Security Needs Provided For
“But keep us safe from the evil one”
Matthew 6:13
The devil is real. He is a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He comes in sheep’s clothing. He is the father of lies and his evil influence is very strong in the world today.
The devil works very hard to discourage believers. The devil would succeed if it were not for the “wall” the Lord puts about His people. God knows we do not grow strong spiritually without tests and trials. Therefore, God removes the wall from time to time. He allows Satan to trouble us. This is for our good, but we can only know the good of it by prayer and worship. The first question to ask God when we have trouble is, “Lord, what are You wanting to teach me?”
Trouble can work for us. “And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Let us make trouble our servant! Let us get all the good out of it that we can!
THE SOURCE OF DELIVERANCE
We have come to the final lesson of this book. We are going to talk about things that touch all of our lives. We are going to talk about troubles that come to us from outside. We will talk about evil spirits, sickness, floods, and famine. We can have protection and deliverance from these things also. Praise God!
One thing to remember is this—the devil can’t trouble us unless God allows it. If God allows it, then He must have a purpose in doing so. There must be something He wants to teach us. So, once again, we will be concerned above everything else about the kingdom of God so that we might’ learn what good can come out of the things that happen to us for the kingdom. Then, when we pray for deliverance, we will pray according to the will of God.
The Power of Prayer
The importance of prayer is known by those who believe in the unseen world of spiritual beings. It is very real for those who know the power of Satan and his evil spirits. Jesus knew the truth about evil spirits. He knew that they exist. He knew that they torment men who are not protected by God. The Lord cast out many demons. They were all afraid of Him because they knew His power was greater than that of Satan.
Praise God, we can have Jesus’ power. This is the power that demons fear! They will not fear us, but they will fear the One who is in us. “The Spirit who is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world” (1 John 4:4).
If we are going to have the same power that Jesus had over demons, we must be concerned above everything else with the kingdom of God so that our wills are exactly the same as His will. His Spirit can work through us only if our will is in keeping with the will of God. Once again, we must emphasize the need of prayer and worship. We must speak together with God often if we are to know how to use His power.
The Power of Love
When we talk about demons and about deliverance from their power, we must talk about the power of love. We refer, of course, to our love for God. Once more we see the need to worship so that our love for Him will grow.
First John 4:18 is a wonderful verse. It talks about the power of love. It says, “There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear.”
What a picture we have of those who believe in the unseen world of spirits but who do not know God’s power! For them, fear is king. Fear is behind everything they do. Because of fear they make a lot of rules. Don’t go on the path if a black cat has crossed it. Don’t eat food that has been prepared by a woman who has her sickness. Don’t walk under a ladder. Don’t use your childhood name. Don’t live in a house that has not been prepared with medicine against evil spirits. Don’t plant your crops until a certain day. Don’t do work under a full moon. Don’t! Don’t! Don’t! Don’t! Every tribe and nation has its don’ts, and all of them come from fear. Fear of spirits, fear of death!
“Fear hath torment” (1 John 4:18, KJV). Fear! How horrible it must be to live in constant fear. These people fear they may even die! They look for charms and medicines to break the power of the evil spirits. They look for something to deliver them from the things they fear.
Now all of what we have said does not apply to the uneducated world alone. Much of it applies to educated people and to men in high offices. Fear does not dwell only with the poor and the ignorant. Fear visits government offices. Fear goes into kings’ palaces. Fear sails in ships on the ocean. Fear is everywhere, for it is found wherever there are people who do not know the power of love!
What should we do about fear? The apostle John gives us the answer. He said, “There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear” (1 John 4:18).
The more we love God, the less fear we have. The less we love God, the more we have fear! Learn to love God, and fear will flee. Love will drive it out! Now you can see the importance of prayer and worship. It is through prayer and worship we learn to know and to love God!
Are you afraid of death? Are you afraid of poverty? Of war? Of evil spirits? Of sickness? Of accidents? Of lightning? Of wind storms? Of darkness? These are things that do not go away. They are always with us. But the fear of them can be taken away. To know and love God, and to have His kingdom within us, is to have fear cast out. God will deliver us from fear!
THE SECRET OF SECURITY
The Security of the Body
Let us begin by discussing what we need deliverance from. What is the worst thing that could happen to a person? Some would say that the worst thing that could happen would be to die. Others would say that the worst thing that could happen would be to be blind, or to be crippled. Still others would say that to be poor is worse than death.
But what does God say? He says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
“Will a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but loses his life?” (Matthew 16:26).
“God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith” (James 2:5).
“I know that you are poor—but really you are rich!” (Revelation 2:9).
What God is saying is that there is something worse than the death of the body. There is something of more value than riches. It is important to know what things have true and lasting value so that we can pray properly.
Do you remember when Paul, the apostle, was told that if he went to Jerusalem he would be killed? In Acts 21:13, he answered, “What are you doing, crying like this and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” What Paul was saying was, “What happens to me doesn’t matter. What happens to the name of Jesus does matter!”
The Security of the Soul
The secret of security is to have eternal life. “And eternal life means knowing you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent” (John 17:3). Eternal life is a matter of time, but it also means knowing. To live forever is nothing to be desired unless the life is good forever! When we know God, we have eternal life. And when we have eternal life, we are always secure. When we turn our backs on God and refuse to know Him then we lose the security He has promised us.
The worst thing that could happen to a Christian is to be separated from God. If sickness will draw us nearer to God, then sickness is not evil. If poverty will make us trust in God more, then poverty is not evil. If an accident will awaken us from careless living, then the accident is not evil.
The evil we need to be delivered from is the evil that would separate us from the Lord. If pleasure separates us from the Lord, then pleasure is evil. If riches separate us from God, then riches are evil. If health makes us forget God, then health becomes evil to us!
The apostle Paul was a man of many troubles. He was shipwrecked; he was beaten; he was imprisoned; and he was stoned. Yet he never sought deliverance from these things. He accepted them as part of his life for Christ. Paul knew the secret of security! He had eternal life, and no man could take it from him! He sought only to “know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). By knowing Jesus, Paul was secure.
It is those who put the kingdom of God before all else who have learned that praying brings security. They will survive all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and will be called overcomers at the throne of God!
THE PATTERN OF THE LORD’S PRAYER
The prayer that Jesus taught, ends with the words, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13, KJV).
So prayer, as Jesus taught it, starts with worship and ends with worship. After we have put God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will first in prayer and in living, we can make our petitions known unto God. We know that He will provide all the things we need!
The Central Theme
Worship is praise to God. Worship is service to God. Therefore:
- Praying means always worshiping. it means speaking with God often to know how to use His power.
- Worship means always putting God’s name, kingdom, and will first in our praying.
- Worship means always putting God’s name, kingdom, and will first in our living.
A Prayer for Us
We close this book about prayer and worship with this prayer: Our Father, we come as thy children who are part of the family of heaven. We worship You. May Your holy name be honored. May Your kingdom come. May Your will be done. May these things always be first in our lives. We do have needs. Grant them according to Thy will and plan. We need support for ourselves and our families. We need to get along with those around us. We need to overcome sin in our lives. We need deliverance from sickness and dangers around us. Please grant these requests as we continue to seek, above everything else, that which is unseen and eternal. Amen.