Protected


 

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and they are safe.
Proverbs 18:10


For the past several weeks there has been a campaign by the enemy to steal my joy. This happens every now and then in my life. I'm not shocked when it does, Jesus warned us that it would, repeatedly but most obviously in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” So when I find myself in these seasons where the thief is trying to steal my joy I run to the name of the Lord. Sounds simple enough, right? Run and be safe.

It is simple on some level, I'm sure but these past few weeks it has been anything but that. The thing is when the “thief” sees our reaction, running to Jesus, clinging to Him, that just makes him mad and he tries harder. Remember when you were a kid and had a teacher who didn't like you? You wanted to tell your mom and have her make you feel better but you hesitated because if mom then talked to the mean teacher things were only going to get worse. That's kind of what can happen here.

When the enemy sees us rushing toward God, (Imagine him getting “the look” from our Father!) he doubles his efforts in an “oh no you didn't” kind of way. Perhaps he's poked at your health but you've gone to the Word and you're standing on Isaiah where it says that “by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) Now he's really mad so he digs into your bank account and you respond by remembering that God is never outdone in generosity so you give something away. Uh-oh! Now you've done it! The enemy up his efforts until truly no stone is unturned. You've had to fight your way through every area of your life, including some doubts about your faith.

If we all take those fears, illnesses, doubts, etcetera to the strong tower that is the name of our Lord, if we refuse to be defeated, battered sure, angry maybe, hurt of course, but not defeated, the enemy is left with no choice but to flee.

There is something in my life right now that is hard to face. It shouldn't be. It should be joyful but for reasons I cannot define or understand it just isn't. I want to avoid it but I know better. My response last night as I knew the event was coming today was to chat with God about the many times He has surprised me with little pieces of joy, not big miracle moments, just ordinary things that in His hands, in His perfect timing, become precious.

This morning the enemy is mad! He's trying everything he can to get my attention but so far, no success. I can feel the hand of God staying the attacks. I can see Him calmly smiling at me as if to say, “enough is enough. I let him through a little but his fun is over. Go and enjoy.” So I'm going and I plan to enjoy. Oh and I'll be praying that if you are experiencing an attack that you will rush into the strong tower that is the name of God. He has many names, pick one, sing it, say it, shout it but run and don't stop running until you feel safe.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Applause, Applause and Protection

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebrews 12:1 Reading some Scripture this morning I was reminded of a message that I watched from Louie Giglio. In it Louie described a child of God leaving her home for the day. He goes on about how the heavenly beings see it. With great excitement, he tells of the joy and applause going on in heaven as the woman gets in the elevator, gets to the parking lot and gets in her car. It’s hilarious and over the top, (remember I did say it was Louie Giglio!) but there’s a great lesson in it. My husband and I were watching a TV show about a fictional former president. At one point the poor man is just over the Secret Service detail. He’s tired of them following him around so he fires them. It takes less than five minutes for him to start to see all that they’ve been doing for...
Read more

My Father Saw That

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me, “for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 There’s a movie from several years ago that I absolutely love! It’s called “The American President.” The premise is that the president, who is a widower, has begun to date. He’s dating a lovely woman while running for reelection. His opponent is awful. He knows he doesn’t have much of a chance against the popular incumbent so he tries to make a mountain out of the molehill of the standing president’s romance. At one point there is a news clip that shows the woman in a protest during her college days. After the clip plays the opponent refers to the president’s lady friend as “the president’s whore.” She groans and says to the president “My father saw that!” She is devastated, not because what is being said is true but because her father, who she loves and respects, saw the clip and heard those words spoken about her. I thought of ...
Read more

Not Really god, where are you?

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning to noon.”Baal answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said, “Surely he is a god! Perhaps his is deep in thought, or busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18:26b-27 Those who know me would be quick to tell you that I am a bit sarcastic. It’s a quality that I have passed on to my children and even some of my grandchildren. Some days I feel a little guilty. Is that really a quality that God wants to see in me? Certainly that cannot be my go to attitude but there are times that it comes in quite nicely. This morning, reading a totally unrelated verse, I was reminded of this account in the first book of Kings. (It begins at verse 16 and continues to the end of the chapter. I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t and it if you have reread it. It’s great!) In this p...
Read more