The walls are necessary

My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. (Psalm 62:7)

While attacks will come, there is no greater way to settle our emotions than to remember God is our immediate and long-term refuge. The most important thing we can remember when under attack by the enemy of our souls is that NO enemy can reach us when we seek refuge in him. We aren't going to avoid attack, but we don't have to face it without protection! I have been high up in the mountains, enjoying the serenity of a cool stream and stirring sounds of nature, all the while 'out of reach' to anyone. The cell towers just don't reach those remote places yet! God's protection is more than 'being out of contact', though. It is a definite 'place' of protection. The walled cities of olden days are no longer, but there was a lesson to be learned there. Those walls actually provided protection from whatever was on the outside trying to get in. We might need to do a better job of setting up our defenses so what is 'outside' our lives that is 'trying to get in' isn't successful. We do that by developing this deep, intimate relationship with Jesus.

An outsider could have found 'protection' within the walls of the fortified cities, but they didn't 'live there'. They didn't enjoy the security of knowing their defenses were in place all year round. They just found themselves in the right place and the right time. God wants more for us than to find ourselves in the right place at the right time, though. He wants us to learn to dwell within the protection of his presence, purpose, and provision. Those walls protected more than the people - they also protected the stored food, housing, and livestock. They were meant to 'keep secure' all that was inside them. God's intent is to 'keep secure' all who seek refuge in him. That means we run to him in times of trouble, but also that we find ourselves abiding there when all is well within our lives. The walls were there in good times and bad. The attack may not be immanent in our lives today, but we want to be sure we are right where we need to be to enjoy the highest degree of defensive protection when it does come. Just sayin!

The Lord is for me (and you, too)

Let all who fear the Lord repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.” In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? (Psalm 118:4-6)

The more we interact with people around us, the more we realize it is almost impossible to please everyone. There will always be someone in the group who thinks differently, opposing every move we make. What do we do when we face opposition? If you are like me, you get a little distressed by the resistance at times. You might want to just pull in like a snail inside its shell, but that doesn't solve the issue, does it? I have learned to take my distress to the only one who can 'de-stress' it - God. I bring the issue to him, but I also bring the 'players' in the issue - including me! There are times when my attitude is the one needing adjustment, while it is the attitude of others that needs it at others. Who am I to judge which one of us needs the adjustment? I have found it is much better to leave that one in God's hands.

What can mere people do to us? If we have lived our lives trying to be people-pleasers, then we think those individuals who we have worked so hard to 'please' can do a great deal to us, but nothing could be further from the truth. People cannot destroy us - though they may try. People cannot get at the Spirit of God deep within us - try as they might, the presence of God is our refuge, and it is where we flee when under attack. Sometimes I need to remind myself over and over that God is for me - all the fear that is trying to rise up from within my emotions is never going to change the security I have in him. It won't change it for you, either! We may have to tell ourselves over and over that God is for us and we will not fear, but that is okay. God knows we sometimes battle against those emotions, and he stands at the ready to help us rise above their attack.

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things! (Psalm 118:14-15)

The strength within isn't always evident - sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we walk in a power not our own, a victory that has already been won, and a placement that remains secure regardless of the enemy's attack. Just sayin!

Taunt on...go ahead...I'm not budging

There are basically two responses to life - facing it head on, or ducking for cover - although there could be different versions of both, it basically boils down to head on or turning tail. The first requires some element of determination, faith, and commitment. The latter simply requires a spirit of complacency, an overly sensitive emotional response to fear, and a whole lot of discouragement. David was in a real "pickle" when he pens these words - perhaps like some form of "pickle" a couple of us might feel we are in right now, or will inevitably face from time to time in life. Friends had turned their backs, enemies were all around, and everything he had counted on seemed to be failing - except God (remember that one, will you).  So, in the midst of this, he turns to the one he knows will never fail.

Take a good look at me, God, my God; I want to look life in the eye, so no enemy can get the best of me or laugh when I fall on my face. I've thrown myself headlong into your arms—I'm celebrating your rescue. I'm singing at the top of my lungs, I'm so full of answered prayers. (Psalm 13:3-6)

When we look deeper at what he says in the midst of his disappointment, we find that he is not going to 'give into' the doubts that come - doubts like God has turned his back on him in the midst of his circumstances.  He is not going to give into the disbelief that his friends have all scattered like the wind - because he still has his most important one - God.  He is not going to succumb to the "woe is me" emotional roller-coaster of missed opportunities, delayed answers, disappointing outcomes, and inadequate responses - because he has learned to trust. Instead, he faces God - asking God to keep his face turned toward him so that God can take a good look into his life.  He invites God to search him - to uncover anything that is not honoring to him.  Why?  Simply because he does not want his enemies to have even one thing that they can boast about - one thing David can look back upon and wonder if he had done something different at that moment, perhaps things would have turned out better.  He wants his reputation to be pure.  He wants his testimony to be strong.  This purity and strength is proven (tempered) in the presence of a holy God - so he runs headlong to God, asking God to expose his character to all who would look upon him.  

