Note: This is article 2 of a 4 article series.
PSALMS 27:2-3 “Decree”
(to release a divine verdict)
When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. (Psalms 27:2-3 NIV)
As we declare from Psalms 27:1 that God is our light and He is our salvation, a perfect protection is released in Psalms 27:2-3. God is that perfect protector. He is the indisputable protector of His own. Since Psalms 27:2 says that the wicked and our enemies will stumble and fall, the implication is that as we declare God as our light and salvation, then we will not stumble and fall.
THEY WILL STUMBLE
As Psalms 27:2 says that enemies and foes “will stumble”, we need to understand that God causes this to happen to our enemies. Our only responsibility is to make declarations of truth. We stand on His truth and we make our decrees from His vantage point. Allow me to show the power of decreeing though king Jehoshaphat and Israel.
After being told that vast armies from three nations were in route to destroy king Jehoshaphat and Israel, King Jehoshaphat made a “decree” and called Israel to a fast and to stand in agreement with his decree.
Listen to 2 Chronicles 20:5-9 and the release of a divine verdict from king Jehoshaphat:
Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, “If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.” (2 Chronicles 20:5-9 NIV)
Out of King Jehoshaphat’s decree, God was moved and responded to Israel, initially by bringing to them a prophet. As they were in the midst of making decrees a prophet named Jahaziel was escorted to King Jehoshaphat by the Holy Spirit . The prophet Jahaziel struck a chord with King Jehoshaphat and Israel in reminding them that the battle belongs to the Lord. (2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV). Secondly, God spoke through the prophet Jahaziel, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17 NIV)
A SPIRIT OF CONFIDENCE
Psalms 27:3 tells us that confidence arises out of declaration and decreeing that God is our light and salvation.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. (Psalms 27:3 NIV)
King Jehoshaphat discovered such great confidence in God through the prophet and by declaring and decreeing truth about God. Now, the day of the battle was upon them and king Jehoshaphat and Israel entered the battle arena with unlocked confidence in their mighty God. Listen to the deep commitment and certainty in the outcome of the battle.
Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:20-21 NIV)
RENEWING THE MIND THROUGH DECREEING
Psalms 27:3 is a decree that certainly released a divine verdict in David. This verdict shaped confidence in the mind and heart of David as to who his God was. In making a decree in Psalms 27:3, it reminds us that since the battle is God’s and that He is a beautiful leader who always protects us, a spirit of assurance in God is renewed in our minds. The reason we continue to forget who God is, and that the battle belongs to Him, is not because we have a sin nature, but because we need a renewed mind. When we remember that God is the mighty One, the Creator, the Holy One and the powerful protector, we renew our minds with His truth. Through declaring who God is and decreeing this truth, will place you in His presence, set you free, and will renew your mind. Now that is a trifecta!
AN ILLUSTRATION
My grandson Santiago who is only four years old is such a super hero fanatic. Nearly all day long and sometimes during the night he wears batman and superman outfits with great enthusiasm. One evening Santiago asked his mom “Mom, is God a super hero? His mom Julissa paused, thought and said, “Well, yes He is!” Santiago then asked, “Does he rescue people mom? “Yes he does son,” responded mom. Santiago continued, “Does God have big hands to hold people who are afraid?” “He sure does”, said mom. Then Santiago asked a profound question about God as a super hero, “Mom does God have a cape like batman and superman?” Julie considered the question and then responded, “Yes Santiago, God is a great super hero who has a cape!” Then Santiago asked one more question of his mom, “Mom, can I get a super hero outfit like God?
Santiago did not understand everything that he was declaring, but at a very young age he was making a decree about the nature of God. He was declaring that God is a perfect and divine protector. He was declaring and decreeing the long outstretched arms of God guard us. Santiago is in the process of renewing his mind about his maker who alone assigns angels to each of us for protection. We have no idea how many time throughout any given day that angels assigned from God have protected us from car accidents, attacks directly from the enemy or many other forms of protection provided by a beautiful, all knowing protector seated in the heavens.
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Question: What divine decrees are you releasing today?
REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE 