Full Protection Comes With Knowing God

Yesterday morning I had a friend request. I didn’t know the fellow but the name sounded familiar. I was on my phone so I just accepted his request.  Within moments I got a private message thanking me for friending him. I replied with a “God bless you”.  Within a few moments I had another private message, asking me to email him so we could get to know one another better.

Immediately I felt a chill.  I looked on his profile and found that he was friends with all women. He was friends with no one I knew. We had no mutual interests. I quickly unfriended him and blocked him from seeing me. I knew protection was needed, not just for me but for my friends, who he might try to friend as well.

A crisis was averted. And I can rest again. The only problem is this type of scenario will come again. Unfriendly people with hidden motives will try to friend us. They may appear to be great friends, with mutual interests, but given time their true heart and motives will surface. 

We must always be willing to friend everyone, for everyone needs the Lord. But not everyone is looking for Him. The Word tells us that satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. Not only that, but he’s referred to as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  There’s no way to look at the word devour without realizing just what that means: overwhelm, demolish, dispose of. It’s a no win situation if we don’t know the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and we aren’t acquainted with what God’s Word says. We have to have our credentials secure – we must know who our God is, who we are in Christ and who our true enemy is in order to quickly respond to attacks wherever they come from.

Oh beloved,   there is One who will watch over you wherever you go. There is One who knows your needs and answers each call before your voice rings out. There is One who is your protector, your deliverer and your strong tower. No foe can defeat Him, no enemy can wound Him, no pretender can deceive Him. Even if you’ve let yourself get into a situation full of mistakes and harm, our God will come in and deliver you! Call on Him this morning and let Him stand between you and the enemies of your soul. He is the Great I AM and He is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we ever ask or think. He loves you and because of His great love, He will watch over you all your life.

I Samuel 2:9 He will protect His faithful ones,  but the wicked will disappear in darkness.  No one will succeed by strength alone.

Psalm 10:16-18 The Lord is king forever and ever!  The godless nations will vanish from the land. Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.  Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.  You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.

Psalm 91:14-15 Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.  He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

God Holds All Your Tomorrows in His Hands

An old friend tried to contact me last night. At first I didn’t realize who it was. Danny and I have had an awesome Christmas holiday, full of family, friends and faith.  It has been wonderful! Even with the poor weather, slick roads and continual dampness, nothing has dampened our time off. Nothing that is until I was reading a friend’s post on the fiscal cliff, the state of our nation and the terrible situation we are in. 

About that time I heard a knock on my heart’s door. It was that old friend that I used to consider quite close.  Something about this old friend used to make me feel cozy. Well, at least cozy as long as I didn’t go anywhere, didn’t share anything and didn’t try to break through to victory.  I thought the two of us had it made – I would keep to myself and with the help of his assistance I’d be safe and comfortable.

But God showed me one day that this was no friend.  Instead of being a friend, he was actually a nemesis from the pit.  You’re probably wondering if you know him. You’re trying to figure it out by now.

My old “friend” was Fear. Regardless of how he tried to speak to me, he will try to pull out the stops on anyone he can in any way he can. Fear will seek to keep you at home, keep you in bondage, keep you worrying about the wrong things. He’ll help you major on the minors and try to keep you completely overlooking the truth about your life. Fear says “you don’t have enough money”, “you won’t make it”, “you’ve done wrong too long”, “you better quit”. Ever hear those phrases?  How about, “God doesn’t care you”, “you’re all alone”, “nobody loves you”. 

Like other old friends, Fear likes to show up after you’ve had a wonderful time in Jesus, after a victorious moment in your faith walk, after you share Jesus, after you forgive the unforgiveable or as you begin leaning on God more than ever.

His desire is the same as His father – to kill, steal and destroy.  He is the king of trouble, the prince of darkness and the jailer of  the dungeons of the heart.

Just about time I felt the old chill of fear settling into my bones, I heard the Savior whisper to my heart. Go get up and write about this. For others are getting the same visit and they need to know not to answer the call. Tell them to let Me answer. And tell them to recall the Truth they have been learning and to act on My Truth instead of Fear’s lies.  

