God’s Hedge Of Protection

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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.000 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:36.120 Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:36.800 the ministry. 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.280 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:40.959 blessing and share it with a friends. 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:43.880 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:58.480 your life. So God bless you and welcome. It's always 0:01:58.520 --> 0:01:59.360 great to come. 0:01:59.160 --> 0:01:59.880 Into your home. 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:02.600 We love you and we know God has great things 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:04.720 in store for each one of you. If you're ever 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:07.120 in our area, please stop buy and be a part 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:08.400 of one of our services. 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:10.800 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:13.320 But thanks so much for tuning in, and again thanks 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:15.560 for coming out today. And I like to start with 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:18.280 something funny each week. And I heard about this man. 0:02:18.560 --> 0:02:22.320 He was on vacation in Jerusalem with his family. All 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:25.119 of a sudden, his mother in law died. He went 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:28.040 to make arrangements to get her body back home, and 0:02:28.080 --> 0:02:31.000 the consulate said it had cost five thousand dollars to 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:33.760 have her shift and one hundred and fifty dollars to 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:37.400 have her buried right there in Jerusalem. After deep thought, 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:40.360 he told the consulate he wanted to have her body shift. 0:02:40.800 --> 0:02:43.520 The consulate said, well, boy, you must have really loved 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:44.440 your mother in law. 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:46.560 He said, no, it's not so much that. 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:50.320 I just remember a case here many years ago where 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:53.040 they buried somebody and on the third day he arose, 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:54.880 and I can't take that chance. 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:59.399 All right now, I'm blessed to have a great mother 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:04.560 in law. You to ful annointed fun Hold up your Bible, 0:03:04.720 --> 0:03:07.440 say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:10.280 I am what it says, I am, I have what 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:12.959 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:15.760 I can do. Today, I will be taught the word 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:20.120 of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:21.320 heart is receptive. 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:25.240 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:25.800 bless you. 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:29.840 I want to talk to you today about God's hedge 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:33.519 of protection. We hear so much in the news about 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:37.760 terrorist threats and violence in schools, and how cities are 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:41.760 becoming less and less safe. Just recently I saw a 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:45.280 big report on gain violence and how it was spreading 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:48.480 across the nation. I read an article that talked about 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:51.680 how dangerous the freeways are and how many people are 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:55.520 being hurt in accidents. If we're not careful, we'll go 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:59.760 through life in fear instead of faith. But the scripture 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:03.360 taught talks about how God has placed a hedge of 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:08.120 protection around his children. It is a barrier that cannot 0:04:08.160 --> 0:04:12.200 be broken without God's permission. That's why in the Book 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:16.240 of Job, Satan had to ask permission to test Job. 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:20.239 He wanted to, but he said God, I can't touch 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:25.200 him or his family, his property, his business, because you've 0:04:25.200 --> 0:04:27.000 got this hedge all around him. 0:04:27.720 --> 0:04:29.000 It'll help you to stay in. 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:32.440 Faith if you'll realize as long as you do like 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:36.039 job and do your best to honor God, then you 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:40.840 too have a hedge of protection that cannot be penetrated 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:45.239 without God's permission. It is not subject to a terrorist attack, 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:48.120 to a drunk driver, to a crazy accident. 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:51.960 It's subject to the most high God. You remember the 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:55.840 rapper mc Hammer. He used to have a popular song 0:04:55.880 --> 0:04:59.479 that said, can't touch this, can't touch this. Well, that's 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:01.839 the way you are to the enemy. Can't touch you, 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:02.800 can't touch you. 