God Is My Protection

I’m reading through Psalms, and today I read Ps. 7. God had verse 10 pop out, “My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.” What struck me about this verse is that David was being surrounded by his enemies. God had judged him for his sins with Bathsheba, and God has restored him to his thrown. David was basically saying to God, “You are my protection from my enemies. I don’t need a shield or physical protection, because you are my protection.” David knew that he could count on God to protect him, because God had been faithful to David for years leading up to this point in his life.

Our God is so faithful to us (His children) even we aren’t faithful back. As a loving Father, He disciplines those who practice sins. He did so with David (read Psalms 6). Since God is faithful to us, He will prevent any harm that may come our way unless He has a purpose for it. Yes, God did use harm in the Bible to both punish and develop His people; however, He also protected His people. As a Christ-follower, we are His people. We are His children. He will be faithful to be our shield. He will be faithful to protect us from harm.

When God gives a task to one of His children to accomplish (which He has already completed in Himself), He will protect that child. I’m sure as David was writing this Psalm; he was remembering how God protected him from the bear and lion when he was a teenage shepherd. He could have been remembering the day God had Goliath fall at his feet. He could have been thinking about all the times, he saw God protect him. And he knew that God would continue to protect him because of the God’s faithfulness.

When God gives you a task to complete, rely on Him who has given the task to you. He will complete it. He will protect you as you go about doing “your Father’s task(s).” Because of Christ’s payment for our sin, we are “the upright in heart.” Whatever maybe going on in your life, remember this God is faithful to His children and He will be your protection. God is our shield. Rest in HIM.

Thanks for reading, and until next time grow where God has placed you.

Faith and Open Doors

As we seek God’s direction and discernment, we must truly rely on God’s wisdom and not our own. God’s wisdom is great, and ours is so small. I heard a preacher recently who echoed this statement regarding seeking an open door. He spoke about the children of Israel when they we entering the “Promised Land.” In Joshua 3, God instructs them to walk with the ark on their shoulders into the water of the Jordon River and He would part the water so the children of Israel can enter the land He promised their fathers. I’m sure as He was talking with Joshua about what to do, Joshua must have been wondering why this way? When God parted the Red Sea, He did so in the dark of night so when the sun rose they saw dry land. It took little faith to walk on dry ground to the other side to safety from the Egyptian army. This time, the people had to trust that the water would divide. There were only 2 men left from the previous generation who witnessed the parting of the Red Sea. All others only heard about it from their fathers and mothers. They had to trust that God would do as He promised.

Let's put “Flesh and Bone” on these people (as my college Bible History professor all ways said). Just imagine, you are one of the 12 men with the ark on your shoulder. Just imagine you are one of the 2 men in front. As you step into the water, it starts to recede away from your feet. As you go forward, the water starts moving to the right and left of you. The soft muddy bottom of the river floor becomes dry before your eyes. God is faithful. He does what He said He will do. Since God has kept His promise with this, He’ll do what He has promised regarding in giving us this land. You’re energized and ready to do your part in His plan.

When people seek God’s direction, we want to see an open door. Sometimes you must believe in faith that a door will open as you move forward. Just as the children of Israel had to believe God would part the Jordon River, we must believe God is faithful to His word. The only constant we have in our walk with Him is that He is always with us. He wants what is best for us. Sometimes that means we are stretched and molded to fulfill His calling.

As we continue to seek God’s wisdom, I’ll keep my eyes on Him who saved me. He knows what’s best for me and for Teresa. We are right where He wants us to be.

Thanks for reading, and until next time grow where God has placed you.

Knowing Purpose

Below are comments by Dr. Jack Allen in a newsletter he sent out to his contributors. He has some good insights.

We commemorate the saddest and happiest days during the same week every year. The Day of the Cross and The Day of Resurrection when Jesus redefined life. He completed His task against all odds because He knew His purpose. He taught us that finding ultimate success depends not at all on money or education, but on sacrificing one's personal comfort to the Father's will. Easter reminds us that knowing what one is supposed to do (purpose) can get him or her through the darkest day. It seems that most of Christ's followers have no clue as to their purpose, and opt instead for mediocrity.

Not too sure about that? OK, take a quick test: in your opinion, considering all the Christians you know, how many live either defeated lives, mediocre lives, or victorious lives? Let's define "victorious" as: relative freedom from anxiety; freedom from substance abuse (including alcohol, drugs, sex, materialism, and gluttony); and freedom from the negative tendency to let someone else spread the Gospel.

