PRINCIPLES OF PRESERVATION IN DIFFICULT TIMES
No. 4, The Secret Place, Part 2 - Our Confession!
Psalm 91:2 says, "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God in him will I trust."
The world is full of voices. People share their opinions on a vast variety of subjects, be it religion, politics, sports, world news, health or local gossip. What is said may be interesting, informative and even stimulating. On the other hand, it maybe negative, boring, deceptive and destructive. The truth is that most people do not realize that by using the right speech they can experience God's protection on their lives. Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life is in the power of the tongue."
Many people feel anxious about the world in which we live. We are tempted to put our hope in man-made political parties or movements, hoping they may be able to save us, or at least keep us from ship wreck. However, if we want to experience the protective blessings of Psalm 91 as we face coming storms of depression and economic uncertainty, we must meet the condition of Psalm 91:2, "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God in him will I trust."
King David of Israel found the anchor to hold him firm and safe in the fierce battles he faced throughout his life. Most importantly, he was not ashamed to confess with his mouth what he believed in his heart. He was not ashamed to declare that his trust was not in man, but God.
We need to pause for a moment or two each day and take stock of the words that come out of our mouths. When was the last time you confessed with your mouth to others that Jesus Christ is your refuge and fortress? That He is your God and the one you trust? All the wonderful promises and benefits listed in Psalm 91 are largely conditioned upon this confession of our faith.
This uncertain world, which is desperate for an anchor, is waiting to hear your confession. It needs to hear it right now. Would the sum total of your conversation in the past 24 hours boil down to the obvious conclusion that Jesus Christ is, without doubt, your anchor and hope in life?
As cutting edge believers, our confession is all-important. "I will say" implies a strong determination of the will to publically testify that God is our refuge and fortress and that our trust is in Him. This was not something that King David did secretively. He did not apologize for his confession. It did not matter to David what other people thought or said. He said what he believed and believed what he said.
"He is my refuge" or "He is my shelter" is mentioned eleven times in the psalms. How we need a place of refuge or shelter where we can rest and be safe until the storm is past. As we boldly confess this truth, faith is released to obtain this shelter. The psalmist confessed, "I believed, therefore have I spoken." (Psalm 116:19) In the midst of persecution and trouble Paul took up these same words for his life. "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak." (2 Corinthians 4:13) Do you believe God's truth? Then speak it!
"And my fortress." David mentions God as his fortress five times in the Psalms. It is a place of defense, a stronghold, a fort, a castle. By faith in this position of a fortress (spiritually, not physically), God was able to defend his servant, David and fight his battles for him. David truly experienced God as his fortress. His bold confession in God as his fortress enabled faith to operate and bring God to his defense. No one, not even the devil himself can withstand this fortress. Jesus said the gates of hell cannot withstand the pressure released when his servants make bold statements of faith. Peter's confession was bold when he declared, "We believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:69)
"I will say of the Lord, He is... my God." King David made the Lord of Israel his own personal God and was not ashamed to proclaim it. Unfortunately, much of today's Christianity seems to be about so much protocol of whatever church denomination to which one belongs. Church attendance seems to be a big part of the ticket to heaven. We pay the preacher to do all the "saying" of whatever has to be said about God. The congregation generally remains silent except for singing hymns or worship songs and most Christians seem content about this. But, listening to the preaching saying it, is not you saying it!
If we, as individuals, are going to know God's protection over our own personal lives and families, we need to individually testify that the Lord is our God. Salvation is personal and individual. Salvation is linked with the individual's personal confession in public that, "The Lord, He is... my God." This confession should be on-going.
The Greek tense of Romans 10:9-13 is in the present continuous tense: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation... For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." This means to confess and keep on confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord; to call and keep on calling on the Lord as need requires. It is not one confession of faith that God requires, but a lifestyle of confession and calling on the Lord. The whole idea of a "once only" confession being enough to secure our eternal salvation while the rest of our life is silent or a denial is a fallacy.
"In Him will I trust." This is also an on-going trust. No matter what may happen to the nation or government that is over us, out trust is infinitely higher than the government of man. If the agenda of human government clashes with the ways of God, we must be like Peter and John in the early church who confessed in Acts 4:19, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." In other words, "We have an on-going confession. Even if you are not going to confess it, you can't stop us. We will never stop confessing Christ."
Confession is the great preservation principle of Psalm 91:2. May we reiterate with Paul, "Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Romans 10:11)
COLIN CAMPBELL
In the next few months, Colin will continue to give you biblical principles for preservation in difficult times. To receive these messages, send a blank email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Colin is the husband of Nancy Campbell, Editor of Above Rubies www.aboverubies.org
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