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Psalm 31:19:
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
II Corinthians 1:20:
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
God is glorified when His children enjoy His promises and the sons of men see the marvelous benefits of salvation. An excellent example of this is found in the following paragraph of David Limbaugh’s book Persecution. It reads:
The great American statesman Patrick Henry said in his later years, “Oh, how wretched should I be at this moment, if I had not made my peace with God.” On his deathbed, he affirmed his Christian faith to his doctor with even greater conviction, poignantly recognizing that Christianity had been under constant attack but always emerged victorious. “Doctor,” said Henry, “I wish you to observe how real and beneficial the religion of Christ is to a man about to die…I am, however, much consoled by reflecting that the religion of Christ has, from its first appearance in the world, been attacked in vain by all the wits, philosophers, and wise ones, aided by every power of man, and its [the Bible] triumphs have been complete.” [End of quote]
Have you made your peace with God? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? If you have not, click onto “Further With Jesus” and do it now. Today will be the best day of your life. NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.
GOD SAID, Genesis 32:26:
And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
GOD SAID, I Peter 5:8:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
MAN SAID: There is no Devil and there is no God that interacts in the lives of men.
Now THE RECORD: There is a physical realm and a spiritual realm and there are rules of engagement that each must observe. The spiritual realm has a host of players, good and evil. The two camps have two leaders: God’s Holy Ghost, whose purpose is to lift up Jesus Christ and minister to the faithful, leads the camp of the saints. Satan, whose purpose is to kill, steal, and destroy, heads up the camp of the lost. The Holy Ghost who dwells in the Spirit-filled also heads up God’s holy angels on the earth. Angels are spirits. Hebrews 1:7:
And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Satan heads up the fallen angels. Matthew 25:41:
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Revelation 12:9:
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
The Holy Ghost seeks out those that are lost and draws them to Christ. Satan strives to keep the lost bound by the shackles of sin and death. A war for the souls of men is engaged and each of us are central to it.
In the rules of physical/spiritual engagement, there is a very real blessable or cursable place that is very visible to the spirits participating in the battle for the souls of men. Several features on GodSaidManSaid explain the subject. From the feature “Life Series—Part Three—A Blessable Place,” you’ll find the following explanation concerning Job’s Hedge—a mysterious barrier that Satan could not and cannot breach:
Is there such a place as Job’s Hedge? Is there a place that Satan recognizes as the hedge of protection—a barrier that he cannot breach? I Peter 5:8 reads:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Note Job 1:7, Satan’s response to God when he was asked of his situation:
From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
Is there a condition in which you or I might find ourselves that Satan may devour? If Satan knows what this hedge of protection looks like, it’s critical that you and I do, too.
A believer once framed the idea of Job’s Hedge in the term “a blessable place”—a place that God can bless. God defines Job’s Hedge in Job 1:8-10 when He said to Satan:
8 Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
If I place myself in a blessable place, God will bless me.
Dominant victory requires being in a blessable place. It requires the hedge of protection that Satan recognizes. In Job 1:8 quoted above, God points to four qualities of Job that we must mimic in order to enjoy Job’s Hedge:
1. Job was a perfect man. After listing a series of commandments in Matthew 5, Jesus said the following in verse 48: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
STEP ONE of a “blessable place” is to be perfect. Scripturally, it is well documented that our spiritual skills, understanding, and Godliness are in a developing process, and when we finally see our Lord Jesus Christ face-to-face, we will be as He is. (I Corinthians 13:9-12)
Along this journey, we are directed to mortify our members (or put to death our carnal desires) and to bring every thought into subjection to our Lord Jesus Christ. If we slip and fall along the way, we are instructed to repent and forsake the error. (I John 2:1-3)
A good example of being perfect, and the perfecting process, is considering the development of an apple. In the spring, a baby bud begins to form on the apple tree’s branches. It is a perfect bud, yet not a mature apple. Soon, the baby bud breaks out into a beautiful apple blossom. It is a perfect blossom, yet not an apple to eat. Next, from the blossom, a baby apple begins to form. It is a perfect baby apple, but still not ready to eat. All along the way, the baby apple grows and develops, and all along the way, it is perfect in its state until it reaches its full measure of development when it is perfect and ready to pick. Each stage is perfect in its time. Being perfect before God is to have all your sins washed away by the blood of His only begotten Son and to be fully surrendered to His Word. This is a perfect state. This is necessary if one expects to be in “a blessable place.”
2. Job was upright.
STEP TWO of Job’s Hedge is to be upright. Noah Webster’s 1928 American Dictionary of the English Language defines upright as: “Honest; just; adhering to rectitude in all social intercourse; not deviating from correct moral principles; as an upright man.” [End of quote]
3. Job feared God.
STEP THREE was that Job feared God. God speaks of attributes that He finds acceptable in man in Isaiah 66:1-2:
1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye built unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
A man that approaches God with humility and repentance, and who trembles at His Word, finds grace in His sight. Fearing God is also the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). On the other hand, taking the Word of God lightly, or adding to and subtracting from it, brings one to a cursable place. Revelation 22:18-19:
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
A wise man fears God. This is a blessable place.
4. Job eschewed evil.
STEP FOUR of what God found admirable in Job was that he eschewed evil—meaning to shun, to flee, from evil. II Timothy 2:20-22:
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master''s use, and prepared unto every good work.
22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
RECAP: God was impressed with four attributes of Job:
1. He was perfect.
2. He was upright.
3. He feared God.
4. He eschewed evil.
The concept of Job’s Hedge is found in II John 1:2:
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
The blessable place requires action on the part of the blessed. Psalm 50:16-17:
16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
It is common to mouth covenant promises, yet cast God’s instructions behind one’s back. These include covenant promises such as:
• God is my Father;
• God’s angels are watching over me and my children;
• (When a loved one passes away) He or She is in a better place;
• (When I die) I’m going to heaven.
In order to be in a blessable place, we must receive God’s instructions. I John 2:4-5:
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
Job’s Hedge is God’s blessable place. To access dominant victory, I must strive to dwell there. Following is the recap of what we have discovered concerning this place of protection and blessing:
- There is a blessable place known as Job’s Hedge.
- There is a place that Satan recognizes as the hedge of protection—a barrier that he cannot breach.
- If Satan knows what this hedge looks like, it is critical that you and I do, too.
- God mentioned four attributes of Job that He found admirable:
- Job was perfect. (Remember the apple.)
- Job was upright.
- Job feared God.
- Job eschewed evil.
- Our days can be like the days of heaven upon the earth.
- The blessable place requires faith and obedience to the Word of God.
There is a blessable place where today can be the best day of my life and where tomorrow can be better. [End of quotes]
There is truly a blessable and cursable place and it's a place in which I choose to dwell.
This short two-part series will address the Bible’s record of Jacob’s encounter with the angel of the Lord and how a mortal being could have contended—and still can contend—with a supernatural angel and even prevail. The idea of angels—and someone actually wrestling with one—sits high in ridicule with the skeptics. Are there angels good and bad? Laying additional groundwork for this series are the following excerpts from the GodSaidManSaid feature “Angels:”
God said angels. There are over 300 references to angels—good and evil—in the Word of God. God’s angels are mighty servants and power-brokers of the Lord Jehovah. The first occurrence of angelic beings in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:24:
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Man’s first encounter with angelic beings was not a good one. Their labors here on the earth are multifaceted. They serve as holy watchers and messengers (Daniel 4:13-14). They serve as protectors of God’s children (Psalm 34:7). They also serve as ministers of support to children of God (Hebrews 1:13-14). They battle against the enemies of the Cross of Christ in a multitude of ways. Adam believed in angels. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob believed in angels, and so did Moses, Joshua, Samson, David, Elijah, Elisha, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel, and the entirety of the New Testament apostles and disciples. Jesus Christ believes in angels and so does God.
Angels have been sighted hundreds of thousands of times—and that is not even an exaggeration. Angels have been sighted by many people of great notoriety, and there have been occurrences where more than one individual has experienced the same angelic event. Many stories of angels happen in times of war. This should come as no surprise. James 5:16 reads:
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
The effectual fervent prayer is truly prayed in times of danger and trouble. Men in battle and their families draw close to God and seek His face diligently, so it should come as no surprise that angels are well documented in such times.
It’s well known in history that our founding fathers were Christian men. The stories of George Washington on his knees in Valley Forge are also well known. Osterhus Publishing House recounted a story, titled “George Washington’s Vision,” which was left to us by a 99-year-old man named Anthony Sherman on July 4, 1859, shortly before the Civil War. Sherman served under George Washington during the Revolutionary War. He recounts the following statement from Washington:
Washington, gazing upon his companion with that strange look of dignity that he alone could command, said to the latter: “I do not know whether it is due to the anxiety of my mind, or what, but this afternoon, as I was preparing a dispatch, something seemed to disturb me. Looking up, I beheld, standing opposite me, a singularly beautiful being. So astonished was I, for I had given strict orders not to be disturbed, that it was some moments before I found language to inquire the cause of the visit. A second, third, and even a fourth time did I repeat my question, but received no answer from my mysterious visitor, except a slight raising of the eyes. By the time I felt strange sensations spreading through me, and I would have risen, but the riveted gaze of the being before me rendered volition impossible. I assayed once more to speak, but my tongue had become useless, as though it had become paralyzed. A new influence, mysterious, potent, irresistible, took possession. All I could do was gaze steadily, vacantly, at my unknown visitor. Gradually, the surrounding atmosphere seemed to become filled with sensations, and grew luminous. Everything about me seemed to rarefy, including the mysterious visitor.”
“I began to feel as one dying, or rather to experience the sensations which I have sometimes imagined accompany disillusion. I did not think, I did not reason, I did not move; all were alike impossible. I was only conscious of gazing fixedly, vacantly at my companion.”
“Presently, I heard a voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’”
George Washington looked and listened as the angel of God laid out the future of America, which was at the time a fledgling, vulnerable republic. [End of quote]
Certainly there are angels here on this earth. Angels are extraterrestrials. Consider these paragraphs from the GodSaidManSaid feature, “Speaking to Extraterrestrials:”
Evolutionists are looking for extraterrestrial life—anything that may give credence to their antichrist positions. This search provides much of the motivation for the world’s space projects:
On November 16, 1974, in an attempt to contact life in outer space, the $60,000,000 project utilizing the Arecibo Radio Telescope was commissioned. The undertaking that the world’s largest radio telescope was commissioned to do was known as SETI, an acronym for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. I have news for Arecibo: We’ve been contacted! The shocking truth is that extraterrestrials are operating and have been sighted all over the earth—and the Bible, which was authored by the ultimate extraterrestrial, God Almighty, documents it. Concerning extraterrestrial operatives among us, Hebrews 13:2 records:
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Concerning evil operatives, John the beloved records in Revelation 12:7-9:
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
The evolutionists have been contacted. They simply don’t have ears to hear or eyes to see.
The following information was lifted from a 2008 issue of Answers Update. The article is titled “Talking to Aliens:”
The U.S. federal government, through groups like SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), has spent hundreds of millions of dollars searching for evidence of aliens so that scientists can contact and communicate with them.
An article on the website of the University of Wyoming (a tax-supported school) states: “English 4050/5560, otherwise known as ‘Interstellar Message Composition,’ is the first class to enlist creative writers in a potential cosmic conversation. Funded in part by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASa) wyoming Space Grant Consortium, it’s designed to fill a practical—if extremely theoretical—need.”
The article continues: “‘We’ve thought a lot about how we might communicate with other worlds, but we haven’t thought much about what we’d actually say,’ says Lockwood, a professor of natural science and humanities.” [End of quotes]
Yes, there are good and bad angels who must observe the laws of physical/spiritual engagement and that surely function in the affairs of men. There is such a thing as a blessable or cursable place. Next week, God willing, will illustrate how to function in the midst of contradiction with Holy Ghost authority. Jacob will show the way.
GOD SAID, Genesis 32:26:
And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
GOD SAID, I Peter 5:8:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
MAN SAID: There is no Devil and there is no God that interacts in the lives of men.
Now you have THE RECORD.
References:
Authorized King James Version
GodSaidManSaid, “Angels”
GodSaidManSaid, “Life Series—Part Three—A Blessable Place”
GodSaidManSaid, “Speaking to Extraterrestrials”
