21/08/2023 - ISRAEL’S KEEPER

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Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121.4

Who is Israel’s Keeper? How should the person who needs protection against the forces of darkness, which makes him suffer evils that he doesn’t even know where they come from, nor for how long they will continue to disturb him, act? Understand: If Jesus Himself, who is the Almighty and came for His own, was not received by His people, imagine man! So have faith and keep your heart still. Whoever receives Him as Savior will not be destined to eternal suffering, but to Heaven!

The Israel of God is His people, as the Angel told Jacob, when he wrestled with Him and prevailed, because he was able to hold on to Him and be blessed (Genesis 32.24-29). Salvation begins when we receive Jesus into our lives and continues day by day as we learn to use the faith given by the Lord. In this way, God is glorified in His Son. True servants take pleasure in striving for faith and prioritizing the Most High.

No matter who threatens us; the Lord will never sleep. He is faithful in all that He promises. So, believe that God is with you at all times and stand firm against the snares of the enemy (Ephesians 6:10,11). Don’t get carried away by pessimism or feel like the most important person, because we are nothing without Jesus. The Almighty has already committed His Word, guaranteeing that nothing bad will happen to us (Luke 10.19). Believe and live confidently!

Imagine if you lived in a country, where the ruler of that land began to persecute you! What would you do? Well, you would run away as fast as possible. But wouldn’t you like to do the same works as Christ? He heard the following warning from the people: On that very day, some Pharisees came, saying to Him: Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You (Luke 13.31). What would happen if the Master fled?

The Savior soon answered the “friendly” advice of those religious men: And he said to them, Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected’ (Luke 13.32). The Master gave us the example of how to proceed when faced with wrong words or with the decision of your spouse, who told you that you should move to another city, otherwise you would be alone. Pray and believe!

Jesus talks about the end of each one: Nevertheless I must journey today,  tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem (Luke 13.33). Only what came from God was accepted by Christ. If anything was to harm Him, He would use the authority given by the Father and quash such an attempt by Satan. In the same way, if necessary, we can go to our limit, but when the situation gets out of hand, we must use divine power.

Who is afraid to die in the hands of the kings of this world, except the one who is in the hands of the devil? That person has no assurance of eternal life, and no matter how much he protects himself, he will not experience death like the servants of the Most High, as the Bible says: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints (Psalm 116.15). God’s children must refuse to be afraid in any way. After all, they have been given the spirit of power, love, fortitude, and moderation (2 Timothy 1.7).

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares