tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7711550997062819324.post119070586324145627..comments2023-04-05T03:55:09.745-06:00Comments on Abundance of the Heart: Psalm 91 TestimoniesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7711550997062819324.post-54071872385900922712008-12-31T11:56:00.000-06:002008-12-31T11:56:00.000-06:00In the spring of 2006, our family (Hanson) and ano...In the spring of 2006, our family (Hanson) and another family (R….) were meeting together at a local church (Outreach Center) to worship and pray.<BR/><BR/>Toward the end of the 90 minute time we spent together, I (Philip) heard the following:<BR/><BR/>“Psalm 91”<BR/><BR/>“Covenant”<BR/><BR/>These two things (not audible, but in my mind) came into my mind like a compressed file, or a compressed download. <BR/><BR/>The meaning expanded into this: <BR/><BR/>The Living God was communicating, and saying:<BR/><BR/>“I want to make a covenant with you tonight. It is the covenant of Psalm 91.”<BR/><BR/>It was an offer.<BR/><BR/>I said “Yes,” for me and for my family.<BR/><BR/>A few minutes later, I communicated to the whole group (two families, total of 8 people) what I had heard. I felt the offer of the covenant was for both families. All of us (8 people, both families) accepted the offer of this covenant.<BR/><BR/><BR/>After several months of processing what it meant to walk in covenant with the Living God according to Psalm 91, I felt the Living God communicate the following:<BR/><BR/>“You can make others aware that I want to walk in covenant relationship with them according to Psalm 91 (That is, this covenant relationship wasn’t just for two families only). They can receive it the same way you did. It is similar to salvation. An offer is made. It can be accepted or rejected. If the offer is accepted, I will walk in a covenant relationship with them according to the terms of Psalm 91.”<BR/><BR/>Once a person has received the covenant of Psalm 91, then it becomes their personal possession. There are similarities to salvation; as in the case of salvation, a person hears the message that they can be saved, and they accept Jesus as their personal Savior. Once we are saved, we do not look back to the person who gave us the message as being the source of our salvation. They were just the person who was used to make us aware that the gift of eternal life was available. And once we have the gift of eternal life, we are free to share it with others.<BR/> <BR/>Psalm 91 used to be a wonderful scripture; now it is a life giving covenant.<BR/>We daily affirm the covenant<BR/><BR/>What we have learned so far:<BR/><BR/>The Living God, as revealed in Psalm 91, is incredibly good. <BR/>The Living God wants us to know Him (Father, Son (The Lord Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit) as defined in Psalm 91.<BR/><BR/>The Living God wants us to feel safe being in this world. <BR/>Our protection is something that He takes very seriously.<BR/><BR/>The Living God cares about us, each and every one, more deeply than we can imagine.<BR/><BR/>Double portion – The psalm is set up in a way that almost everything is doubled.<BR/><BR/>“Over the top”<BR/>A phrase has come to mind about Psalm 91; <BR/>“over the top”, an idiom meaning -<BR/>extravagant; exceeding the normal bounds; more extreme than is necessary or suitable (too extreme); excessive. <BR/><BR/>A situation came up that brought the phrase “over the top” to light. We were talking about Psalm 91, and what the Living God was providing us with because of the covenant relationship. Then another light went on. As you process through Psalm 91, the first ten verses are about what God is doing for us, and the wonderful results. Then, you get to verse 11, and God says (basically), “I am doing all these wonderful things for you, and as an added bonus, you get angels, too.” If you think about it, it would seem that all we would need would be the wonderful things that God does for us. But angels are God’s idea. Angels are part of this covenant.<BR/><BR/>Angels minister to those who are inheriting salvation<BR/>Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?<BR/><BR/>Angels ministered to Jesus during the temptation<BR/>Mark 1:12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.<BR/><BR/>An angel ministered to Jesus in Gethsemane<BR/>Luke 22:39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.<BR/> <BR/>Healing in the covenant<BR/>In the book of Acts, we are told that people got into position so that Peter’s shadow would fall on them as Peter walked by. <BR/><BR/>Resting in the shadow – healing in the shadow <BR/>Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.<BR/><BR/>Acts 5:<BR/>12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. <BR/>13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.<BR/> 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. <BR/>15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. <BR/>16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Healing in the wings<BR/>Malachi 4:2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.<BR/><BR/>Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;<BR/><BR/><BR/> <BR/>We will likely be tempted to walk outside the terms of the covenant.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Another thing that became clear is that Jesus walked in the covenant of Psalm 91.<BR/><BR/>When Jesus was tempted, one of the temptations was to violate the provisions of Psalm 91. The enemy quoted Psalm 91, and dared (tempted) Jesus to jump from a high place to see if God the Father would save him through the intervention of angels. Jesus refused to comply with the temptation. The answer of Jesus tells us why. It would have been presumptuous for Jesus to jump from a high place, and expect God the Father to intervene in a divine way. That is not what walking in covenant is all about.<BR/><BR/> Matthew 4<BR/>5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:<BR/><BR/> " `He will command his angels concerning you,<BR/> and they will lift you up in their hands,<BR/> so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' "<BR/><BR/>7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "<BR/><BR/>This response is, in itself, quite a lesson. <BR/>Jesus was referencing Deut. 6:16:<BR/>“Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah.”<BR/>Deut. 6:16 is referencing Exodus 17:7, the story of when the Israelites camped at a place where there was no water, and they presumed to think that the only way that they could know if God was among them was if they had water (or had their needs met). <BR/><BR/>Exodus 17:7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"<BR/><BR/>We must not act presumptuously to find out if God is with us or not. <BR/><BR/><BR/> <BR/>Scriptures about covenant - <BR/><BR/> Deut. 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.<BR/><BR/>Psalm 25:14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;<BR/> he makes his covenant known to them.<BR/><BR/>Isaiah 59:21 "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.