God’s Promises Shape Our Lives, #3

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God’s promises are more than words on a page. His promises sustain us throughout our life and throughout eternity. His promises are our assurance that He will never leave us or forsake us.

Lisa Blair

God’s promises blanket all aspects of our lives. He is the author of Creation, and as such, addressed our lives in totality. I was in prayer one day and reading the Bible and came across the Promises Index in Charles Stanely’s Life Principles Bible. God often speaks to me and in His quiet voice instructed me to write about His promises. And, of course wiith all instructions He identified which promises He wanted me to write about.

This entry highlights three areas that fall within His promises for protection, which are promises as our defense, as our refuge, and as our security. His promises take precedence over our experiences. We can rest assured that we are protected by our Lord and Savior despite what we may be going through. Our faith in His Word as all truth ensures us that He is always present, leading us down the path to safety. He promises to always protect us.

As our Defense

God protects us by surrounding us with a shield, and a hedge of protection. He provides refuge and a place of rest. When we think of His provision for our defense and rest in this truth, we are protected regardless of what we are experiencing, we are able to rest in peace as He provides a way out of no way.

Psalm 5:12 NIV

Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Proverbs 30:5,6 NKJV

Every word of God is [a]pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

Ephesians 6:13 NIV

Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

As our Refuge

Psalm 9:9 NIV

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 43:2 NIV

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

Our God is an awesome God. He knew what we would go through before we were born. He knew the hardships and pain we would suffer, yet He knew that if we trusted Him, He would provide shelter, refuge, food, clothing, our sanity, and meet our daily needs. All He asks is that we trust Him in the face of darkness. He will bring us out of despair and into the light of day, stronger and better than when we were struck with the unknown.

As our Security

Psalm 55:22 NIV

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 48:14 NKJV

For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.

I particularly like the 91st Psalm as my go-to scripture to surround me with His protection when I feel vulnerable, when I want to place a hedge of protection around my family and home (refuge), and when I need God’s assurance. It seems to sum up all of the verses above.

God is our hope, protection, banner and peace. Call upon Him in times of uncertainty and trouble. You may feel lost, you may in a position when you sense your world is crumbling, that is when you most need to run to your refuge knowing God will bring you through.

Acting premptively, I put on all the Armor of God (Ephesians6:10-18), and read the 91st Psalm to secure my family and home within God’s structure of safety. It’s also my way of opening my daily dialogue with Him. How do you begin your own? Do you begin your day on your own or in lockstep with our Savior?

Resources: Life Principles Bible. Charles Stanley; biblegateway.com

Images: Goggle Images; LAB Photos

God Creates Light

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Posted on  by Lisa Blair

In this life the light of the Lord emanates through us. The Holy Spirit dwells in us and is light. Externally it derives from the sun and the moon, casting light upon the earth (Genesis 1:3-5). But glory be to God, when we are in our eternal resting place, the light of the Lord will be upon us. There is no need for the sun or moon. The light of the Holy Lamb is ablaze throughout our heavenly city, there is no need for rotation of the earth, where the sun and moon cast day and night, fore, we were never of the earth, only in it for a time. God is light (Revelations 21:9-11; 22-23).

“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” 
Revelations 21:9-11, 22-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Resources: Bible.com; Google Images

Ask, Seek, Knock

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God promises to answer if we, seek, find, and knock.

~Lisa Blair

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Barnes notes best sums up this scripture.

Ask, and it shall be given you … – There are here three different forms presented of seeking the things which we need from God – asking, ‘seeking, and knocking. The latter is taken from the act of knocking at a door for admittance. See Luke 13:25; Revelation 3:20. The phrases signify to seek with earnestness, diligence, and perseverance. The promise is, that what we seek shall be given us. It is of course implied that we seek with a proper spirit, with humility, sincerity, and perseverance. It is implied, also, that we ask the things which it may be consistent for God to give – that is, things which he has promised to give, and which would be best for us, and most for his own honor, 1 John 5:14. Of that God is to be the judge.

And here there is the utmost latitude which a creature can ask. God is willing to provide for us, to forgive our sins, to save our souls, to befriend us in trial, to comfort us in death, to extend the gospel through the world. Man “can” ask no higher things of God; and these he may ask, assured that he is willing to grant them.

Reference—BibleHub.com, Barnes Notes—Matthew 7:7, paraphrased Image—Bible.com, YouVersion

The Lord is Over All Things

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We are anxious and fret needlessly. God is with us. Who or what can stand against us?

~Lisa Blair
Caleb Warren, YouVersion, Bible.com

What a great way to begin the week, recognizing God is over all things. He is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. The truth is, we are anxious and fret needlessly. When we surrender and reside in His Will, His Word, and His Way, the craziness of the world cannot crash down on us. We are protected by His promise to keep us safe.

Our life on earth is a dispersion cast by Satan’s deception. God gave us life to live fully and with power. We have the power to rest in His peace as the world spins off kilter around us. We can experience the calm He provides if we walk in His peace.

Let us walk in victory this week, standing fast in the face of all challenges. We are victorious!

The Effect of Anger is Sin and Increased Stress.

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Anger increases stress, discomfort, and elevated blood pressure. Anger is a symptom of an unwanted action and the only person harmed is the ‘angry’ person. The person who is the focus of anger lives and continues to move forward. The harm is internalized by the perpetrator of anger and sin. The angry person is frozen in anger. The angry person gives their power to the devil. Listen to the Word, it is telling us how to live, what to release, and how to represent God’s love in all that we do. Do not let the sun go down while still harboring anger.

Joyce Meyer wrote:

Ask yourself if you are angry with anyone for anything, and if you are, ask God to help you forgive, forget, and let it go. God is our Vindicator, and if we will allow Him to, He will repay us for every injustice that has been done to us. In my life, I have learned that anger is something we should never carry around with us. God’s Word says that we should not let the sun set on our anger, and if we do, then we give the devil a foothold in our lives (see Ephesians 4:26–27).

Do yourself a favor right now and refuse to remain angry or bitter. God has good things planned for us, and we don’t want to miss them by refusing to let go of things in the past. Start fresh with a peaceful heart and be determined to enjoy each day.

God offers us peace, but peace is not attainable when we under stress brought on by anger, suspicion, and hate. When we are angry, we give the devil an opportunity to weaken our resolve, our faith, and our will to follow our Lord. We loose individually and collectively.

Do not fall prey to anger, do not sin, and do not give Satan a foothold.

Image – Google images

Resource – My Time with God Study, Joyce Meyer. Bible.com