By Kenneth Hagin, Jr.
We live in a society where there are always alarms going off. Many people wake up every morning by alarm clocks. Some people even set alarms during the day to remind them that they need to do a certain
thing at a certain time.
We also use alarms to signal us of a serious or dangerous condition. For example, hospitals use machines and monitors with alarms to alert medical personnel when a patient needs immediate attention. And
communities have alarms or sirens to warn people of danger, such as an impending tornado, flood, or nuclear attack.
Well, sometimes when we face various types of problems in our personal lives, those problems are like gigantic alarms blaring all around us. If we are not careful, we tend to react the same way many people do in alai-in-type situations, and we become overly excited even to the point of panic.
It seems as if the devil works overtime with God’s people trying to push them into a state of alarm or panic. But I want to encourage you today, don’t panic – turn off the alarm!
One of the best ways you can resist the temptation to panic is to turn to the Word of God. For example, Psalm 46:1 says, “… God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” In other words,
God is our refuge because in Him we find protection. He is a very present help in the time of trouble!
In the natural, when a tornado siren goes off, you are supposed to find refuge in the innermost part of your house for protection. Well, spiritually speaking, when you spot a tornado-type situation on your
horizon, run to the One who is your refuge God. In Him you’ll find safety.
PSALM 46:1-3
1 … God is our refuge and STRENGTH, a very present HELP in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
God is our refuge, and God is our strength! Many times when the enemy brings a trial or a tribulation into our lives, we feel so weak. We feel inadequate to handle the situation in our own strength.
Someone said, ‘I’m not up to this.” No, you may not be up to dealing with adversity, and you may not have the strength, but God is up to any situation you may be facing. He is your refuge. He’s the One you turn to for protection.
Then I want you to notice that not only is God our refuge and strength, but He is also our help. He comes to our assistance or to our aid. If you were carrying a load of packages that was too heavy for you, you
might ask someone, “Please, come over and help me.’ Actually, you’re saying, ‘I need some assistance. Come and aid me in carrying this heavy load.” Well, the Holy Spirit is our Helper and our Standby. He is here to help us and stand by us, but we must ask Him to do so!
The psalmist understood this reality – that God is our refuge, our strength, and our help. That’s why the psalmist could say, ‘Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains
be carried into the midst of the sea” (Ps. 46:2).
Some people quote that verse, but they, don’t really believe it. Just watch them get into a crisis situation and see what happens. They begin to panic and give way to fear.
You see, refusing to fear is a decision of the will: “Therefore WILL NOT we fear… ” (Ps. 46:2). In other words, “We will not fear!”
Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t be practical in certain situations. For example, if you drive a car sixty miles an hour down a winding, crooked road where the speed limit is thirty, you’re probably going to
wind up wrapped around a tree. You can’t say, “I’ll just pray to the Lord to take care of me.” That’s tempting God. Of course you have to use some common sense.
No, the psalmist is saying that even though terrible things may happen in nature, we are not to fear, because God is our protector. If we purpose that we are not going to fear when we see things in an
upheaval in nature, how much more should we stand our ground when the devil comes in trying to bring devastation in our personal lives? You see, you may not be in the midst of a literal earthquake or flood,
but you may be experiencing some other type of disaster in your life. And you have to purpose in your heart, I will not fear!
PSALM 46:4,5
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
I want you to understand what these verses are saying. The Presence of God is in your midst – wherever you are. That means, whatever situation you are in, God is there.
If you are a Christian, then God is with you. He is with you in the midst of any storm. No matter how black it seems, you know you are going through victoriously to the other side. No matter how rough it
gets, God is there! So rest in that peace.
PSALM 46:6,7
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
These verses refer to what happened to the children of Israel, and they are talking about God’s power. But the Bible tells us that everything that happened to the children of Israel happened as examples for us (I Cor. 10:11)!
Notice verse 6 says that God uttered His Voice and the earth melted. Psalm 107:20 says, “He sent His WORD, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” You could say that at God’s Voice, obstacles melt away!
Somebody said, “Yes, but God hasn’t spoken.” Oh, but He has! He said all my needs are met. He said all things are possible to me if I believe. He sent His Word and healed me. No weapon formed against me
shall prosper.
We need to grab hold of what God has already said in His Word listen to it, then quote it. As we do, we will watch all of our sicknesses, diseases, problems, storms, and turmoil melt away!
PSALM 46:8,9
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder, he burneth the chariot in the fire.
This is an invitation to come and review what God has done. What has God done? He has already defeated the enemy – the d – in the spirit real And the Word of God tells us that in the end, God will cast Satan into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10)
Our enemy is a defeated foe. Why fear a spiritual foe that has already been defeated?
I once knew a logger in Oregon who found a baby bobcat and made it hiss pet. That bobcat was like watch-dog. He would make all kinds of commotion and noise at every stranger who came along. He’d growl and slap his paw at you, but he couldn’t hurt you even if he wanted to because he’d been declawed. He could hit you with that paw all day long and never put a scratch on you.
Friends, that’s what the devil is doing to some of you. But he has been defanged and declawed! He can’t hurt you as long as you stay in the refuge and the protection of God.
How many times in he Old Testament did the children of Israel go into battle when they were outmanned and outnumbered? Yet when all was said and done, they always came out on top. Why? Because of their God!
According to Psalm 6:8 and 9, God took care of His people. And He’ll take care of you if you’ll believe Him.
You say, “Oh, but it looks black. It looks dark.”
It doesn’t matter how things look or what you feel or see. God said, “I am your protection.” God said, “I am your refuge.” God said, “Be still and know that I am God!”
PSALM 46:10,11
10 BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD….
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
When you get into a crisis situation, the number-one cardinal rule is, don’t panic! Instead, look to God.
When I was in the U. S. Army, I had a roommate who was a water safety instructor. I remember hearing him say, “There is no reason for anybody ever to drown in a swimming pool because even if you are in the middle of the pool, you’re never more than five to eight feet from the edge where you can climb out.” He said, “What happens is that people panic, and they die even though help is available to them.”
Do you understand that help is always available to you through God’s Word? But you can allow Satan to trick you, and it is possible to panic and die even when help is available to you.
So don’t panic. Keep your head in every situation. God said to be still be calm, be restful. Trust Him, and quit struggling!
When a drowning person is in a state of panic, he struggles so hard that he fights the person trying to rescue him. That’s why the rescuer has to position himself behind the victim and grab him in a special lock so they don’t both drown.
There is a lesson in that for us. We should be still, rest in the Lord, and know that God is God. If we could have done something about the situation, we would have already done it. So why not just quit
struggling and let God do the work?
As a child of God, you need never fear. All you need to do is understand that God is your refuge. God is faithful, and with Him there is no way you can go under for going over!
So the next time the winds and waves of adversity cause the alarm to sound in your life, just remember: Do not panic – turn off the alarm!
This article is from: The Word of Faith Magazine, November, 1994.
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