GOD'S HAND OF PROTECTION IS ON ALL WHO WORSHIP HIM 1

"FOR I WAS ASHAMED TO ASK THE KING FOR SOLDIERS and HORSEMEN to ACCOMPANY US and PROTECT US from ENEMIES along the WAY. After all, we had told the king, "OUR GOD'S HAND OF PROTECTION IS ON ALL WHO WORSHIP HIM, but HIS FIERCE ANGER RAGES AGAINST THOSE WHO ABANDON HIM.”
Ezra 8:22 (NLT)

• God protects all those who worship Him. If you Acknowledged God As powerful, He would prove Himself, powerful.

• Your faith in God and the declaration of His faithfulness would provoke Him to offer help, when the help is needed by you.
• If you declared and tell people that God is able, He would prove Himself in your life and circumstances as an able God.
• If, however, you denied Him, He also would deny you:
  12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. IF WE DENY HIM, HE ALSO WILL DENY US. 13 IF WE ARE FAITHLESS, HE REMAINS FAITHFUL; HE CANNOT DENY HIMSELF" (2 Timothy 2:12,13 NKJV).

". . . HIS FIERCE ANGER RAGES AGAINST those who ABANDON HIM."
Ezra 8:22 (NLT)

• Ezra had earlier declared to the king that the God of heaven we serve protects.

• If you had declared the greatness of God and His faithfulness, you need not retract your words when challenges come.
• Because of what Ezra had told the king Artaxerxes about the greatness of God, and His hand of protection, he could not go back to the king and ask for the provision of the security personnels, soldiers.
  THIS was when he realized their could be danger along the way in their journey and they would need a help (Ezra 8:22).
• You might find yourself in a situation where you had declared a thing by faith, and afterwards It dawned on you that what you said might not be, or come to pass, and you are apprehensive. You would not know whether God will do what you had declared or not.
• What should you do in such a situation? The example found in the Bible is about Ezra's case; how he handled it.
• You would have to go to God in prayer and fasting to ask for the performance of what you had declared that He is able to do:
  21 AND there by the Ahava Canal, I GAVE ORDERS FOR ALL OF US TO FAST AND HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE OUR GOD. WE PRAYED THAT HE WOULD GIVE US A SAFE JOURNEY AND PROTECT US, OUR CHILDREN, AND OUR GOODS AS WE TRAVELED. 22 FOR I WAS ASHAMED TO ASK THE KING FOR SOLDIERS AND HORSEMEN TO ACCOMPANY US AND PROTECT US FROM ENEMIES ALONG THE WAY. AFTER ALL, WE HAD TOLD THE KING, “OUR GOD'S HAND OF PROTECTION IS ON ALL WHO WORSHIP HIM, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.” 23 SO WE FASTED AND EARNESTLY PRAYED THAT OUR GOD WOULD TAKE CARE OF US, AND HE HEARD OUR PRAYER" (Ezra 8:21-23 NLT).

• It is usual, normal and common, for a leader or any believer who walks by Faith, to talk and declare what our God is capable of doing and His Faithfulness.

• Afterwards, If you are confronted with the reality of what you had declared or said, you might be afraid or apprehensive, knowing that you were just talking by faith; that the declaration you made was done by Faith.
  YOU might be scared and be thinking; Would God really do as you have said? Would He truly protect as you had made it known to the people?
• If you find yourself in a situation like this, you would have to go back to God and ask Him in prayer to perform what you had declared by faith.
• In ministering to people or talking about God, It is either you heard from Him what you wanted to declare to the people prophetically, or you declare it by faith and go back to Him and ask Him for the performance of whatever you had said.
• In the passage of the Bible, Ezra had boastfully told the King about the greatness of God (Ezra 8:22); what He is able to do or capable of doing.
• Now, when it came to the reality of what he said God is capable of doing, he was ashamed of asking for any human protective services, soldiers. He had to proclaim a fasting and praying, to ask for God's mercy and protection on their way—journey.

• A leader or any Believer should not be scared or afraid of talking about the Greatness and Faithfulness of God.

• Do not think; If I said it, Would God perform It? He will, because He delights in confirming the words of His servants and performing the counsel of His messengers: "WHO CONFIRMS THE WORD OF HIS SERVANT, And PERFORMS THE COUNSEL OF HIS MESSENGERS..." (Isaiah 44:26 NKJV).

"BUT I carry out the PREDICTIONS OF MY PROPHETS!"
Isaiah 44:26 (NLT)

• If you declared a thing prophetically by faith, you would need to water what you had declared by faith, with prayers and fastings for the manifestation.
• In some instances, If you declared without watering, or without backing up your prophetic declarations with fasting and praying; the devil might succeed in aborting what you had declared by faith.
• When you ministered to people and you had prophetically declared that certain things would happen, you would need to go back to God as a leader and His representative, or delegate, to give Him a feedback about the meeting; what you had declared or told the people would happen while ministering to them. Asking Him to confirm and perform as you had declared, or told the people!
• When you ministered as God's servant, He always expected you to come back with the report, or the outcome of the meeting, that is, the feedback. If you failed to do this, all the declaration of faith you prophetically made in the meeting might be made void, or caused to fall to the ground (1 Samuel 3:19).
• It is only God that would make your words not to fall to the ground: "SO SAMUEL GREW, AND THE LORD WAS WITH HIM AND LET NONE OF HIS WORDS FALL TO THE GROUND" (1 Samuel 3:19 NKJV).

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

• Whatever is contrary to your health is cursed and uprooted in Jesus' name.
• I declare your healing now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
  Peace!
  TO BE CONTINUED

STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

• If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!