The document discusses how having the Lord as one's refuge provides protection. It presents several Bible passages that illustrate how the Lord shields believers from trouble, harm, disaster, injury from the evil one and wicked men. While believers may experience suffering, they are not defeated but find victory through enduring. Having confidence in anything but God, like wealth or men, is misplaced as only He is a secure fortress that will deliver His people safely into His heavenly kingdom.

1. The Lord Is a Secure Fortress
“Whoever fears the LORD has a secure
fortress, and for their children it will be a
refuge.” Proverbs 14:26 (NIV2011)
By Samuel E. Ward
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2. We Are Guarded from Trouble
Psalm 32:7 (NIV2011) 7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble and surround me
with songs of deliverance.
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3. We Are Rescued
from Harm and Disaster
Psalm 91:9-16 (NIV2011) 9 If you say, “The LORD is
my refuge,” and you make the Most High your
dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster
will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his
angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you
will not strike your foot against a stone.
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4. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will
trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will
rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges
my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer
him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him
and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
[ Psalm for all the godly with Messianic
application]
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5. We Are Shielded From Harm
(Deu 33:12 NIV) About Benjamin he said: “Let the
beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he
shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves
rests between his shoulders.”
[Moses’ blessings of the tribes before his death]
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6. We Are Guarded Against Injury
From the Evil One
John 17:14-15 (NIV2011) 14 I have given them your
word and the world has hated them, for they are not
of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My
prayer is not that you take them out of the world
but that you protect them from the evil one.
[Jesus’ prayer for His disciples in the Upper Room]
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7. We Are Kept From Wicked Men
and the Evil One
2 Thessalonians 3:2-3 (NIV2011) 2 And pray that
we may be delivered from wicked and evil people,
for not everyone has faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful,
and he will strengthen you and protect you from the
evil one.
[Paul’s promise to Thessalonians during their time of
persecution and suffering]
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8. There Is Victory in Jesus
To those who rightfully raise the issue that believers
throughout history have experienced suffering at the
hands of the Evil One and his instruments, and have
experienced harm of some form and considerable
degree, and have endured disasters of many kinds—
the saints are not strangers to trouble. However, they
are not defeated by them nor robbed of the
inheritance God has promised to those who endure.
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9. The Confidence of Paul, the Apostle
2 Timothy 4:17-18 (NIV2011) 17 But the Lord
stood at my side and gave me strength, so that
through me the message might be fully
proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And
I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord
will rescue me from every evil attack and will
bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him
be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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10. Insecure Fortresses
Proverbs 28:26 (NIV2011) 26 Those who trust in
themselves are fools, but those who
walk in wisdom are kept safe.
1 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV2011) 18 Do not deceive
yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the
standards of this age, you should become “fools” so
that you may become wise.
By Samuel E. Ward 10

11. Confidence in Anything But God
Job 8:11-14 (NIV2011) 11 Can papyrus grow tall
where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without
water? 12 While still growing and uncut, they wither
more quickly than grass. 13 Such is the destiny of all
who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.
14 What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is
a spider’s web.
[Bildad, the Shuhite to Job]
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12. Confidence in Wealth
(Job 31:24-28 NIV) "If I have put my trust in gold or
said to pure gold, 'You are my security,' {25} if I have
rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands
had gained, {26} if I have regarded the sun in its
radiance or the moon moving in splendor, {27} so
that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand
offered them a kiss of homage, {28} then these also
would be sins to be judged, for I would have been
unfaithful to God on high.” [Job defends himself]

13. Confidence in Unfaithful Men
(Prov 25:19 NIV) Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is
reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.
[Solomon]

14. When the Lord Is Our Refuge…
He is a place of safety for the poor. Psa. 14:6
He is a source of help for the troubled. Psa. 46:1-3
He is a high place away from enemies. Psa. 61:1-4
He is the place of ultimate protection. Psa 91:1-10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI96Ow2SXGA