What Was That Forbidden Fruit, Anyways?

 

Recently, at a women’s conference, the speaker read scripture from the book of Genesis. While tempting Eve with the forbidden fruit, Satan challenged what God had told her, stating that “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:4-5 (NLT)

While that wasn’t the focus of her message, it spoke volumes to me about the love of our heavenly Father.

When you have children and grandchildren – really, any child that you love, you want to protect them. Ideally, we wish that they never had to know evil at all. How wonderful would their lives be if they never even heard about, let alone experienced, all the evils in the world? It’s our sincerest hope and wish to protect them from all that’s evil. Oh, that they would never know about pain, insult, assault, rape, kidnapping, torture, murder, greed, heartbreak and so much more!

Alas, we know that they will be exposed to all those things through media and some of those things through their own experiences.

What if there was something we could do to protect them from it?

What if we could prevent them from opening the doorway to the evils of the world?

What if they could only know…..good?

In His love, mercy, compassion and goodness, God only had one rule for His children in the Garden of Eden: Don’t open this door – this door will lead to pain and sorrow and destruction, even death.

Yet through the subtle deception of the enemy, the door looked tempting, as Satan attempted (successfully) to make it look to Eve – and Adam there with her, like God was keeping something good from them. He wanted to make them believe that knowing good AND evil would make them like God.

But God didn’t want His family to know the torment of evil. He didn’t want us to know good AND evil – He only wanted us to know good, forever.

In wanting the best for His children, He sought to protect them with a simple rule. He’d already provided every good thing for them – and forbid the bad from destroying their lives by containing it in a single tree.

“You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:4-5 (NLT)

Knowing what we know now, they’d never have eaten from the forbidden tree. But – they didn’t yet know evil. They didn’t even know what evil was.

Sometimes, as in this case, rules are for our own protection. God didn’t want us to know evil – only good!

Because that fruit was eaten, we now need to be redeemed. In His great love for us, God provided for our redemption by sending His own Son to make the sacrifice necessary to bring us back into harmony with Him.

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”  – Romans 5:8-9 ESV

Yet, like Eve – and Adam, so many of us think we know better than God.

 

Exploring My Discoveries

(picture from fity .club)

I know I’m not even sure where to begin writing today. It seems like there’s so much to put together and make sense of that it’s a bit overwhelming. The fact that maybe it WON’T make logical sense to me looms on the horizon of my mind, as well.

One thing is clear, God is in this with me. I recently wrote about breakthroughs not yet wrapping my head around the reality of my own pending breakthroughs. Breaking through to what’s on the other side of the wall I’m standing in front of should not be a scary or intimidating thing, yet I find myself trembling at the thought of what I don’t yet see. In theory, the very next thing I see at any given moment could be something I’ve never seen before. Or – it could be something I see every day but, in a brand-new light, a light that will change my perspective and the course of my daily life. Am I ready for that change? Whether it’s a baby step or a leap of faith, I’m not as good with change as I used to be. I’m rather settled in my ways now. I’m comfortable. While that might mean wearing sweatpants more than dress slacks these days, it might also be a place where I’ve become far too complacent. Life shouldn’t just be endured, but lived fully every day. Every day should include some exploration, acquiring new knowledge and wisdom, operating in new understanding of the mysteries of God. One of my favorite Bible verses reads:

“And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” – 1 Timothy 3:16 KJV

God wants us constantly exploring Who He is – and Who He is to us!

(picture from ncte .org)

While talking with a few people of another denomination (religion, actually), they insisted they were right about all things biblical, and that the Bible could be understood with logic. Well, the Bible itself states that’s not correct.

