Nothing Will Harm You
Reading Time: 8 Minutes
Authority Over All the Power of the Enemy
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20 NIV
Jesus sent 72 of His followers out to heal the sick and proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God. They came back happy because people were healed and delivered from evil spirits. Jesus confirmed that He had given them authority over all the power of the devil and said, “Nothing will harm you.”
Heart Check
In addition, Jesus asked them to check the motivation of their joy. Was their joy rooted in their power to do the miraculous or in the One that loved them, forgave their sin and wrote their names in Heaven? Jesus is the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12) and He deserves all the glory for every miracle! Our motivation for healing the sick and driving out demons should always be the love of God– the Gospel message! That “heart check” helps keep us from spiritual pride as we minister in God’s power.
Keep Sharing the Good News in Power
Jesus was not telling them to stop healing the sick. He was warning those He loves about the deceptive schemes of the enemy. Jesus wants us to do miracles in His name. People are in serious need of help! These beautiful acts of the Father’s love give glory to the Gospel message. As we share the Good News of Jesus, we must not be afraid of the enemy. The Holy Spirit is in us and we are protected!
Nothing Will Harm Us If…
If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. Psalm 91:9-10 NLT
God promises to guard and protect us from evil if– if we make the Lord our refuge. The picture I get from Psalm 91 is phenomenal. God loves us! He covers us with protection. When crime, chaos, war and pandemics run rampant we stand unharmed. Angels are sent to protect us and our families. We trample the lion, cobra, great lion and serpent demons. But there is an “if” in the promise. If we dwell in the shelter of the Most High and if we love Him, these benefits are ours. The question I must ask myself is, “Have I made Jesus Lord and Refuge of every part of my life?”
If We Do Not Continue to Sin
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 1 John 5:18 NIV
Sin opens a door for the enemy to wreak havoc in our lives. It has no place in our lives. But if we do sin and genuinely confess our sin by turning back to Jesus, the Lord is faithful to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Sometimes we suffer, not because we have sinned intentionally, but because we lack the knowledge of the Lord that sets us free (John 8:32).
If We Do Not Doubt
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6a WEB
If we continue to struggle in any way, the Lord loves us and wants to guide us back into His place of safety. Our minds need to be renewed because the world has schooled us away from the truth. Jesus showed His disciples how to calm a deadly storm. Did you know that Jesus said if we drink poison it would not harm us? The apostle Paul was bitten by a deadly serpent and was not affected by it. All the miraculous stories of the Old and New Testaments are in the Word to encourage us to believe and not doubt. (James 1:6-7) We can grow in our faith by meditating on and declaring God’s Word by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Peace of Mind
In peace [and with a tranquil heart] I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety and confident trust. Psalm 4:8 AMP
King David depended on the Lord for physical, emotional, mental and spiritual protection. “Nothing will harm you” seemed to be his motto in warfare. We can tell this from the songs he wrote. I can’t imagine how he would be able to lay down in the wilderness and sleep knowing that he was being hunted down by his enemies.
Young David was anointed by the Holy Spirit when Samuel poured oil over his head. He spent time with the Lord tending sheep, singing praise psalms and learning how to kill a lion and bear. His relationship with God made him fearless against Goliath and loving toward the people of Israel. David’s worship songs drove demons out and invited the Prince of Peace in. David knew the Lord intimately. That is why he could sleep soundly in confident trust.
Our Father Protects
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8 ESV
Jesus has brought us into God’s Family. We are protected because we are in Jesus– Jesus is in the Father– and the Spirit is in us. There is spiritual protection for those that remain in Jesus and obey His Word. When the prodigal son left the father’s house to selfishly do what he wanted to do, that young man was not protected. But when the son came back home and submitted himself to his father’s will, the father was able to lavish His extravagant love upon him. Our Father loves everybody in the whole world. But He can’t protect us unless we humble ourselves, come under His authority and live by His amazing plan for our lives. If we remain in His House and obey His loving commands, the Lord will keep us from harm.
God Has Given Us Armor
The devil attacks us through the spiritual realm and those attacks are displayed in the natural realm as disease, accidents, mental problems, lack of self-control, etc. That is why we must wear God’s armor. It is defensive and offensive armament for our spirits, souls and bodies. If we don’t take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to God’s Word, we aren’t wearing the helmet of salvation. The Lord commands us to love Him and love others. So, if we hold bitterness against anyone, we aren’t wearing the breastplate of righteousness. Every part of His armor is vital! (Ephesians 6:10-18)
The Lord has given us armor, but if we don’t wear what He has given us, how do we expect Him to protect us from harm? Our spiritual weapons are mighty in pulling down the strongholds and plans of the enemy in our lives and the lives of others. God’s Word is our sword. And just like Jesus’ double edged sword comes out of His mouth, we must speak His Word, both physically and spiritually from submitted hearts, in order to condemn the enemy’s plans.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17 NKJV
Persecution
And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy 4:18 WEB
The scripture above was written by the apostle Paul. He shared the Gospel in much of the civilized world of his day, doing miracles, signs and wonders. Paul also endured nearly every kind of persecution imaginable. Even so, near the end of his life, he said that the Lord would deliver him from every evil work and preserve him for Heaven.
Jesus said we would be persecuted for sharing the Gospel and told us to rejoice in the persecution. (Matthew 5:11-12) Paul was delivered from evil many times. But he was willing to forgo the promise of physical protection from harm in order to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ! He knew that through every beating and in every lonely cold prison cell, the Lord would protect his soul and spirit from losing faith in Christ. Paul knew that when he was finally martyred, his body would die but he would not. Jesus would transfer him into his new immortal body and escort him to Heaven! Nothing the enemy tried to do could harm him because he was already seated with God in the heavenly realms. Paul was the prodigal son that had come home and he was seated at the Father’s table, safe for eternity. (Ephesians 2:6)
The Lord Protects Us From the Evil One
Our Father welcomes us to His Family Table where there is no condemnation through Jesus Christ! He wants to calm our fears and heal our broken hearts with His extravagant love. In the shelter of the Most High God, we can be restored to wholeness as we hear Him say, “Nothing will harm you.”
Increase our faith. Luke 17:5b CSB
