by David Brenneman
"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever." Psalms 121:1-8.
"… It's like a storm
That cuts a path
It breaks your will
It feels like that
… You think you're lost
But you're not lost on your own
You're not alone
… I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
If you can't cope
I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let go
… It hurts my heart
To see you cry
I know it's dark
This part of life
Oh it finds us all (finds us all)
And we're too small
To stop the rain
Oh but when it rains
… I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
And you can't cope
I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let you fall
… Don't be afraid to fall
I'm right here to catch you
I won't let you down
It won't get you down
You're gonna make it
Yeah I know you can make it
… 'Cause I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
And you can't cope
And I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let go
Oh I'm gonna hold you
And I won't let go
Won't let you go
No I won't"
- I Won't Let Go
Rascal Flatts
Whether or not you are aware of it...you're in a fight for survival. When any come to Christ for salvation, we truly enter the battlefield. Our enemies are without and within.
Paul teaches us to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
Paul teaches us to prepare for the day of battle. As soldiers of the cross.
As the Veterans of our day, as it is with Believers...our job is done when we have breathed our last.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12.
We are to go about life with out Armour of God on. Ephesians 6.
We fool ourselves when we go out into the day thinking that our guard can be let down.
Our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.
In all this...Jesus stands with us.
We are the ones who either get ahead or lag behind walking with Jesus. We are the ones who oftentimes are hearing more from the world than our Savior next to us.
We are often the ones who want to sit when He says we need to keep moving.
Psalms 23...
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
I awoke this morning and felt the immediate urge to pray for this day and the week. In my tired state even that burst through in my thoughts.
We cannot go into the world unprepared. It's a foreign land.
This world is not our home anymore. In all reality we're spending our physical lives in a place not too dissimilar to a hotel stay. We think we are living a life yet what we are doing is buying things, doing things, from a temporary Basecamp. Everything is temporary until you and I leave this world and take nothing with us.
This world is a dangerous place apart from the Lord. Our enemy without wants to stiffle our walk with Jesus. Our sin nature wants to usurp the Throne of our hearts to take back what now belongs to Jesus Christ.
In all of this...Jesus stands with you and I. We need to stand firm as Paul also wrote many times. We need other Believers to encourage us on our journey towards our end.
We all have two ways of leaving this life. The way of mankind through death or through the Rapture of the Church. In either case the Bible says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Before you take a step out into the world today...pray. Jesus often left everything and everyone to go pray to His Father. If Jesus needed to...what are the odds that we need to as well?
Before you at all think that you got this. That you're ready for today. Stop and pray...because my Dear Reader...you don't.
Before you at all think that you are overwhelmed...stop and pray. Because you're not.
Before you think that it's ok to go and do your own thing. Stop and pray.
A repeated dangerous thing throughout the Bible is "and everyone did what was right in their own eyes".
You can't stand with Jesus and do whatever is right in your own eyes too.
My week is not clear yet as to what to expect...yet my Savior says not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough trouble of its own. To be anxious for nothing...but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
My week is cloudy. I expect difficulties and am usually not surprised at their arrival.
Pray before you go off into your day. Be intentional on being in communication with your Savior.
Be intentional on being in your Bible.
The state of the world is partially because the Believers in this world aren't living lives in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.
Stand firm. Love God with our everything and love others.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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