Frightened Into Obedience

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

“He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4 (NKJV)

 

Sometimes I’ll catch myself doing that metaphorical glance over my shoulder and when I do, I sometimes wish that I didn’t have to live a life that, at one point, went astray. During my early walk as a Christian, I would listen to the many stories of what other Christians had done with their lives and have wondered what it would have been like to have lived that way. Guess you could say that I “coveted” their lifestyle but now when I hear the panic that Christians will go through because of what happens in Secularland I’ll think, “Like they didn’t see this coming?” and then I suddenly don’t mind having lived a life as severely as I once had, kinda. Guess it made me already braced for impact.

 

I recently read an article about our current events and the reaction to how the Secularland is handing the situation. The writer used a phrase that just leaped out at me and said “PAY ATTENTION”, that phrase was, “frightened into obedience.” I believe it was used a warning to the reader that an Orwellian mindset wasn’t the way to handle the current situation but because we’ve got those folks out there who just disobey everything for every reason, a governmental clampdown wasn’t too far off on the horizon. One of the reasons given…panic. People have acted as if this was Armageddon and they need large quantities of toilet paper to survive it. (that’s an exaggeration, sorta) Anyway…

 

I think we do need be mindful of our Romans 13 directive about those in charge but I’m sure there have been a few of God’s children that have snubbed that and have joined the panic. It’s in this moment where God’s Word needs to be injected into our heads and hearts faster than running out to steal the Charmin. Psalm 91 is just one of those moments in Gods Word where, even without a title or a nod to an author, we can look at it and see that God’s people are being encouraged to “abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” As Spurgeon puts it, “What a shade in the day of noxious heat! What refuge in the hour of deadly storm! Communion with God is safety. The more closely we cling to our Almighty Father the more confident may we be.”

 

And as you continue on with the Psalm, you’ll find that confidence being expressed. “I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:2) This isn’t just a “the LORD is a refuge, a fortress” kinda statement, on the contrary, this becomes personalized. Once again Spurgeon will say this, ‘To take up a general truth and make it our own by personal faith is the highest wisdom.” The Biblical logic gets a lot clearer as you read verse four, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:4) So basically, in the words of Agur, “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5)

 

This entire Psalm is filled with the goodness and the power of God. Each verse is a reminder that He faithfully works on behalf on those who love him and He’ll make these promises by the time you get to verses 14-16. God will rescue and protect us. He’ll answer us when we call on Him. God will be with us in times of trouble, deliver us and honor us. “With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:16) I wanna point this out as well, there is nothing in this Psalm that would frighten any of us into obedience but if you choose not to stay under His wings…C’est La Guerre.

 

Ya know, it is easier to trust in God when we think everything is under control, let me re-phrase that, when we think we got everything under control. Unfortunately, this is to our folly. The apostle Paul would emphasize to the Corinthians that, “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Cor 1:9). Given that bit of information, we should rest in the knowledge that our focus should be vertical and horizontal.

 

And Jesus was pretty clear, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b)

Once again, nothing there says be frightened into obedience. So, to wrap this up, yes fear God but understand that it’s better to surrender a yielded heart than a frightened one. Amen?

 

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) has been married for 25+ years (Kathy), has a married son (Kevin) and a daughter in college (Karen). He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net

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Think About This: “Stop looking at man. Man will fail you every time. Man will do what’s humanly possible in the natural. God will do what is supernatural.” — Debbie Mascioli

The Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 10-14| You can download our 2020 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; ¹² As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. –Psalm 103:11-12

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.