As Crime Continues Out of Control, Can Christians Be Safe?
Just today, there’s a report on Fox News about a mass shooting in Oklahoma’s Arcadia Lake. It seems two masked men showed up and began firing on a group of people who were attending a “Sunday Funday” event. If this were an isolated event, then it might be a different story. But the bottom line is, these things are literally becoming a daily event.
But the question is, as a Christian do we have to live in fear? How do we protect ourselves? I have good news for you! God’s promises are real, they are effective and they are available for you, without condition.
Are Old Testament Prophecies Available To Us?
Absolutely! Remember, the New Covenant (the New Testament) is based on better promises than the old. Under the Old Testament, conditions were placed on promises that were required to be met in order to enjoy the promises. There was a code of behavior, there were sacrifices that had to be performed, and consequences for those who disobeyed.
But we have a special relationship with Jesus that gives us access to these Old Testament promises without having to fulfill the requirements.
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. – Galatians 3:26-29 NIV
6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. – Galatians 4:6-7 NIV
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance —now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. – Hebrews 9:15 NIV
So we see here in the scriptures that Jesus has taken our place: Since he perfectly fulfilled the law of the Old Testament, we were allowed to be a completely new creature; we are no longer bound under the definitions of Gentile or Jew, but we are one with Jesus.
Therefore these promises of the Old Testament are ours, not because of anything we did, but what Jesus did for us. Stop right here and think about this for a moment. You no longer are subject to your own righteousness: We are the righteousness of Christ. His perfection is our inheritance.
Simply put, we qualify for the Old Testament promises through Jesus. We co-heirs of the promises Jesus inherited through his righteousness. It’s like being given a credit card with no limit: It’s not due to anything we have earned, but because someone is sharing their wealth with us.
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. – Ephesians 3:6 NIV
Promises That Belong To You, Through Christ
4 I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the LORD is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the LORD, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing. – Psalms 34:4-10 NLT
Don’t just skim over this! Read it; study it; look for things you can use in order to protect yourself and your family! These are YOUR promises through Jesus! Let’s take a close look.
- I prayed to the Lord and he answered me; he freed me from all my fears. Can a person really be completely free of fear? YES!!! A thousand times yes! Are you tired of being afraid?
- In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles. Do you have troubles? Right now, as you are reading this, do you have troubles? Why? This is a lifeline; this is a promise from Almighty God.
- For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. Here is your promise! God may not have permission to stop that school shooter, that mass shooter in the public space, but he can absolutely protect you, your family and especially your children. Place your trust in a very real God, and stop worrying. Rest in the peace of God.
- Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing. What a promise! Are you worried about keeping your home? Can you pay your bills? Stop worrying and get under the wing of God’s protection through his promises.
The Teflon Shield of Protection
This is the ultimate protection promised in the Old Testament. This is the Scriptures I quote when something raises its head against me. The 91st Psalm, a treasure trove of some of the most powerful promises in the Bible. Even Satan quoted these verses when tempting Christ. This is proof positive this Psalm was written for Christ. But remember we are joint-heirs with Christ and heirs according to the promise:
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation. ” – Psalms 91 NIV
If you’re not shouting for joy right now, you either didn’t read it, or you don’t believe it. This is the bullet proof, demon proof, all encompassing, total protection. No man, woman or child should fear anything, after reading this wonderful promise. This promise is yours!
- A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. No plague shall touch you, no violence shall touch you. There are riots in your street? Stand firm! Though a thousand may fall beside you, though ten thousand may die in front of you, it will not touch you!
- no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. Of course when this were written, most people lived in tents. But the same thing applies to your home. In your home is your spouse, your children, even your pets. No harm means “No Harm”.
Stop worrying, stop living in fear and start combing through the Old Testament. Find the necessary promises you need to sustain yourself and your family, and start living in peace. This works: I have seen it work more than once in my own life. I have seen miracles take place because my family and I claimed these promises for ourselves. This is not cross-fingered hope. This is a real comfort, a real peace that you can use to cover yourself and your family as a blanket, a shield, a body guard to protect you and your loved ones.
Just as the Bible says in Psalm 34, “8 Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!”
Yes, indeed! Oh the joys of those who take refuge in him. Run to your refuge in Him.
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