<BR/><BR/> Isaiah 61:8 "For I, the LORD, love justice;<BR/> I hate robbery and iniquity.<BR/> In my faithfulness I will reward them<BR/> and make an everlasting covenant with them.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Jeremiah 31:<BR/>31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant<BR/> with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.<BR/>32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers<BR/> when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt,<BR/> because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, "<BR/> declares the LORD.<BR/>33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel<BR/> after that time," declares the LORD.<BR/> "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.<BR/> I will be their God, and they will be my people.<BR/>34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,<BR/> or a man his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,'<BR/> because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,"<BR/> declares the LORD.<BR/> "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."<BR/><BR/> <BR/> <BR/>Psalm 91 (NIV)<BR/><BR/> 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.<BR/><BR/> 2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."<BR/><BR/> 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.<BR/><BR/> 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;<BR/> his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.<BR/><BR/> 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,<BR/><BR/> 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.<BR/><BR/> 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,<BR/> but it will not come near you.<BR/><BR/> 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.<BR/><BR/> 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge--<BR/><BR/> 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.<BR/><BR/> 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;<BR/><BR/> 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a<BR/> stone.<BR/><BR/> 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the<BR/> serpent.<BR/><BR/> 14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; <BR/> I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.<BR/><BR/> 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,<BR/> I will deliver him and honor him.<BR/><BR/> 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."<BR/><BR/> <BR/>Recent additions:<BR/><BR/><BR/>Psalm 91 Covenant – Goal is Love<BR/><BR/>The goal of Psalm 91 is that the Living God wants us to have a relationship of love with Him.<BR/>The Living God wants to have a relationship of love with us.<BR/>The Living God shows us how much He loves us by the care that He has for us.<BR/><BR/>At the end of the Psalm, it goes like this:<BR/><BR/> Psalm 91:14-16 <BR/>"Because he loves me," says the LORD, <BR/>"I will rescue him;<BR/> I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.<BR/> He will call upon me, and I will answer him;<BR/> I will be with him in trouble,<BR/> I will deliver him and honor him.<BR/> With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."<BR/><BR/><BR/>What do you say to someone that you love (namely, the Living God)?<BR/>"I love you, Father (or, I love you Daddy, or I love you Abba.) <BR/>"I love you, Lord Jesus"<BR/>"I love you, Holy Spirit"<BR/><BR/>What does Psalm 91 tell us the results are of loving the LORD?<BR/>(Basically, most of what we need and really desire)<BR/> "I will rescue him"<BR/>"I will protect him (for he acknowledges my name)" There is a great deal of depth in this one, in terms of what it means to know the name of the LORD.<BR/>"He will call upon me, and I will answer him" Prayer (communication), wow!<BR/>"I will be with him in trouble" This one is really needed!<BR/>"I will deliver him and honor him" This sounds really good!<BR/>"With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." Another home run!<BR/><BR/>Psalm 91 is written in covenant language. I have studied covenant for many years, but I feel I am going to have get a lot more fluent in covenant understanding. A covenant is an agreement between two (or more) parties. In biblical terms, between God and a person (or nation). The purpose of a covenant is for God to give understanding of Who He is, and let the person know that God wants to be in relationship with the person according to the terms of the covenant. God is basically saying, "I will do this for you, and this is the kind of Person you can understand Me to be. (The basic understanding is that God is the Creator, and that we are the created.) You also have a part to do. I (God) will do My part, and if you do your part, you will be greatly blessed."<BR/><BR/>The Living God, as revealed in Psalm 91, is incredibly kind, loving, and caring. The Living God is incredibly detailed in how He watches over us, and protects us.<BR/><BR/>What is incredible about Psalm 91 is that God reveals to us that He wants us to love Him! In return for us loving Him, we receive incredible blessing!<BR/><BR/>In the New Testament, we are given the Great Commandment by the Lord Jesus:<BR/><BR/>Matthew 22:34-40 <BR/>Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"<BR/> Jesus replied: " `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."<BR/><BR/>In the New Testament, we are told many times that God loves us, and that we are to love God. But, as far as I know right now, it is only in Psalm 91 that we are given an enumeration, all in one place, in concise terms, of what God does for us when we love Him. There are instances in the New Testament where we can find examples of what God will do for us because we love Him. I am going to have to do more research to find if it is as clear as what is communicated in Psalm 91.<BR/><BR/>Psalm 91 condenses a great deal of information in a few words.<BR/><BR/> <BR/> <BR/>More additions:<BR/><BR/>When we accept Psalm 91 as a covenant, then there are things that the Lord can accomplish in our lives (in us) that wouldn’t happen otherwise.<BR/><BR/>Walking in covenant causes things to surface in our lives that are contrary to the covenant relationship. The purpose is to partner with the Lord to flush those things out of our life; things in our life that are not in alignment with the covenant.<BR/><BR/>We don’t get the same results if we don’t accept Psalm 91 as a covenant from the Lord.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>A covenant relationship brings change.<BR/><BR/>When a covenant is offered, and we walk in it, it means a new level of relationship<BR/><BR/>A deeper level of relationship<BR/><BR/>Mind is being renewed<BR/><BR/>Transforms us<BR/><BR/>Commitment<BR/><BR/>From servants to friends<BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/>How good is God?<BR/><BR/>We will ask, “Are you really this good?”<BR/><BR/>Goodness<BR/><BR/>Faithfulness<BR/><BR/>Love<BR/><BR/>Provision<BR/><BR/>Protection<BR/><BR/>Being spared from punishment<BR/><BR/>Extreme goodness<BR/><BR/>VictoriousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com