me to insist that people pronounce my name correctly as a way to help me develop another quality in my life. Do you honor your friends and acquaintances when you call their name? What about God's name? He has many. Have you ever thought about what you like to call Him? Why you like that particular name? And how you most use the name you use? These are good questions to ponder because their answers will help reveal the nature of your relationship with the Lord and how close you are to Him. When I was still learning how to share the Gospel, I asked a lady on the street one time if she knew Jesus. Her response was, “Well, not personally.” But we can, you know. That’s the Great Invitation. “Come to Me” (Matthew 11:28). Know Me. Follow Me. Love Me. Know Me by NAME.
Psalm 91:15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with Him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. This is God’s phone number and His promise. Do you use it?
Psalm 91:16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.
What promises! What blessings! You can’t get any better than the promises in Psalm 91. No wonder it’s a favorite of many. But remember, the first verse lets us know that there is a major condition to being able to claim the protections of Psalm 91. The promises are for "he that dwells in the shadow of the Almighty." Are you dwelling in Him? Truly dwelling? Have you engaged in any of the things listed in Psalm 78 that kept the children of Israel wandering in the desert for 40 years? What's happening in your thought life? What kind of words have been coming out of your mouth? Have your actions shown love, trust and obedience to God?
The first week of the war between Israel and Gaza, God called me to the "night watch" every night. Three times it was for the entire night. By the end of the week, I wanted to cry and complain. "Aren't there other intercessors willing to pray during the night hours?" Fortunately, the split second those complaints came to my mind, I remembered the connection between Psalm 91 and Psalm 78. I wasn't being legalistic; I just didn't want to put even a small hole in the protective covering that Psalm 91 provides. So, with an act of my will, I began to praise Him for giving me the privilege of waiting with Him in prayer.
If, at any time, Holy Spirit convicts you, or you don't feel protected, or wonder if you truly are protected, go back to Psalm 78 to measure how you're doing. If you've complained or spoken against God or limited Him or are guilty of any of the 19 sins listed in Psalm 78, then you're not dwelling under God's protective wings. Confess. Repent. Receive God's cleansing. And change your ways. Set your love upon Him as verse 14 instructs. After all, the promises of Psalm 91 are for you!
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And we have this song from our brother Baruch in Israel to remind us of the power of Almighty God and to return to him:
https://youtu.be/oxH5cnj9vtM
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The ICEJ is hosting its Global Prayer Gathering DAILY until further notice."We are committed to stand with Israel in prayer. We would love for you to join us for timely updates, prayer, and worship. Please join us daily at 9:00 a.m. (ET) at icej.org/ICEJGlobalPrayer."
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Do you see His Gift of repentance and the need to spread it to all persons, everywhere? Please pray to the Lord if He will have you join us in prayers and needed support. NDR exists, without church or denomination support, to encourage His Gift of repentance to pastors and nations everywhere. We depend on you gifts, of whatever amount, to seed into this urgent move of His repentance. Thank you!
And are you called to join me and Susan Hammer in South Africa to help lead this move of repentance? In Luke 8:3 we learn of three people "and many others" who supported the advance of Jesus' Kingdom. In a similar analogy, we are seeking a third person, or more, who will help us advance His Kingdom today. Please pray to see if He is calling you also to this powerful movement to restore His Gift of Repentance.
A recent "Cleansing the Bride" zoom call was super powerful thanks to the Holy Spirit:
https://youtu.be/Dk-W7SkPSuI
please join us each Wednesday: Join Zoom Meeting
https://aqueductproject.zoom.us/j/87050808691
Meeting ID: 870 5080 8691
Passcode: 32223
We also have zoom calls weekly on Africa Kneels and every two weeks on Australia Kneels ; please email for information and join us, cleansing and growing in Christ as His Bride!
God bless you,
Pastor Jeff Daly
National Day of Repentance
www.repentday.com
www.americankneels.com
www.globalrepent.com
pastorjeff@repentday.com
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The Lord makes it clear: Luke 13:1-5, repent or perish. Here's the NDR video on this key scripture: https://youtu.be/oT15XrDvv9c
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