Tag: protected

When God Warns You

Published on by amylinneaLeave a comment

When they [the wisemen] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” Matthew 2:13

God has plans and warns us in advance.

God’s warning might be a soft whisper, a quickening in your spirit, or a word from another.

Or, God might warn you in a dream, specifically outlining your next move and why.

That’s how God warned Joseph after the wisemen left their visit with Jesus.

God knew Herod’s plans and warned Joseph to escape.

And Joseph obeyed.

Reminds me of a dream I once had.

Living in a ground level apartment, our bedroom had a sliding door.

I had it open with the screen locked for a nice breeze.

Dreamt someone was in our home, stealing whatever they wished.

Woke me up. I stared at the gently blowing curtain.

Getting out of bed, I knew I should shut and lock the door.

Pulling aside the curtain, I saw a man. An intruder.

His hand was on the other side, trying to open it.

He ran away as I immediately slammed the door shut, locking it.

Collapsing on the bed with fright, I thanked God for warning me in my dream.

Can you imagine if he hadn’t? We had an infant in our room. A two-year old next door.

But all was well. God had perfectly protected us.

In life we will have trials due to the world in which we live.

But rest assured God has plans for you.

And if His plans for you need to be protected, He will warn you.

God’s plan could include heartache as you witness to the world God’s grace, mercy and love while enduring what he allows.

It could also include death as many martyrs can attest.

As Joseph trusted God to lead his family, we can trust God to lead us, too.

Lead us, God, into what You have for us.

Protect us from the schemes of the enemy as You foil his plans.

And deepen our trust in You as we fully submit to Your plans for us again and again.

Photos by Tanya Barrow, Brooke Balentine, Inbal Malca, & David Ballew on Unsplash

Unaffected, Unmoved, Unavailable

Published on by amylinneaLeave a comment

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Genesis 5:1

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10

How affected are you by others?

How often do situations move you into fear?

How available are you to the enemy’s agenda?

Guilty!

I know the truth of who God says I am.

Yet often, I fail to remember.

I know the truth, yet I often forget.

Am I alone in this, or does this happen to you, too?

When I forget, I am affected deeply by the ugliness of others.

When I forget, I am moved to fear or anxiety, sometimes even liking my pity party.

And when I forget, I become available to the devil’s lies. To his schemes. To his agenda.

That’s why we need Jesus, His ever present help.

Why we need the Holy Spirit’s whisper, reminding us of the Bible’s truth.

Only with our continual trust in God can we even hope to thwart the enemy’s plans for us.

One weapon we have is to memorize scripture.

Paste a special one somewhere you’ll see it often.

Continually remind your brain of Who made you. Of Whose image you bear. Of Who loves you.

Let’s try it for a second.

Think about how bad someone recently made you feel.

Feel your mood start to shift downward?

Now confidently speak these words to your brain: You are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in you (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Picture yourself standing tall alongside Jesus, His crown on your head.

Picture yourself standing at the cross, Jesus looking at you, dying just for you.

Picture Jesus standing in front of you as you walk into a tricky situation.

You are protected, loved, and safe.

You are chosen.

The next time you begin to fall back into your poor me, even deserving of the attitude self, picture yourself seated in the high places with Jesus.

He chose you for this time.

He is for you, not against you.

With the Creator of the entire universe by your side, absolutely nothing else matters.

Walking in this world will only last for a short time, when compared to all eternity.

Why let others bring you down?

It’s not worth it.

You’re certainly worth more.

God says so.

Photos by Tim Mossholder, NEOM, & Adam Davis on Unsplash