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV

These “friends” came by weekly to share their convictions and beliefs with me. I was a new Christian and didn’t know the Word well yet, but God brought my attention to the verse in Timothy, and I loved it immediately. I wrote it out in fancy print on a piece of cardboard and taped it on the inside of the front window where anyone approaching my front door could see it. When my friends came by the next week, I watched from my living room as they stopped in front of the homemade sign and read it. They didn’t even bother coming to my door, they turned around and walked away, never to be seen again. I knew I couldn’t “argue scripture” with them, I didn’t know it well yet myself. God in His great love for me surely didn’t want to see me drawn away from His incredible Truth so quickly after coming into relationship with Him, and with a simple poster protected me from the lies of the enemy. Now I can hold my own, but then I was just a babe in Christ.

(picture from wallpaperflare .com)

God’s knowledge and our logic come from opposing starting points. He’s surrounded us with great mysteries to delve into, discovering new things all the time. A verse can speak to me on one level today and tomorrow it can open up a whole new revelation, as I continue to renew my mind by the Word of God. He doesn’t want us to conform to this world and its wisdom, He has greater plans for us than what the world can impart to us. But He will use the world He created to teach us all the marvelous mysteries of Life.

By the way, did you know that when we speak of Life, we are speaking of Jesus Himself? Often, I hear people discussing how tough life can be. It kind of makes me shudder on the inside. Life is not hard. Life isn’t scary or difficult at all. Circumstances can be tough, hard, scary and a wealth of other things, especially if we don’t know yet Jesus. But Life – no Life is GOOD.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – John 14:6 KJV

Jesus IS Life. Some may find it odd that I capitalize the word Life, now you know why. He IS Life. He’s my Life, but so much more. He’s Life itself.

(picture from wallpaperaccess .com)

While I embark on the upcoming changes to my little world, pray in agreement with me if you will, that I walk boldly with God and embrace all that He has for me. I’ll pray the same for you.

What walls are you standing in front of right now? What’s holding you back?

The Excellence of the Guard; My Conclusion

(picture from pinterest .com)

Our hearts hold untold treasures. Go ahead, try to list them. That's sure to renew your joy!

We’ve also stored plenty of memories in there; we’ve buried feelings and emotions there.

How can we guard it with excellency?

God said to “Guard your heart above all else,” Why? “for it determines the course of your life.” – Proverbs 4:23 NLT

He doesn’t tell us to do anything we’re not able to do – with Him.

I believe our hearts are that hidden place where our spirit and soul come together; the place where God lives, if we let Him. Just as we have a triune God, we are triune beings. We ARE spirit, the part of us that is redeemed from the sin of the world; the part that joins into union with God Himself. We HAVE a soul (our mind, our will and our emotions) and we LIVE IN our body till we leave this world. When we come to Christ and invite Him to live in our heart, it involves submitting ourselves to Him completely. Many of us want God to save us from hell’s destruction after we leave this world but have absolutely no desire to become one with Him and submit the smallness of our humanity to the only all-knowing, all-powerful, omnipresent God.

Whether we know Jesus or not, we can guard our minds. We can be disciplined and hyper-vigilant about what we take in, at least for a while. We can stive to watch wholesome entertainment, we can study certain topics while deliberately avoiding others. We can limit who and what we surround ourselves with.  But plenty of garbage gets past us. We’d have to live alone on a deserted island to not get input from others. That’s not where we live.

(picture from pinterest .com)

Whether we know Jesus or not, we can guard our bodies, though few of us have the discipline or perhaps resources to do so. Some are very determined to have healthy bodies. We do the best we can with what we have. But we all have unwelcome input that makes its way into our bodies, via our food or the air we breathe or the water we drink. To not get that input, we’d again have to live on that island and now it would have to be an island that could provide for healthy body requirements.

Only when we DO know Jesus are we supernaturally empowered to adequately guard our heart. That power comes from being united with the source of ALL power. By guarding our hearts, we become better equipped to guard our soul and our body.

The ONLY way to guard our heart is to follow biblical instruction, given to us in Romans 12:1-2 (NIV). “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

This means submitting ourselves to God, renewing our minds (spending time with God and His Word) and putting our hearts in His hands. Does doing this mean we will never suffer attacks? No, we’re promised attacks. But the more quality time we spend in His Word, the more easily we’ll recognize the assaults the god of this world and come against them. With God, we are the most excellent of the Guard.

(picture from youtube .com)

With God living on the inside of us and being joined together with us in the most intimate way possible, we can tap into His power. When we do OUR best, we weary ourselves. There’s so much to pay attention to around us. All our energy is consumed by constantly being on guard. We lose our creative energy and abilities to glorify God. By joining WITH GOD, we become capable of guarding our hearts, (where our being comes together), and doing it well. We are too weak to do it without Him and the struggle will make us weaker. The excellence of the Guard comes only through relationship with the God Who created our heart in the first place.

The Excellence of the Guard

(picture from pinterest .jp)

When someone speaks the word “guard” my mind automatically goes to a picture of one of the guards at Buckingham Palace. I’ve been there to see them in person.

The next image that comes to mind is that of a prison guard. Next would be the picture of a man or woman assigned to executive protection for someone important. (That used to be one of my husband’s jobs.)

If someone was guarding me, providing my protection, I’d expect them to have been trained and know how to ensure my safety. I would likely leave everything up to them, since I most likely don’t have their level of training. I believe the best guards have the best training available.

There are times we’re called upon to provide protection for someone and fail. I’m the guardian of my young child, if they run out into the street right in front of me and get hit by a car, I’m responsible. There are circumstances where it wouldn’t be the parent’s fault if their child got hurt. Evil people work hard to get around the safeguards put in place. I may do everything right and still see my child hurt in some way.

(picture from feri .org)

Different targets require different levels of protection. The Crown Jewels on display in a museum probably has more guards around it and a higher security level than children in our local schools. Okay, maybe that’s not a good comparison, no matter how accurate it is. But no one is guarding my lunch box in the frig at work, yet many people are required to guard a dignitary.

Value usually plays a role in the level of protection something or someone is provided. So how do we determine value? We all make different calls when it comes to placing value on something. I might treasure a book, but a non-reader would never consider a book something of value. Most of us value money and place a decent level of protection around the little we have. Beyond even our children, whom some of the parents we see on the news seem not to value at all, what could be considered of most value? What should get the highest level of protection?

Scripture tells us to, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” – Proverbs 4:23 NLT

I believe that our hearts are that hidden place where our spirit and our soul come together; the place where God abides, if we let Him.

“No, my dear, your heart is not a closed receptacle.
It’s not a box to hold your memories.
It’s not a sack in which to carry your worries.
It’s not a trophy to be dusted off occasionally.
It’s not a hole to bury things in, good or bad.
It’s never filled to overflowing nor is it ever empty,
no matter how you feel.
It’s not a thing that can be handed over to someone else,
even though poetry tells us so.
It’s the center of your being,
where everything is filtered
as it comes in or flows out of you.
You have the controls,
even when everything feels out of control.
You may not be able to determine everything that comes into your heart,
but you’re in charge of what flows out.
Hurts will find their way in.
Pain will pierce your heart.
Fear will grip your heart.
Loneliness will try to trap your heart.
Panic will arise to scare your heart.
But the Maker of your heart has His hand on your pulse.
He knows your heart, even when you’re trying to hide it.
He sees your heart, even when you feel invisible.
He hears your heart, even when you can’t cry out.
He lives – in your heart.
Trust Him with everything that comes in and flows out.
That’s where your control is greatest, that’s where your power emerges,
that’s where your hope springs from, that’s where your peace mounts,
in deciding Whom to entrust it to.
When God is your source and your filter,
He eases the pain of the bad and stirs up the excitement of the good.
He gives you the option to pour out good, godly love all over those around you,
or to spew evil just because – you can.
The filter in the middle of your heart is made of God’s fingers,
upon which are written in His blood:
FORGIVENESS.
Have you clogged that filter with bitterness?
He will wash all of that away in an instant if you ask Him to.”
- Helen Williams!  12/2022

I’m open and ready to hear your suggestions. How do we guard our heart?

Look for part two, my poem took up too many of my words. (wink-wink.)

