The Plumbline

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 ...

“When the Lord your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land, do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.’ You must not worship the Lord your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods. (Deuteronomy 12:29-31) When God took Israel into the Promised Land, he gave these instructions, but what makes them so important for us to keep in mind today? The first instruction we see here is really one of understanding the 'extreme protection' that exists for a child of God. God - the Lord your God - goes ahead of us to drive out our enemy and his evil forces. The place for God in battle is ahead of us, not alongside or behind us. When God is g...

So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it’s still God’s Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes . If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul. (Hebrews 3:12-14) If someone were to tell me to "watch my step" I suddenly become very cautious about where I find my footing. Some things are just harder than others; some might catch us a little unaware. Sometimes we might get a little bunged up along the way - but trust me, it usually is not because we lacked the warnings! We likely just didn't heed them! God's plan is not to trip us up or wear us out on the journey, but to bring us to our next destination "unscathed" and "safe"! Satan doesn't want heaven filled - he wants hell filled! He wants companions in his e...