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:08.520 When you realize the creator of the universe is watching 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:12.000 over you, you won't go around worried thinking, Oh, it's 0:05:12.040 --> 0:05:15.360 so dangerous, I'm afraid to drive on the freeways. Crime 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:18.280 is so bad. No, You'll say, like David, I will 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:21.360 fear no evil. I will fear no accident, I will 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:23.480 fear no crime, I will fear. 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:24.400 No terrorist attack. 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:27.839 I'm not worried about what someone can or cannot do 0:05:27.960 --> 0:05:28.200 to me. 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:30.120 The Lord is my protector. 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:33.800 The Lord is my shield, my strong power, my defender, 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:34.920 my fortress. 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:36.960 Whom shall we be afraid? 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:42.320 So on one in the message translation says, your guardian 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:47.360 God is right at your side to protect you, shielding 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:50.839 you from every evil. He guards you when you leave 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:54.240 and guard you when you return. He guards you now, 0:05:54.520 --> 0:05:58.000 and he will guard you always. Friends, there's no reason 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:01.200 to be afraid. There's no reason to go around worried 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:05.640 thinking about what might happen. Your guardian God is watching 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:09.559 over you. Our son, Jonathan is learning how to drive. 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:13.440 He's fifteen years old and just recently got his learners permit. 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:16.640 That means that he can drive as long as there's 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:19.520 an adult in the car. I've been riding with him 0:06:19.560 --> 0:06:22.159 a lot lately, and I must say that my prayer 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:27.080 life has increased greatly. Jonathan has helped me grow closer 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:30.880 to the Lord. But it's easy to be worried and think, well, 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:33.880 I wonder what's going to happen. A lot of crazy drivers. 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:36.680 I hope he's okay out there now. When we dwell 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:41.080 on fear talk about what might happen, all we're doing 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:44.640 is putting our faith in the fear instead of faith 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:48.240 in Almighty God. Some of you are living way too worried, 0:06:48.560 --> 0:06:52.680 worried about your children, worried about your safety, worried about accidents, 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:56.360 worried about not getting sick. Listen, if it's not your 0:06:56.400 --> 0:06:59.440 time to go, you're not going to go. The enemy 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:03.320 does not have the power to end your life. God 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:03.960 has you. 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:07.240 In the palm of his hand. Nothing can snatch you 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:08.200 out of God's hand. 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:13.840 No accident, no drunk driver, no terrorists, no sickness, no 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:17.720 bad break. God controls the whole universe. I know a 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:21.280 police officer. He was responding to a call late one 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:24.000 night for a break in at a home. When he 0:07:24.040 --> 0:07:26.440 got to the house, he ran around the back and 0:07:26.840 --> 0:07:28.840 a burglar was hiding in the bushes. 0:07:29.240 --> 0:07:31.800 This burglar was high on drugs, didn't know what he 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:32.280 was doing. 0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:36.440 He stepped out and shot the officer point blank range, 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:39.800 right in the chest. They rushed the officer to the 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:43.760 hospital and took him into surgery. The surgeon discovered that 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:48.040 the bullet missed the main artery in his chest by less. 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:49.440 Than one sixteenth of an inch. 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:52.680 He told the family afterwards, if he would have been 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:54.800 a fraction over, that. 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:56.840 Bullet would have ended his life. 0:07:56.920 --> 0:08:00.160 Come to find out, the bullet hit the man's bag 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:03.960 and it caused it to ever so slightly change the 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:07.000 course of a bullet. What am I saying, as a 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:10.200 child of the Most High God, you have a hedge 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:14.040 of protection that cannot even be penetrated by a bullet. 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:17.720 You have a guardian, you have a defender. Quit worrying 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:22.560 about your safety, Quit worrying about accidents. God said, no 0:08:22.720 --> 0:08:27.040 weapon formed against you will ever prosper. And I realized 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:30.480 that we can get out from under God's protection. If 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:34.160 we're not living right, not honoring God, if we're doing 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:37.679 things that are foolish, we can certainly bring trouble on ourselves. 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:39.480 It's like this man I heard about. 0:08:39.960 --> 0:08:42.600 He was driving down the freeway going ninety miles an 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:46.439 hour in a sixty mile an hour zone. His friends said, man, 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:49.319 you need to slow down. This is dangerous. He said, Oh, 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:51.760 I'm not worried about it. I've got the Angel of 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:55.160 the Lord with me. His friend said, no, the Angel 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:59.080 of the Lord got out at sixty five. But of 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:02.840 course we shouldn't do foolish things. We shouldn't not use 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:06.040 our common sense. The one thing I love about God 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:09.600 is even when we do do dumb things, even when 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:13.560 we don't use common sense, God is so merciful, so 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:17.400 full of loving kindness. Most of the time, he'll still 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:21.040 protect us and keep us from harm. I read about 0:09:21.040 --> 0:09:24.200 a young man twenty one years old. He was raised 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:27.040 in church. He knew the right thing to do, But 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:31.400 he started partying, drinking, running with the wrong crowd. The 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:35.000 whole time, his mother back at home was praying and praying. 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:38.400 She would constantly call him and encourage him to get 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:40.920 his life straightened out, but he just wouldn't do it. 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:44.320 One night, after it had way too much to drink, 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:47.640 some of his friends dared him to climb up a 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:51.160 power pole. He was crazy enough to do it. He 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:54.079 climbed up that pole forty feet in the air, as 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:56.920 drunk as can be. When he almost made it to 0:09:56.960 --> 0:10:01.080 the top, he lost his footing, slipped and fell As 0:10:01.080 --> 0:10:06.199 he began to tumble down backwards toward a certain death. Somehow, 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:09.880 his leather belt caught hold of one of the metal 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.680 rods sticking out of the pole, and it acted just 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:13.600 like a harness. 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:15.000 It saved his life. 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:17.400 He was dangling up there in the middle of the night. 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:21.360 The rescuers came and got him down. The newspaper headline said, 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:26.640 pants saved drunk man from falls. That was the mercy 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:31.960 of God leaving that hedge of protection. Parents, all those 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:35.040 prayers you've been praying for your children, it does make 0:10:35.080 --> 0:10:40.160 a difference. They may still be acting foolishly doing crazy things. 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:43.760 Maybe they don't even deserve God's protection, they don't deserve 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:44.720 God's goodness. 0:10:44.800 --> 0:10:46.680 But let me tell you, but because. 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:49.760 Of your prayers, because of your faith, because of your goodness, 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:51.400 God will protect. 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:53.040 Them and keep them from harm. 0:10:53.440 --> 0:10:56.319 And every day we should get in a habit of 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:59.959 thanking God for his protection. I never leave the house 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:03.800 without saying, Father, thank you that you have a hedge 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:08.280 of protection around me, over my family, over our ministry, 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:09.280 over our property. 0:11:10.040 --> 0:11:12.600 I learned this from my mother. Growing up. 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:16.240 We never went to school without my mother saying Father, 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:19.600 thank you that your angels have charge over my children. 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:23.439 My mother prayed every day that not one of us 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:26.720 five children would ever break a bone. Do you know 0:11:26.800 --> 0:11:30.000 we all grew up playing sports, very active, but not 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:32.840 one of us has ever broken a bone. My brother 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:34.520 Paul's knows it's naturally. 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:41.200 That Big song ninety one, If you dwell in the. 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:44.960 Secret place of the Most High, you will abide under 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:46.680 the shadow of the Almighty. 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:48.840 What does that mean? The secret place? 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:53.040 It means stay close to God, honor him with your 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:56.440 life all through the day. Under your breath you should 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:59.599 be whispering God, I love you, I need you, I 0:11:59.720 --> 0:12:01.160 trusts you God, help me. 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:02.680 To make good decisions today. 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:06.240 When you're close to God, you're in the secret place 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:09.120 under the shadow of the Almighty. 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:10.120 The next verse. 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:14.120 Says, I will say of the Lord, you are my refuge, 0:12:14.200 --> 0:12:16.400 you are my fortress, You are my God. 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:17.800 In you will I trust. 0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:21.439 Then it goes on to list all these great promises 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:23.880 of protection. But what I want you to see is 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:27.280 it's not enough to just dwell in the secret place. 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:31.079 You need to do like the Psalmist and start saying, 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:34.160 of the Lord Father, I want to thank you that 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:37.839 you're my shield, you're my refuge, you're my fortress. Lord, 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:40.840 thank you for this hedge of protection around me and 0:12:40.920 --> 0:12:45.040 my family. I have a friend that works in commercial construction. 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:48.200 He's one of our faithful volunteers. I see him here 0:12:48.440 --> 0:12:52.000 all the time. He's dwelling in that secret place. His 0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:55.319 company builds these big high rises and he's a foreman. 0:12:55.880 --> 0:12:58.520 One day he was on the job site, standing right 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:01.440 next to this big crane that they used to lift 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:05.200 the steel beams into place. He needed some equipment back 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:07.520 at the office and he was going to radio them 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:09.640 and asked them to bring it. But when he went 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.559 to use his radio, for some reason, it wasn't working, 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:15.240 and that was odd because it had been working just 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:18.560 ten minutes earlier. In fact, it had worked perfectly all 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:21.880 day long. And he finagled with the radio five or 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:25.319 ten minutes. Finally he just gave up started walking back 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:27.520 toward his truck. He was going to go to the 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:30.600 office and pick up the equipment himself. When he got 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:34.360 about three hundred yards away, he heard a loud kaboon 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:38.880 sounded like an explosion, literally shook the ground. He looked 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:43.000 back and that massive crane right where he was standing 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:44.319 it toppled over. 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:48.160 There was a big mass of steel, cable, smoke dust 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:49.080 going up in the air. 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:53.040 He would have certainly been killed. What caused his radio 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.440 to not work The Angel of the Lord. That was 0:13:56.480 --> 0:14:00.559 the hedge of protection God had around him. I was saying, 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:03.520 I'm not finished with your life. I've got something else 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:07.640 for you to do. Well, you say, Joel, If God's 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.720 so good, why didn't he stop the crane from toppling 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:13.920 over in the first place. Now, God is not going 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.800 to prevent every accident, but he did say, I'll be 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:21.040 your refuge, I'll be your fortress. I'll keep my shield 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:24.280 around you. I was talking to a lady last week, 0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:27.440 and she was very upset because somebody ran into her 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:30.440 car on the freeway and it ended up totaling her car. 0:14:31.040 --> 0:14:35.080 She was complaining, didn't understand why that happened. Said, listen, 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:38.400 you'll complaining about the car. I would be thanking God 0:14:38.400 --> 0:14:41.080 that I'm still alive. If it had not been for 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:44.280 those angels, if it had not been for that hedge 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:48.080 of protection, she might not even be here. Be grateful. 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:51.840 God's not going to prevent every accident. Think about the 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:56.560 three Hebrew teenagers Shadrack knee jack in a bendigo. They 0:14:56.640 --> 0:15:01.320 got thrown into the fiery furnace. God didn't deliver them 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:05.080 from the fire. He took them through the fire. Do 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:08.200 you remember what the king said, didn't we throw three 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:11.640 men in here bound? I see four men loosed, and 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:14.240 one looks like the sun of the Living God. 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.880 They came out without the smell of smoke. It wasn't 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:20.160 their time to go. 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:28.240 God's head of protection can withstand fire, cranes, falling, automobile accidents, gunshots, 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:31.880 even falling off of a power pole. No power can 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:35.640 stand against our God. I was talking to Bishop Jakes 0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:38.120 the last time he was here, and he told how 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:41.360 one Sunday morning, as he was about to get dressed 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:44.480 to come to his church, there was a loud explosion 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:47.440 at his house. In fact, the whole back end of 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:51.280 his house was blown apart. In his basement, there were 0:15:51.280 --> 0:15:54.200 some big heaters and they didn't have the proper ventilation. 0:15:54.320 --> 0:15:59.520 It created this massive explosion. Normally, at that time of morning, 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:02.120 he would have been back there getting dressed, but it 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:06.160 just so happened. A few weeks earlier, he decided to 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:09.640 move the start time of his Sunday morning service from 0:16:09.720 --> 0:16:12.560 eight o'clock in the morning to nine o'clock in the morning. 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:13.680 If he had not. 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:16.160 Moved it an hour later, he would have been in 0:16:16.200 --> 0:16:19.280 those rooms that were totally blown apart, and he wouldn't 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:23.120 even be here today. Friends, you have a protector. The 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:25.920 most High God is watching over you. 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:26.600 You're not just. 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:29.320 Going through life on your own hoping that it all 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:32.560 works out. You know, the creator of the universe has 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:37.000 put this hedge all around you that cannot be penetrated 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:41.880 without God's permission. That means, as long as you're in 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:46.840 the secret place, nothing can accidentally happen to you. Now, 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.320 I'm not saying that you'll never have an accident, but 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:52.480 I am saying that accident will not be a surprise 0:16:52.600 --> 0:16:55.520 to God. Well, you say, Joel, I don't see a 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:57.200 lot of this divine protection. 0:16:57.440 --> 0:16:59.440 I've had a lot of bad things happen to me. 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:02.920 No, you just don't know all the things that God 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:04.360 has protected you from. 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:05.359 You don't know. 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:08.720 God may have spared your life from an accident driving 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:11.960 over here today, you just didn't know about it. God 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:15.320 may have held back the forces of darkness last week 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:18.080 and kept you from being at the wrong place at 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:18.879 the wrong time. 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:21.960 You just couldn't see it. I'm gonna choose to live 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:23.080 my life in faith. 