How to Keep Yourself Encircled in God’s Protection and Favor
READING TIME: 7 MINUTES
“Run.” That was the one word God spoke on Sept. 11, 2001, to a man who had just witnessed terrorists attack the World Trade Center in New York City using two airplanes. As a believer and member of a church located within sight of the twin towers, his first instinct had been to run inside and help people get out of the building.
But God gave him different instructions. He ran to the subway tunnel across the street, and just as he descended the 40 feet below ground, he heard an explosion that accompanied the collapse of the first tower. The intense heat made its way below into the tunnel. He later learned that the fire from the blast had incinerated everyone standing in the place he’d been when God told him to run.
He again felt a nudge from the Lord—this time to leave the subway tunnel and move away from the area altogether. As he ran, ashes filled the air and turned everything they touched black. Throughout his supernatural escape, he said he felt like he was in a bubble. Even his crisp, white dress shirt didn’t have a mark on it—not even from the sky filled with ashes.
What was that bubble?
Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him” (ESV). In other words, those who live in the shelter of the Almighty are encircled with protection, favor and BLESSING.
Psalm 91 (NKJV) says, “His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” The Hebrew word for buckler is related to the Hebrew word that means “circle.” It describes a piece of armor that totally surrounds its wearer.
You can live in the circle of BLESSING—where you’re protected from sickness and disease, disaster, financial downturns and breakdowns in your relationships—but it isn’t automatic! Find out how you can keep yourself encircled in God’s protection and favor and move into the circle of BLESSING.
1. Dwell in the Secret Place
You don’t get to a place where you can hear God tell you to run, as this man did on 9/11, without developing the right relationship with Him. That bubble he was in was his circle of protection. Psalm 91 guarantees it, but only for one kind of person—“he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High” (verse 1, NKJV).
What is the secret place? It is a fully protected place created for us by God where satan has no access. But the Bible says you must dwell there, which means “to stay or remain.” That means you’re not coming in and out of fellowship with God—you stay close so you can hear and obey God when He talks to you.
The people Psalm 91 is talking about—who are safe in the circle of BLESSING—aren’t those who live for God one day, then go out into the world the next, doing things they shouldn’t. They aren’t among people who go to church once in a while, spend time with God when they think about it, and give occasionally.
No. The people in the circle of BLESSING are those devoted to Him and His Word. They dwell with Him.
2. Listen and Run
Many people died on Sept. 11, 2001 standing in the same place as the man who escaped. He would have, too, if he hadn’t heard and obeyed God’s voice—if he hadn’t been willing to listen and run.
Scripture says God hides us—we’re hidden in Him. Nothing can touch us there. If you’re hidden, the devil can’t find you, and if he can’t find you, he’s like a missile that ultimately misses its target.
You might be thinking, I might be embarrassed to just run if the Lord tells me to. Well, wouldn’t you rather be embarrassed and alive? In the circle of BLESSING and protection, you need to be ready to listen and run, or do whatever God tells you to do.
Watch Gloria Copeland and Pastor George Pearsons teach you about the four walls of protection and how to become untouchable!
3. Inoculate Yourself With the Word of God
In the circle of BLESSING, Psalm 91:10 says, “no plague will come near your home.” That means no sickness, infectious disease or calamity will come near those who are seeking, obeying and loving God.
You can inoculate your family with Psalm 91. Every year, Kenneth and Gloria gather their family together—children and grandchildren—to apply the Word of God and the blood of Jesus over their lives. They apply the Word of God over their lives during flu season; and by the way, they’ve never get the flu!
Find 7 Strategies for Building a Psalm 91 House HERE.
Psalm 91—the circle of BLESSING and protection—is always up to date. You can’t come up with anything that’s not covered by it. So, get in the habit of inoculating yourself with the Word of God.
4. Believe in the Circle
Creflo Dollar would not be alive today if he did not believe in the circle of BLESSING and protection available to him as a believer. Years ago, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He had a choice—believe the bad report, or believe in his circle of BLESSING and protection.
Immediately upon receiving this report, he set out to appropriate the Word of God over his situation. He didn’t tell a single person, other than his wife. He canceled all his other plans and went away for two weeks with the Word of God, tapes and videos. He totally immersed himself in teachings about healing.
He took a dynamic dose of the Word of God for two weeks, and when he came back, he returned to the doctor and was completely cancer free! That’s the circle of BLESSING!
If you get a diagnosis of some kind, you need to believe in the circle of BLESSING and protection. Don’t talk the bad report, don’t entertain it, don’t wallow in it. Go after it with the Word of God. Shut everything else off, and get with the Lord until it’s done.
You have to believe in your circle—know that protection is available—in order to apply it to your life and live in that secret place.
5. Protect Your Circle
There was a Rhema student years ago who was dying of a tumor. He was under 40 years old. Kenneth Hagin, Keith Moore and Rhema students all prayed for him, but he ended up in a coma. Kenneth Hagin immediately went to the Lord in prayer and asked what happened. God’s response surprised him.
He told Kenneth, “Spiritual laws have already been set in motion and cannot be reversed at this time.”
The man ended up dying, and Kenneth Hagin didn’t know what the Lord meant until he attended his funeral. At the service, this man’s brother told him that this man had said continually since he was a little boy, “I’ll never live to see 40.” He said it all his life. In fact, the last time he saw his brother, he had said that very thing.
What was he doing by continually confessing he wouldn’t live to see 40?
He was setting spiritual laws in motion. Now, he could have turned the situation around, but came to the point of being in a coma. He set the spiritual laws in motion with his mouth, so he had to turn them around—others couldn’t do it for him.
You protect your circle with your words because words set spiritual laws in motion. If you’ve spoken wrong words all your life, you can begin reversing them today by repenting and speaking right words.
You can say, “I’ll never have heart troubles. I’ll never have a disease. I’m going to live a long life.” Whatever you do, protect your circle with the words you speak.
6. Don’t Let Fear in the Circle
There is no fear in the circle of BLESSING! The Bible tells us to not fear. A mind that is renewed by the Word of God—that knows God is our Protection and our Refuge—is a blessed mind. It is a peaceful mind.
It’s not so simple to keep out of fear—we’re in a fear-filled world. Horror movies, unsolved murder mystery television shows and most news stories don’t have any place in the life of a believer. Don’t fill up on fear by feeding on fear!
Instead, spend that time depositing words in your heart that will cause you to be one who sits in the shadow of the Most High. Then you won’t be terrified by bad reports, because you won’t let fear have a place to stay.
When terror, fear, a lie of the devil or bad news tries to come, speak to it.
Say, “No, I’m not taking fear. I’m sitting in the secret place of the Most High. I’m protected. I’m watched over. The Lord is my Refuge!”
7. Declare Your Circle
Psalm 91:2 (NKJV) says, “I will say of the Lord….” The people who dwell in the secret place declare their circle. The spirit of faith is not silent. It doesn’t go in for silent prayer or silent confession. The spirit of faith believes and speaks.
We have to take God as our Refuge, our Fortress and our Protector the same way we accepted Him as our Savior. You say, “The Lord is my Refuge,” like you said, “He’s my Savior and my Healer.” Then you will be in position to be protected.
Find A Declaration to Live in the Circle of BLESSING HERE.
What are you doing? You’re releasing your faith for that. You’re saying words of faith to give God place in your life. You are taking your place in that covenant protection.
Say this: “He is my God. He is my Refuge. I trust Him, I lean upon Him, I believe in Him.”
Declare your circle. Declare Psalm 91 over every member of your family, every area of your life, every day. Live in the circle of BLESSING, protection and favor; and live in the miraculous!
See yourself living in the circle of BLESSING—encircled with the power of God, the protection of God, the presence of God and the glory of God. The pillar of cloud leading the children of Israel moved from the front of the group to the back, acting as their rear guard. Glory to God! We’re guarded from the front. We’re guarded from the back. We’re guarded on every side!
Watch Kenneth Copeland teach you about the promise of supernatural protection.
Related Articles:
A Declaration to Live in the Circle of BLESSING
© 1997 – 2024 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
No Comments yet!