In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of having God's word deeply rooted within us to resist the devices of darkness. They rebuke depression and lies of the devil, declaring their salvation and God's plan for their life. The sermon concludes with a reminder of the victory found in God, as symbolized by the horse and rider being thrown into the sea. The speaker also highlights the necessity of studying the Bible and holding onto the promises found within it.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing WORLDCHALLENGE P.O. BOX 260 LINDALE, TEXAS 75771 or calling 903-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted, and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to friends. Hebrews chapter 12. You may want to put a bookmark or something there, because we'll be coming back to that from time to time. Hebrews chapter 12. My message title is a long one this morning. It's, The Devil is After One Thing in Your Time of Trial. The devil is after one thing in your time of trial. Father, I thank you for the sovereign anointing of your Holy Spirit. I thank you, Lord, that I stand not in my own righteousness nor my own strength. I stand in the righteousness of Jesus, and I stand in the strength of the Holy Spirit, and the truth of God's Word that you have sown within my inward parts. Lord, I ask for the privilege this morning of disappearing that you may appear. Lord, that my voice would fade and your voice would be heard through this human vessel. That you would speak to every life, speak to every heart, of every person that you have gathered in this house this morning. Thank you that your word is truth, and that your word is eternal, and that your word is life. So, Lord, I ask for life to be made manifest in this house today. I thank you, Father, for breaking every chain of darkness, exposing every lie of the devil, opening every prison door, every place of captivity that he has desired to put God's people in, those that are redeemed by the blood of Christ, cherished of Almighty God. Father, I thank you for authority today. I thank you, Lord, that your word is a powerful word. I thank you that there's authority when your word goes forth. Lord, you have sent your word today to accomplish a specific thing. I ask, Lord, that all of the chains of depression and fear and every weapon that the devil has brought against any child of God in this house be absolutely crushed by the truth of the Word of God and the revelation of Jesus Christ. Satan, I stand against you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I say unto you this day, the Lord rebuke you. The Lord rebuke your traps, your plans, your schemes, your devices that you formulate against those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for their salvation and for their direction and for their eternal destiny. I stand against every one of your plans today. Father, I thank you that truth will prevail in every heart and in every life. Let there be a shout of freedom. Let there be a cry of joy come from those who have been suffering and have been afflicted by the evil one. God, let there be an absolute release, a mighty release in this house today. Lord, for this we give you the honor. We give you all the praise. We give you all the glory. For thine is the kingdom. Thine is the power. Thine is the glory, both now and forever. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The devil is after one thing in your time of trial. You know, the Bible speaks about a time of trial that's coming upon the whole earth when everything that can be shaken will be shaken. And I have seen in the study of the Scriptures this week specific tactics that the enemy will employ against those who are righteous to go after the very heart of our relationship with God. He will start, it's almost as if it's a spiral. He starts on the periphery and just keeps working and working and working and eventually goes after one thing. We're going to expose his lies today. You see, if he can get to that one thing, he can get what he's after. Your life, your soul, your testimony for Christ. I believe that those who are seeking God just simply in the realm of the experiential are in for very, very big trouble. We're going to see as we study the Scriptures that it's only truth and it's only truth that's sewn deep in the inward parts that is our protection against the days that are coming. And those that have traveled and run to and fro and hither and yon looking for just some experience or somebody to touch them and they've looked to find stability but from beyond that prescribed norm that God has given us in the pursuit of truth, in the grasping of truth, in the loving of truth I believe that many, many who say that they belong to the Lord are in for a very ferocious shaking in the future. Some perhaps may turn to God and find life and others will faint. Hebrews chapter 12, now in chapter 11 the rite of Hebrews is talking about those who are in effect of the hall of faith those who stopped the mouths of lions who saw promises and were persuaded of them even though they were far off talked about those, about Joseph dying, leaning on the top of his staff and saying, don't leave my bones here, take them home, God's given me a promise talked about the faith of Moses' parents talked about Moses choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin and it goes on and on talks about the walls of Jericho coming down the harlot Rahab receiving the spies, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness obtained promises and stopped the mouths of lions then it goes on to talk about others who had trials of cruel mockings and scourging and bonds and imprisonment they were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword wandering in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted and tormented and verse 39 says, these all having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect so in other words there are many who have gone before us they've walked through everything that this life could throw at them they've walked through by faith and they received a good report before God they are there today and if they were one by one to be able to be to come and stand on this platform they would encourage us with everything that's within them to trust God, to believe God that He has been faithful to His promises and He cannot fail those who put their trust in Him the writer begins in verse 1 saying wherefore seeing we all so encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight in the sin which so doth easily beset us let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God now here's the admonition to you and I for consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself lest ye be weary and faint in your minds now this is a message to everyone who's in a time of trial everyone who's in it now or maybe you've been in a time of trial and for sure everybody who's here if you're going to walk any amount of time with God you are definitely going to walk into times of trial and difficulty but the writer of Hebrews says that in those times we are to consider Him and to consider Him in the context of how severely and how powerfully those who are without God came against Him how He withstood the onslaught of the devil himself speaking through the hearts of unregenerate men and He triumphed over them He triumphed over everything that hell could throw at Him and He is the author He is the finisher of our faith and of our salvation if we put our trust in Him He says I will never leave you and I will never forsake you the apostle Paul says I'm convinced I'm persuaded that He's able to keep that which I've entrusted unto Him against that day that I have put myself in the hand of God and He is able to keep me there and He's able to fight off all of my enemies and He's able to bring me home declaring to all who will listen throughout eternity that all of His promises are yea and amen to those who trust Him and believe the writer says consider Him that endured such contradiction lest you be weary and faint in your minds today we have the knowledge that Christ has triumphed over the power of the devil and He has become both the author and the finisher of our faith the finisher Christ is the finisher we've got to settle that in our hearts you see He blotted out the list of sins that was against us if you are a Christian if you have trusted in Christ for your salvation if you have repented of your sin if you have a desire to live for God with all of your heart you can sit here today or stand with that calm assurance that Christ has finished your faith He blotted out the list of sins that were against us the book of Colossians chapter 2 verses 14 and 15 the apostle Paul says blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to His cross and having spoiled principalities and powers He made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it hallelujah He triumphed over everything that the devil could send against Him secondly He made a way to escape every temptation for everyone who is His who belongs to Him Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 there has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful and He will not suffer or allow you to be tempted above that you are able but with the temptation also will make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it and thirdly He is able to uphold all of those who are going through trial the book of Hebrews chapter 2 verse 18 says that for in He Himself for in that He Himself has suffered being tempted He is able to help those or secure those that are tempted the amplified version puts it this way for because He Himself in His humanity has suffered He is able immediately to run to the crime those who being tempted are being tempted and tested and tried again the writer of Hebrews tells us consider Him lest you be weary and faint in your minds the apostle Paul speaking in another context puts it this way in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11 he says lest Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices did you know this morning that Satan has devices formulated to get an advantage of you to attempt to take advantage of you and if we will study the scriptures today and consider Christ we can see exactly how he will come against you and I but also we will have the knowledge that Christ triumphed over him and so in the clothing and righteousness and triumph and strength of Christ we also can triumph over our enemy now we ask ourselves the question this morning what is it then that Satan with his suggestive thoughts myriad of words through the lips of unregenerate men is after what is it that he is looking to take away from the believer that will cause this weariness and fainting in his mind now in order to begin to answer this we have to first look to Jesus who triumphed over him and is now seated at the right hand of all power and authority I want this morning to look in particular at the onslaught of darkness against Jesus from the time of his arrest to his eventual death on the cross now just like us Jesus had been born for a purpose my brothers, my sisters when we come to Christ we are born again for a purpose God has ordained a purpose for our lives Jesus had a divine destiny appointed for him and both his position in God and his destiny were supported by a sure word from his father in heaven we are born again we are born for a purpose God has a divine destiny for each one of our lives that are here today and both this position in God and our destiny are supported by a sure word that anybody who takes time to read this book will find there are promises in this book for you and for me I can't overemphasize especially in this last hour of time the absolute necessity of studying this book and showing ourselves approved unto God rightly dividing the word of truth the workmen that needed not to be ashamed the word ashamed if you look at it really in effect means a workman who will not be triumphed over by his enemies somebody who will know this book he knows his position in God he knows he has been born for a purpose he knows God has a divine plan for his life and he has a sure word from God that means that word of faith is sewn deep in his heart and he knows that no matter what comes against him the cause of God the cause of Christ in his life will triumph he will be able to walk through the fire through the water through all adversity in all things giving honor and glory to the one who purchased him with his own blood bearing much fruit to the honor and to the glory of God Jesus knew his position when he was baptized in the gospel of Matthew as he came up out of the water the scripture says the spirit of God came down in effect bodily form and abode upon him and then a voice came out of heaven and said this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased he knew his position in the father and I hope that if you're a Christian this morning that you know that position in God you know of a surety that you are accepted with the beloved and the spirit of God that's within you bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God and you can cry out Abba Father he knew his life calling John chapter 3 verse 16 says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life verse 17 says for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved Jesus himself said I have come to give my life as a ransom for many he knew his life calling and in the same measure the apostle Paul says of us that it is our reasonable service that we should lay down our lives as a living sacrifice for the purposes of God that we should serve him so that others may come to the saving knowledge of Christ and he also knew his destiny his final destiny in the gospel of Luke chapter 9 verses 30 and 31 when he took Peter, James and John and went up to the mount of transfiguration the scripture says as he began to pray he was transfigured in other words the glory that was within him was revealed on the outside of him and two men appeared and the scripture says and behold there talked with him two men which were Moses and Elijah who appeared in glory and they spake of his decease or his death in other words which he should accomplish at Jerusalem so he knew he was going to die he knew his destiny but his destiny also went beyond the death on the cross in Matthew chapter 26 verses 31 and 32 Jesus said to his disciples all ye shall be offended because of me this night for it is written I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad but after I am risen again I will go before you into Galilee he knew his position he knew his purpose his life purpose and he also knew his destiny that he was going to be delivered up offered up for your sin and for my sin that he would die would be delivered into the hands of wicked men and he would be crucified and slain and rejected he would die and on the third day he would rise again and he said but after I am risen I will go before you into Galilee now I want to look I want us to look at the tactics that the devil brought against Jesus because the Bible says consider him that endured contradiction lest ye become weary and faint in your mind I want to look at the tactics that he brought against him we're going to start at the point where he was arrested and brought before Pilate and then go right to Calvary so go to John chapter 19 John chapter 19 this was the beginning I talked about that circle it starts out very broad and then just narrows and goes right to the heart when you and I get into a trial the very same tactics that the devil used against Christ he will use against us to try to stop us and destroy us in John chapter 19 verse 9 he went again into the judgment hall this is Pilate now and said unto Jesus whence art thou? and Jesus gave him no answer then said Pilate unto him speakest thou not unto me? knowest not that I have the power to crucify thee and the power to release thee? and Jesus answered thou couldst have no power at all against me except it were given thee from above therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin now here's the first point when you and I come into times of trial and adversity the devil would come and have you to believe that in these times of trial that he has gained the upper hand over your destiny this is what he was speaking in effect I believe the devil animates the hearts of those who are not surrendered to God we see that when Christ said I'm going to Jerusalem and I'm going to be crucified and delivered into the hands of sinful men and Peter at the point yet where he was still relying in himself and trusting in himself says oh Lord oh no Lord not you this shall not be done unto you and Jesus turns and says to him get thee behind me Satan he said thou savourest you speak as a man speaks and you don't savour the things that be of God and here's Pilate in effect an unregenerate man that the enemy has control of his heart and his lips and he stands before the very son of God and he says to him do you not know that I have the power to crucify you and I have the power to release you in other words I am now in control of your destiny I have