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:26.159 I'm gonna thank God for what I can see and 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:28.680 thank God for what I can't see. I'm going to 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:31.440 thank him for the times where it's obvious that He's 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:34.520 protected me. And I'm gonna thank him every day for 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:38.119 what didn't happen. Father, Thank you that a car didn't 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:40.639 hit me on the freeway. Thank you that I didn't 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:43.160 get sick last week. Thank you that I didn't get 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:46.879 bad news today. When we have the right perspective, we 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:49.880 can thank God for nothing. I was watching the news 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.320 a while back, and a man was on the side 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:55.920 of the freeway changing a flat tire. This police officer 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.120 pulled over to help him out, and this was all 0:17:58.160 --> 0:18:01.120 caught on video from the dash camera of the police 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:04.520 officer's car. At one point, the man stood up to 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:07.280 come over to talk to the officer, and just as 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:10.840 he did, you can see this huge tire that came 0:18:10.880 --> 0:18:14.400 off of an eighteen wheeler going by sixty miles an hour. 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:18.520 It comes into frame and plows through right where he 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:21.200 had been changing the tire. If he had not got 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:24.160 up at that split second to talk to the officer. 0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:25.880 That tire would have flattened him out. 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:28.760 There's a lot of things like that where we can 0:18:28.800 --> 0:18:31.520 look back and say, Father, thank you for the tire 0:18:31.640 --> 0:18:34.240 that didn't hit me, thank you for the wreck that 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:37.280 I didn't have, thank you that my child didn't get 0:18:37.320 --> 0:18:40.119 hurt in the football game. Thank you that my daughter 0:18:40.200 --> 0:18:41.600 came back safely. 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:42.320 From camp last week. 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.480 The more you thank God for his protection, the more 0:18:46.520 --> 0:18:50.040 you brag on God's goodness, the stronger that hedge will become. 0:18:50.880 --> 0:18:53.320 And God has all kinds of ways to protect us. 0:18:53.920 --> 0:18:56.800 I have a friend he was involved in a situation 0:18:57.000 --> 0:19:00.399 that was very big in the press at one time time. 0:19:00.520 --> 0:19:02.240 It was the hottest news. 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:07.520 Story around, and practically every news organization, every reporter was 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:10.000 trying to get to him to get his point of view, 0:19:10.040 --> 0:19:13.199 and the press wasn't very favorable toward him, so he 0:19:13.280 --> 0:19:15.600 wanted to stay out of it. And for the first 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:19.000 several months after the big incident, he had to travel 0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:22.240 back and forth between two cities, and somehow the press 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:24.840 would always get word of when he was going to 0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:28.440 be at the airports. All these cameras would be lined up. 0:19:28.920 --> 0:19:31.320 But he said, Joel, it was the most amazing thing. 0:19:31.720 --> 0:19:34.880 I would walk right by those cameras and not one 0:19:34.960 --> 0:19:38.960 person would recognize me. For three months, the press never 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:41.800 got a shot of him. A reporter even went to 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:45.040 his house knocked on the door. He answered, even at 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:47.920 his own house, the reporter did not recognize him. 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:51.480 He said, it was like God made. 0:19:51.240 --> 0:19:55.919 Me invisible to the people that wanted to do me wrong. Friends, 0:19:55.960 --> 0:19:59.399 God has all kinds of ways to protect us. God 0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:03.200 can make blind eyes see. Plus God can make sea 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:06.879 and eyes become blind. God can cause you to become 0:20:06.960 --> 0:20:10.720 invisible to the people they want to do you harm. 0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:13.000 I want you to have this sense of security. 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:16.000 You don't have to go through life afraid you've got 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:19.320 a guardian, you've got a protector, you've got a defender. 0:20:19.840 --> 0:20:23.760 Right now, every one of you has an invisible. 0:20:23.240 --> 0:20:25.159 Shield around you. 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:27.800 You can't see it with your natural eyes, but if 0:20:27.800 --> 0:20:30.639 you were to be able to look into that unseen realm, 0:20:30.880 --> 0:20:32.600 you would see these mighty. 0:20:32.440 --> 0:20:33.920 Angels all around. 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:39.399 They stand like powerful warriors, constantly watching, making sure that 0:20:39.520 --> 0:20:43.280 no harm comes near you. That's why it says in Psalms, 0:20:43.840 --> 0:20:47.280 don't be afraid of the terror by night, nor from 0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:50.880 the dangers during the day. A thousand may fall at 0:20:50.880 --> 0:20:54.080 your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but 0:20:54.200 --> 0:20:55.440 it will not come near you. 0:20:56.640 --> 0:20:59.160 That means it may get bad all around. 