Promise of Deliverance
in Time of Trouble
Table of Contests
PROMISE OF DELIVERANCE IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
Isaiah 43:1-3
I. THE PROVIDER OF THE PROMISES:
A. God — Jireh: “The Lord will provide”
B. God — Rapha: “The Lord that healeth”
C. God — Nisi: “The Lord our victor”
D. God — Shalom: “The Lord our peace”
E. God — Raah: “The Lord our shepherd”
F. God — Tisdkenu: “The Lord our righteousness”
G. God — Shammah: “The Lord is present”
H. God — El Shaddi: “The Almighty”
II. THE PEOPLE INVOLVED: 10
A. His By Creation
B. His By Redemption
C. His By Election
III. THE PATHWAY WE FACE: 12
A. Certain
B. Rough
C. Varied
IV. THE PROMISE WE ARE MADE: 16
A. Personal
B. Encouraging
C. Continuous
D. Totally Adequate
Introduction
Promise of Deliverance
in Times of Trouble
Isaiah 43:1-3
This book deals with one of God’s great and precious promises — the promise of deliverance in times of trouble. The main text will be Isaiah 43:1-3.
II Peter 1:4 says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” II Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” God has already said yes to over seven thousand promises. They are exceedingly great and precious promises, and will produce for you.
Isaiah 43:1-3 — “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. (2) When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (3) For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.”
This prophecy was made seven hundred years before Christ, and is for God’s people throughout the ages. It is a great asset today for God’s people to know the exceeding great and precious promises of God for deliverance in times of trouble. We are living in a day of troubles, woe, murder, robbery, and stealing. Every kind of sin you can think of is on the rampage. People are living in fear like they never have before. Boys and girls are being picked up, raped and killed. Homes are being broken into. There are more car wrecks, wars and rumors of wars, sickness and disease than ever before.
Chapter I
THE PROVIDER OF THE PROMISES:
“Saith the Lord”
Who is the provider of the promise?
Isaiah 43:1 says, “Thus saith the Lord.” Who is the Lord? There are eight names that show some of the attributes and qualities of God.
A. He is God — Jireh: “The Lord will provide” in
Genesis 22:8. He will provide. He will deliver you from lack of provisions. The Lord will provide.
B. He is God — Rapha: “The Lord that healeth thee” in
Exodus 15:26. He will deliver you from sickness.
C. He is God — Nisi: “The Lord our victor” in
Exodus 17:8-15. He always causes us to triumph. He has already given us the victory.
D. He is God — Shalom: “The Lord our peace” in
Judges 6:23-24.
E. He is God — Raah: “The Lord our shepherd” in
Psalm 23:1. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” This translated means that there is no lack. There is no shortage anywhere.
F. He is God — Tisdkenu: “The Lord our righteousness” in
Jeremiah 23:6. He is the Lord our righteousness.
G. He is God — Shammah: “The Lord is present” in
Ezekiel 48:35. He said He will never leave us or forsake us.
H. He is God — El Shaddi: “The Almighty” in
Genesis 22:1. He is the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
Thus saith the Lord, “I am your provider. I am your healing. I am your victor. I am your peace. I am your shepherd. I am your righteousness. I am present with you always. I am the almighty one. I can deliver you in times of trouble. If you think I have any shortage, just think about my name.”
When you think of the name of someone, you think of his power. For instance when the President of the United States of America is mentioned you think of his power. Well, the preceding list of names shows the power of God to deliver you in every area of trouble. The Word does not say, “thus saith Blue Cross, or Blue Shield, or Prudential, or Elbert Willis, or Social Security, or the Government of America.” It says, “thus saith God.”
You need to learn to look to God for deliverance in times of trouble. There are troubles now and troubles coming that no one can liberate you from except the Almighty power of God. It will take a supernatural act. The devil is after the world. As the end draws near, things are going to get worse. You ought to read David Wilkerson’s prophecy called, “The Vision.” You will see that much of what he prophesied has already come to pass. He says that what we are in right now is a temporary boom, then the bottom will drop out. He has been a hundred percent right so far, so I do not think he has missed it on this. You need to learn the Word of God while the sun is shining, and be ready for God to take care of you. Make God your provider in times of need.
Chapter II
THE PEOPLE INVOLVED:
Who are the people involved? God limits this, it is for those who believe upon Him. His protection will not work for a Christian who does not believe in it. God is not going to protect you just because you are a Christian. All the Scriptures are true, but they will not work for you unless you believe them. People who do not believe in divine healing do not get healed. People who do not believe in speaking in tongues do not speak in tongues. This promise of God for deliverance in times of trouble will only work for those who believe.
A. His By Creation
The people involved are involved by creation. He said, “I created thee and I formed thee.”
Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.” All are His by creation but not all are His by birth. If you have been born of God, we have the same Father. Then, you are my brother or sister in the Lord. God desires everyone to be saved. He desires all Christians to receive the benefits of His policy. He has laid it out for you. He has promised deliverance in times of troubles.
B. His By Redemption
You are His by redemption. He says, “I have redeemed thee.”
I Corinthians 6:20, “For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” John 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” He has paid the price for all man kind, but not all will believe and receive.
The Bible is like a policy. It is guaranteed. Insurance companies come and go and their policy is only as good as the company behind it. God Himself is standing behind His Word and He will not come and go. You can rely on His protection policy.
C. His By Election
He says, “I have called thee
by thy name.” That is a personal association. John 15:16 says, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” He made the first move, now you must respond. He elected you. He says in Isaiah 43:1, “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
Who is the provider of the promise? God. Who are the people involved? Those who believe. You have to believe His Word in order for his protection to operate and work for you.
Chapter III
THE PATHWAY WE FACE:
A. Certain
First of all the pathway you face is
certain. It is certain that you will come into times of trouble. It is certain that trouble will come your way because Adam’s fall gave Satan the right to attack mankind. The war is on. Is there anyone who is free from trouble and problems? Is there anyone who never has any spiritual, physical, or financial attacks? No. Ever since the fall, the devil has had the right to bombard mankind with sickness, fears, frustrations and every kind of spiritual, mental, physical, and material problem. All you have to do is walk around your city and you will see plenty. You can see people with every kind of problem you can imagine. It is certain that you face a pathway that will bring troubles your way.
B. Rough
It is
rough. He says in the second verse of our key Scripture in Isaiah 43:2, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee: and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” Waters, rivers and fires are all threatening to you. They are all dangerous. The water is described as a long lake; the river is a swift flowing current; and the fire can burn you. These are all rough, it takes a lot of endurance to swim a big lake. It takes a lot of strength to go upstream in a swift moving river. And it takes a lot when you go through the fire.
Jesus did not pray for God to take you out of the world, but to keep you from evil. God has exceedingly great and precious promises that will deliver you from the evil of this world. He will protect you from the evil of this world. He will protect you and take care of you and make you a shining light in the darkness.
There is going to come a time that as you exercise your faith for this deliverance, it will impress many people. Trouble and storms will come, but you will be right in the midst, walking in victory. God showed me a vision of this. He said, “When things really start getting rough, there will be sickness, starvation, and every kind of problem, but right in the midst of it, will be a group of God’s people walking around protected.” It will be noticed, and people will say, “He smiles all the time. He does not have any trouble. His children are never sick. He is making it pretty good. He still has beans on the table.”
The next thing you know they will be knocking on your door and saying, “Where do you work? What do you do? How do you stay out of all this stuff?” Then you can tell them. They will be ready to listen. I do not know when it will happen but it will happen.
The devil will use the utility companies to put the skids on most of God’s people when it begins to get rough. What are you going to do when they take away your gas, electricity, and water? What are you going to do in a cold, cold winter with little children in the house, and they come and say, “You take this mark or we will cut off your gas.” You better believe for deliverance in times of trouble. When the anti-christ begins to come, he will move in the utility companies.
Now is the time to get ready. I know you want to go all the way with God, but a lot of you have not yet taken this serious enough. You better listen. There will be a day coming when you say, “I wish I would have listened to Brother Willis. I read what he said, and just kind of sat there and said, ‘Ohhhhh’!”
It is going to be rough. Waters, rivers, and fires. All of them or any one of them can get you, they are dangerous.
C. Varied
They
vary. Rivers, waters, and fires are of different natures. Satan continually comes in different areas. Maturity stages are required. The more you learn and mature, the more the devil comes at you in new ways. A lot of things he used to whip you a year ago with, he cannot phase you with now. But he will try something else.
The pathway we face is certain, rough and it will vary. The devil has a basket full of tricks. He knows how to disguise himself and cover up, and will come after you time and time again. But, Glory to God, El Shaddi, God-Jireh, Raah, Shammah, gave you promises, and Peter calls them exceedingly great and precious promises. They are precious, valuable promises, they are to take you through. Do not think that God just spoke all these things just to be saying something. You can be assured that the more you learn about the Lord, the more the rivers, waters and fires are going to come. But, you win because God has promised to deliver you in times of trouble.
The maturity stage requires more. The devil is always shooting at you. You ask, “Brother Willis, after being in this as long as you have, does the devil still shoot at you?” Yes, but now he uses heavier artillery. He can still whip a lot of God’s people with a B.B. gun. He gets some with a twenty-two, and some take a magnum. On some he uses a cannon, and others require a bomb. All the enemy does is change his gun.
Chapter IV
THE PROMISE WE ARE MADE:
II Corinthians 1:20
A. Personal
God says in
Isaiah 43:1, “Thou art mine.” He loves you dearly. You are His. He said, “I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine.”
Proverbs 2:8 says, “He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.” He does not say that He preserves the way for everybody. He preserves the way of His. It is personal.
Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.” He is a shield to me because I put my trust in Him.
Learn now while you can. Make hay while the sun is shining. Store up the Word in your heart now. Most people say, “When the rough times get here, I will get it then.” No, if you do not have it, you will not get it. These are exceedingly great and precious promises. They will protect you in times of trouble. They will keep you strong and healthy if you will just believe now.
B. Encouraging
It is encouraging. He said, “Fear not” (Isaiah 43:1). What does the world think about that? When rivers and waters and fires come, what does the world say? God says, “Fear not.”
II Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Proverbs 11:8 says, “The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.” It does not say that he is going to be delivered, he is delivered. The righteous is the one who is believing the Word. He is delivered and the wicked comes in his place.
Psalms 112:7 says, “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.” It does not say that he is trusting in the world systems. When the world systems start to shake, a lot of strong people will fall. But you, who know the Word, shall not be afraid of evil tidings. Do you believe there are evil tidings in the air today? That is all there is. The Newspaper is the evil-tidings sheet. You watch the evil-tidings report at six o’clock and at ten o’clock.
When evil tidings come, my heart is fixed, trusting Jesus. They say there is going to be a shortage of gas, but that does not bother me. My heart is fixed, I am trusting the Lord. I am not trusting the gas company. I believe I can stay warm when they are out of business.
Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” But he whose mind is stayed upon the things of the world, shall have a shaky and frightened heart, because he is trusting in the world.
I Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Many times when troubles, problems, temptation, or attacks of the devil come you think they are uncommon. You say, “Man, I am the only one that has this problem.” The Bible says, “But such as is common to man.” That means everything that comes your way is common to man. You may never have had it before, but the Word says it is common.
God is Faithful. He said you would be able to bear it. He will make a way of escape for you. That is encouraging. In times of trouble, He says, “Fear not. I am with you. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. I am the Lord thy God. I am El Shaddi. I am your shepherd. I am the Almighty One. I am your provider. I am your protector, fear not, fear not, I will deliver you out of the trouble you are in.”
C. Continuous
The promises are continuous.
Isaiah 43:2 says, “I will be with thee.” He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He is with you when you go through the waters, rivers and fire. When the trouble and problems come your way He is with you.
When I find myself trying to swim the big lake, He is still with me. When I get out there and get so tired that I can hardly go on, He is still with me, so I start confessing, “The Lord is my strength, He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world.” I get strength to keep on swimming. When I am swimming across the river and the current, pressure, problems, and storms come my way, the Lord is with me. He is with me when I am on the mountain top and when I go through the rivers, waters, and fires. He says, I will be with thee when thou passeth through.
When you are out there and it is getting rough and tough, He is with you. He has not left you. It may feel like He has sometimes, but He is still there as long as you are believing. He is still there even when you do not believe, but He cannot work for you unless you believe.
D. Totally Adequate
Isaiah 43:2 says, “When thou passeth through…they shall not overflow…shall not be burned.” He did not say when you pass into them and drown, or when it gets over your head, or when the fires get too rough, or the problems get too tough. You shall not burn because He says, “I am the Lord they God, the Holy One of Israel. Thou art mine. I created thee. I formed thee. I redeemed thee. And I have given thee exceedingly great and precious promises that when thou passeth through, I will be with thee.” God does not care how hot the devil makes it for you, it will not burn you. You may feel like it is singeing you, but it will not burn you.
The pressure might get so rough sometimes that you feel like you are a hundred miles down stream and you cannot make it back upstream. You can because He say, “It will not overflow thee.” That is deliverance. One of the keys of walking with God is knowing His promises and knowing that He is a man of His Word. Say, “God said it and I believe it.” That is what makes it work.
Psalms 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” The Lord will not protect those who do not believe that the angel of the Lord is encamped round about them. They do not have the deliverance promise.
Psalms 34:110 says, “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.” That is a promise.
Read
Psalm 91 in the first person. We are talking about promises of deliverance in times of trouble.
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (2) I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust. (3) Surely he shall
deliver me from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. (4) He shall cover me with his feathers, and under his wings shall I trust: his truth shall be my shield and buckler.