gained the upper hand and folks there are many people who even at this particular point this is only the beginning of trial but at this particular point the enemy gains a distinct advantage over their lives because they get convinced that in their time of difficulty and trial when it seems that everything is out of control around them that somehow God has taken his hand off of their lives somehow the devil has snuck in the back door and he's in absolute control of everything that's going on now and he would want to convince you and I in times of trial that that's what's happening but Jesus in verse 11 speaks now the truth to him he says you could have no power at all against me except it were given thee from above and what Jesus was saying is that even in times of adversity that his life and the purpose ordained for his life was completely in the sovereign hand of God even in times of trial even in times of trouble even when I'm in places where I don't understand what's happening my life has been given to God and God is the sovereign ruler over my life when you have come to Christ the devil has no power over you he has no power over you all he can do is what God will allow him to do that's all that can happen the apostle Paul puts it this way in Romans 8 28 all things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to his purpose we either believe that folks or we don't believe that all things we've got to have that word sown deep within us we're living down a society where everything is seemingly going on as it has for a thousand years but that could change in a day and if it does change we've got to have this word sown in us it's got to be there deep when it seems like all of everything is out of order and perhaps some of us wind up in situations we'd rather not be in there's got to be that deep abiding presence of God's word within our hearts the love of his word that says in spite of it no matter what anybody tries to speak to my life God is in absolute control of my life hallelujah he says again in Romans chapter 8 verse 37 actually in verse 36 he says we're giving up his sheep for the slaughter but in verse 37 he says in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us hallelujah Christ was not under the power of Pilate God the father had ordained a purpose for his life and Pilate was just simply a man in the chain of events that were already ordained by God in the fulfilling of his purpose for his son Jesus Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2 says he endured the cross despising the shame we can say that Satan tried to bring Jesus to shame by attacking him in the hour of his greatest trial and he tried to attack him at the very core of his relationship to his father God now go ahead or go backwards rather to Matthew chapter 27 Matthew chapter 27 and I show you how he attacked him on the cross in the time of trial there was such an intense battle happening on Calvary I think sometimes reading it just superficially we're not aware of the depth of the battle that went on on Calvary and even careful reading sometimes I'm convinced doesn't give us the depth of what really happened there but we have a glimpse of it and having a glimpse of it we see first of all today how the devil attacked him and then we're going to look at the triumph of Christ which in effect is the triumph that we have been purchased into by his blood in verse 39 first of all he attacks his position in the father and they that passed by reviled him wagging their heads and saying thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days save thyself if thou be the son of God come down from the cross I want you to notice something you're going to see in every one of these challenges that we're going to go through the devil uses the word if now I know that people passing by and thieves on the cross and chief priests and scribes and elders spoke these words but you can be sure that the devil himself was at Calvary and in effect when men are not surrendered to God they are the children of their father Jesus said the devil and in effect all they are is puppets and he's like the master puppet master that just pulls the strings and gets them to speak whatever he desires that they should speak he puts the impression on their heart and because there's no resistance power against him everything he puts on the heart simply comes out of the mouth and they passed by and they reviled him they wagged their heads and in effect they have said this they attacked his the devil attacked his position in God his father and he said in effect you have boasted that you are able to raise in three days what man will destroy you have made such a declaration of the power at your disposal because of your position in God then he comes in with the if remember when he tempted him right at the beginning of his ministry he took him into the wilderness and said if you be the son of God command these stones to be made bread always trying to sow doubt in his mind and in his heart then he took him to the pinnacle of the temple and spoke to him about a promise of God and told him to cast himself down the context again is if God is faithful to his promises then you're not going to be killed upon the rocks but angels will bury you up in their hands lest you dash your foot against the stone and so now while he's on the cross the devil now is beginning to circle and the circle is drawing tighter because he's going after something and we've got to see this and once you see it I believe that really it can produce a shout of liberty in your heart once we're aware of his tactics against those who are living for him they said if you are who you say you are if God is your father if you be the son of God come