From the “Wielding God’s Sword” book by Janis M. Betz
by Janis M. Betz, RN, BSN
The world is changing, and many adverse events are happening and are going to happen. The rate of cancer and infectious diseases is rising, and many people are searching for a way to deal with these stressors and events. Pray Psalm 91 personalized out loud. Declare and claim its promises. Apply Psalm 91 to what is happening in your health, your job, your family, your church, this nation, in government, in this world, etc. I also want to encourage people to memorize this Psalm to be ready to wield the various verses like a sword to change history.
In the book Psalm 91 Real-Life Stories of God’s Shield of Protection by Peggy Joyce Ruth and Angelia Ruth Schum, it states, “Psalm 91 is the preventive measure that God has given to His children against every evil known to mankind. No place else in the Word are all the protection promises (including help from angels, as well as promises ensuring our authority) accumulated in one covenant to offer such a total package for living in this world. It is both an offensive and defensive measure for warding off every evil before it has had time to strike. This is not only a cure but also a plan for complete prevention (pg. 57)!”
Some of the following information in this instructional tool is from Peggy Ruth and Angelia Schum, along with the discernment I sought in prayer. Peggy and Angelia write real-life stories of God’s shield of protection and what this Psalm means for you and those you love. It is essential to know that within Psalm 91 scripture, conditions must be met to receive the promises. You must first do your part, and then God will fulfill His part.
Psalm 91: “1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14 Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”
(1) He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
The first verse talks about dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, much like entering a safe place. For me, this means praying, reading, and obeying the Bible’s teachings daily. Peggy and Angelia state, “The secret place is, in reality the intimacy and familiarity of the presence of God Himself (pg. 8).” It is then that we abide under God’s shadow so that the demonic, occult realms can’t see us.
(2) I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
The second verse encourages you to speak out loud your acknowledgment of who God is to you and your trust in Him. The more you say this, the more confidence in God’s protection you will have during a crisis or times of trouble. Refuge means “to have shelter or protection from danger or distress or a place that provides shelter or protection.” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary). Psalm 18:2 states, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Peggy and Angelia write, “God Himself becomes the defensive site for us against all invading enemies. He is personally our protection (pg. 12).” There are four invading spiritual enemies, which are listed in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against [1] principalities, against [2] powers, against the [3] rulers of the darkness of this age, against [4] spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
(3) Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the perilous pestilence.
A fowler “is a trapper who sets snares/traps to capture an animal or bird.” Snares are specifically set on purpose with the intent to destroy, which is what your Ephesians 6:12 spiritual enemies do to us. 2Timothy 2:26 states, “And that they [a servant of the Lord] may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” Peggy and Angelia write, “The traps that are set for us are not there by accident. It is as if the trap has your name on it. They are custom made and baited specifically for each one of us (pg. 17).” They continue to say, “The enemy knows exactly what will most likely hook us, and he knows exactly which thought to put into our minds to lure us into the trap (pg. 18).” Snares come in many forms, such as unforgiveness (2Corinthians 2:10-11); lack of self-control (1Corinthians 7:5); anger (Ephesians 4:26-27); sexual immorality, testing Christ, complaining (1Corinthians 10:8-10). Psalm 31:4 states, “Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength.”
Pestilence is defined in the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary as “a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating; something that is destructive.” Perilous is defined as “full of or involving peril – exposure to the risk of being injured, destroyed, or lost.” Your spiritual enemies will often use pestilence to bring destruction to your body. To remedy this, you first, take authority over your sickness and disease (Luke 10:19); second, command or decree it to leave your body in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of His blood and the Holy Spirit; and third, claim and declare your healing and the promise that God will deliver you from this pestilence.
(4) He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Have you ever seen a hen with her chicks when a hawk was flying overhead? The hen will call out, and her chicks run under her outstretched wings. This is what God does when there is trouble. He will call you to get up under His outstretched wing. When you are under His wing, it is harder for spiritual enemies to get to you. They will lay snares to lure you out, to trap and destroy you. Jesus says in John 10:10, “The thief [i.e., fowler] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Your spiritual enemies want to destroy you, so stay under God’s wing and pray for Jesus’ abundant life. You remain under God’s wing by having a relationship with Him through prayer, reading your Bible, and having your thoughts focused on Him. It says in Isaiah 26:3, “You [God] will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” You also get protection when you seek God’s truth, which is God’s living and written word, and your shield and buckler. A buckler is another word for a shield. Pray for and visualize God’s wing over you and the word of God coming between you and the enemy like a shield.
(5-6) You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
Peggy and Angelia note that “verses 5-6 of Psalm 91 cover an entire twenty-four-hour period, emphasizing day-and-night protection. But what is more important is that these two verses encompass every evil known to man (pg. 35).” They continue to state that “…fear is the opposite of faith, and fear will keep us from operating in the faith (pg. 36).” Faith believes that God will fulfill all of his promises in Psalm 91 so that you will not need to fear or worry about anything. 1John 4:18 states, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross is his perfect love for humanity. I encourage you to pray and ask for Christ’s perfect love to replace your fear or worry. 2Timothy 1:7 states, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Continue to pray and ask God to give you power and a sound mind to deal with fear, anxiety, and worry.
Terror by night brings destruction against righteous and good people through evil and wicked people. Psalms 37:14-15 states, “The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.” Arrows that fly by day are anything that pierces or wounds spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Arrows may also be a negatively spoken word. James 3:8-10 states, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” Pestilence that walks in darkness may represent disease and cancer to destroy your health. Destruction that lays waste at noonday are events people have no control over, such as floods, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, war, etc. We can pray concerning these events like Jesus did concerning the storm in Mark 4:39 when He rebuked the winds and waves, and they stopped.
Peggy and Angelia point out, “There is a difference between the destruction of the enemy and persecution for the gospel’s sake.” Paul writes in 2Timothy 3:12, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” There are times when we will be mistreated because of our stand for the cause of Christ (pg. 58).” In John 15:19-20, Jesus states, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world; therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” Jesus knew that Christians were going to be harmed, persecuted, and killed when He said in Mark 16:18, “They [believers] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” I love these promises! Serpents may represent any poison or inoculation injected into us. There are also a lot of chemical poisons in the food and water supply that may cause cancer and illnesses. I encourage you to claim the promise that it will be rendered harmless.
(7-8) A thousand may fall at your side, and 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.
As verses 5 & 6 are happening, you need to trust God that it will not come near you, or if it does, trust God that He will see you through the events of verses 5 & 6. Trust means; “to place confidence: Depend. To commit or place in one’s care or keeping” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary). Isaiah 43:2 states, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”
The reward will not be for the good of the wicked. What will be happening to the wicked is written all through scripture. Read Psalm 37 for an example. I will pray, applying Revelation 11:18 to the wicked and spiritual enemies. Peggy and Angelia write, “The justice of God is that evil will not triumph; that Hitlers do not win, that communistic governments fall, that darkness does not extinguish light (pg. 57).” They further write, “The word only denotes a protection of only seeing and not experiencing the evil, and it denotes detachment in that the evil we see does not get inside of us (pg. 57).”
I like to visualize that I am on a spiritual “ark,” so when God rains down his wrath and destruction on the wicked, I will be protected on the spiritual “ark,” watching the reward of the wicked. It says in 2Timothy 4:18, “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”
(9-10) Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.
This verse is an example of meeting a condition to get a promise. You need to be a dwelling place for the LORD to live. In other words, you need to verbally ask the LORD to come into your being, your life, and all you do to be your refuge and your most high God, whom you trust and go to for help. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him [i.e., dwell] and dine with him, and he with Me [i.e., have a relationship].” Romans 10:9-10 states, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” When Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, He lives inside of you, then He says that no evil will overtake you nor any plague will come near your dwelling (body). Plague means “a disastrous evil or affliction: Calamity; an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality: Pestilence.” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary) You can take authority over evil and plagues and command them to leave.
