Overcome Oppression

Psalm 143 Examined

Elizabeth, you awoke under an attack of an oppressive “self-conscious” spirit, not of me, which tormented you with negative thoughts and hopelessness, but I led you to Psalm 143, wherein you were set free, by becoming “God-Conscious”. I’d like for you to share what you received from me, so others, dealing with these types of attacks, in the Body of Christ, can be set free too.

Okay Lord!

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Friends, the Spirit led me to a prayer of David from the scriptures. Evidently David was experiencing an oppressive spirit upon his soul too, and that’s when he wrote down his prayer. I often write down my prayers too, for it helps me to focus my thoughts and quiets my soul.

David knew WHERE to go: TO the Lord. And so did I, this morning. I went TO the Lord, and the Holy Spirit then led me to Psalm 143.

I read it from KJV, and all the way through first, for my soul was so thirsty, and with each verse it was like David was praying what I would have.

Even as I was reading straight through, the Spirit began to highlight to me all the “Thy” mentions within this Psalm. “Thy” being interpretated as something “belonging to him”.

So anyway, after my first-time read through the whole Psalm, I went back to read each verse in detail, and to meditate on each verse. I began to circle each word “thy” in my bible and underline each descriptive word after it, for I knew I was seeing a pattern within my spirit of this Psalm.

And I knew, thereafter, that I was being taken from being “self-conscious” – in other words, tormented by my weaknesses and flaws – to becoming “God-conscious” – aware of who HE IS, and how HE IS “for me”…not against me.

So, my readers, in obedience to the Lord, let’s take this Psalm verse by verse, and you too can be lifted out of oppression…if your soul has been under attack too…for the Word of God and its truth is able to set you free too.

I will bold the scriptures, okay? And then I’m going to type my insights after each verse.

Here goes:

Psalm 143:1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: In THY Faithfulness answer me, and in THY righteousness.

NOTE: It is NOT my faithfulness nor my righteousness that gets my prayers answered. David knew it was the Lord’s faithfulness and righteousness that was the key to his supplications being heard. Supplications are our humble prayers of petition to God. Clearly by how he continues, David was feeling down about his own self, as we see from the next verse.

Psalm 143:2 And enter not into judgment with THY Servant: For in THY Sight shall no man living be justified.

NOTE: David was aware that he, and we all, fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 confirms his understanding, for it tells us “We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We cannot approach God on our own merits…therefore we can’t let despair come either…when we recognize our flaws and become humble before him. Embrace humility, for it’s the way to approach the Lord. We must be aware of who we are in comparison to who He Is.

Psalm 143:3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

NOTE: Here David opens up to God to reveal his oppression. Yet, he is aware that God isn’t doing this! Satan is! Referred to as “the enemy”! It’s a dark place, this oppression…meaning you feel helpless. And perhaps even hopeless. This is the point David was at, for he continues:

Psalm 143:4 Therefore, is my spirit OVERWHELMED within me; my heart with me is DESOLATE.

NOTE: It is an oppressive spirit upon David…clearly revealed as he “feels” overwhelmed (which defined, means, totally enveloped and overcome, crushed, buried underneath, overpowered) …his heart desolate. (which defined, means, devastated or laid waste by his emotions).

Has the enemy ever had you feeling like this? It is an “oppressive spirit” who is attacking you, just as it was David here in this Psalm. Yet he is being “honest” before God, and not hiding how he is feeling. Instead, he is coming boldly before God, FOR HELP. And GOD GIVES IT!

The next verses, verses 5 and 6, appear to be “what should be done” by us all if under an attack of oppressive spirit. It is the answer! So read on!

Psalm 143: 5 I remember the days of old. I mediate on all THY Works; I muse on the work of THY Hands.

NOTE: This is clearly the answer: To become “God-Conscious” and not “Self-Conscious” – meaning the focus needs to turn away from myself and my flaws and failures …and… by focusing on Him, and His Works, and His Hands, I can know that He IS the answer.