Fruit Roll-ups

(fggam.org)

As I was praying over a dear friend this morning, God nudged my memory and I recalled having a discussion with a friend many years ago. This friend was feeling attacked by someone else we knew from church. An illustration came to mind about the precious Blood of Jesus.

This Blood is the only thing that can cleanse us from sin, it’s our “ticket to Heaven”. It provides a whole lot more for us, though. It provides for our every need. The Blood of Jesus fulfills every promise God made to us in His Word. It provides deliverance from spiritual afflictions, brings life to our spirit, gives us physical healing, protects us from the enemy and more.

Appropriating all the blessings this Blood provides is our job. Jesus did the work on the Cross that makes available the blessings of salvation, but it’s up to us to take those blessings and believe they are ours, to walk in them and to apply them to our lives.

If I buy you a brand-new car and drop the keys in your accepting hands, the car won’t do you a bit of good if you never put the key into the ignition, turn the key and drive off. You’ll still have the car, but I didn’t spend my money on a gift you refuse to use...

(choosingchia.com)

So, here’s my strange analogy. Way back when I got this revelation, Fruit Roll-ups were a new thing. Kids and adults alike seemed to love the fruity snack. Supposedly made of fruit juices (I have my doubts), they’re a sticky substance, rolled out into a flat sheet, then rolled up into a roll and packaged for convenience.

In my mind’s eye, I could see my grown friend lying on a huge, spread out Fruit Roll-up, then rolling over and over, folding the gummy, sticky substance over themselves until they were covered completely. To touch them, I’d have to poke through the Fruit Roll-up. Bizarre? Perhaps, but, the image was to illustrate that the Blood of Jesus completely covers us.  The enemy has to poke through the Blood to get to us.

Unlike the roll-up, the Blood of Jesus is strong. There’s nothing stronger. I can easily poke my finger through a roll-up. But though the enemy try repeatedly, he cannot break through the Blood of Jesus. That’s our permanent protection, promised and delivered by God, Himself.

We can feel beaten up and worn down by all the poking the enemy does to us, but he cannot get through.

When we stop spending time in God’s Word and talking with Him daily, we weaken, but the Blood of Jesus is still as strong as it was the day He poured it out for us. Even when we spend time with God, the enemy is still trying to poke through, but His Word encourages us and tells us the truth – that the enemy is lying to us, again.

We need to get it into our understanding that the enemy cannot take us out. If he could, he would have done so already. All he can do is lie to us, hoping to deceive us into believing we’re sick or oppressed or afraid or confused, etc.

Begin to praise God in the midst of your circumstance (and get back into His Word!), believe God. Then, laugh at the mess you thought you were in. God will show you your breakthrough as you praise Him, as you acknowledge His protection and promises fulfilled to you.

Complaining, whether internally or to others, about the negative garbage the enemy is throwing at you will only help it to stick to you.

(wccowboychurch.org)

Trust that bloody roll-up of Love, trust in God’s provision. He’s not a man that He should lie to you. (Numbers 23:19) He’s provided every single thing you need to live a prosperous life; to live life abundantly. That’s what He sent Jesus to do for you!

“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus  Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." -Hebrews 13:20-21 (NKJV)

Soaked in Safety

(photo from mercurynews.com)

The other night I was praying for our children and grandchildren. As I lay there in bed, picturing their beautiful faces, they all appeared to be standing on an airport tarmac. Hmmmmm, where are they going? As I prayed over each of them, the white fire suppression foam that’s sometimes sprayed on a tarmac before an emergency landing seemed to flood in around them, protecting them from harm. The foam arose around them like whipped cream, fluffy and expanding. What great peace filled my soul as I watched them play in it. What a great word picture. Peace, protection and play, all wrapped in that foamy prayer.

