Category: Protection

Posted on

Dispelling the Darkness

This morning, I was reminded of a time a number of years back when my quiet time was interrupted by one of our dogs.

Cody was very upset and barking protectively as he stood at the back door. Not something I wanted at 3:15, especially since Dave was still sleeping. I jumped up to see what was causing Cody so much distress and there it was – another dog at the back door. He was staring Cody in the face! Before I could get to Cody, he charged the door and hit it with his nose as he was trying to get out.

I grabbed Cody and calmed him down, as I reached up to turn on the back porch light and make the dog on the patio disappear. Did I mention that our backyard was walled and there’s no way anything could get in. The other dog Cody saw at the back door was nothing more than his own reflection in the sliding glass door.

Turning on the light, reduced the reflection and life was calm!

Now as you smile or think what a dumb dog, let me ask you this, have you ever been bothered by things in the dark? Out camping when there are no lights but the camp fire and you hear a noise in the brush, walking across a dark parking lot, going through a darkened tunnel, or all by yourself in a strange place with little or no light? Ever been afraid and defensive? Me neither!

The enemy, our enemy, would like us to be afraid of the dark. The dark could be illness, financial pressure, relationship problems, world crises, depression and loneliness. Jesus has come to dispel the darkness and lead us by His light.

“But you are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done.” I Peter 2:9 CEV

“And everyone who has seen me has seen the one who sent me. 46 I am the light that has come into the world. No one who has faith in me will stay in the dark.” John 12:45-46 CEV

“You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light 9 and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful, 10 as you try to please the Lord. ” Ephesians 5:8-10 CEV

I’m not sure what “dark” thing is trying to invade your life today but know this – when the light switch (God’s word and His presence) is turned on, it dispels the darkness, and you can walk safely in the light.

“Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.” Psalm 119:105 CEV

Posted on

A Torch & A Trumpet

We’re coming to the end of Gideon’s defeat of the Midianites and the eastern kings. It’s an amazing story of God’s power and deliverance.

What I want you to remember is that this isn’t just an interesting story that’s told in children’s Sunday School classes, but it is a look at God’s heart and desire to intervene in the lives of His people.

Gideon’s army of 300 men should have been easily defeated. He had every reason to fear but God never left him to his own abilities. We pick up the story in Judges chapter 7.

“Gideon’s army camp was on top of a hill overlooking the Midianite camp in the valley.

9 That night, the Lord said to Gideon. “Get up! Attack the Midianite camp. I am going to let you defeat them, 10 but if you’re still afraid, you and your servant Purah should sneak down to their camp. 11 When you hear what the Midianites are saying, you’ll be brave enough to attack.” Judges 7:8-11 CEV

From the top of the hill where they were camped Gideon and his men could see the enemy camp. There were men and camels as far as the eye could see.

” 12 The camp was huge. The Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern nations covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. And it would be easier to count the grains of sand on a beach than to count their camels.” verse 12

Gideon was able to sneak up on two guards of the camp and overheard this conversation:

“Your dream must have been about Gideon, the Israelite commander. It means God will let him and his army defeat the Midianite army and everyone else in our camp.” verse 14

Gideon went back to his camp, divided his men into three groups of 100. He gave each man a trumpet and a torch concealed in a clay pot. Trumpets were used to sound the attack and torches would light their way. Gideon told them to wait for him to blow his trumpet and smash the jar holding the light and then they should follow suit.

“ The rest of Gideon’s soldiers blew the trumpets they were holding in their right hands. Then they smashed the jars and held the burning torches in their left hands. Everyone shouted, “Fight with your swords for the Lord and for Gideon!”

21 The enemy soldiers started yelling and tried to run away. Gideon’s troops stayed in their positions surrounding the camp 22 and blew their trumpets again. As they did, the Lord made the enemy soldiers pull out their swords and start fighting each other.” verses 20-22

Gideon’s men stayed in their places while confusion reigned in the enemy camp and they turned on one another; killing those in their encampment. When the enemy fled, Gideon pursued. Gideon sent messengers to the surrounding villages to come help in the fight. That day, the Bible says, over 120,000 of their enemies were killed.

