"God said to Noah...make yourself an ark" (Gen 6:13-14).

With all the violence and calamity bearing down on us these days, that's a question we hear a lot. What are we going to do about crime in our streets? What are we going to do about economic failures? What are we going to do about international problems? How do we protect our families?

I'll tell you what we'd better do. We'd better take a lesson from Noah. Look in Genesis 6 at the Bible's description of the earth back in his day and you'll see why I say that.

The earth was depraved and putrid in god's sight, and the land was filled with violence (desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power). And God looked upon the world and saw how degenerate, debased and vicious it was; for all humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction.
(Gen. 6: 11-12)

With a few exceptions that verse sounds like a description the world today, doesn't it?

What did God tell Noah to do about this desperate situation? He said, "Noah, make yourself an ark." That ark was to provide Noah's deliverance from the destruction to come. It was to keep him and his family safe when the whole world was perishing around them.

Start Building
I believe God is saying to us today, just like He did to Noah, "Build yourself an ark." Not an ark made of wood, but an ark made of the Word of God.

Do you realize that what you know from the Word of God will save your life? That's right. If you build God's promises of protection and deliverance into your heart and life, you can live in this crazy world with all of its danger and still feel secure. You don't have to be frightened by the things that are happening around you because even in the worst of times, God has proven He has the wonderful ability to deliver His people from danger.

Notice I said His people. Today, as in Noah's day, there are two groups of people on the earth: God's people and the rest of the world. There is the family of Satan and the family of God.

Because God has already provided the gift of salvation to all men, the people in the world have the option to change groups by accepting Jesus as Savior. (For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16.) But until they do, they won't be able to enjoy the benefits that belong to the family of God.

As a result, the lives of these two groups of people can be strikingly different. They may be living in the same city, even in the same family. Yet one of them will have a covenant with God and one of them will not. One group will live in safety while the other group must submit to the dangers of the world on their own.

"It shall be well with him [the righteous]..." but "Woe unto the wicked! It shall be ill with him..." (Isa. 3:10-11). You may hear somebody prophesying about how bad things are going to become on the earth. Then you may hear someone else prophesy about the power and blessings that lie ahead of us. Both prophecies may be accurate. But the first is speaking to the people of the world and the second is speaking to the people of God.

Noah was a wonderful example of just how capable God is of protecting His people in the midst of a corrupt and crumbling civilization. The whole world went down around him, but the eight people in his family remained perfectly safe.

Some people say, "Oh yes, I know that I am eternally safe. I know that because I am born again, I'll go to heaven when I die."

But I'm not just talking about heavenly security. I am telling you that you can have physical security, financial security and every other kind of security you need to live in victory right here on this earth.

You see, salvation includes more than just the guarantee of going to heaven in the sweet by-and-by. That's just the beginning. Salvation is a big word. In the Greek language it literally means deliverance, safety, preservation, material and temporal deliverance from danger and apprehension, pardon, restoration, healing, wholeness and soundness.

If I were to use just one word, I would say salvation is soundness in every area of your life. It includes healing for your body, peace for your mind, righteousness for your spirit, physical and spiritual protection, prosperity and financial blessing.

It's Not Automatic
Now you may be wondering, "If safety and security and healing and deliverance are all part of my salvation, why haven't I been experiencing all these things?"

Because they don't come automatically. They are manifested in your life only as you begin to trust God for them specifically.

Let me explain what I mean. Remember when you were born again? You discovered that God's Word promised if you would repent and confess Jesus as your Lord, you would be forgiven of your sins and translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's Son (Rom. 10:9-10; Col. 1:13). So you believed, obeyed, accepted Jesus as Savior and, sure enough, you were instantly saved. But that didn't heal you from the flu, did it?

No, most likely before you could be healed from the flu, you had to learn that Jesus bore your sicknesses and carried your diseases. Until you began to believe for healing, until you trusted God for it specifically and stood in faith for it, you didn't walk in divine health.

That's true about anything. Until you find out what actually belongs to you through the blood of Jesus, you can't lay hold of it by faith and see it happen in your life. That's why it's so important for you to know God's promises of protection. You receive blessings by faith - and faith comes by hearing the Word. You can't have faith for something you don't know about.

If someone were to deposit a million dollars in an account with your name on it but didn't bother to tell you about it, you'd never be able to enjoy it, would you? It would belong to you but you wouldn't know to withdraw it. So it would sit in the bank unused. That's the sad situation so many believers are in today when it comes to the mighty benefits of salvation through Jesus the Anointed One.

Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka:  Kenneth Copeland Ministries