I Shall Not Be MOVED

(Psalm 125:1,2 NIV) Those who trust in theLORDare like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so theLORDsurrounds his people both now and forevermore.

All week long we dealt with a passage in which Jesus urged His disciples NOT to allow their emotions to get the best of them. Jesus was teaching them that they had the power to rule over their emotions. Any believer who is overly emotional is going to have a hard time maximizing their purpose and potential because overly emotional people have a tendency to be unstable and oftentimes insecure. I have been dealing with this personally since I began writing this message.

If we let our emotions have their way they will emote on a regular basis and we will never operate with the level of stability, security, and focus the Father desires for us operate with. Once your emotions take over it's only a matter of time before worry sets in, because you will begin to focus on the wrong things. Remember, worry is a negative form of meditation and while you are worrying you are proving to the Father that you do not trust Him - you cannot trust and worry at the same time.

The psalmist tells us that those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. What do we know about Mount Zion? Well, one thing we know for sure is that it cannot be moved; it's not going anywhere. Our translation tells us that it can't even be shaken. In other words, those who have their trust firmly established in the Lord - which also comes by meditation, but meditation in the Word of God, instead of the negative meditation which leads to worry - are like a rock which cannot be moved, shaken, or stirred.

When we firmly trust in the Father (in His provision, protection, power, and peace) we can get to the point where we are fixed, focused, and in-faith so strong that the enemy cannot move us with his suggestions of doubt, fear, and failure. This is the place we want to be. This is the way we want to live. This is the life we want to have. And this is the picture the psalmist paints as possible when we truly trust in the Lord.

The psalmist then takes his picture to another level. In addition to helping us develop an image of us being like a mountain, which cannot be moved, the psalmist then paints another picture (in verse two) for us of the Lord Himself and this time the Lord is an entire mountain range. The Jewish readers of the time would definitely be familiar with the mountains that surrounded Jerusalem. Jerusalem was in a mountainous region and the city itself was surrounded by mountains. The picture the writer paints is that of the Lord, who like a mountain Himself cannot be moved, surrounding us with His wall of impenetrable protection. So not only can we be like a mountain (strong, stable, and secure), but the immutable God Himself is our protection and He is protecting us on every side. The devil, nor any demon, nor any demonic influence can penetrate the mountain of protection the LORD Himself can establish for us when we trust in Him!

So what does this mean to you? A few things:
1. When we truly trust in the Lord we can be like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved.
2. When we truly trust in the Lord, the Lord Himself will establish and impenetrable hedge of protection.
3. If we are fixed and focused in faith, and we also know that the Lord Himself is our protection, then we don't have anything to stress-out about.
4. If we do our part, and the Lord does His part, the devil can try all he wants, but he will never be successful against us. The key is making sure we do our part: which is faith and trust!

Father, I thank You for the image You inspired the psalmist to write, I have read it hundreds of years later, and it is still effective. I see myself as strong, stable, and secure as Mount Zion. I declare, by faith, that I shall not be moved by anything that comes my way. I am fixed and focused in faith, I stand on Your promises, and my trust is firmly established. Fear, doubt, unbelief or worry have no power over me, nor any place in my life. I am a believer and I see myself as unmovable by faith. Further, I also see You as a mountain of protection that is all around me and no devil, demon, nor demonic influence can get to me, because You have established a hedge that keeps me on every side. Since I live this way, with this mindset, and with this outlook, negative stress has no place in my life! In Jesus' name. Amen!