I can’t help but remember different times in the Bible when trumpets were blown and other enemies were overcome. The trumpet sound was a sound of deliverance.

We who are followers of Christ should not fear. We are waiting for the sound of the trumpet.

“It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye. At the sound of the last trumpet the dead will be raised. We will all be changed, so we will never die again. ” I Corinthians 15:52 CEV

Victory is ours in Christ.

Posted on

I’ve Got You!

Have you ever helped teach your children or grandchildren to swim? Some kids just take to the water like they are part fish, but others are reluctant, even scared, and need to be reassured, coaxed and supported in their endeavors.

The scene that came to mind as I was reading in Isaiah this morning was one such experience a few years ago in our oldest daughter’s swimming pool.

Our youngest grandson was just learning to swim. His auntie was coaching and coaxing him. He was scared and not enjoying himself at all. That’s when auntie said this, “I have never let anything hurt you and I never will. You can trust me. I won’t let you go. Take my hand.”

“Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will give you strength, and for sure I will help you. Yes, I will hold you up with My right hand that is right and good.” Isaiah 41:10 NLV

“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.” Isaiah 41:10 CEV

How often are we like my little grandson, afraid and needing to be supported? Things we don’t understand or situations we can’t control bring a rush of fear. That’s when we hear the Lord say, “I will hold you up, I will help you, don’t be afraid, I am with you”.

“The Lord will hold your hand, and if you stumble, you still won’t fall. 25 As long as I can remember, good people have never been left helpless, and their children have never gone begging for food.” Psalm 37:24-25 CEV

When I was little, I loved holding my parents’ hand. It gave me such a feeling of security. When I was in high school my mother and I would go shopping and I would hold her hand, it was a sign of affection. When Dave & I started dating we always held hands, we still do, it was a sign of our commitment and love.

Our heavenly Father desires to hold our hand. It’s for our protection and a sign of His affection. Reach out for His hand today – you’ll hear Him say, “I’ve got you”!

Posted on

Stuck in a Pit

Our thoughts this morning come from Psalm 40. As I was reading it the words jumped off the page.

“I called to the Lord, and he heard me. He heard my cries. 2 He lifted me out of the grave. He lifted me from that muddy place. He picked me up, put me on solid ground, and kept my feet from slipping. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see what he did and worship him. They will put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3 ERV

He lifted me from a muddy pit and put me on solid ground!

I don’t know if you’ve ever been stuck, I mean really, really stuck. There’s almost a sense of hopelessness and despair. When will help come – will I ever be rescued?

That’s the desperation in the heart of David as he wrote this Psalm. I called and He heard me and He lifted me out and put my feet on solid ground and kept me from slipping!

We were stuck in a snowdrift once on the side of a mountain. We were in our Excursion, we had gone out to cut a Christmas tree. We started to back down a side road so we could turn around and we were stuck. Even with four-wheel drive we would make twelve inches of progress and slide back six inches. It was scary and both physically and emotionally exhausting. We were sliding closer and closer to the edge of the mountain.

When I read those words “kept my feet from slipping”, I can relate. Even now as I am relating this to you my heartbeat has increased, and my breathing has gotten deeper. And I just exhaled a big sigh of relief.

My example is of being physically stuck but there have also been times when I was emotionally stuck. Desperate and depressed. The Lord’s loving-kindness pulled me out of those times too. He reassured me that no matter what I would face in life I would never be alone. He would walk through every step with me and He would rescue me when I slipped.

“So I said, ‘Here I am, ready to do what was written about me in the book. 8 My God, I am happy to do whatever you want. I never stop thinking about your teachings.’ 9 I told the good news of victory to the people in the great assembly. And, Lord, you know that I will never stop telling that good news. 10 I told about the good things you did. I did not hide these things in my heart. I spoke of how you can be trusted to save us. I did not hide your love and loyalty from those in the great assembly. 11 Lord, do not hide your mercy from me. Let your love and loyalty always protect me. ” Psalm 40:6-11 ERV

This is the reason I share with you every morning. “I told about the good things You did”! If the Lord could reach me with His love and mercy, and He did, He can and will reach out to each one of you!

