S.A.F.E.

God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great. You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping. (Psalm 18:32, 35-36 NLT)

There is no armor in this world that can prepare us for spiritual warfare. We must be armed with the strength of God himself. Our way of 'dealing' in life will always be to focus on our own self-sufficiency. God's plan is for us to move away from self-sufficiency and toward his sufficiency - it far outshines and outperforms our own!

We want a shield that will provide us with the shelter we need from life's attacks, but we try to erect it ourselves and find it just doesn't work all that well. The shield of victory and the support of his right hand may not seem like much to somebody looking at this from a purely physical vantage point, but when seen from the realm of the spiritual vantage point, it is the only defense we will ever need. Without these, our path is marked with many a pitfall.

The battle is his - the sooner we realize we just push back the forces of darkness IN HIS POWER and STRENGTH, the sooner we will stop leaning into our own flimsy self-sufficient 'shields'. The armor we wear isn't just for looks - it shelters us from our enemy's fatal blows. We fight, but he makes our enemy back down. Think of it ask being made SAFE: (S) Sheltered under his arms; (A) Armed with his power; (F) Firmly planted so our enemy finds us immovable; and (E) Encompassed by his watchful eye, powerful arms, and able armies.

We cannot find shelter in what this world offers and expect to stand strong. This world only offers things that 'promise' safety and protection. No amount of insurance or warranty will ever match up to that assurance of his grace. Beyond the reach of our enemies - isn't that where we all want to be? We will still see them, feel their influence, and even hear their threats/taunts, but they are unable to reach us. Beyond their reach means there is a barrier that keeps us separated from them (vs.48). That barrier is Christ. We might try to battle on our own, but the only barrier we have then is our willpower. That has proven faulty more often than not. We are only SAFE when we allow Christ to become our strength, erecting the barrier of his blood between us and sin's pull. Just sayin!