“(5) I shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; (6) Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. (7) A thousand shall fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come nigh me. (8) Only with my eyes shalt I behold and see the reward of the wicked.
“(9) Because I have made the Lord my refuge, even the most High, my habitation; (10) There shall no evil befall me, neither shall any plague come nigh my dwelling. (11) For He shall give his angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways. (12) They shall bear me up in their hands, lest I dash my foot against a stone. (13) I shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt I trample under feet.
“(14) Because I have set my love upon Him, therefore will He deliver me; He will set me on high, because I have known His name. (15) I shall call upon Him, and He will answer me: He will be with me in trouble; He will
deliver me, and honor me. (16) With long life will He satisfy me, and show me my salvation.”
Do not be afraid of the terror at night or the evil tidings of the daytime. Just trust in the Lord. A thousand shall have wrecks right by you, but you will be unharmed. People will get killed, and robbed at your side, a thousand will fall here with all kinds of trouble, and ten thousand over there, but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you see those troubles and problems. You will see it and feel sorry for them, and your heart will go out to them because they have rejected the promises of God for deliverance in times of trouble.
Let Him be your refuge, fortress and shield, not man. There will be no flu, colds, measles, mumps or chicken-pox come near your dwelling. Why? Because the angels will have charge of you, they will keep you safe in all of your ways.
II Peter 1:4 says, “exceedingly great and precious promises.” Psalm 91 is exceedingly great and precious as you believe that God will move for you. No belief, no protection. The promise is personal, continuous and totally adequate. The sooner you start learning how to trust God for all of His exceedingly great and precious promises, the sooner you are going to begin to be blessed. God, through Christ Jesus, has already said, “yea.”
You say, “Brother Willis, I can take care of myself.” Go ahead. Maybe you can for a season, but there will come a time when the rain is going to be too much for you. Your umbrella is going to leak.
“Should I be afraid?” No! God said, “Fear not. Do not be afraid, I have given you some promises, I have set you up, I have stacked the deck for you.”
This is like going into a game with four Aces. Now, if you do not have enough sense to get your four Aces, then go ahead and play the regular way. With God’s Word, the deck is stacked. The devil is already whipped. It is the ninth inning and the score is 99 to 0. The devil is pitching and both of his arms are broken. You have the victory, but if he can make you believe it is not so, then he will trample on you, and he wins the battle.
Isaiah 43:1-3 says, “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. (2)When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (3)For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior; I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.” This is your promise for deliverance in times of trouble. It was given by God seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ. It is just as good today as it was then.
All of the Word of God is eternal. Claim your inheritance. Get it now in the easy time. Learn how to play the game as a little leaguer then you will do better when you get to the major leagues.
Confess this: “Father, in the name of Jesus I believe your Word will deliver me in times of trouble. I am going to meditate on these Scriptures until I know them so they will work for me. I am going to go
through the rivers, waters, and fires. They are not going to drown me, overflow me or burn me up. You have promised that I will pass through. I am going through because He that is in me is greater than He that is in the world, and I am more than a conqueror.
“Devil, do what you want to do. Fight like you want to fight. I am going through because God has promised me deliverance in times of trouble, be it physical, mental, spiritual or financial. In the Name of Jesus, I am going through.
“The Word of God says, ‘I can have whatsoever I say,’ so I say in Jesus’ Name I am going through, all the way through.”
It is good news to know that Eternal God, El Shaddi, Jireh, Rapha, Shalom, and Shammah is the one that made it all. He said, “I am going through.” When He said it, I believed it. I just tell the devil, “You have had it. Stand right there and I will run over you. If you do not have enough sense to get out of the way, I will run over you.”
You have to tell the devil who you are and what you are going to do to him on the basis of the Word of God. Serve notice on him. When you have problems and difficulties facing you, just say, “I am going through. God has promised that I will go through. It will cost you, devil, not me. All I am going to do is grow and mature and get stronger. You can fight me because all I do is get stronger.”
I tell the devil what I am going to do to him, then just keep walking. A lot of times it looks like the wall is still there, but I just keep walking. Then when I get there, the wall is gone. I look around and tell the devil, “I told you.”
You need to learn to make bold confessions. God says you are going through. I am always glad to say what God says. I have quoted Isaiah 43 to the devil many times. When you start getting bold enough to do it too, be ready because the devil is going to call your bluff. In my earlier days when I was first learning, many times it felt like the roof fell in, the floor fell out, the walls caved in, and the bomb exploded all at the same time. But, I have learned, “I am going through.” God is a way-maker when there is no way. I want to encourage you to learn these promises and begin to stand on them. They give protection, peace, and hope.
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