down from the cross in other words show us by commanding your trouble to cease you remember when Job got into trouble and one of his comforters came to him and in effect was telling him if you were in right relationship with God all of this wouldn't have come upon you because those who are in right relationship with God success and prosperity is their portion it was the counsel of the devil himself through what Job called one of his miserable counselors when you're in a time of trial in adversity the devil will come after you and say if you are born again if you are a child of God you shouldn't be in this kind of trouble this type of thing shouldn't be happening to you and so if you are in that position then just command your trouble to cease speak to the wind speak to the waves and command it all to cease and the context is he's attacking your position in God in Christ in the sense of the Christian and then secondly he comes after Christ and he attacks the promises of God verse 41 and 42 says likewise also the chief priests mocking him with the scribes and elders said he saved others himself he cannot save if he be the king of Israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him so now he attacks the devil attacks the promises of God first his position now his promises in effect he's saying to Christ when he says if he be the king of Israel in other words he's saying to him shall you indeed rule and reign shall you look at you how can you trust the promises of God you told others how to find the way of truth you declared them forgiven and free from their sins you broke their chains of misery and now look at the misery that's come upon you you say you're a king and yet you appear to have no authority you're powerless to save yourself come down displace of majesty and we will believe come down so now he's attacking the very promises of God because God had promised that he was going to rule and reign and not only he was but we would rule and reign with him one day and the devil comes and says if you be the king of Israel if you be the king of Israel again trying to sow something in his heart and now the circle is getting smaller and now we're going to see what the devil is really after he goes right to the bullseye and I want you to see this because it's what he's after in you it's what he's after in me it's the very same thing he was after in Christ verse 43 he says he trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said I am the son of God this is what the devil is really after this is the end of side 1 you may now turn the tape over to side 2 his confidence in the faithfulness of God if he can get that he has everything else you see he was there in Egypt and he knows and knew that faith in God took the people through the Red Sea he was there a little later on and also knows that when that same faith was lost they were kept out of the promised land and he's going after the very essence of the heart of the relationship of Jesus with his father and when a child of God gets into trouble and trial he will go after the very same thing he will go after your confidence in the faithfulness of God he begins in verse 43 and it's interesting the first 4 words he puts in the past tense not in the present he said he trusted in God it's as if he's saying God has already forsaken him God's already rejected him because look at the trial that's come into his life look at the hardship that's come upon him therefore God must have rejected him and then he says let him deliver him now, now there's an important word there that word now in effect he's saying if God doesn't deliver you immediately it's because he has rejected you he says let him deliver him now if he will have him if, because he said I am the son of God and the devil will come right to the root of what he's after trying to erode your very confidence in God in the midst of your trial when you're at your lowest point when depression seems to be all around you like in Psalm 18 when David says it just seemed like my enemies were all over and hell wanted to swallow me right on the spot then the devil will come and say if God doesn't deliver you right now it's because he has rejected you he has found some secret fault in your life that you are not aware of you have displeased him somehow and because of that displeasing he's not rescuing you from your situation this is an absolute lie from the very pit of hell itself very often we hear it said and we hear it preached and rightly so and I preach it myself that the devil's after you to get you back on drugs and he's after you to get you on alcohol and he's after you to get you into pornography and he's after you to get you into adulterous relationships and all of these other things yes those things he is after but that's only the byproduct they're just they're just the rotten weeds of the roots of what he's really after if you are a Christian and you're in trial he's after your confidence in the promises of God if he can get that then these other things just become a natural a natural outflowing of a lack of faith in your life he is after those things now he finishes and that's his last arrow and he sends it right for the heart of Jesus and stands back and waits for the response and the Bible says from the sixth hour there was darkness all over the land until the ninth hour there are three hours where there's no response and I think the devil is there and every demon of hell is standing there they know the warfare that they have mounted against the son of God they have done everything in their power he has deployed every device that he has to take away the confidence of Jesus in his position in his father the promises of his father that he will rule and reign and the faithfulness of his father to fulfill every one of the promises that he has ever made to him and then there's a period of long silence where they're all waiting now if you've ever read anything about crucifixion you know that it was a horrible death crucifixion in effect would there would be a severe paralysis that would happen in the muscles of the upper chest eventually the lungs would cease to work they would fill up with fluid they would press against the heart the incredible agony of those who are crucified in effect is almost hard to describe with words the back of those who were scourged would be open and bleeding their knees would be bent in this fashion and nailed to a platform that would protrude from the cross their hands would be outstretched tied with ropes and nailed through the wrist part just prior to the hand in order to breathe they would have to lift themselves up to be able to draw a breath and with that drawn breath they could perhaps only utter maybe a few words at a time then they would have to draw back down until they were able to take the next breath and that's why on the cross you'll see the sentences are so very short that Jesus speaks because it was just physically impossible to speak anything of any great length and after this time of silence for about three hours I see in my heart that Jesus pushes himself up and everybody is wondering what's going on in this man's heart what's going on in his mind the devil is standing wondering have I triumphed over him and he pushes up and he says the words Eli Lama Sabachthani as a cry right from the very depths of his heart which is to say my God my God why has thou forsaken me and it's only conjecture on my part but I personally feel that there was just an explosion among the demonic realm at that particular point in effect saying we have triumphed over him he has lost his confidence in God every argument the devil says I placed against him finally my darts found a place in their heart and sadly to say in many of God's children they will utter that cry but not in the same context that I'm about to show you that Christ was speaking it in they will utter the cry and they will lose their confidence in God and say my God my God why have you forsaken me why are you so far from the words of my roaring why are you allowing all of these problems and trials to come around my life I thought it was your son I thought you had a calling upon my life I thought you were going to deliver me I thought you had a purpose for me and if they stopped speaking long enough and listened to the voice of God and got back into this book again they would find out that everything is right on track the same way it was from the very first day that they came to God Jesus was not in effect saying the Lord has forsaken me my father has forsaken me I believe that whole time that whole period of silence on the cross the word he was the word of God the word of God was stirring in his soul he was speaking over and over the scriptures that he had sovereignly inspired the psalmist David to write the word was in him in the beginning was the word the word was with God the word was God the word became flesh we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth the word was in him truth was shown in his inward parts that time of silence he's not doubting God he is speaking the word of God in his heart speaking in his heart psalms and hymns and songs talking in effect to himself about the faithfulness of his father and what he was doing he was quoting psalm 22 if you'll turn there with me psalm 22 I think sometimes the devil just doesn't bother with the rest of the bible or is blind to its meaning because in effect he was just saying that the opening line of an entire psalm and to understand why he uttered those words we've got to read through the psalm my God my God verse 1 why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring oh my God I cry in the daytime but thou hearst not and in the night season I am not silent but thou art holy oh thou that inhabit us the praises of Israel our fathers trusted in thee they trusted in thou didst deliver them they cried unto thee and were delivered they trusted in thee and were not confounded but I am a worm and no man a reproach of man and despised of the people all they that see me they laugh me to scorn they shoot out the lip they shake the head saying he trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him let him deliver him seeing he delighted in him but thou art he that took me out of the womb thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts I was cast upon thee from the womb thou art my God from my mother's belly be not far from me for trouble is near and there is none to help many bulls have compassed me strong bulls have bashed and beset me around they gaped upon me with their mouths as a ravening and a roaring lion I am poured out like water all my bones are out of joint my heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels my strength is dried up like a potsherd and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws and thou hast brought me into the dust of death for dogs have compassed me the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me they pierced my hands and my feet I may tell all my bones they look and stare upon me they part my garments among them and cast lots or gamble upon my vesture be not thou far from me O Lord O my strength haste thee to help me deliver my soul from the sword my darling from the power of the dog save me from the lions mouth for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns in verse 22 now you're going to see a major turn in this psalm he says I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee in effect this is what he's saying I will rise from this hour of trial I will stand in the midst of my brethren one day and I will praise thee your promises are true I will triumph in your power over every last one of my enemies hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah and then he speaks to you and me from his trial from the difficulty everything that came upon him on the cross he says ye that fear the Lord praise him all ye that seed of Jacob glorify him and fear him all ye seed of Israel for he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted and neither has he hid his face from him but when he cried unto him he heard hallelujah praise him he says praise him ye seed of Jacob he doesn't hide his face when the afflicted cry he hears and he delivers them many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers them out of all their troubles hallelujah hallelujah in verse 25 he says my praise shall be of thee in the great congregation I will pay my vows before them that fear him the meek shall eat and be satisfied they shall praise the Lord that seek him your heart shall live forever your heart shall live forever in other words the promise of eternal life is true it's true hallelujah God will not leave you in your trial God will not forsake you in your trial God will not let the devil triumph over you he will be with you he will walk right through it with you and every one of his promises are yea and amen he will hold your hand right true to the other side yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah all the ends of the world verse 27 shall remember and turn to the Lord all the kindreds of the nation shall worship before thee for the kingdom is the Lord's he's the governor among the nations in other words the Lord rules the nations and those that are his shall rule and reign with him hallelujah John says in Revelation chapter 5 verse 9 and 10 they sung a new song saying thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou was slain and has redeemed us unto God out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and has made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth hallelujah all they that be fed upon earth shall eat and worship all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him and none can keep alive his own soul a seed shall serve him it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation they shall come hallelujah that's us they shall come and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born that he has done this he's saying even as I shall rise from the dead defeating the power of death and darkness even so they shall rise over the power of death and hell and trial and they too shall triumph in the power of Christ and they shall come and they shall testify of his power and say it is the Lord that has done this he has kept me he has sustained me his promises are true his promises are yea and amen hallelujah trying to convince you that your trial is not common to other men and somehow unique to you it's different from the rest but today I'm going to ask you to come to this altar and we're going to stand against that depression we're going to stand against that fear we're going to believe God for a mighty mighty deliverance in your life many are the afflictions of the righteous the scripture says but the Lord delivers them out of them all if you're backslidden you can come home to God you can come to this altar too as well if you're lost I invite you to come to receive Christ as your savior that you might be saved hallelujah hallelujah everyone in a time of trial difficulty would you come we're going to pray together and believe God for a mighty deliverance shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written for thy sake we are killed all the day long we are counted as sheep for the slaughter no nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us for I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature that includes the devil himself shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord absolutely nothing absolutely nothing if we're trusting in Christ and walking with him nothing can separate us no trial no fire no water no words of darkness nothing nothing nothing can separate us so shall my word be Lord said through Isaiah that go forth out of my mouth it shall not return to me void but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing where to I send it now here's the promise for you shall go out with joy you shall go out with joy you shall be led forth with peace the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing all the trees of the field shall clap their hands instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree and it shall be to the Lord for a name and an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off God is going to take you through and God's going to take you through in peace as his word is sown in you pray this simple prayer with me Lord Jesus I believe that nothing can separate me from your love no trial no fire no water no lying words nothing of the devil himself can separate me from the depth of your love Lord help me to have your word so deeply sown within me that none of the devices of darkness will ever find a mark in my heart or in my life I resist you Satan in the name of the Lord I stand against fear God's not given me a spirit of fear but a power and love and a sound mind I rebuke depression and every lie of the devil I'm saved God has a plan for my life and he's coming to take me home hallelujah rejoicing today rejoicing and singing that song and I will sing unto the Lord he has triumphed gloriously the horse and the rider are thrown into the sea hallelujah God bless you this is the conclusion of the tape