Our heavenly Father doesn’t want us stuck in a pit. He is willing to lift us up and set our feet in a place where we won’t slip! Amen.

(read all of Psalm 40 – you’ll be blessed)

Posted on

In Complete Control

Today is Palm Sunday. Jesus is making His entrance into Jerusalem and there is so much going on behind the scenes, but Jesus is in complete control.

“He said to them, “Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will find a donkey with her colt. Untie them both, and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, tell them, ‘The Master needs them. He will send them back soon.’” Matthew 21:2-3 ERV

In Jesus’ latest teachings He had angered the religious leaders. They were plotting to have him killed. In fact, at one point they had picked up stones to stone Him and He simply walked away from the crowd in the confusion.

He had told His disciples that he was going to be beaten, tried and crucified. Remember that from my blog a few days back. And now they were headed back to Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover and as he knew, to His death.

“The followers went and did what Jesus told them to do. 7 They brought the mother donkey and the young donkey to him. They covered the donkeys with their coats, and Jesus sat on them. 8 On the way to Jerusalem, many people spread their coats on the road for Jesus. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Some of the people were walking ahead of Jesus. Others were walking behind him. They all shouted,

“Praise to the Son of David!  ‘Welcome! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Matthew 21:6-9 ERV

If you’ve been around horses or donkeys at all you know this could be a recipe for disaster. Being horse-back in the middle of a crowd, shouting, throwing branches on the ground in front of you, could spook even the gentlest of horses. And for it to be a mare with a young colt by herself, this was sure to unnerve horse and rider.

But Jesus…yes, He was the one who calm the sea and the wind with His words. He was the one who always preached “Don’t be troubled, don’t be afraid, peace be still”.

So, in this situation, He stayed in control and at peace. This ride into Jerusalem had been predicted hundreds of years ago.

“People of Zion, rejoice! People of Jerusalem, shout with joy! Look, your king is coming to you! He is the good king who won the victory, but he is humble. He is riding on a donkey, on a young donkey born from a work animal.” Zechariah 9:9 ERV

Jesus knew every prophecy needed to be fulfilled. This was part of the plan and He was in control.

It may seem like a small detail to you and I, but what it tells me is that whatever God has planned for me I can be at peace, knowing that He is in control and will work out everything for my good.

“ Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

When we let the Father direct and control our lives He will be peace in the midst of chaos.

Posted on

The Shepherd at the Gate

Jesus was called the Lamb of God because He came to be the sinless sacrifice, the atonement for our sins. He was meek and humbled Himself to death.

Yet the lamb became the Shepherd. He recognized that we were vulnerable as lambs and promised to be our good shepherd.

“Jesus said: I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. 2-3But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. 4When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. 5The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away. 6Jesus told the people this story. But they did not understand what he was talking about.

7Jesus said: I tell you for certain that I am the gate for the sheep. 8Everyone who came before me was a thief or a robber, and the sheep did not listen to any of them. 9I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:1-10 ERV

In this parable Jesus is trying to make his ministry and purpose easy to understand. Since raising sheep was a common profession in that day, Jesus used something they were familiar with to teach his lesson.

At night the sheep were kept in a gated penned for their protection and early each morning the shepherds would come and lead their sheep out to pasture. The sheep had become accustomed to the shepherd’s voice and so when he called, they would follow. They wouldn’t follow someone who would sneak in and lead them astray.

Jesus was telling them that if they spent time with Him, listening to His word and getting to know Him, that they would follow Him and keep His commandments and He would lead them “in green pastures” (Psalm 23).

He also went on to say that He was the gate of the sheep pen. This was the first line of defense in their protection – He would provide for them and keep them safe. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” (Psalm 23)

Jesus said His purpose was to give us life and life more abundantly. He also warned that there is a thief that comes to kill, steal and destroy – that’s the devil. Everything that falls in one of those categories – stealing, killing and destroying – doesn’t come from God.