Oh beloved! I cannot tell you all about tomorrow, but I can tell you Who holds all your tomorrows in His hands! The Lord says to you this morning that He loves you! And, because He loves you He makes all things beautiful in His time. He is the repairer of the breech. He is your Alpha and Omega. He is the One Who feeds you, clothes you, keeps you and cares for you all the days of your life. He is the One who forgives you, redeems you, and renews you. He grants you unending hope, everlasting courage and joy beyond measure! Run to Him this morning and watch as Fear walks away, for fear cannot stand when the King of the Universe steps in!  Rejoice for your foes are vanquished when you look into your Savior’s wonderful face!

Revelation 22:13  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

Philippians 4:6, 7  Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. AMP

Proverbs 3:5-7 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. AMP

Phippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

1 John 4:18  Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

Don't Be Disappointed by Delays! God is on the Throne!

My disappointment of yesterday morning’s realization that my expected gift had not come gave way to joy yesterday afternoon as I opened my mailbox. The package had come! I opened it to find within a lovely handmade glass ornament! The opening of the box also revealed who had been given my name.  I was hoping that my box was just delayed and I was right.  It was worth it to finally get the package and place the little bauble on my Christmas tree.  The photo in this post is my ornament!, given to me by Cineca Newburn, of Dreamin n Details.

When the package didn’t come in my prescribed timing I could have said, forget it! I’m not going to the mailbox anymore. I’m done.  I could have convinced myself it was futile to keep hoping, looking and seeking the mailbox.  It could have come anytime, it was the postal service’s business to get the package to me. But had I quit looking, would I ever have known my gift had arrived? So many variables are working at the post office – sometimes those packages get mishandled, accidentally shoved aside, delivered to the wrong address and more…  Lots of things happen between the sending and the receiving.

Even at this holiday season we are dealing with discouraging disappointments and lingering delays. Some things we may have prayed about at length, knowing God’s mind, yet not seeing the answer. There are times when you and I just want to throw our hands up and walk away.  Other times we don’t understand why the circumstances of our prayer life and our human life don’t just come together.   Many variables occur in the spirit realm as well.  We’re up against a huge war in the heavenlies. We don’t know how the answers get batted around as they come from the throne to our hearts and lives.

Does God work through human error? Can His will be done in spite of good old boy systems, fleshly desires or an individual’s self-will? 

Oh beloved, God wants to speak to your heart this morning and encourage you! Unlike postal workers, He never clocks out, He never walks away from the job and He never mishandles a single thing! When you’re up against the wall, He’s there. When you’re down and out, He’s with you. When you’re fervently praying and seeking His face alone, He’s with you all the way.  He doesn’t just answer prayer, He’s not a mailbox you just reach into for your gift, He IS THE GIFT!  He is not just the giver of answers, He IS THE ANSWER!  The Lord of Heaven and Earth is so much bigger than prayers that seem to go unanswered. He’s so much stronger than your weakest moment. He’s being your wildest imagination!

Keep praying! Keep seeking! Keep believing that God is not bound by mortal weaknesses, other peoples’ fleshly thinking, or any other thing in all creation! He knew you before the foundation of the world and if He did then He knew then what you would need, and He knows when the answer will come and ultimately He knows the outcome for every single person on this earth. Oh how He loves you! Oh how He’s for you! And oh how that’s all that really matters! Hallelujah to our King!

Psalm 4:3  You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for himself. The LORD will answer when I call to him.

Psalm 56:9  My enemies will retreat when I call to You for help. This I know: God is on my side!

Psalm 145:18  The LORD is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth.

Matthew 6:10  May Your Kingdom come soon. May Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Isaiah 65:24 I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

 

 

 

Visit Cineca's site at http://www.dreaminndetails.com/

You can also visit Kara MacElyea's blog, http://unusualform.blogspot.com/ and see the photos of my gift to her. While you're at it, why don't you also visit the Arkansas Women Bloggers' site to see all the ornaments that were exchanged at http://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/.