“God is to us a God of deliverances and salvation; and to God the Lord belongs escape from death [setting us free].
(Psalm 68:20, Amplified Classic Bible)
Notice that the word “deliverances” in this verse is plural. It is translated from the Hebrew word “mowsha’oth” and this is the only place in the Bible where this word is used.
“Mowsha’oth is derived from the Hebrew root word ‘yasha‘, which means “to save” or “to deliver”. And it is also the root used in the name Yeshua, Jesus’ name in modern Hebrew.
Pause for a moment and meditate on that:
Yeshua is a God of DELIVERANCES AND SALVATION!
He is our SAVIOR, escaping from death, and thereby setting us free because we share His resurrection!
And He is our DELIVERER, rescuing us from the distress and dangers we encounter in this world!
God is not a “one-time-salvation” God. He is a “continually-active” God, faithfully saving, rescuing, and delivering us, day-by-day, and moment-by-moment.
Let’s go to Psalm 34 to see the Lord’s power to deliver us:
● “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and DELIVERED me from all my fears.“
(Verse 4)
● “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and DELIVERS them.”
(Verse 7)
● “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and DELIVERS them out of all their troubles.”
(Verse 17)
● “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord DELIVERS him out of them all.”
(Verse19)
FAITH OVER FEAR
We are told in Verse 4 above that the Lord delivers us from all our fears. That is vitally important for us to understand. So let’s start by defining both faith and fear:
FAITH is believing that those things you cannot see will come to pass.
FEAR is believing that those things you cannot see will come to pass.
One is positive (faith).
The other is negative (fear).
Each is the mirror image of the other.
Like magnets attract iron, both faith and fear have the ability to draw things to us, and to manifest those things in our lives.
And, like light and darkness, faith and fear cannot exist in the same space at the same time. We are either walking in faith or we are walking in fear.
THE TAPROOT OF THE TREE OF DEATH
Adam and Eve enjoyed walking and talking with the Lord in the Garden. They had an intimate, sweet fellowship with Him, based on faith. They knew Him as Creator, the One who loved them, and who was the source of every good and perfect gift.
But the first words out of Adam’s mouth after the Fall were: “I heard your voice and I was afraid…” (Genesis 3:10)
Fear was the first manifestation of Adam’s new sin-nature. Faith, trust, and harmony with God and Creation had been displaced by fear, unbelief, and chaos.
I believe that fear is the catalyst which activates all the negative experiences and outcomes in life.
I’ll go even further. I believe fear is the main taproot of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”.
Doubt is a branch. Unbelief is a branch. Worry is a branch. Hopelessness is a branch. Pessimism is a branch. Envy is a branch. Greed is a branch. Hatred is a branch. And on and on and on.
We can work to the point of weariness, whacking off branch after branch, but they’ll just keep growing back, unless we cut that taproot of fear.
There’s a progression that’s evident in Psalm 34…
As our Deliverer, God’s first priority is to deliver us from ALL our fears. (Verse 4)
Then He can deliver us from our troubles and afflictions. (Verses 17 and 19)
Troubles typically refers to life’s external, temporary difficulties. These are the “everyday problems” we try to manage or fix ourselves, sometimes asking the Lord for His help.
Afflictions, however, refer to prolonged internal suffering that we may endure as a result of chronic illness, or deep emotional traumas.
(* Example of a trouble: The dentist says you will need a root canal.)
(* Example of an affliction: The doctor says you will need chemotherapy for advanced cancer.)
Both troubles and afflictions cause stress, but afflictions run much deeper, negatively affecting, or even threatening our quality of life.
WE NEED DELIVERANCE FROM FEAR FIRST, THEN FAITH CAN GO TO WORK
Now here’s why God wants to deliver us from our fear before anything else. It’s because fear always acts as an accelerant, transforming our minor troubles into major afflictions.
Allowing fear to dominate and control us is like pouring gasoline on a campfire. It will burn the whole forest down!
Want another example?