Those things that bring life, abundance and fullness to life comes from God. “Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing.” James 1:17

Follow the right voice today – He will lead you on the right path and He’ll never leave you or forsake you.

Posted on

A Time for Review

Our youngest grandson is going to be taking some standardized tests in the next few days. Classroom time and home time are being used to review information that may be included on the test. It’s being taken very seriously.

This morning, I was reviewing some of my favorite Scripture verses. I realized that these verses are so much a part of my thinking that I quote them without even realizing it. King David said, “Your word I have hid in my heart that I won’t sin against You”.

We will all be faced to difficult situations. Our enemies maybe physical, mental, emotional or spiritual but testing will come. God isn’t the One who tempts or tests; we have a real enemy who tries to defeat us. Jesus is here to give us victory.

Remember when Jesus went to the desert to fast and pray? He was there 40 days, and the devil came to tempt Him three times. Jesus was ready for the test. Each temptation was answered with it is written, it is written, it is written. And in frustration the devil left him alone for a more convenient time.

I’m here today and every day to prepare you for tests that you will be facing. Let’s take a look at the answers to questions.

“So overflowing is his kindness toward us that he took away all our sins through the blood of his Son, by whom we are saved;” Ephesians 1:7 TLB

“Your love is faithful, Lord, and even the clouds in the sky can depend on you. 6 Your decisions are always fair. They are firm like mountains, deep like the sea, and all people and animals are under your care. 7 Your love is a treasure, and everyone finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 36:5-7 CEV

“The Lord will keep you safe from secret traps and deadly diseases. 4 He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure. His faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall.” Psalm 91:3-4 CEV

“The Lord forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick, 4  and protects us from death. His kindness and love are a crown on our heads. 5 Each day that we live, he provides for our needs and gives us the strength of a young eagle.” Psalm 103:3-5 CEV

“The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm.” Isaiah 26:3 CEV

Only a couple more to share with you – but I want you to see the power and protection that God places over us. He will not abandon us, he will not leave us helpless!

He is faithful and His word is true!

“Our Lord, you keep your word and do everything you say. 14 When someone stumbles or falls, you give a helping hand. 15 Everyone depends on you, and when the time is right, you provide them with food. 16 By your own hand you satisfy the desires of all who live. 17 Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, 18 and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere.” Psalm 145:13-18 CEV

“4 I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume. II Corinthians 2:14 CEV

I pray that our arsenal is filled with spiritual ammunition so that when the enemy strikes, the first words out of our mouths are “it is written”. When we make our favorite verses a part of our daily review Christ will lead us to victory!

Posted on

Why Can’t I?

A long list of do’s and don’ts – that’s the way some people see the Bible. They think if they follow the teachings the Lord has given us it will cramp their style, stifle their freedom of creative expression, limit them in their pursuit of happiness. And yet it is just the opposite.

How many of you who are parents have stopped your children from playing in the street; or perhaps you have smacked their hands or their little bottoms when they have reached to touch a hot coal in a campfire or the hot pan on the stove? Maybe you stopped them riding their bikes down the steep hill with the big kids or even prevented them from swimming in the lake when they had no supervision.

Man, you have inflected a lot of restrictions on your kids! You parents are just trying to spoil their fun and stifle their creativity, aren’t you? Not hardly. You know that your love for them drives you to protect them even if they don’t understand.

And so we have God and His instructions in the Bible. They are there to do the same. The first commandment He gave to the children of Israel was

“Do not worship any god except me.” Exodus 20:3 CEV but let’s look at the verses before this.

“God said to the people of Israel: 2 I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.” verses 1-2 CEV

Why do you think He prefaced verse 3 with 1 & 2? It was a reminder. God was wanting them to remember why they didn’t need any other god. He was the one who delivered them from slavery, He was the one who opened the path across the Red Sea, He was the one who turned bitter water to good and gave them manna every morning and quail at night. He was the one who provided them with warmth from the pillar of fire at night and He was the one who gave them shade from the cloud during the day. He was the one who gave them victory over the enemies in battle!

He was the one who provided for all their needs and He wanted them to remember that He provided for them because He loved them and there was no one else who could take care of them the way He did! He was, He is and always will be the I AM that we need for each day.

The 2nd commandment is very similar – don’t make and/or worship any idols. Plain and simple keep the Lord first place. We might not make idols of gold or silver but we are guilty of worshipping other gods; the gods of pleasure, education, relationships, professional advancement, financial security, health and well-being. When we make these things our primary goals and requirements for happiness, we have God take the back seat and these become our idols.

Jesus taught his disciples a strong lesson in Matthew 6 when he told them they didn’t need to seek after food, clothing, a place to live because the Lord knew they had need of all these things. His instruction was clear

” But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6:33 CEV

Instead of chasing after things, if we chase after God all these will be added.

God wants us to have a fulfilled life. In fact, Jesus said that He came so we could have life but not just a meager, sad, sullen existence of a life but life more abundantly, to the full, till it overflows!

Seek Him first and all the rest will be added!

Posted on

Don’t Stand Back

Did you ever see The Wizard of OZ as a kid? I did and it scared me – I didn’t like the flying monkeys or the wicked witch. But one thing that stuck out to me was the appearance of the wizard – all the smoke, the lights, the thunder…

It reminded me of the stories I had read about the children of Israel being protected by the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire that God used to lead them. By no means am I comparing the wizard to God the Father, just giving you a visual you can relate to.

However, the children of Israel had come to a place where God wanted to speak with all of them. God wanted them all to come close to Mt. Sinai and He wanted Moses to come up into His cloud as He spoke.

It had only been 2 months since they left Egypt. They have seen many miracles, some in the final days of their time in Egypt and others as they traveled to Mt. Sinai. It had been a miraculous journey. All that time the Lord spoke directly to Moses then Moses told the people what He has said.

“Once more the Lord spoke to Moses: Go back and tell the people that today and tomorrow they must get themselves ready to meet me. They must wash their clothes 11 and be ready by the day after tomorrow, when I will come down to Mount Sinai, where all of them can see me.” Exodus 19:10 CEV

“On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud covered the mountain, a loud trumpet blast was heard, and everyone in camp trembled with fear. 17 Moses led them out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had come down in a flaming fire. Smoke poured out of the mountain just like a furnace, and the whole mountain shook. 19 The trumpet blew louder and louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder.” Exodus 19:16-19 CEV

“Then he said, ‘Moses, go and warn the people not to cross the boundary that you set at the foot of the mountain. They must not cross it to come and look at me, because if they do, many of them will die.” vs 21 CEV

Now I want to contrast this with what we find in the New Testament.

“Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CEV

The instruction goes from stay back to come boldly…all because of Jesus!

“So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all.” Hebrews 10:10 CEV

When we come to the Father based on what Jesus has done for us, dying for the forgiveness of our sins, we have complete access to His throne – to His presence and there we find a loving heavenly Father welcoming us to a place where we find grace and help.

This is a lesson for us today.

Don’t be afraid, don’t stand back but instead come running to the Father’s throne – crawl up on His lap, tell Him your need and He will be there to help!

Posted on

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Well, this wonderful trip has come to an end.

We pack up this morning, drive back to Jacksonville, turn in the rental car and board a plane, headed for home. One stop over in Dallas and arrive in Phoenix later today. It’s been fun and exciting – but home is sweet.

That’s my day. What’s yours got in store? Whatever it is the Lord has designed a path and is waiting for us to follow Him.

“Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 AMPC

“You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need. 2 You let me rest in fields of green grass.
You lead me to streams of peaceful water, 3 and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths.” Psalm 23:1-3 CEV

“ If you will obey the Lord your God, all these blessings will come to you and be yours:

3 “He will bless you in the city and in the field…6 He will bless you at all times in everything you do.” Deuteronomy 28:2-6 ERV

I am praying for your day to be filled with the blessings of the Lord. That’s the kind of day He has designed for us.

I’ll be with you tomorrow from my living room in Queen Valley.

Enjoy the blessings of the day!

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress