Pastor Bill Johnson preaches on the huge role Holy Spirit plays in us finding deliverance from pain, sin, and suffering in our lives. We find our refuge and protection in the Lord but we may have a tendency to ignore the Holy Spirit’s power over what we’re experiencing.

I cannot over emphasize the importance

of us learning to live with continuous

affection for the person of the Holy

Spirit there’s something about that

abiding presence it’s not just that he

protects us it’s it’s the the closer I

stay to his heartbeat the more I know

what to do in a difficult moment

verse 3 surely he shall deliver You From

The Snare of the Fowler and from the

perilous pestilence

to me this implies snare with the Fowler

they would set a trap for a bird to

catch to catch a bird

Fowler snare

he will deliver you from the snare

to me it implies

that maybe you got caught in the snare

and he’s going to release you

so if if if you if you didn’t get the

protection you’re supposed to get to

keep you from the snare once you’re in

it he’s going to release you the whole

point is so all of you that are watching

some of you are in absolute Divine

Health others of you are struggling he

will deliver You From The Snare if you

got caught in this snare it’s not shame

it’s not condemnation we live in a world

of sin we get exposed to stuff and it’s

not your fault the good news is he will

deliver You From The Snare of the Fowler

and from the perilous pestilence verse

four he will cover you with his feathers

under his wings you shall take refuge

his truth shall be your shield and

buckler a buckler is a small Shield so

it’s more of a hand-to-hand combat type

picture all right I I always quote this

verse when people complain about

feathers appearing in our meetings

laughs

he shall cover you with his feathers

well that’s not literal Bill and I’d say

I know that’s what I thought all right

of course

verse 5.

verse five you shall not be afraid of

the terror by night nor of the arrow

that flies by day this is important

the distinction

in in the New Testament the arrows are

the the enemy’s thoughts

you remember the the example of the

armor of God the shield of Faith it’s to

absorb the shield of faith is to absorb

the thoughts the ideas the suggestions

The Temptations all the junk that the

enemy throws our way so that’s what the

arrow comes during the day when you’re

alive and thinking at night is the

terror

and so he’s he’s distinguishing if if

you go to bed with fear you you are

you’re embracing this thing that says I

could something could happen in the

night it’s that it’s that thing that

foreboding spirit that Chris deals with

a lot the the expectation or

anticipation of something wrong

happening oh man I hope our family

member I hope I hope something bad

doesn’t happen to this person that

person that foreboding spirit is that

Terror in the night and so the Lord is

actually equipping us to take a position

shield and buckler the The Shield of

Faith to absorb the stuff that comes at

us during the day but to do it so well

during the day that when it’s time to go

to bed

we can go to sleep in rest knowing that

he will defend us now I’m going to throw

in a word it’s not a Biblical word it’s

a word it’s it’s the one of two times in

my life I’ve had the Lord wake me up in

the middle of the night with his voice

it happened about

um

oh goodness 23 probably 23 years ago

here soon after we came to Redding we’ve

been here I think it’s 24 maybe it’s 25

years I lose track 24 years 24 years

this last month

so it’s about maybe 23 years ago I was

awakened in the night with this phrase

he watches over the watch of those who

watch the Lord

he watches over the watch of those who

watch the Lord of course we know in

pondering after I heard that he awakened

me with that voice I don’t ever want to

equate that with scripture I’m just

saying he spoke something to me that was

important for me to hear in that season

but also right now

he watches over the watch we know what a

Watchman is a Watchman is positioned on

a wall to see what might be coming

towards the city

good good news here we have people

coming in to trade open the gates bad

news here we have uh we have people

trying to sneak into the city city to

kill steal and destroy and so the

Watchman keeps away and this verse said

he will watch over my watch if I’ll

watch him

so this Terror by night thing is that

is that we go to sleep literally with

our eyes on him knowing that he will

watch our watch on our behalf

amen bill that was an excellent point

all right

Let’s uh verse 6 is basically the same

thing nor the pestilence that walks in

darkness the destruction that lays waste

at noon Day verse 7 a thousand may fall

at your side ten thousand at your right

hand but it shall not come near you only

with your eyes shall you look and see

the reward of the wicked

I I want to be careful here first of all

the Judgment verses in the Old Testament

I don’t want to ignore I don’t want to

wash them away and pretend they don’t

exist that’s not healthy nor is it

accurate

whenever I see a a person who lives in

corruption in evil it doesn’t matter how

deep they are lost I always am praying

for Mercy I don’t care how lost they are

how you know how demonized they are how

they may be a self-proclaimed devil

worshiper makes no difference to me I’m

going to pray for the mercy of God but I

will let you in on a secret

if I in my prayer Lord if they

absolutely refuse to repent and they

will not turn

then please use your dealings with them

to release the fear of God to the people

of God awaken us to this to this reality

now another thing I need to say

is just because you have difficulty or

are struggling or you’re sick or

whatever that’s not the Judgment of God

all right so anybody who’s watching

online here we’re going to pray for this

at the end it’s not the Judgment of the

Lord that’s not what he’s doing this is

a quite a different deal here all right

verse 9 let’s move on from that because

you have made the Lord who is my refuge

even the most high your Dwelling Place

referring back to verse one no evil will

befall you nor shall any plague near

come near your dwelling

for he shall give his angels charge over

you to keep you in all your ways let’s

go back over verse 10 and 11 again

I’m sorry verse 9.

because

so here’s a reason because you have made

the Lord who is my refuge even the most

high your Dwelling Place

no evil shall befall you nor any plague

come near your dwelling stop right there

I just want to re-emphasize learning to

live in the manifestation of the of the

presence of God the abiding presence of

the Holy Spirit

I I cannot I cannot over emphasize the

importance of us learning to live with

continuous affection for the person of

the Holy Spirit there’s something about

that abiding presence it’s not just that

he protects us it’s it’s the the closer

I stay to his heartbeat the more I know

what to do in a difficult moment

the disciples come to Jesus and say why

couldn’t we cast The Demon out of the

child

Jesus says it only comes out with prayer

and fasting and he didn’t pray or fast

why because the tenderness the closeness

was already there the devil was on his

shoulder and remained so there was a

continuous ongoing relationship and

awareness of the spirit of God so he

didn’t need to turn aside what is

fasting for is to refine our Focus to

the kingdom

is to say no to other appetites so that

we can truly hunger for the the reality

of the Unseen Promises of God that are

to become manifest that’s what it is

fasting is refining Focus Jesus didn’t

fast in the moment why he lived with a

refined Focus he lived with the

connection to the abiding presence of

the spirit of God so This Promise here

is not just this casual the holy spirit

is with us always thing it’s the

invitation to develop an awareness of

the spirit of God Upon Our Life in such

a way it’s not just to protect me from

plagues it’s to is to keep me in the

center of what he’s doing on planet

Earth it makes me the the offensive

weapon if you will the one who can bring

hope in Hopeless situation the one who

refused to to cower in the face of

threat and disease and all the junk that

goes on unwilling to cower I will not I

will not give honor to a disease

I will not give honor to a disease

cancer

is with a small C

Jesus is a capital j

always keep it big

let me see him silly to you but that’s

that’s what’s going on in my head all

right