April 24, 2024

Take Heed

SeekingHimLogo

As for God, His way is perfect:
The Lord’s Word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30 NIV

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Here we have David, in the midst of singing praises to God for delivering him from his enemies.  I believe David stated the most important reason for that victory—!

God’s way, as the following Scriptures state, is His very own method and style.  God’s way of doing something has no comparison.

LORD, there is no one like You!
For You are great, and Your name is full of power.
Jeremiah 10:6 NLT

Among the gods there is none like You, Lord;
no deeds can compare with Yours.
Psalm 86:8

He is the Rock, His works are perfect,
and all His ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is He.
Deuteronomy 32:4

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so My ways are higher than your ways
and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9

God’s Word is flawless, unbroken, unimpaired, and whole.  It is beneficial to us.  This is in sharp contrast to the lies of the enemy.

God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man,
that He should change His mind.
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19

All Scripture is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

God is our Shield.  Just as a king is trusted as the protector of his people, so we who put our faith in God are to trust Him as our Protector.

But You, Lord, are a Shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
Psalm 3:3

Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You.
Psalm 84:12

But let all who take refuge in You be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread Your protection over them,
that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
Psalm 5:11

Because God’s way is perfect, and His word is flawless, and He has promised to protect His children, we need to take heed.  Yes, like David, we have enemies—whether in the physical or in the spiritual—who try to “entangle us with cords of death” (Psalms 18:4-5).  But if we take heed of God and His Word, He will ”avenge us, and save us from our enemies” (Psalms 18:47-48).  When we are faithfully in God’s Word, then we will know God and experience His deliverance.

It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths.
You have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!
Psalms 119:1-4

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Dear God, our Father and Protector, we come before You with humble and grateful hearts.  There is no way that is more perfect than Your Ways.  There is no word that is more flawless than Your Words.  We are Your children, and You desire nothing more than for us to trust You wholeheartedly so that You can be our Protector.  Help us by Your Holy Spirit to “take heed” of Your Word for us, so that we will know You better and follow You more closely.  We want to be joyful daughters of integrity “…who obey Your laws, and search for You with all our hearts.”  Thank You for Your Word and Your Holy Spirit, so that we can know You better.  In Jesus’ Precious Name, we pray, Amen.

Truth We Can Depend On

SeekingHimLogo

Every word of God proves true.
    He is a shield to all who come to Him for protection.
Proverbs 30:5  NLT

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 And The Message version reads,

Every promise of God proves true;
He protects everyone who runs to Him for help.

Does it boggle your mind to try to understand that every (all possible) word of God proves (shows beyond doubt) that it is true (accurate, faithful)?  In our human experience, with ourselves and with those around us, we know that kind of perfection and faithfulness doesn’t exist 100% of the time.

Thankfully, it is true for God’s Word.  In the Amplified, it says His words are “…tested and refined like silver.”  And Psalm 12:6 states, “The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.”  That leaves absolutely no imperfections.

Your promises have been thoroughly tested;
that is why I love them so much.
Psalm 119:140

Because of this purity, God’s Word is sure and we can trust it.  God is one with His Word.  God promises to protect all who come to Him, and we can be sure He will.

God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable],
A very present and well-proved help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 AMP

In the midst of life’s conflicts and disappointments, God is our Shield. Shields come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are tall to cover the warrior from head to toe. Some other shapes are made to protect the most vital organs, and to deflect the enemy’s weapons from harming the warrior. Spiritually speaking, God does exactly that.  When we come (run) to Him, He is there to protect us from the “fiery darts” of the enemy.  In Ephesians 6:16, God says, “…in all circumstances take up the shield of faith.”  God is there for us, but in faith we must come to Him and accept (take up) His protection.

  • The more we know Jesus, the more we will know God’s Word:

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen His glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John 1:1, 14

  •  The more we know Jesus, the more we know the Father:

I and the Father are one.
John 10:30

  • The more we know Jesus, the more we know the Father’s Truth:

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one can come to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:6

 

  • The more we know Jesus, the more we will be sanctified and protected by God’s Truth.

Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.
John 17:17

If we will study Jesus—His life, His words, His relationships with others, and His relationship with God the Father—we will know that God’s Word is truth and we can trust it.  We will have the assurance that we can run to God and find the protection we need.  We will walk in faith, and be shielded by Him.

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Dear God, we are so grateful that we have Your Word to turn to.  Life is not easy, and, we need Your protection even when we don’t realize it.  Help us, Lord, not to just “pick up” Your shield in times of imminent danger…but to live our lives getting to know Jesus, Your Word, so we can be in Your protection at all times.  Thank You for the promise that “Every word of God proves true.”  In Jesus’ Precious Name we pray, Amen.

A Perfect Protector

SeekingHimLogo

As for God, His way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him.
For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except out God?
It is God who arms with strength and keeps my way secure.
Psalms 18:30-32

Perfection.  I will go ahead and say that I have tried many times to be perfect. Have I ever achieved it?  No.  I never will. I have flaws.  I was born that way.  God made me with flaws for His own reasons.  I can either take advantage of those flaws to make myself better or let those flaws bring me down.  God gives me the strength to get past these flaws.

If we let our flaws bring us down, we can take refuge in a God who understands us because He made us.  God knew us before we born.  He knit us in our mothers’ wombs; therefore, He knows every fiber of our body.  This is one way He is our Rock and Shield.  He knows where we need protection and a fighting way against the evil of the world.  He arms us with the ways to stay strong and secure in our lives.

As Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer; my God is my Rock, in Whom I take refuge, my Shield and the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold,” God delivers me from my flaws which allow me to fall into temptation and to feel down.  He arms me with the strength and tools I need through His Word—the Bible. I only have to make the choice (which I already have) to accept Jesus into my heart and to pick up the Good Book. Through this, I am armed with God’s Shield to protect myself and my loved ones from Satan, and I have a Rock to lean on in hard times.

God  does not just not only makes me feel secure…He is my security. Just like a child depends on a blanket for security, God envelops us with His loving and strong arms to protect us. We can get that same security blanket feeling if we just depend on the rock that is always giving us protection and love.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the flaws that make us what we are. We can use those to make our lives our betters if we let You show us how to deal with them. You are perfect. We are not. Your perfection is what makes You our great Protector and Father. Without you, we would be lost to the world. In Jesus name, Amen.

God Is Our Rock

SeekingHimLogoTruly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.  He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.
Psalm 62:1-2

We are going through a trying time right now.  It is so trying that I have made myself physically incapacitated to the point where there are some days (the days I worry too much) that I can barely function.  I know that I need to leave this trying time in God’s hands, but being human, that is hard to do.  I have always tried to control anything that I do…including flying on an airplane.  My dear husband got me on a plane in April.  I loved the thrill of flying, but I was still scared that something could happen.  I often feel as if I can prevent something from happening if I am the one in the driver’s seat.

Yet, I know in my heart and in my brain that God is in control.  He is my Rock. He is my Shield. There have been times that I have not prayed about the situation, and then it seems like it gets worse. I pray about it, and it seems like the situation is getting better. I need to constantly put this problem in God’s hands, but being human that is hard.

When we accept God’s salvation, we put on the Shield of God. God becomes our Defender, our Provider, and our Rock.  He moves with us.  He is in the passenger seat when you are driving down the highway at 85 mph or when you are enjoying a nice sunset on the beach.  God is with you no matter where you are.

As we move on in our trying time, I need to silently listen for God’s word.  I know that eventually He will answer my prayer about getting to the end of this.  (It may take a few years to do it, but the end will come.)  I am going to have to be patient and let God lead.  God’s leadership and love is what should get us through anything—no matter how big or small.

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Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your salvation and being our Rock. Without You, we would not be able to stand strong in any trying time. Without You, we would fall and not be able to get back up. Thank You for being our Rock and Salvation. Thank You for defending us against evil.  In Jesus name, Amen.