(photo from citynews.com)

The next night, I saw several prayer requests on Facebook I committed to include with mine. One friend’s brother is going through a rough time, another asked for prayer for their family, because they’d lost a one-year old child/grandchild. As I lay there, praying for peace and understanding in situations most of us find hard to understand, again, I felt God surround them. This time, the word picture was a dry bowl of Frosted Flakes awaiting milk. As I continued to pray, milk began to pour into the bowl. Again, the subjects of my prayers were surrounded, this time, even saturated to the point of sogginess.

(photo from mirror.co.uk)

If the foam and the milk represent the Spirit of God, as I contend, those were some incredibly powerful images, drawing me closer to the heart of God.

I trust that God hears our prayers and answers them. He meets our needs with designs our hearts can’t even fathom until we watch them unfold.

I can look into your beautiful eyes and fall deeper in love with you each time. I can daydream about spending time with you and experiencing your love for me.

But, when God looks into your eyes, He sees your soul; He sees your spirit within you. He cannot stop loving you, because He IS love. He woos you and longs to hold you closer to His heart. He doesn’t have to daydream about spending time with you, He’s always with you, surrounding you with His grace, His mercy, His peace and His joy; His permanent and constant love.

Lift up your voice to our Maker. Allow yourself to feel the tarmac foam of His protection. Allow Him to saturate your dry flakes, soaking into every fiber of your being, becoming one with you. Reach out for Him, He’s right there waiting for you, anticipating your touch. He’s well within your reach, longing for a closer and deeper relationship with you. He’s already built the foundation for that relationship; He created you and provided for your every need, He’s eagerly watching and waiting for your responses to His infinite display of love for you.

 

Psalm91 

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress:

my God; in him will I trust.

³ Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

⁴ He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

⁵ Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

⁶ Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

⁷ A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

⁸ Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold

and see the reward of the wicked.

⁹ Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

¹⁰ There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague

come nigh thy dwelling.

¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over thee,

to keep thee in all thy ways.

¹² They shall bear thee up in their hands,

lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

¹³ Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

¹⁴ Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

¹⁵ He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

(kottke.org)

In an attempt to lift my mood, let’s visit the gratitude attitude again. I’ve been letting the gray skies have their way with me, pushing me around like I was theirs to command. Well, I’m not.

Looking for that silver lining, I’m turning my attention to the good in my life, as Paul instructs us to do in Philippians 4:8. I don’t think he wrote this to be skimmed over, but because he knew there would be days we’d need this point drawn to our attention.

To sum it up: Think on the good things!

To spell it out, here’s what it says: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NKJV) 

The thunder rolling around the heavens is no reason to let lethargy have its way. The thunder, too, shall pass. There are rainbows to look for!

I challenge you, again, to come up with your own list of good things to think on; replacing the negative thoughts that try to consume our days. For some reason, it just seems more powerful to write them down, but, don’t feel like you have to. If you find yourself without pen and paper (or keyboard), just say them; out loud will drive the points home to your conscious and subconscious. Drive down the road reminding yourself about what’s good around you. Fold your laundry while recognizing the sweet things you can see. As your children play (perhaps noisily) point out to yourself some of their best assets (number one could even be that you’re their parent!) Sitting at your desk writing memos or email? What do you love about the person you’re writing to? 

(langevin.com)

As I eat my lunch and wait for the rain to pass so that hopefully I can go for a walk OUT-side, I’ll ponder the good things.

1.     My salad tastes GREAT!   

2.     I’ve chosen a healthy lunch.

3.     My laptop works.

4.     I have a blog to share.

5.     I can read!

6.     My home is a happy place.

7.     My home is cozy!

8.     No matter how much it rains, my home hasn’t flooded. Yay!

9.    The bulletin board over my desk is filled with things that make me happy.

Not to mention the BIG things:

10.    God loves ME!

11.    My husband loves me!

12.    My children love me!

13.  I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head that DOESN’T love me! How cool is THAT! 

14.     I'm well fed.

15.     I’m smart.

16.     I’m healthy.

17.     I’m beautiful! – I’m feeling happier already!

18.   My husband and my children are all well fed, smart, healthy and beautiful!

19.    God’s grace completely covers me – all the time!

20.    God is soooooo patient with me.

And silly things:

21.    My new carpet is soft.

22.   When I go out to eat, I can tip enough to make the server smile.

23.    My shoestrings are pink.

24.    The burning candle smells wonderful!

25.    I got junk mail instead of bills.

26.    My friends don’t expect perfection from me.

27.    My haircut makes me feel stronger.

28.    I discovered a new favorite tea.

29.    My husband generally fills my gas tank for me.

30.  I have my “junk” phone calls labeled and sent directly to my voicemail so I never even hear the ring when they try to disturb me.

