Be On Guard

There’s nothing like being in the presence of the Lord. It is so refreshing to your soul and spirit. In His presence I find solace, peace, joy, forgiveness and restoration and there is a love so pure that it is tangible, surrounding and embracing me, bringing comfort and security to all that concerns me. It is in His presence that I come back to the Cross at Calvary and realize His great love for me. It is in His presence that my mountains become pebbles of sand as I am reminded of His great majesty and awesomeness…..there is none like you, O Lord.

“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11)

Since I started this blog, three weeks ago, the spiritual warfare in my life has increased tremendously. The more I share, the more I am challenged to walk by the spirit of the Lord. The more I realize that I this is not a game, that our enemy is real, but our God is greater!!!

Yesterday, I was blindsided by the enemy. It was kind of my fault. The Word says in James 1:19, “…let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” It’s a warning to be careful not to react in our flesh, our old sinful nature. I missed the mark on yesterday.

I had a situation that came up. It was one that had been ongoing for quite some time and I was, basically, sick of it. I wanted it to go away and was tired of “letting the powers that be” deal with it, especially since it seemed that they were not “handling” it too well. I decided that I was going to take matters into my own hands and deal with the situation myself, hopefully putting an end to it (mistake number one).

I tried to deal with the situation in what I thought was a diplomatic way. However, because my intent to mend was not spirit-led, it ended up making matters worse. When I was confronted with the mess that I had made, by “handling” the issue, my reaction was not too godly, to say the least. I became defensive; to the point of making myself out to be the victim of it all. Rather than humbling myself and apologizing I allowed the enemy to feed me one thought: “They just don’t appreciate you.” And you know what? I swallowed it, HOOK, LINE, and SINKER (mistake number two)!

Instead of casting the thought down, as the Word of God says, I allowed that thought from the enemy to permeate my soul and spirit, by dwelling on it (mistake number three). The more I thought about my being “under appreciated” the more thoughts came that were, so-called, reinforcing the fact. Of course, my perception was all thwarted because of my anger and lack of humility. Within in twenty minutes time that one thought had snowballed into a mountain of defeat. When all was said and done, not only was I hurt and angry, but I now thought my life was huge mess. How did I get there from one thought?! I will tell you how…..not obeying the Word.

There is a real enemy who is out to KILL, STEAL, and DESTROY! (John 10:10).Don’t be fooled. The devil is a worthy foe. If it were not for the grace and mercy of the Father, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit we would all be defeated. It is vitally important that we obey God’s word. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Making a long story short (lol), I finished the night very quiet. [I’ve walked with the Lord to know that I had gone down a wrong road and that the best way to keep from totally crashing was be silent before Him (selah)]  I turned in early and awoke this morning anxious to get into His presence. As I entered in to prayer and worship, my heart cried out to my Father for comfort. I laid my plight before Him, asking Him all of the “why me” questions. The Father, who is so rich in mercy, responded in gentleness and grace. He brought a song to my remembrance called, Make Me Invisible.

I could hear the lyrics in my head as the Holy Spirit took me through the events of yesterday. The Holy Spirit showed me just how the enemy got me. He showed me the moment when I had let my guard down. And He showed me how, in my moment of weakness, the enemy was able to get me focusing inward, instead of upward. This shift in focus opened an immediate door for the enemy to go for the juggler. 

You see, the enemy is not out just to injure you; his goal is to take you totally out. He wants to kill your marriage, your children, and your influence. He will wait for the most opportune time to pounce on you. That’s why it is so important that we, DAILY, put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18), that we guard our hearts with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23), and that we walk in the spirit so that we don’t fulfill the lust (desires) of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). This is a matter of LIFE and DEATH!

Praise God for His faithfulness to us, in spite of ourselves. I am thankful that we can find grace, mercy and forgiveness in His presence. I am thankful that He not only forgives, but that restores. And I am thankful that it is not about me, but all about Him. I am re-focused today, are you?

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (II Corinthians 15:57)

May you find grace, mercy and wisdom as you dwell in HIS presence today!

My Love Song to HIM! Dorothy C.