The Lord is my defense, the Rock of my refuge

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ladylynn

Guest
#1
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[TD="width: 100%"]Psalm 94:22
But the Lord has been my defense, and my God the rock of my refuge.[/TD]
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[TD="colspan: 3, align: left"]Imagine being a poor widow, a stranger in the land and holding one of the lowliest jobs in society. That was Ruth’s situation, so it would have been easy for her to feel vulnerable and defenseless. But because she trusted the Lord (Ruth 1:16), He placed her under Boaz’s protection.

Boaz, the owner of the field she worked in, commanded his young men saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.” (Ruth 2:15) What he was saying to his men was this: “She might be a gleaner, but because I care for her, treat her with respect and make sure she is not put to shame.”

Boaz is a picture of our Lord Jesus. If you are feeling vulnerable and defenseless right now, imagine Jesus commanding His angels, “Watch over this one who belongs to Me. Make sure he is treated with respect and not put to shame because he is someone I love and someone whom I died for.”

God’s Word tells us that if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) No one who has set himself against us can prevail because when God is for us, His protection is upon us. That is why I have never answered any of the poison email messages which I have received in the course of my ministry.

My attitude is this: Jesus is my defense. If He does not defend me, it means that there are things in my life that are not to be defended, and I would be glad to find out about them now rather than later. On the other hand, because I take the Lord as my defense, and He defends me, what can those who are against me do to me?

When you defend yourself, you have only your two hands and your own human resources. But when you let Jesus take up your defense, He defends you with His nail-pierced hands and His legions of angels! The results will be amazing.

Beloved, the Lord is your defense and refuge. Trust Him to defend and protect you![/TD]
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Destined To Reign Devotional for Sept.25
 
Hizikyah

Hizikyah

Senior Member
#2
Aug 25, 2013
11,634
372
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#2
Psalm 34:19, "Many are the evils of the righteous, But יהוה delivers him out of them all."

Psalm 46:1, "Ylohim is our refuge and strength, A help in distress, soon found."

Psalm 12:5, “Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the sighing of the needy, I now arise,” says יהוה, “I set in safety – he pants for it.”
 
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ladylynn

Guest
#3
#3
I've observed people (myself included) over the years and discovered that one of the reasons we don't go to the Bible with great excitement and expectation is because we don't believe the promises are for us or for today. That the promises of God are sort of hit and miss. We are taught from the very beginning that the Lord can give to this one...but no.,not that one. As if the promises are a mystery and the Lord is saying;

"OK, you., yes, you can have this promise... and you...no., not you.,not today. And you over there..you can be healed but you on the other side.. no, not you. OK., now you over on the left ok, you can get help today..but you over in the way.,no not you.., oh no way not you!

This says the promises of God are "No and not you" when in actuality the promises of God are "YES and AMEN." We humans are excellent at comparing ourselves by ourselves and with ourselves. (the Bible tells us not to do that) So many of us do not take the promises as presented to US. We look around and see how others don't have the promises. And... since most people see the negative of life since we are in the world and the world teaches us through tv even our daily speech we repeat the evils in life., so we have learned life stinks. So instead of saying what God says "this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it" we echo the enemies negativity "life rots"

We basically have learned to ignore what God says and believe hook line and sinker.,fishing pole, and boots and pants the lie of the enemy. Instead of saying "God is good ALL THE TIME!!" we say
"God is good some of the time and we can't count on Him to do what He says because look in the world and see the evidence". We have actively cut ourselves right at our own knees by ignoring the promises and seeing instead the daily lies of the enemy forced and reinforced in this world since he is called the god of this world. We have been warned he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet how many just walk out what we are fed in the world?

We look at people who are sick and dying and decide; "since the Lord didn't heal or rescue them, He sure won't heal and rescue me!! I'm so much worse that that lovely Christian. I'm not innocent like that baby. I'm not deserving like that good man! All those people who got wiped off the face of the earth by that tsunami were no better than I so why would God save me and not them? Why bother even asking God to take care of me when He didn't take care of them?" - Effectively cut self off at knees=enemy has won the battle.

You see what we do is we stop the promises of God by our own reasoning and our own ideas of ours and other people's merit. We become judge of God and of ourselves and of others. We base our getting or not getting the promises on our ideas of performance, worthiness, merit or totally on the external and not based on the Word of God.

Human beings are ALWAYS looking at other people and ourselves and not at the beauty of the love (grace) of God in Christ for us personally as we are instructed in His Word to do. Many of us have not learned how to have our thinking transformed by the renewing or our minds. We are too busy looking at the world like we always used to do. Actually, nothing has changed except our destination from hell to heaven.

So why would God protect the writer of this devotional? Is the man delusional? Are the people who are claiming God's promises and living them presumptuous and maybe just plain "lucky" ?? Was Ruth in the Bible helped just for us to see how God helps perfect people? Was Ruth perfect? Were there people in the world at the time when Ruth was alive that were suffering and dying? Why didn't God help them and save them from death and starvation? On we could go with the questions.

But God wants us to go to the Bible and read it and come to know His Son and what we should believe about His SON JESUS and US. To grow in "faith" and to walk in "faith" and see the salvation of the Lord walked out in our lives. We can and should be claiming the promises because we have been given a new life.

We will have tribulation in this world but that tribulation is from our enemy not God. Our Father God sent His Son Jesus to make our tribulation different from the worlds. We have hope that the world does not have. But sadly many of us walk the earth just like Joe Shmoe who doesn't have an Abba Father who loves them like we do.

 
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ladylynn

Guest
#4
#4
I get to post my thoughts here when reading amazing truths from God's Word and from hearing faithful preachers of the Word. I get to instead of arguing with other Christians here, I can refute wrong ideas with better ones. God has given each one of us the ministry of reconciliation. We each can do this. (and should)

We are not like the world anymore but the reality is unless we believe that....God even our Abba Father will not force us to.

He has given us His Son Jesus and His Word the Bible and the Holy Spirit to walk us through and guide and teach and direct us. But it has come to my attention late in life that unless we believe and walk out the truth by faith believing, God will not force us to trust Him. He won't force us to believe the process He planned out for how to do this Christian life.

He has unveiled to us the "how to" through His Word and the Spirit. It's there for us to see but I didn't believe so I didn't see Him show up in my life until I did. Faith is an activity. We fight the good fight of faith. We work to rest in faith. Faith is what pleases God. So much so if we don't take it and walk in it God won't show up in our lives in shocking and amazing ways like the promises "promise"

Romans 16:25-27
[SUP]25 [/SUP]Now to Him Who is able to strengthen you in the faith which is in accordance with my Gospel and the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ (the Messiah), according to the revelation (the unveiling) of the mystery of the plan of redemption which was kept in silence and secret for long ages,
[SUP]26 [/SUP]But is now disclosed and through the prophetic Scriptures is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, [to win them] to obedience to the faith,
[SUP]27 [/SUP]To [the] only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One)! Amen (so be it).


Faith is an obedience that it seems to be saying we have to obey in faith in order to see God work in our lives. Will we see His hand working in our lives without faith? I have found out the answer is; no.

We are not like the world. We are contending 'for the faith'
 
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Infusion

Guest
#5
#5
I am going through struggles and attacks of my own. Thanks for this because I needed to be reminded thats the difference of those who are protected and who are not. Is those who have faith in the Lord. And as he promises those who live according to his will.
 
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ladylynn

Guest
#6
#6
Infusion said:
I am going through struggles and attacks of my own. Thanks for this because I needed to be reminded thats the difference of those who are protected and who are not. Is those who have faith in the Lord. And as he promises those who live according to his will.
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It's not because we are doing so great it's because we are not doing so great and we need Him desperately. And He comes to our rescue because when we are weak then we are strong in Him. :D
He can change our circumstances and bring us to places we could never have gotten to by ourselves.
He is able to cause us to have not only success but "good success" The kind that will last because it is from Him and not from us.
 
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