Your supervisor tells you that business has slowed, and they are eliminating overtime, and reducing your work schedule to just 30 hours per week. His words haunt you. After a few weeks of short paychecks, fear takes hold and you begin to say, “I imagine this is going to end up with the company laying off a bunch of people. And I’ll probably be one of them.” You start to panic. You go to the payday loan company and take out a loan “just to make ends meet.” You toss and turn night after night, unable to sleep, worrying about your looming financial meltdown. You go to work every day, expecting to find out that you’re being laid off. The transmission goes out on your car. You actually start to think about robbing a bank…
Let’s stop this “what-if” story because it’s starting to get really ugly…
Just one quick question for the readers though…
“Would it shock you to learn that our fearful friend did indeed get laid off, went through a divorce due to the stress associated with his mountain of debt, eventually defaulted on his home mortgage loan, and blamed it all on God?”
That story ending wouldn’t shock me at all. It’s simply a woeful example of what fear can and will do. Fear will spawn and sustain sickness, suffering, sin, and shame. It will deliver debt, depression, defeat, and death right to your doorstep.
EMBRACE PEACE THROUGH PRAYER
That’s why Jesus always rejected the temptation to fear and encouraged His disciples to reject it also. He used the bulldozer of faith to push fear right off the cliff’s edge.
And we can too! Meditate on the truth in these verses. They will free you from the grip of fear and deliver you from troubles and afflictions:
“Peace I leave with you; My own peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.” (John 14:27, Amplified Classic)
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline… “
(2 Timothy 1:7, Amplified Bible)
“Love contains no fear… fully developed love expels every particle of fear…”
(1 John 4:18, Phillips Translation)
“Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:6-7, Phillips Translation)
Father, I thank you today for my salvation.
I thank you that Jesus bore all my sin and shame, and that His resurrection was also my resurrection. You are my Savior. You are my Deliverer. You daily deliver me from all my fears, troubles and afflictions.
I choose faith over fear.
I choose hope over hopelessness.
I choose authority over anxiety.
I choose trust over torment.
I choose prayer over panic.
I choose worship over worry.
I reject all fear, and I embrace the peace you have given me through faith in your forever-love. Thank you for the peace that passes all understanding.
In the mighty name of Yeshua, my Savior, and Deliverer, Amen!
************************************************
************************************************
Ours is a labor of love. We have never asked anyone to support this ministry financially. We don’t sell merchandise. We don’t host advertising. We don’t solicit donations. We have never received any income through this site.
Christ is, and will always be, our sufficiency, meeting all of our needs.
But we have humbly asked, and do ask again, that our readers would generously support our ministry Partners in the Philippines, Student Life Organization, Inc.
God has given Co-Founders Ian Rustia and Anne Ruiz a clear vision and an open door to reach many in their nation, and beyond, with the love of Christ. They powerfully and faithfully demonstrate His love through outreaches to the needy, the marginalized, and the often forgotten… children and young people with disabilities and special needs, and their families.
SLOI has only been incorporated as a non-profit ministry for slightly more than a year, yet they have already produced much fruit for the kingdom of God. Grace and I consider it a privilege to share in their work, and we earnestly ask that you would join us in supporting their ministry through your prayers and giving.
PLEASE DO THESE THREE THINGS:
- Pray for the continued success of this ministry and that God would supply every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
- Check out and subscribe to the SLOI website to learn more about their latest outreaches and ministry events. You may do this by clicking on this link:
NEWS FLASH! The SLOI Newsletter is now featured on our site! Just click on the button found on the homepage!
- Please give generously to support this ministry. You may do so through the Paypal link to their newly opened ministry account:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/studentlifeinc2025
⁶ “Remember this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously, that blessings may come to someone will also reap generously and with blessings.
⁷ Let each one give as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver whose heart is in his giving.
⁸ And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].
⁹ As it is written, he [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; he gives to the poor; his deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever!”
(2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-9, AMPC)
Thank you! We pray that you will experience God’s richest blessings as you give freely and cheerfully in Jesus’ name!
Joe and Grace
Leave a Reply