One of my classes recently concluded that only 3 percent of the Christians they know can be observed to live victorious lives. Three percent on Victory Lane, that's it. At least, that's what we figured. We estimated that 10 percent of all Christians live defeated lives, and the rest (a whopping 87 percent) live in mediocrity. Lukewarm, on plateau, declining, purposeless, yuck. Sounds like . . . failure.


In The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow tells Dorothy that it makes no difference which road she's on because she does not know where she's going. Life without purpose is like traveling a road without knowing your destination. Yogi Berra, a relatively intelligent catcher for the Yankees, once said, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up somewhere else." I could not agree more.

Jesus gave humans a clear purpose: love God and love people (Mk 12:29-31). How exactly does one do that? Can't I just as easily love God and people by mowing grass, building houses, fixing cars, clerking at a grocery store, teaching school, starting churches, selling cars, or just about anything else that's legal and moral. Maybe I need some refinement.

It might help to ask yourself where you want to go. More important, where does God want to take you? Someplace boring or exciting? Someplace fast or relaxed? Edgy or safe? The end of the earth or the end of the block? Let me give you four things to think about while you're trying to decide.


Leading.What draws you? What makes you think, "That's me"? For now, let's assume that God put that leading in you. Get advice and follow it. See if God's develops a passion for it.

Passion.What gets your heart pumping? What task causes you to sit on the edge of your chair when you tell others about it? What would you do even if no one paid you to do it? It's fairly normal that if you get really good at something about which you are passionate, someone will pay you to do it. We can call passion your hearts desire. The Bible indicates that if you follow God closely, He will give you your heart's desire (Ps 37:4). He will also confirm whether or not your passion is from Him.

Confirmation.Start reading the Bible anticipating that God will give you a verse, a passage, or a story that confirms your leading and passion. It's very important that you get advice from a someone who has a good track record making wise decisions. You may consult parents, your Pastor, or a trusted teacher. There will be someone in your life--a leader that God gave you as a blessing. Once you find a biblical confirmation and your advisors confirm your understanding of it, memorize it. Then let God's Word build your faith.

Faith. Faith is what we need when we start second guessing our purpose (Heb 11:1). Most days, you and I need to remember that God's word settles our second-guessing and fears of failure. Like Abraham (Genesis 11-26), we just need to start off in a general direction doing what we've been told to do. If you're a preacher who can't get a church to preach to, start a new Sunday School class or a Bible study group with your neighbors. If God told you to create art, but you have no canvas, draw on cardboard. Do something. My wife, who is often smarter than me, notices that Bible heroes are usually doing their best to obey God while working at something--then God gives them a special assignment. Be productive and have faith that God will send you an assignment. That's the story of Noah, Moses, Jonah, Peter, Paul, John and a few others best I can tell.

With those four thoughts in your pocket, you should be set to find your God-given purpose. Once you know God's purpose for your life, it's time to make a big decision. Ask yourself, "will I trust God, or will I go my own way." If you trust God, you will be headed for success.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


“Quiet is bliss” is a term that is uncommon in our society. From the moment we wake up to the time our head hits our pillow, we are surrounded by noise. We have radios in the shower, morning T.V. news while eating breakfast, car radio while driving to work, the work noise, the car radio driving home from work, evening news while eating dinner, and T.V. for the rest of the evening. We have no quiet time to speak of. In order to have quiet, most people have to put it in our day planner.

I personally have never thought about how much noise is in my daily life until this week. While reading Experiencing God this past weekend, the Spirit of God laid it on my heart to fast this week. There are different types of fasting so I’m fasting from different things (food, caffeine, T.V./radio, etc.) this week. On Monday, I choose to fast from T.V. and radio and man it was awesome. Instead of watching morning news, I read some additional chapters in Proverbs (my book of choice when seeking wisdom and discernment), and I drove to work with no radio or Worship CD playing. Instead, I spent my time praying. During lunch, I started to read a book I bought last month, but haven’t started yet. After a day of work, the silence driving home was like a breath of fresh air. I was able to think about what Teresa and I am seeking wisdom and discernment for. There was no noise to distract me from talking with my heavenly Father. After eating dinner and talking with Teresa, I went into the bedroom and read more of the book. I read up until bed time. I spent a whole day with unless noise in my life; it was awesome.

Monday showed me that we need to go back to the basis of quiet time. Our quiet time is when God is able to talk with us. How is he suppose to talk with us (in His still small voice) if we constantly have noise? I enjoyed the quiet time so much that I’ve stopped watching morning news so I can spend a few more minutes reading my Bible. I’ve stopped listening to the radio in the morning and talk with my heavenly Father while going to work. And I enjoy the quiet on my way home. I’m limiting my T.V. watching in the evening so I can read more. Some of you who are reading this maybe thinking, “Duh!”. You may have already been doing this. If so; good for you. If you’re like I was, you hit the ground each morning with radio, T.V., and general noise until the time you go back to bed for a night of sleep. And you lie there trying to turn off your brain so you can fall asleep but can’t because the noise (T.V., radio, etc.) has given you things that won’t go away.

God has designed us for having quiet time. He wants us to spend this time with Him. This is when we can talk with Him, and through His word talks back. In quiet, there is peace. Nothing to distract you from the One who created us and loves us.

Try to spend some time in quiet. It will leave you refreshed. Thanks for reading, and until next time grow where God has planted you.

Diamonds In The Rough


When you read the gospels and see what a motley crew the disciples were when Jesus called them to follow him and see how rough around the edges the founding fathers of the church were, it’s amazing what has been done throughout the ages for Christ. Jesus saw something in these men that most of their families didn’t see. He saw leaders where others saw followers with no direction of their own. Jesus saw men of valor; where there were only men who were fearful. What men saw with their human eyes were dumb, rough men with no direction, but Jesus saw through His heavenly Father’s eyes men who will turn the world upside down. He saw diamonds in the rough, where others just saw stones.

Since Jesus is the Great I Am, He exists outside of time so He knows the future. When He called His disciples, He saw what they will become and not what they were. He saw men who would lead His church to all the world to proclaim Jesus as Lord of all and Savior to those who accept the gift He offers. He saw men who would stand before councils of men desiring their deaths with no fear. He saw what these men would be through His power and His resurrection.

When God draws us to Himself, He takes us as we are at that time. He takes a person where they are and turns them into something beautiful in Him. He takes a raw diamond and shapes it and polishes it into a beautiful glowing jewel. There is no way a diamond on its own can turn itself from a rough unshaped rock into a beautiful polished shaped jewel. It takes a gifted artisan to chisel the rough parts off and shape it into its potential. God is the One who shapes us into what we will become. We can’t do it on our own. He uses the valleys in our lives to shape us into the beauty.

When people don’t see in you what your Father sees, rely on what He will do to make you what you are meant to be in Him. All the beautiful polished diamonds all started out as rough dirty rocks until the One found them and shaped and polished them into something beautiful. He is at work in your life. Rely on Jesus to complete what He started.

Until next time, grow where God has placed you.

The Great Unknowns

The Christian race is full of unknowns. Paul writes about being focused on the mark or finish line of the race we’re in, but what we don’t see are the mountain tops and valleys from the starting point to the actual finish line we must travel. We’re told again by Paul that God has already finished works for us to accomplish for Him, but we don’t know what these works are. Even though we have all these unknowns, the one thing that is made clear is that we’re never alone. In last half of Matthew 28:20, Jesus tells us, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Since Jesus is with us, there is no sense to be afraid of all the unknowns in our lives as we serve Christ.

When one of the tasks that Christ has for use to do is revealed, we know that He has already accomplished it in His power. Jesus is the One who does; we are the ones who follow. Since Jesus has already completed the task, there is no need to be fearful. In 2 Timothy 1:7, we are told, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Because of the payment Christ gave on the cross for us, we have power in Him.

When you look forward as you travel on the Christian road, remember Jesus is walking beside you. Sometimes you can’t see or feel Him with you, but He’s there. When you feel that you can’t go on, He’s carrying you on His big strong shoulders. When fear leaves you too scared to move, Christ will carry you pass it. Christ is our lamp unto our feet. These lamps were strapped to a person’s sandals in the Bible times to help people see at night. When a person had to travel at night, these lamps allowed them to see about 3 feet in front of them. In the known of the Christian race, Jesus shows us just enough. He gives us what we can bear. Slowly, Jesus reveals His plan for our lives as we are molded into the vessels He can use. He has a plan for all His children. He reveals each differently to each of us. You’ve trusted Christ to save you, so you must trust your future to Him as well.

There are unknowns to us humans, but there is nothing unknown by God. He has known us since even before the world was created (Ephesians 1:4). He knows what we must go through to become the people He has for us to be. Rest assured, our Great Knowns are known to God.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, grow where God has placed you.