He Gives, He Holds, He Guards!

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, and for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Proverbs 2:6-8 NIV

Why anyone would not want to serve a God that is loving, giving, and caring is beyond me, but there are a number of people who yet deny His existence. I can only imagine what their lives are like without Him in it to guide them.

All the wisdom, knowledge and understanding is given by Him by those who are willing to receive. Though some scientists think they have innate knowledge, many have come to realize they are yet unable to explain our existence without resorting to understanding Creationism. But with all the scientists are able to accomplish, I give thanks to God who has given them the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of how to do things, where to look, and the ability to explain their findings to others. Whether they acknowledge the presence of God in their lives and what they do or not–it is the gift of God that allows them to discover what He has created.

Our God holds success in store for the upright–those who are determined to live according to His Word–no matter what. In the 21st Century, as in times past, trying to live according to God’s Word becomes more difficult when those appointed to uphold laws simply change them to go along with the status quo or popular opinion. When people call good evil and evil, good–we know we are in for a rocky ride for the rest of our days. But for those who dare to defy–popular opinion and laws opposed to God’s Word–He holds their success in store for them and nothing the enemy has planned will succeed against them.

He guards the way of the just and protects the way of the faithful from every evil plot of the enemy. He is just and all His ways are good and when we are faithful to obey Him at all times, even in the midst of chaos and confusion of political rhetoric and correctness, He will protect us.

There are groups of people–many of them–with multiple names and so-called causes in support of the marginalized, but all influenced by the enemy’s desire to destroy mankind. the real problem is they don’t even understand what force is behind their causes–especially when their causes are to support people living in opposition to God’s Word. It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out–whenever a group of people choose not to live according to God’s Word and cannot get attention–they cry foul and those who think they are fighting for the rights of someone are actually fighting for the rights of people to live in opposition to God. They can choose to live any way they want to live, but it doesn’t mean they have a right to change what God has said is wrong. They can say it, but they can’t change the consequences and God is faithful to His Word.

So, why wouldn’t we Believe God? I can’t answer that question for anyone but me. I Believe and Obey and am determined to live according to His Word, not the dictates of man. He gives–and I receive all the knowledge, understanding and wisdom He wants to give. I patiently wait for the success I know He holds for me because of my obedience and I will not fear–anyone or anything–as I stay on the path of faithfulness–honoring Him in all I do.

 

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When My Help Is Near!

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:6-8 NIV

When I lay down, no matter how tired, I remember how I made it through the day and thank God for being with me all day. When I wake up in the morning, no matter how often I have restless sleep, I thank God for waking me.

He is my help–always near–always watching over me–always speaking to my heart (when I’m listening, I obey), and always ready to propel me into the next challenge.

Who am I that God cares so much? I am His child, His very special daughter, created to praise Him and do great things in His name. I am the child who the enemy attempted to destroy so many times–before I reached a place of understanding who He is and what He means to me--afterwards to keep me silent and not promote the Gospel.

But here I am and no matter what happens, I will proclaim the name of The Lord to any and all who will hear as long as I can breathe on my own. And even when I’m gone, my books shall continue to speak a word of encouragement to the reader and lead them to The Word. Some days are tougher than others, but there has yet to be a sunrise or breaking day in which I didn’t give Him praise for loving me and keeping me.

When I depended upon others, I was disappointed; but when I depend on God, He always sends the right person into my life–one He has spoken to and is obedient. My help–is God speaking what He desires into existence and He always uses people to accomplish what He wants. It’s not that we should depend upon people, but our trust and dependence should be on God who will then speak to others on our behalf. What a wonderful God He is!

So when we get frustrated and upset about who is not coming to our assistance we need to realize that it is not people–especially those we think will help–but those to whom God speaks who will help. Our focus at all times should be on God, hearing and obeying–especially when He speaks to us to help someone else–because He will speak to us to help, just like He’ll speak to others to help us. Are we listening?

When we hear God speak to us to be a help to others, we should respond just as quickly as we would want others to respond to our needs. God is not a respecter of persons, so He’ll use us to help others as well as using others to help us. We are all His Children and we are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ so we all have access to His goodness through our obedience to Him. This is what happens when my Help is near–what about yours?

How Are Your Angels Performing?

“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7 NIV)

Before the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we see “angels” discussed as being the messengers of God. After the resurrection, especially in Revelation, we see the angels are still referencing the messengers of God in the church–those in leadership. I say this for clarity only simply because of the misrepresentation of angels in the entertainment industry. There are angels (spirit beings) who have been assigned to every Believer and in the end, we shall judge their abilities pertaining to us.

The bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:3 that we shall judge our angels as well as those things that pertain to this life. Contrary to what many think and say, those who believe God shall judge what people do–according to the Word--not their opinions or bias. Whatever God says, we say. And we shall judge those angels (in the spirit realm) who have been assigned to us to protect us.

While many may not believe in angels, I know that my angels have been on duty and because of them, I am still here today. They have warned me about impending danger and cushioned me from being harmed, irreparably in two accidents that should have killed me. In both accidents, cars were totalled and my physical injuries were superficial at best. I walked away from both of them without a scratch, but suffered delayed reactions due to the impact. As a result, my vision was impaired from the last accident and at one point, I was told I’d be blind before long. That accident occurred in 1994. Though I strain at times to see words clearly, I can still see. My angel(s) took the brunt of that impact and I am here to tell the story.

Now, let me move on to the gist of this passage. Those who reference (not be afraid of) The Lord, obey Him out of that obedience, can expect their angels to be encamped around them and delivered from dangerous situations. This does not mean we should be foolish and try to tempt the devil. We are to be wise as a serpent–moving cautiously in life–aware of the tricks of the enemy–never intentionally jeopardizing our lives or the lives of others.

In those instances in which we are not responsible for any danger to ourselves or others, we are protected and delivered from harm, Satan’s plans cancelled and they sizzle out with the interference of our angels. I tend to liken the darts Satan flings at us like a tennis game. We see what he does and lob the ball back into his court and he never stands a chance at winning in his attempt to defeat us when we know how to keep the ball in play.

Today, thank God for the angels who have been assigned to protect you and remember to always be willing to hear Holy Spirit when He speaks a word of caution to keep us safe.

We Are Protected!

“The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.” (Psalm 91:14 NLT)

Many of us find ourselves in need of being rescued from various situations in life–car breakdowns, relationship breakdowns, financial breakdowns, and some even from fire or water hazards. Most of those rescues could have been avoided if we had simply made wiser decisions and not put our trust in people or things.

Sometimes, we think we know what we’re doing when we purchase certain types of things, but when we do not maintain the things, they will break down on us.

Sometimes, we think we know what we’re doing when we decide where to work or with whom we get into relationships, but then we realize we have made a mistake and we either get fired or get so frustrated we quit the job and end relationships.

How about this–let’s seek God for every decision we have to make and trust His judgment and guidance in our lives! When we trust Him, we won’t have to worry about making wrong decisions.

If we listen to Holy Spirit, He’ll remind us when to get the oil checked, the tire pressure checked, and other regular maintenance on a car. He’ll whisper in our ears when we’re in the wrong places trying to seek employment. He’ll also tell us when we’re with the wrong people–if we listen.

Loving Him, and trusting Him puts us in a good position to be protected by Him and we can avoid the need for being rescued. However, if our love for Him is real, He will rescue us from ourselves and yet protect us from the unwise decisions we make.

Being in a relationship with God does not mean that we have reached perfection, but it does mean that we should be mindful of those things of which He’s trying to warn us. When situations occur over which we have no control, He will rescue us!

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have His protection than the best insurance money can buy. He can do things and protect us from things that cannot be equated with monetary value. He deserves my trust and love beyond any other because It is He who gives me life and reason to keep going forward.

“I really love The Lord! Way back on Calvary, He gave me the victory and I really love The Lord!”

The Lord is My Refuge!

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11 NIV);

Who will command angels to guard us? The Lord will, if we say, “The Lord is my refuge” (vs. 9) and make the Most High our dwelling place, “The Lord” will make sure no harm overtakes or comes near us.

If He is our refuge–our shelter from harm–and we live within the safety of His arms–we have no need to fear anything. Not only will He make sure that nothing harms us, He won’t let disaster come near us. Say it now, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When Wall Street comes tumbling down or soaring high, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When doctors give us an uncertain prognosis, “The Lord is my refuge!”

In the middle of storms of nature or emotions, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When it seems like all hope is gone, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When we cannot see solutions because of the problems, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When we have more questions than answers, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When we have more bills than money, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When spouses don’t act right, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When children or grandchildren get on our last nerves, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When lawmakers don’t do their jobs, “The Lord is my refuge!”

When preachers won’t preach the Truth, “The Lord is my refuge!”

This should not just be a mantra, but a way of acknowledging who we believe and trust because when we make this acknowledgment, He will encamp angels all around us to keep us from harm. He will remind us that by His Spirit we have access to all truth and He will direct our paths. He will bridle our tongues before we say anything stupid if we just say, “The Lord is my refuge” first.

Our angels have been given an assignment, to protect us and guard us in all of “our ways” so no harm can come before us. If we will do what He says, He will do what He has promised. Are we going to do it? No weapon formed against us shall prosper because our angels will intercept and deflect any of the fiery darts that the enemy sends our way. Hallelujah!  “The Lord is my refuge!”

Walk In The Light

“The Lord will guard the feet of His faithful servants…” (I Samuel 2:9).

If we are truly children of the Most High God and want to see His very best for us come to pass in our lives, we should watch where we go.

We should not be found in those places where the rest of this passage of scripture says, “the wicked in dark places shall be silenced.” Where are the dark places? Any place where we “think” we should hide or be “undercover agents” is a dark place and that is not just to be taken literally. No, we should not be hanging out at the bars, the dope houses or the whore houses or anywhere else where our beliefs come under question. We cannot “say”, “I’m a blood-bought, bible-toting, tongue-talking, holy ghost-filled Christian, and then “do” everything that every one else is doing (in the dark). “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the good and the evil.”

When we are where we are supposed to be, God has our backs. When we dare to dwell in dark places–and that includes dark places in our thought life–we are on our own and the “works of darkness,” set us up for judgment and for God to silence us!

My brothers and sisters, walk in the light, and be assured of God’s protection!