Kingdom Moments -January 20, 2011
His Name Is a Strong Tower
Proverbs 18:10, The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe. NLT
Have you taken time lately to assess the quality of life you are living? I'm not talking about your financial status, or your standing in the eyes of others or their sense of approval. Do you have peace in your heart and mind? Are you content in your life? If September 11, 2001 taught us Americans anything, it taught us to always be on guard. Let's do a self-evaluation to see if you fit that on-guard description. Do you sleep well at night and awaken just as tired as when you went to bed? Do you take time to simply relax and find that there seems to be no rest? If you get to take a vacation, do you return with a fresh outlook on life or are you just as exhausted and stressed as when you departed for paradise for a week or two.
How did you do in your self-evaluation? In this post 9/11 life that we now lead, it is easy to become stressed-out and fatigued. It's just not humanly possible for us to remain on guard every minute of every day. Even before the fall, God taught man about the Sabbath day and how we are to rest and keep it holy. The scripture that I began today's devotion with explains to us what we are to do when faced with storms; we are to turn to the Lord, and there He will shelter us in His pavilion. Psalms 91 calls this pavilion, the secret place. In the secret place of the Most High, we will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Apart from placing our full and complete trust in the Lord, there will be no rest for the weary.
Too many well meaning Christians will make the assumption that God is the author of their calamity. Allow me to share with you... that assumption is just that, an assumption; it is completely wrong. John 10: 10 says that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it to the full. Satan is the destroyer, and God is the restorer. Satan is the predator, and God is the protector. This tells us, and the Bible confirms it from cover to cover... that we must always turn to the Lord in the times of trouble, and we will find rest for our weary souls.
Look at all the times that either individuals or the entire nation of Israel was attacked, and they would turn to the Lord, and He would ALWAYS fight for them and deliver them out of the hands of their foes. What we need also to notice about Israel is how many times they would then turn their backs on the faithfulness of God... "after" being delivered from the attacks; they then went about their lives as though God no longer existed. According to the Word of God, there is only one place to find strength and that is in the presence of God. In His presence is fullness of joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. Let's decide to delight ourselves in the Lord and allow Him to restore as He sees fit. Let's choose to enjoy this life in His presence and resist the Devil's fear tactics.
Finally, if you don't already do it, train yourself to cast ALL your cares on Jesus, because He cares for you. This will greatly diminish the weight (or burden) that you carry from one day to the next. If you're going to allow the storms to drive you into a particular direction, at least steer your life in the direction of the Lord and find safety, peace, rest, and strength for your soul.
In the Presence of the Most High,
Pastor Asa
To view today's broadcast of Keys to Kingdom Living by Pastor Asa Dockery, click here
Originally published January 20, 2011.
