God's Protection

Do you feel under fire by a barrage of personal, financial, physical, spiritual, or other attacks? Have you attempted to shield yourself or your loved ones with your own efforts or things other than the Lord? Although your efforts may be well intentioned, the Lord is the ultimate, impenetrable shield. Any shield other than the Lord will fail to protect the mind, emotions, and hearts of you or your loved ones.^[1]

Jesus hasn’t left you alone to suffer through life’s trials by yourself. You can cover yourself with His love and truth.^[2]  You can call to your Heavenly Father, who David describes in Psalm 3:3 as a shield about him. You can put on the spiritual armor that He’s given you so that you can resist evil and stand firm (Ephesians 6:13). 

If your shield of faith is down, take it and hold it up. You can do this by taking “up” your Bible and taking God “up” on His Word. Soak your mind and heart in His Word and let it speak to and strengthen your soul (Psalm 119:97-98, 110-111, 114). ^[3] 

Lord, thank You for being a SHIELD about me. Help me stay under the protection of Your divine armor and Word.

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¹ Debbie Taylor Williams, Monroe, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion (Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing, 2006).          

² Williams, Pray with Purpose, 2006.                                                                                                                                                                                          

³Williams, Pray with Purpose, 2006.

What are you facing today? Are the storms of life relentlessly beating against your soul leaving you feeling unsettled, discouraged, or perhaps overwhelmed? 

Is someone “attacking” you, finding fault or accusing you wrongly? 

No doubt, there are times when we feel battered by our stormy circumstances. When that happens we can go to God, who Psalm 91:1 describes as a shelter. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

Yes, God is a shelter. The Hebrew word sēṯer means “hiding place.”  God is a hiding place for the believer.

What does that mean for us on a daily basis? 

It emphasizes how important it is for us to sit with God and to return to Him when difficult circumstances strike like lightning, when someone’s words pelt us or Satan sends tornadoes of temptation. 

When we dwell, sit, in the shelter (hiding place) of God, He covers us with His righteousness and peace. Go to Him. Sit with Him.

Lord, You are a SHELTER in the storms and temptations of life. I love and praise You!

Are you going through a trial? Being tested? Do you have relationship issues? A problem with your tongue? Do finances get you down or are you caught up in money? Do you have questions about how prayers get answered or why they don’t? The book of James speaks volumes into our lives and offers words of encouragement to hold on to and apply through life’s storms. Follow along in our James study by clicking HERE, or watch the teachings on YouTube by clicking HERE.

A new teaching from the James Bible study is now being uploaded to YouTube each week. Click HERE to watch or listen. Don’t forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe so you don’t miss future videos!

Are the storms in your life overwhelming you, perhaps literally? Whether the storms are literal or metaphorical, fear can flood our emotions. Lightning bolts of regret can strike us to the core. Worry can flood our minds. But God doesn’t want us to stay overwhelmed, drowning in fear, worry, and regret. That’s why He has given us His Spirit, His very presence to be with us.

Psalm 46:1 reminds us that “God is our refuge, a very present help in trouble.” Just as shelters offer a place for flood victims, God calls us to come to Him for refuge. The Hebrew word “refuge” means shelter from danger or falsehood. 

The more closely we stay under God’s arms of truth, the more protected we are from the enemy’s lies. So go to Him. Shelter under the truth of His love for you.

Lord, You are a REFUGE who shelters us from Satan’s lies, worldly deceptions, and life’s storms. Remind us to not stand in the rain of discouragement, but rather shelter under You.

The Lord is always present and wants us to talk to Him through prayer. Learn to pray more purposefully through Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.

Have you ever been driving and keeping your eyes on the road when suddenly a car came up too fast behind you? If so, do you remember the startling feeling? Do you remember hoping the driver would slow down rather than rear-end you?

Often, we speak of the Lord leading us, but Isaiah 52:12 also speaks of the Lord as watching out for our backs: “…the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

In Isaiah 52:12, God is referred to as a rear guard when the Israelites escaped Egyptian bondage. 

God is also our rear guard. He watches over us, leads us, and not until heaven will we know how many times He’s protected us from encroaching evil and danger. 

Just as it was important for Moses and the Israelites to pay attention to and follow God’s instructions, it’s important for us to pay attention and follow His instructions. 

How do God’s warnings and instructions come to us? They come through the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s promptings. 

How well are we paying attention to our Rear Guard?

Lord, thank You for being my REAR GUARD and for all the ways You watch over me and protect me. Help me be ever sensitive to Your warnings. I love You. 

In addition to being our rear guard, the Lord is also our fortress. Debbie discusses this further in her blog post, “A Good Place to Be.” To read the full post, click HERE. 

When you think of fortresses in the Bible, what comes to mind? In the past I often had images of David scaling a hill and finding protection in the clefts as Saul pursued him. In addition, however, fortresses were thick-walled cities such as Jerusalem, referred to in 2 Samuel 5:9 as the stronghold in which David lived. 

Fortresses imply the need for protection from enemies. Is there such a need today? Yes. Whether the enemy we face is a person, nation, or the devil and spiritual forces of wickedness, we have a fortress in God as David did. What can we learn from him regarding the Lord being a fortress? 

First, we must have confidence in the Lord and place our trust in Him when standing against the enemy. We must say as David did, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:2). 

We must call upon the Lord. “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies” (2 Samuel 22:4). 

We must go to the Lord, our fortress, confident He will lead and guide us. “For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3). God is mindful that we live in dangerous times on enemy ground. The question is, are we mindful that God is our fortress? Are we staying “in” Him? 

Lord God, You are my FORTRESS. Thank You that I can run to You, I can live in You, and be saved from my enemies.

Do you ever wonder if we’re in the end times? Would you like to learn more about the signs of the end times? Grab a copy of Debbie’s Bible study, End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do HERE. Access the free accompanying videos and podcasts HERE.