I remember the “days of old”. I pondered this, and I think it means several things to me. It means remembering the bible stories that would pertain to something I am going through. For instance, if I was oppressed in worry due to lack of finance, I would remember or recall the Lord’s ability to supply the debt for the woman and her two sons with jars of oil, or the widows last meal sustaining her as long as it took, or the ravens feeding Elijah, or the ability of Christ to multiply the loaves and fishes. With this meditation upon HIS ability to provide for THEM, then I can have my own faith enlarged and trust Him to provide for me. Or I’d remember what “standing up” for Lord could mean in regard to persecution or battle, yet God’s ability to deliver would come to my remembrance, by rehearsing Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace whose lives were spared, or Daniel in the lion’s den, or David and Goliath. If I meditate on God’s works amidst evil men’s works, I realize he is greater, and therefore my own courage comes forth, knowing He will be with me too, in persecution and trial. I could go on, but the Spirit will be specific to remind you of the days of old, and if you can become familiar with the Word by simply reading it, He can then remind you specifically of something from the Word that would apply to “your circumstances”. Let’s say you committed adultery, and your conscience is so bothering you that the oppressive spirit attacking you torments you day and night with guilt about it…then perhaps remembering the “days of old” of the woman caught in the very act of adultery (who back then deserved stoning) will bring light. She was “defended by” Christ, the only one who “could” condemn her for he was sinless. Instead, he said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” If you receive this truth, and have already determined you will not repeat it, then you can cast the condemnation away for you know you’ve fulfilled the requirement of coming to Christ with it, and receiving his forgiveness. Therefore, you can take condemnation captive in your thoughts, knowing it is NOT from the Lord. He defends against condemnation by spirits or men. Your requirement is simply to turn from it, and you can! These are just a few examples of “remember the days of old” in light of scripture or biblical examples.

But you can also “remember the days of old” by rehearsing your own real-life examples of seeing God at work in yours and others lives. For instance, I do not fear being alone, because I’ve had periods in my own life where due to death of a spouse or departure of loved ones to other locations brought aloneness, but God was as a husband to me in those times. I know if I would be widowed again, I’d still be just fine. Because of experiencing God’s faithfulness to me before, I know He will do it again. I’d fight the oppressive spirit of sorrow or “feeling sorry for myself” for aloneness, with the knowledge that God is always near me to fulfill my soul’s needs. He is able to bring people “to me” when I need them, help when I need it in a tangible way, etc. You can use others and their testimonies for strength. God will reveal to your mind and heart what to remember. No striving. It will just come to you. His help comes to us (smile).

Looking back on His Works, His Hands, His Faithfulness, His righteousness ENABLES ME TO OVERCOME. My victories come “through” Christ. I will not experience them without him.

So, this is “A KEY” over an oppressive spirit: To become God-Conscious by “remembering” something He has done in the past, whether in bible times or modern times. And then applying that strength in victory to my own life, so that oppressive spirit cannot stay! The anointing breaks the yoke of oppression off me!

Now let’s go on:

Psalm 143:6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land.

Note: Stretching forth your hands to the Lord is “a posture” of humility, and worship…and your soul thirsting, means you have an awareness of your extreme need FOR THE LORD! His help! His attention! His love! His solution! His answer! You become acutely aware that this oppression you are under will not lift without God’s help. You’ve tried to fill the voids on your own. You’ve tried to make change to no avail. You’re overwhelmed and desolate as David was. Friends…don’t be afraid to just “give up your strength” and realize your weakness. Weakness is not a sin! It’s a condition all of us are in. We are created TO NEED GOD. He is meant to be in our daily lives! We are not designed to be apart from him. David knew his soul needed the Lord! He was desperate…and continues with his prayer. If we do not replace our weakness with his strength, we are paralyzed to do what God tells us to do. David knew this, so he continues praying:

Psalm 143:7 Hear me, SPEEDILY, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

Note: David did not want the oppression upon him by the enemy to become deep depression “within him”. He knew there was a progression if not taken care of. And he didn’t want to go down into a pit. In other words, David truly feared “a place of no return” from what he was experiencing in terms of oppressive thoughts and likened it to being in a pit…a place of no light…a place of darkness. He was urgent in his plea to God, asking God to do something SPEEDILY! Friends, this is how it feels when desperate. You want the solution…like NOW! It can’t come soon enough! (Perhaps you are there or have been there.) David is asking God not to hide from him…particularly hide his face, or favor, from him. He was going to HIS SOURCE of strength, knowing he had so little left…He knew that he was like a candle about ready to be snuffed out or a thin reed about to break. Interestingly there is scripture that just came to my mind here. Isaiah 42:3 and Matthew 12:20, both declare:

“A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out. In faithfulness, he will bring forth justice. He will bring justice through to victory.”

Isn’t that GREAT NEWS! If you come to the Lord, you have HIS PROMISE, that you will get a good answer. He will not let you “be taken out” or “down” by the enemy as you seek His Help! He will not let you break.

Psalm 143:8 Cause me to hear THY Lovingkindness in the morning, for in thee do I trust.

Note: I stopped here for a moment to ask, Hmmm, how does one “hear” God’s lovingkindness? Why is David using the word “hear” instead of “know”, in his plea here. It had me pondering. And this is what I felt I came to understand. Individuals need God to reveal to us something “tangible”, i.e., perceived by our senses. David, in this case, wanted it through hearing. And not just abstractly only by faith, if you know what I mean. We need sometimes a kind word from a friend, hearing the birds singing, getting a phone call… “hearing” lovingkindness. And therefore, this is what David was asking God for. And he wanted to hear it in the early part of the day, so he could be strengthened all day long by the receiving the awareness of God’s lovingkindness. He is saying, please God do this for me, for I trust in thee.

This same verse, Psalm 143:8, continues with another plea: Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; For I lift up my soul unto thee.

Note: Yes, there IS a way that you and I SHOULD walk or go. Only God knows that way. Not us, or other people…that’s why David is asking God to cause him to know that way…the way wherein he “should” walk.

I think of the Psalm 32:8 which I memorized years ago which goes right with this. It is a promise that says:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you SHOULD GO; I will guide you with my eye.”

David is lifting up his soul to God, putting his mind-will-emotions before Him, asking for his guidance…his leading him out. He is asking God how to walk out of “this funk” he is in.

Then he goes on to specifics.

Psalm 143:9 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee UNTO THEE to HIDE ME.

Note: He is counting on it. He’s not even really asking, he is running to him and clinging onto him and asking God to hide him.

Let Him HIDE YOU from OPPRESSION!

So beautiful is the reality that God does do this for you and me. At least He does for those who come UNTO HIM to HIDE THEM. David is asking to be delivered from his enemies. He is saying, “Be my refuge, Lord. Don’t let me just overcome, or go through, but may I be “delivered from” – or “hidden from” bad evil attacks. PROTECT ME LORD!”

Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do THY Will; for thou art my God; THY Spirit is good; Lead me into the land of uprightness.

Note: David is asking God to show him how to do HIS will and declares to the Lord that he is “his” God! He wants to align himself to his God. He wants to have God’s will done in his life. Friends, this is a key to coming out of oppression! …To be like David and take ownership of God, declaring to all around you, “He is MY God!” and then being open to complete surrender as He begins to teach you to do His Will.

The next declaration by David is so vital to really know: THY Spirit IS GOOD.

If I am troubled by a spirit, then it is not God’s spirit! His spirit is good! If I am tormented by revolving thoughts that wear me down, then it is not God’s spirit. His Spirit is good!

If I am told bad things about myself by a voice within, then it is not God’s spirit. His Spirit is good! His spirit brings love, understanding, kindness, answers to the way out as in this Psalm, and will bring me to peace if listened to, not torment! Torment is oppression! OF THE ENEMY!!

Believers, if others are attacking you with bad vibes, attitudes, words, insults, criticisms, etc., this is not from the Holy Spirit! Don’t let that into your soul! Resist it! Take your thoughts captive and don’t let others define you. For instance, if you have an abusive spouse, always telling you how awful you are, how ugly, how fat, how bossy, how lazy, how bad a housekeeper, or whatever “attacking” premise, true or false, realize it is “Your Enemy” attacking you, not flesh and blood. That spirit they are operating under is being sent out to attack “you”.

So, listen: If you realize you are not warring against flesh and blood, but against the enemy of your soul, then you can “put up God’s shield of defense” and let the “arrows bounce right off” without defining you. Don’t let them enter into your soul. Don’t let negative talk define you. For God’s spirit is GOOD, and he will define you with positive affirmations even amidst correcting you as he will. Yes, God is able to humble you, but he does not set out to “humiliate” you. He will correct you… not “condemn” you, making you feel hopeless and in despair. He will teach you his will and take you forward…focusing you “away from” all the bad things wherein you may have failed, before coming to him. He leads you out of Egypt and your bondage to oppression! You may need to repent yes! But this is God’s GOODNESS. Without repentance there is no forgiveness. Without repentance you can’t walk in His Will. Repentance is a precious gift that begins a journey out of the pit you may be in. God’s Spirt is GOOD.

The next plea was interesting: Lead me into the land of uprightness.

A land is a “place” we can “dwell in”, right? So, David is aware that “uprightness” can be a dwelling place for him. He’s asking God to lead him into that place of abiding.

So, what is uprightness? According to the Cambridge Dictionary it means “the quality of being honest, responsible, and moral” …it includes virtue, integrity, and abiding in right standing with God and your fellow man.

So, friends, let’s be as David and ask God to lead us into the land of uprightness too! We can dwell there! We can permanently be removed from our enemy, Oppression!!

It need not come into our land of uprightness!

Psalm 143:11 Quicken me, O Lord, for THY Name’s Sake. For THY Righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble.

Note: Quicken means to energize, bring to life, to hasten, to revive. Oh yes, if you’ve felt the spirit of oppression at all, you know it is just the opposite! It zaps energy, brings you toward the feelings of wanting to withdraw from anyone and everything, and slows you down! David is asking God to do this for HIS (God’s) name’s sake. I find this interesting. Why would he pray that, instead of “for his own sake”?

And David further asks God to bring his soul out of trouble for HIS (God’s) righteousness’s sake, and not his own. Hmm… why would he say this? He is certainly in the process of getting “out of his self-consciousness” by this time in the prayer.

I think as he was praying, he was literally putting this problem ON GOD!! He was saying, in essence, I’m putting this “on you” now Lord, so if you fail me, it is going to reflect ON YOU! My God! If you want me to be of any worth to you, you’d better quicken me, giving me some life here.

If you want your righteousness to be seen in my life, you’d better bring my soul here out of trouble! Otherwise, how can I really glorify you?

David was wanting to live for the Lord…. but He knew he was asking this really, for the Lord’s Sake…for he changed his focus….off himself and onto God!

He was becoming full of faith even as he prayed because he was seeing it from God’s perspective and prayed it as such. For your sake and your righteousness, help me! How can “how I am now “under this oppressive spirit” bring YOU glory? I want the ability to please you. And I know, so do you, Lord!

David then goes a step further in his supplication and appeals to God’s mercies. Friends we can’t go wrong appealing to God’s mercy for it says in the word, “His mercies are new every morning” and that “His mercies fail not!”

Psalm 143:12 And of THY Mercy cut off my enemies, and destroy them that AFFLICT MY SOUL: For I am THY Servant.

Note: David is asking God to take care of his true enemies…not flesh and blood, but the demonic voices that plague him through other people’s words and actions, as well as his own thoughts. He is asking for what “afflicts his soul” to be destroyed. A person’s soul is not the same as his spirit that is or is not born again. A person’s soul consists of his mind (thoughts), his will (desires-choices), and emotions (feelings). It is your Spirit that is “reborn” when you come to Christ and Holy Spirit takes up residence within you. But your soul then begins to submit to your born-again spirit, as that still small voice of the Holy Spirit within you works with the Word of God to “transform you” to be like Christ. Your mind, will, and emotions have to be brought into alignment with the Spirit of God. It is a process we as Believers in Christ all are under, and no one “has arrived”, nor shares the same circumstances or things God is working on them about.

David was “before Christ” but he still went to The Lord. He came to him as His servant. Same posture we are to take. We ask for God’s mercy to destroy what afflicts us, but now we can do it as “sons” of God, for in Christ, we are become the true Sons of God. Therefore, we can even approach the Lord with more confidence than David did! As a Father! And we have Christ ever interceding for us too! We are able to be victorious in Christ over any oppressive spirit that would come upon us. Amen!

Now Let’s Look at the Underlying Theme: WHO GOD IS!

I took the word THY throughout this Psalm, and by focus on what was “belonging to Him”, I could then see clearly that when David entered into prayer with God, he began to think about HIM (God) and not himself! David began to operate in God-Consciousness!

Let’s take a look at all that David appealed to God regarding:

THY Faithfulness v.1

THY Righteousness v.1

THY Servant v.2

THY Sight v.2

THY Works v.5

THY Hands v.5

THY Face v.7

THY Lovingkindness v.7

THY Will v.10

THY Spirit v.10

THY Name’s Sake v.11

THY Righteousness v.11

THY Mercy v.12

THY Servant v.12

Conclusion:

Self-Consciousness brings forth and strengthens Oppression! Before David’s prayer, he was Self-Conscious! He was so keenly aware of his weakness and the oppression that was weighing him down. But even AS he prayed…he, being in the presence of God, with his own heart and soul’s focus, Became God-Conscious!

God-Consciousness Leads Us Out of Oppression! The lights came on for me, Elizabeth, even as I read this Psalm! Yes! Take me out of my “self” God!

Aware of WHOSE we are…and WHO HE IS…We are Lifted Up!

God delivers us from the spirit of Oppression, and Restores our Hope, for it is now IN GOD! Not in ourselves!

HE IS ABLE! It’s not about me, so I need not be so downcast. As so much of Psalm 42 and 43 declares, “Why so downcast O My Soul? Put Your Hope and Trust in God!”

He will quicken you and guide you and enable you to dwell in the land of uprightness, as you come to Him and trust in Him!

Please go ahead and read back through Psalm 143 in your own bible when you finish reading this devotional. Maybe even circle all the “thy” references for yourself! …noting those things belonging to Him!

God wants His Truth to get deep into your heart, so you will come TO HIM, whenever you may come under attack of an oppressive spirit. As you get freer and freer, you will notice how much oppression you’ve been under, for often God peels back oppression layer by layer, as an onion skin is peeled off. Then when free, if attacked, you will recognize it for what it is and go quickly and directly to the throne of grace for help!

I, in testimony, knew I was under attack this week, and that it was an oppressive spirit, because normally I am not “under” tormenting thoughts that bring despair, so I went TO GOD and He gave me this Psalm 143 and its lesson and conclusion, and instantly I was okay again. I believe now, in hindsight, that I was allowed to experience this darkness because of my own “self-consciousness” in regard to my weaknesses, and yet it was “a conversation God wanted to have with his people” just like the other conversations of this book.

I know many of you are under these oppressive kinds of attacks…more intense and more often…but your answer is in God-Consciousness! THAT I DO KNOW! It’s about closing the doors that lets the enemy have full access to you. It’s not about comparing your oppression to another person’s! Why would you want to win “a contest” of who has the worst scenarios in life? And yet that’s what people do…they dwell on the negatives, as if they become proud of their oppression. They’re either “proud of” or “murmuring about” their oppressive circumstances, and neither is God’s will.

His will is about getting your mind off of the circumstance, happenstance, heartaches and oppression! And being downcast no more! But putting your hope and trust in God! Letting Him bring you an awareness of WHO HE IS in light of all that overwhelms you. He is bigger! He is able!

Be Blessed with ever-increasing God-Consciousness and ever-decreasing Self-Consciousness!

And may victory be given to all God’s Children in this area!

In Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Postscript :

II Cor 1: 3-4

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

I’ve added this verse to this post, although this is not in the book version, because I want to encourage those who are helped by this article on Bible and Spirit, to share it with others on social media, or in any way the Spirit would lead, for it would be in obedience to this verse, and a way to comfort others. Some may even want to have friends over in your home and go through it some night as a bible study.

Let the Lord lead you after you are set free, for you may have to revisit Psalm 143 in your bible until you are totally set free, for sometimes oppression and depression lift layer-by-layer as we focus off self and onto Him, as an onion peels away its outer layers until its recognized as being as it should be.

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