He can do this because he knows God has been working in him to form the quality of character that stands up under the pressure of life's negative stuff.  It is not easy, but it is true - we can stand strong in the midst of life's "junky" moments.  If we faithfully come to God with our responses, desires, fears, unbelief, etc. - he takes each open exchange of our time together and begins to use those times to mold us into the image of his Son. The goal is to have a strong reputation - not because it is a bragging point, but because it is evidence of the grace and love of God in his life.  For us, it is to be a man or woman of God that our enemy cannot speak a negative or accusing word about.  The enemy of our souls is the accuser of our souls - he looks for opportunity after opportunity to accuse us - relentless in his pursuit.  Why?  Because those accusations eat away at us - they allow doubt to enter in, they invade the personal peace of our soul and the space of our minds which should be reserved for meditation upon God's Word and enjoyment of his revelation.  God invites us into his arms - enjoying the intimacy of those moments - in order to build us up where we have been torn down by life.

We are invited into his arms today and every day of our lives.  There, he delights in creating a freshness of spirit, a renewal of joy, and a treasure-load of hope - because of his grace.  In those moments of intimate sharing, our character is being transformed - our reputation is being "re-written" so that the world sees only Christ in us. The hope of glory! We might want to turn tail and run, but when we learn to stand in the midst of fear, trusting in the one who holds us closer than imaginable, we learn to look beyond the enemy's frightful taunts and pursuing tenacity. We see instead the glory of God revealed in us. Just sayin!

Don't be 'dull'

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

(I Peter 5:8-11)

Today we find a reminder of the importance of keeping our guard - never, never letting it down because when we do, the dangers lurk.  This is a call to stay alert, aware of our surroundings, attentive to things that cross our path - it won't be smooth sailing all the way and we need to be 'aware' of all that comes our way.  Here we see a picture of the Devil being "poised to pounce" much like a large jungle cat just laying in wait for its prey - eyes fixed, every muscle tense with the power to just explode into action at the moment the chance presents itself. What does it take to stay alert and stand our ground in faith?  We will go through times of testing, much like a refining process, that will purify our faith - so it is important that we figure this out as quickly as possible.  A pure faith is one that can stand confident in the midst of trial and temptation.  How is our faith purified?  The trial (times of testing) brings to the surface things that otherwise would be hidden from our attention and allows us to lay those things before God, trusting him to remove them.  

We need to be involved in our daily walk with a passion and a purpose - not just lazily accepting our lives as already being all they can be (although this would make life it a whole lot easier).  In other words, we stay committed to growth - doing what it takes to grow up in Christ.  This may mean doing what we don't necessarily feel like doing - daily time in the Word, gathering together in regular times of worship and teaching, etc.  It means that we don't accept "good enough" as the basis of our Christian walk - we ask God for the best, and pursue it with the passion that he enables us to develop.  We also need to realize the importance of love in our lives - because it is the manifestation of how God has worked in us, creating a new life within. We are to be attentive to the needs of others, not always focusing on our own wants/wishes, but truly being sensitive to the plight of the other person. Love is learned at the feet of Jesus - love is lived out in the daily example we set to a lost and dying world. Love involves being kind with our words, encouraging in our actions, committed in our attitudes, and industrious in our work.

It is very easy to indulge our ego at the expense of our spiritual walk. Whenever we focus on our wants before God's desires for our lives, we are putting self first.  This is a place of danger for us!  We are called to do good with both heart and soul - that makes us unstoppable in the kingdom of God.  We cannot focus on our needs above those of another.  We cannot control the outcomes of a man's life, but we can impact the outcome by the choices we make, the example we set, and the love we display. We won't go very far in being ready for attack without a complete change of thinking - not dwelling on the old sinful ways of thinking any longer.  In other words, we need to have our minds (thoughts and attitudes) cleansed by the power of God's Word and his Holy Spirit.  The exchange of thought pattern from that of focusing merely on self, sinful passions and pursuits, to that of how God would have us to live is a process of growth.  We learn to "put on" the mind of Christ as we learn to bring each thought, desire, and attitude before him for his approval.  Those thoughts we entertain that do not bring him honor begin to be pointed out, while God faithfully reveals to us what we need to lay down in the process and what we need to replace those thoughts, desires, and attitudes with.  God is in the business of pointing out what needs to "go away", but he is also so faithful to provide what needs to "be put into" our lives.

Last, but not least,we need to be aware of our surroundings - standing our ground, alert, ready for the attack of our enemy.  Satan is like a prowling lion, waiting to pounce, just looking for the opportunity to trip us up in our walk and impede our progress with God.  He most common weapon is doubt - causing us to question the sincerity of our heart commitment, planting little seeds of doubt that cause us to focus on what we are NOT, instead of what we ARE. Be alert! Be ready!  That is the call.  Don't let the enemy of your soul trip you up with his discouraging words, immobilizing thoughts, and tantalizing temptations.  Stay on guard - in other words, don't grow lazy in your walk!  Be prayerful, study often and study well - not just to study, but to actually learn.  The best antidote to a lack of growth is to learn to take in that which will spur us to growth again - regular time in his Word, committed relationships with others walking with him, and attention to times of special communion with our God.  Just sayin!