GOD DEFENDING HIS PEOPLE

15 "THE NATIONS [Gentiles] HAVE SUNK DOWN IN THE PIT WHICH THEY MADE; in the net which they hid, there own foot is caught.
16 THE LORD IS KNOWN BY THE JUDGMENT HE EXECUTES; the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
17 THE WICKED SHALL BE TURNED INTO HELL, AND ALL THE NATIONS THAT FORGET GOD"
19 “ARISE, O LORD, DO NOT LET MAN PREVAIL; Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
20 PUT THEM IN FEAR, O LORD, THAT THE NATIONS MAY KNOW THEMSELVES TO BE BUT MEN.”
Psalm 9:15-17,19,20 (NKJV)

• Usually God fights for those who are His, however, a believer who would receive God's backing would live in line with His principles and must be one who walks with Him in a covenant (James 1:22,25).

• If God will fight for you, your obedience to His instructions must be topnotch or excellent. You should be a believer who has a reverential fear of God—someone who reverenced or adored God and would not want to disobey Him.
• We could see how God defended those who are His in the Scripture; a number of things He did to those who mistreated the person or people of God (Genesis 12:17; 31:29).
• Note:
  a. God will put His dread on those who stand as enemies of yours or those who may want to do you any harm If you are actually His: "AS THEY [Jacob and his family] JOURNEYED, THERE WAS A GREAT [supernatural] TERROR [sent from God] ON THE CITIES AROUND THEM, AND [for that reason] THE CANAANITES DID NOT PURSUE THE SONS OF JACOB" (Genesis 35:5 Amps).
  b. God will put those who chose to be your enemies in fear (Genesis 35:5).
  c. Those who come against you in one way will flee before you in seven ways:
  “THE LORD WILL CAUSE YOUR ENEMIES WHO RISE AGAINST YOU TO BE DEFEATED BEFORE YOUR FACE; THEY SHALL COME OUT AGAINST YOU ONE WAY AND FLEE BEFORE YOU SEVEN WAYS" (Deuteronomy 28:7 NKJV).

• Without doubt God's judgement would come on those who may stand as the enemies of God's children (2 Thessalonians 1:6,7).

• Highlights of what the psalmist said:
  a. The psalmist said the nations or the heathens sunk on their own pit, the pit they made. And their foot is caught in the net they hid (Psalm 9:15).
  b. The wicked shall be turned to hell and the nations that forsake or forget God (Psalm 9:17).
  c. The psalmist further called on God that He should arise and should not let human prevail, and let the nations be judged in His sight (Psalm 9:19).
  d. He also asked that God should put them, the heathen nations, in fear, that they might know that they are men—humans (Psalm 9:20).
• The psalmist undoubtedly was an Israelite which their nation at that time was being fought by the surrounding heathen nations.
• But something stands out in the story of the Israelites, in their walk or relationship with God. They were recalcitrant people who always went astray, live contrary to God's express commands—they always wanted to be like those surrounding heathen nations (1 Samuel 8:4,5).
• They wanted to worship idols like those nations and live the way they live, whilst God had given them precepts through which their lives should be lived (Deuteronomy 7:6-11).
• Whenever they did wrong, live contrary to God's precepts, God would allow those nations which they are emulating to prevail over them and oppress them until they come back to their senses and call on Him for help—make a restitution to be committed in their service to Him, God (Judges 4:1-3; 6:1,2; Hosea 5:15).

• In their own time they were fighting physical battles, that is why their prayers mostly is always about God's judgement on their enemies—because those enemies were physical enemies, human beings.

• In the life of a new testament believer, we are not fighting a physical battle but spiritual: "FOR WE ARE NOT FIGHTING AGAINST PEOPLE MADE OF FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PERSONS WITHOUT BODIES—THE EVIL RULERS OF THE UNSEEN WORLD [the spiritual realm], THOSE MIGHTY SATANIC BEINGS AND GREAT EVIL PRINCES OF DARKNESS WHO RULE THIS WORLD; AND AGAINST HUGE NUMBERS OF WICKED SPIRITS IN THE SPIRIT WORLD (Ephesians 6:12 the Living Bible).
• In a believer's journey on earth, some of these prayers might not be necessary or relevant to his or her situations; and If they are, the new testament teaches us not to fight for ourselves (Romans 12:19).
• This is one of the reasons why Jesus' teaching is revolutionary—they are teachings that brought about a major or fundamental change.
• When He came on board and started teaching the principles He handed over to us in the Gospels that were written by His Disciples or Apostles; those teachings look controversial and contradictory to what they were used to—the old testament pattern of worship, prayers and whatever (Matthew 5:21-22,27-28,31-32,33-34,38-39,41-42,43-44).
• Asking God to kill or destroy the enemies is not consistent with the new testament teaching—Jesus' teaching (Luke 9:51-56).
• Using the psalms and the pattern of prayers found therein is common among the believers but they are not in line with what Christ Jesus teaches.
• Let God fight for you and deal with your opposers (Matthew 5:38-42; Romans 12:17-21).
• Believers are given the authority to deal with the main enemy, the devil and the demons (Luke 10:19; Mark 16:17); but the humans who are being used as instruments should be handed over to God—to determine what to be done to them (Romans 12:20,21).

• You will not regret in your walk with God in Jesus’ name.

• Should there be any ailment in your body, receive your healing now in Jesus' mighty name.
• The hold of the enemy is completely broken in your life, in Jesus' mighty name.
  Peace!

STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. As you took the steps A and B your name is written in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

• If you took the steps As highlighted above, congratulations, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!