Are you stuck in the mode of self-protection that leaves no room for faith in God? The reality is, we’re powerless to protect ourselves. What we need is a sure protector. Are you ready to let down the protective walls and trust God more fully? God knows us and longs for us to have a deeper trust walk with Him. Open your heart to trust Him more.

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“Trust me. I promise I’ll go easy on you if you are nice to me,” implored my young son.

As a family, we enjoy playing games together, especially cards. This particular game required that I give him three of my cards in return for three of his…a risky endeavor, never knowing if what you’d receive would be worse than the medicine you dished out.

I agreed with my son’s pleas to be kind, only to be met with some of the worst cards in the deck as a thank you for my acquiescence. He laughed while I was left aghast.

Unfortunately for him, that little childhood maneuver meant that in successive games, I could not and would not trust his promises again, for he hadn’t shown himself to be trustworthy. A valuable lesson indeed, and one that we’ve gone back to in order to help him determine if friends and acquaintances and even teachers are trustworthy.

God has been wooing me into a deeper trust walk with Him for quite some time. This trust walk has often been more like an ungraceful stumble on a balance beam, many times falling off and returning to try again, than a comfortable Sunday afternoon saunter.

God knows me

He knows my heart and He knows my wounds. He knows in whom I have mistakenly placed my trust before only to be hurt…and He hurt for me. If only I had kept my eyes only on Him and trusted Him. He would have saved me from that wounding.

He knows my longing to go deeper with Him, and He knows my hesitancy and my fear. He knows that it would be a beautiful thing for me to trust Him more fully and in turn know Him more deeply.

And He knows my reluctance. For in trusting Him more, it requires I show Him more of me…the parts of me I don’t let anyone see. The parts of me I don’t even like to see.

The thing about fear is that it has to do with self-protection, but when self-protection is our goal, there’s no room for faith in God. And in that self-protection, we stay alone because we aren’t willing to invite others, including God, in.

God has not given us a spirit of fear. Instead He has given us power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear is not of God, but rather, it is a direct attack from the one who does not want us drawing close to God or knowing His truth.

God is my protector

The reality is, I am really powerless to protect myself. Just as I was powerless in the card game with my son: I could plan but I could not control how others behave or respond to me. So self-protection to a large extent is fruitless.

What I really need is a sure protector. The only one who can be that for me is God. That sounds like a pretty convincing argument to let down the protective walls and trust Him.

“The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe.” (Psalm 18:2 GNT)

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.” (Psalm 9:10)

“But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.” (Psalm 13:5).

Joyce Meyer has said, “The longer we try to take care of ourselves, the less we’re gonna experience the outrageous blessings of God in our life. It is so much fun to stop trying to take care of yourself and let God go to work in your life. And if you’ve never done it, today it’s time for a change.”

In what area might you need to give up trying to protect yourself and let Him be your protector?

 

 

Even in times of crisis, every day can be a good day when you trust the promises of God.

Today is Going to be a Good Day

Now Available!

My newest book, Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right is now available!

This uplifting devotional helps you make each day a good day no matter what is going on in your life.

When life conspires to drag us down with all of its troubles, it can be hard to keep our spirits up. In times of severe illness and depression, I learned that when I stand on God’s promises, despite my circumstances, every day can be a good day.

Each reading includes Scripture, reflection, prayer, and a recommended playlist song designed to help you live out Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

 

 

For more information on the book visit: Today is Going to be a Good Day Book.