(11-12) For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
These verses are self-explanatory. Angels are ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:13-14), and you can ask God what you need the angels to do every day and, in every situation (i.e., driving, working), and thank Him for sending them to you to fulfill these verses, especially against the conditions of verses 5-6. Pray specifically to God to have the angels keep you from terror, arrows, pestilence, and destruction. The best book on angels that I have read is by Billy Graham called Angels Angels Angels.
(13) You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
In Luke 10:19, Jesus states, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Jesus says that you, as a Christian, have authority over these spiritual enemies, along with the spiritual enemies of Ephesians 6:12, and everything they are trying to do to you (i.e., incite sickness). They do not have authority over you unless there is sin, which will give the demonic permission to afflict you.
Interestingly, four entities are listed: lion, cobra, young lion, and serpent/dragon, representing different means of attack or problems you may face. The devil is likened to a lion in 1Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour [destroy].”
A cobra is sneaky, waiting to strike you when you least suspect an attack. It injects venom into you to poison and destroy you. You may think all is well, and then you get the diagnosis. The cobra poison that incites health problems is in many aspects of your life. It is in pharmaceuticals and your food, such as genetically modified foods (wheat, corn, soy, barley, and alfalfa), chemicals, toxins, etc. Sugar and simple carbohydrates (i.e., white flour, white rice, and potatoes) weaken your immune system and fertilize cancer cells. Many prescription drugs and inoculations contain toxic chemicals entering your body’s tissues and systems. Bill Gates has made several presentations in which he openly proposed using inoculations to control population growth.
A young lion grows up to be a big lion. A young lion is a minor sin that you entertain, and the more you feed this sin (i.e., keep covering it up), the bigger it grows. When fully grown, it devastates your life. The truth will come out, and your lies and cover-ups will be exposed, and your career or family may be devastated. Holding onto the sin of unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, etc., may stimulate sickness and cancer. Katie Souza, author, and speaker on soul wounds, says that these sins become soul wounds, and you need to bring the blood and the glory light of Jesus Christ down into these sin-created soul wounds and release them to receive healing.
The serpent refers to a dragon in the King James Version. A serpent or dragon generates fear. When you allow fear to enter your thinking, it consumes you and paralyzes you. You become a captive of fear, and it squeezes the life out of you.
When you encounter the lion, cobra, young lion, and serpent, take authority over them, ask God to bind them up and remove them, put them under your feet, and be free from them in the name of the Father, Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. When you read the Bible, you learn the schemes and devices of these four entities, so you know how to escape or avoid them. 2Corinthians 2:11states, “Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
(14) Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known My name.
Here is another condition to a promise. You must first love God, and then He will deliver you. Peggy and Angelia write, “Love is the cohesiveness that binds man to God, and God will be faithful to His beloved. Love always requires presence and nearness (pg. 78).” God longs for you to love Him and express your love for Him. As His expression of love back to you, He will deliver you and set you on high because you know His name. In other words, you have such a loving relationship with God and His Son, Jesus, that you know everything about Him through reading His Word. When He sets you on high, He is raising you above the wiles of the adversary, the devil. You are up on the spiritual mountain top and out of range from an attack. God says He will protect and deliver or save you from everything in verses 5-6 and 13.
(15-16) He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.
Here, again, is a condition to a promise. Throughout the Bible, it states that when you call out to or come to God, He will answer you, be with you in trouble, deliver you, honor you (show favor), satisfy you with long life, and save you from everything in verses 5, 6, and 13. It says in 1John 5:14-15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (NKJV)
References:
Ruth, P. J.& Schum, A. R., Psalm 91 Real-Life Stories of God’s Shield of Protection; (2010)
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, (1982)
The Merrim-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh edition