0:21:00.040 --> 0:21:03.080 Watch the news and you're gonna see violence and burglaries 0:21:03.119 --> 0:21:06.800 and accidents and terrorist threats, on and on. But God 0:21:06.880 --> 0:21:11.000 is saying, don't panic, don't be afraid. As my child, 0:21:11.160 --> 0:21:14.800 I've got you covered. It may get bad, but my 0:21:15.000 --> 0:21:19.159 angels are at work. I've got my shield up. Nothing 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:23.080 can happen without my permission. My promise is, as your 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:26.480 guardian God, I'll watch over you and keep you from heart. 0:21:27.320 --> 0:21:29.320 Remember when my father went to be with the Lord. 0:21:29.640 --> 0:21:32.439 It's been eleven years now, and I stepped up to 0:21:32.480 --> 0:21:35.640 pastor the church. I had never been in the public 0:21:35.720 --> 0:21:38.879 eye before, always been behind the scenes, and at one 0:21:38.960 --> 0:21:41.480 point there was a lot going on. First off, I 0:21:41.480 --> 0:21:43.879 didn't really know if I could do this. Then some 0:21:44.000 --> 0:21:47.639 other people were talking. It seemed like from every possible 0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:52.320 direction there was opposition and negative things were happening during 0:21:52.320 --> 0:21:55.200 that time. One night I had a dream, and in 0:21:55.200 --> 0:21:58.640 this dream, I was running through an open field. There 0:21:58.640 --> 0:22:02.760 were planes flying very low all around, and they began 0:22:02.920 --> 0:22:06.320 dropping bombs right there close to me. It's just like 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:08.600 it's right out of a war movie. I mean, those 0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:11.719 bombs weren't fifteen or twenty feet away, and when they 0:22:11.760 --> 0:22:14.919 would go off, the noise was deafening. I would just 0:22:15.000 --> 0:22:17.560 brace myself and get ready for the shrapnel to hit me. 0:22:17.920 --> 0:22:21.200 I knew it was the end, but somehow, every time 0:22:21.280 --> 0:22:25.440 the bombs exploded, the shrapnel would miss me. I never 0:22:25.480 --> 0:22:29.119 felt anything, even in my dream. I was amazed that 0:22:29.160 --> 0:22:31.919 I was still alive now. I ended up running to 0:22:31.960 --> 0:22:36.000 this small house, hiding inside in a room, so afraid. 0:22:36.600 --> 0:22:39.240 I could hear the soldiers and these people going by 0:22:39.320 --> 0:22:41.600 that were trying to get me, and I was praying 0:22:41.720 --> 0:22:43.240 and hoping that they wouldn't. 0:22:42.960 --> 0:22:43.760 Check that house. 0:22:44.359 --> 0:22:48.360 But then my worst nightmare came true. They came bursting 0:22:48.440 --> 0:22:50.760 in the room. I was standing right there. They had 0:22:50.760 --> 0:22:53.639 their guns drawn. I thought, oh, well, I'm dead. 0:22:53.680 --> 0:22:54.160 That's it. 0:22:54.680 --> 0:22:57.600 But much to my amazement, they looked at me and 0:22:57.640 --> 0:22:59.520 then just turned around and went back out. 0:23:00.160 --> 0:23:02.640 It was like I had been invisible to them. 0:23:03.200 --> 0:23:05.280 And at that point I woke up from the dream 0:23:05.840 --> 0:23:08.440 and I felt a peace like I'd never felt before. 0:23:08.880 --> 0:23:11.880 I heard God saying, down in here, Joel, things may 0:23:11.960 --> 0:23:14.960 be exploding all around you, but I've got you in 0:23:15.040 --> 0:23:21.160 the palm of my head. He said, you keep your 0:23:21.160 --> 0:23:24.720 trust in me, and no weapon formed against you will prosper. 0:23:26.040 --> 0:23:29.600 And now every time things start to come against me, 0:23:30.000 --> 0:23:32.880 I just remind myself what I'm telling you, that I've 0:23:32.880 --> 0:23:36.520 got a hedge of protection that the enemy cannot cross. 0:23:37.040 --> 0:23:40.359 Instead of being afraid, instead of getting discouraged, instead of 0:23:40.359 --> 0:23:42.720 talking about who's trying to make me look bad, who's 0:23:42.720 --> 0:23:45.440 trying to harm me? Now my report is I will 0:23:45.480 --> 0:23:48.320 say of the Lord. He is my refuge, my fortress, 0:23:48.359 --> 0:23:52.600 my strong power, my deliver He is my God. You 0:23:52.720 --> 0:23:56.240 talk like that, and fear doesn't have a chance. Not 0:23:56.359 --> 0:23:59.679 only that, the scripture says the angels. 0:23:59.200 --> 0:24:00.960 Hearken to the voice of the Lord. 0:24:01.680 --> 0:24:04.359 That means when you go around speaking words of faith, 0:24:04.880 --> 0:24:07.520 when you go out saying Father, thank you that you're 0:24:07.560 --> 0:24:10.159 watching over me, thank you that you're taking care of 0:24:10.160 --> 0:24:12.480 my children. Father, thank you that you'll help me to 0:24:12.520 --> 0:24:15.719 get to work safely today. When you do that, the 0:24:15.840 --> 0:24:19.960 angels come to attention. They say among themselves, listen to 0:24:19.960 --> 0:24:22.600 what he's saying, listen to what she's declared, and they're 0:24:22.640 --> 0:24:25.320 speaking words of faith. Let's get busy, let's go to work. 0:24:25.920 --> 0:24:29.040 The angels. Hearkened to God's word even coming out of 0:24:29.080 --> 0:24:29.560 our mouth. 0:24:30.200 --> 0:24:31.119 I know this minister. 0:24:31.520 --> 0:24:35.160 He was planning a big event overseas at a nation 0:24:35.320 --> 0:24:38.480 that was very unstable. This country had a lot of 0:24:38.600 --> 0:24:41.119 violence and a lot of uprising in the past. But 0:24:41.560 --> 0:24:44.320 the government leaders invited him to come and hold this 0:24:44.560 --> 0:24:48.560 massive outdoor crusade where they were expecting several. 0:24:48.480 --> 0:24:49.600 Hundred thousand people. 0:24:50.040 --> 0:24:52.679 The local leaders had been working on this project for 0:24:52.800 --> 0:24:53.639 over a year. 0:24:54.280 --> 0:24:57.360 The big week finally came. They had everything. 0:24:57.000 --> 0:25:00.960 Ready, the platform in place, the sound, the lighting, hundreds 0:25:01.000 --> 0:25:05.000 and hundreds of volunteers and technicians had worked tirelessly getting 0:25:05.040 --> 0:25:08.960 it all prepared, not only that his ministry had spent 0:25:09.080 --> 0:25:13.399 many thousands of dollars advertising and inviting people to come. 0:25:14.119 --> 0:25:15.960 But the night before the big. 0:25:15.760 --> 0:25:19.560 Event, it began to rain, and it rained and rained 0:25:19.640 --> 0:25:22.800 and rained. The next morning, still raining cats and dogs. 0:25:23.160 --> 0:25:27.119 By noon of the next day, the field was totally underwater. 0:25:27.520 --> 0:25:30.520 It would be impossible to have the event. Much to 0:25:30.600 --> 0:25:33.960 their disappointment, they had to cancel it. The minister flew 0:25:34.040 --> 0:25:37.480 back home to the States very discouraged, thinking it was 0:25:37.520 --> 0:25:41.080 a big waste of time, energy, and money. But about 0:25:41.119 --> 0:25:44.639 two weeks later, when the grounds finally dried out, the 0:25:44.760 --> 0:25:48.400 crew was there taking down the equipment and cleaning the grounds, 0:25:48.440 --> 0:25:51.800 and one of the workers noticed something interesting in the 0:25:51.800 --> 0:25:54.639 middle of the field. The ground was disturbed and he 0:25:54.760 --> 0:25:58.879 saw cables and wires and boxes. He called the authorities 0:25:58.920 --> 0:26:02.320 over and come to find out someone had buried a 0:26:02.520 --> 0:26:05.960 huge bomb in the middle of the field. They were 0:26:06.000 --> 0:26:09.679 planning on blowing it up during the event. The authorities 0:26:09.720 --> 0:26:12.080 said there was so much firepower it would have wiped 0:26:12.080 --> 0:26:15.879 out the whole field, possibly killing hundreds of thousands of people. 0:26:16.480 --> 0:26:20.800 The headlines in that paper said floods saved people's lives. 0:26:21.520 --> 0:26:25.719 The true headlines should have bread God saved people's lives. Friends, 0:26:25.720 --> 0:26:30.680 we have this hedge of protection. God can cause rain 0:26:30.840 --> 0:26:33.960 to protect you. He can cause your cell phone to 0:26:34.080 --> 0:26:37.080 not work to move you from danger. God can make 0:26:37.160 --> 0:26:39.360 you invisible to people that want to harm you. 0:26:39.760 --> 0:26:40.760 God can even. 0:26:40.640 --> 0:26:43.760 Use your belt to catch you and break a dangerous fall. 0:26:44.520 --> 0:26:47.240 And things may be exploding all around you like I 0:26:47.240 --> 0:26:50.240 saw in my dream. But my encouragement is, don't be 0:26:50.280 --> 0:26:54.840 afraid because you're in the secret place, because you're honoring God. 0:26:55.040 --> 0:26:55.920 He's got you in the. 0:26:55.880 --> 0:26:58.399 Palm of his hand. He's saying it's not going to 0:26:58.440 --> 0:27:02.680 harm you. There was a fire in Yellowstone National Park. 0:27:03.240 --> 0:27:06.440 After the fire, these forest rangers began to go through 0:27:06.440 --> 0:27:09.240 the park to get an idea of the damage, and 0:27:09.280 --> 0:27:12.560 at one point this ranger saw a dead bird on 0:27:12.600 --> 0:27:17.800 the ground with its wings spread out wide, literally petrified 0:27:17.840 --> 0:27:22.399 in ashes. It looked very stately, very majestic, almost like 0:27:22.480 --> 0:27:25.920 the bird was posing for a picture. Out of curiosity, 0:27:25.960 --> 0:27:28.040 the ranger took his stick and he moved the bird. 0:27:28.680 --> 0:27:32.800 Much to his surprise, three baby chicks ran out from 0:27:32.840 --> 0:27:38.360 under the bird's wings. That mother bird, sensing danger, spread 0:27:38.359 --> 0:27:41.919 out her wings to protect her babies. She could have 0:27:42.000 --> 0:27:45.280 easily flown away. The mother could have risen above the 0:27:45.320 --> 0:27:49.280 fire the smoke, but she refused to abandon her babies. 0:27:49.800 --> 0:27:52.280 That's the way our God is. No matter how hot 0:27:52.320 --> 0:27:54.840 the fire, no matter how big the trouble, no matter 0:27:54.880 --> 0:27:58.560 how hard the difficulty, God will never abandon us. 0:27:59.000 --> 0:28:02.320 Saw nine four Or says he will cover you with his. 0:28:02.400 --> 0:28:06.480 Feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. I 0:28:06.560 --> 0:28:09.280 want you to go out today knowing that you have 0:28:09.440 --> 0:28:14.920 this hedge of protection. The most High God has commanded 0:28:15.040 --> 0:28:18.760 his angels to watch over you. You are covered underneath his 0:28:18.880 --> 0:28:22.280 wings right now. Now, when those thoughts of fear come, 0:28:22.600 --> 0:28:25.520 don't dwell on them. Don't go around saying I'm so worried, 0:28:25.560 --> 0:28:28.879 I'm so afraid. No, say with the psalmist David, I 0:28:28.960 --> 0:28:32.760 will fear no evil, for the Lord is with me. Friends, 0:28:32.760 --> 0:28:36.080 you've got a defender. Almighty God has got your back. 0:28:36.760 --> 0:28:39.479 Now get up every morning and activate. 0:28:39.000 --> 0:28:40.280 Your faith in this area. 0:28:40.520 --> 0:28:43.120 You do it by saying, Father, thank you for your 0:28:43.160 --> 0:28:46.040 headge of protection. Thank you that your angels are watching 0:28:46.080 --> 0:28:49.960 over my children. Lord, thank you that you're my guardian God, 0:28:50.320 --> 0:28:51.120 protecting me. 0:28:51.160 --> 0:28:52.560 From all evil. 0:28:52.880 --> 0:28:55.640 If you do that, God promises he will guard you 0:28:55.680 --> 0:28:58.040 when you come, and guard you when you leave. 0:28:58.440 --> 0:29:01.320 He will protect you now, and you will protect you always. 0:29:01.640 --> 0:29:04.520 Now I declare every one of you will fulfill your 0:29:04.560 --> 0:29:09.400 destiny in peace, in safety, in victory, in Jesus' name. 0:29:09.760 --> 0:29:11.479 If you receive it, can you say amen? 0:29:15.120 --> 0:29:18.560 Thank you for listening to the Joel Loustine podcast. Help 0:29:18.640 --> 0:29:21.360 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:21.480 --> 0:29:25.360 all over the world. Visit joeloustin dot com slash give 0:29:25.440 --> 0:29:27.160 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:28.400 --> 0:29:30.880 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:29:31.000 --> 0:29:33.720 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:29:33.800 --> 0:29:36.840 podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. 0:29:37.080 --> 0:29:39.920 We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. 0:29:40.120 --> 0:29:41.160 We'll see you next time.