How long is your list so far? I could go on all day. The gift of being chatty.

BUT – the rain has stopped and I’m going for a walk; outside, with a smile on my face and my step-counter on my arm!

(freeimages.imagestocks.in)

I’ll take my pink ‘brella in case the clouds aren’t finished purging yet. But, those simple lists turned me around. For now; I may have to make them again later – and I will, because I know they work. The Apostle Paul knew what he was talking about!

See ya later!

Keep Us.......

(photo mine)

As we prayed for a young man heading off for the Navy this morning, I found myself praying, “Lord keep him, as you’ve kept us…” My mind flashed by a dozen or more scenes of the hard times we’ve faced in our military lifestyle and second-guessed my prayer. But, no – God HAS kept us!

Once we commit ourselves to Him, He keeps us, protecting us in this world, but not from it. None of us is untouched. Evil reaches into us all, but it doesn’t have the authority to make us its victims.

Personally, I’ve seen a lot of sin and I’ve committed more than my share. But, I’m no victim to the forces that work against me.

Though God promises to keep us, we all have our own journey to travel through life; those journeys include being surrounded and influenced by both good and bad, allowing our hearts to be broken and remade – to rejoice and to weep.

Because we go through seasons of pain, sorrow or confusion does not indicate that God has abandoned us, far from it! Per that famous poem, this is when there is only one set of footprints. Though we may feel God is nowhere to be found, we’re often so self-absorbed in our own anguish that we can’t see He’s carrying us. He’s always closer than we can fathom, He will never put us down to stumble through life alone.

I cannot speak for you, but nothing I’ve suffered has been in vain. I’ve taken it all to God and placed it at His feet. He’s brought good out of it, though it, in itself, was not good. Through it, He’s taught me; He’s widened the scope of my vision. Even through my most painful experiences, I learn love. I scan everything for good. I get to choose to see the good or bad around me. I freely admit that I don’t see the good in everything. There are some horrible things that go on in this world that I can’t even wrap my head around. But, as they say, we can’t go putting periods where God has placed a comma.

This morning I felt a prick in my heart as we sang to God, “…I need You, oooh, I need You….” I need Him. I still need Him. I will always need Him. If any of us think we’ve outgrown our need for God, we’re deceived; pride has crept in. We were designed to need Him, always. I couldn’t help but smile as a warm glow washed over me. In that instant, I recognized anew my great need for Him, my dependence on Him and my never-ending love for Him.

I need everything God’s prepared for me, everyday. I welcome His presence in every second of my day, euphorically.

Have you been trying to “do it all” in your own strength and then perhaps blamed God when you failed? As in, “God, how could You let this happen…..?” Or do you make it a daily habit to ask Him first what He requires of you, then invite Him into everything you do, and allow Him free reign?

I can’t imagine a moment without Him.

Prickly Spines

While on my walk the other day I was captivated by how many flowering cacti plants I saw on the hillsides. The blossoms are so delicate, but be careful if you attempt to touch them! Their defense mechanisms will become a permanent memory when you unintentionally encounter them.

Not a plant I observed growing up in the Midwest, they thrive in extremely dry environments, such as deserts; they’re plentiful in areas that endure drought, hence, we have them here in Colorado in abundance, despite the daily doses of rain we’ve been getting lately. The blossoms of pink and orange and yellow consumed my picture taking the other day while braving the heat for a four mile walk.

What point paraded through my pondering that day? Those prickly spines (which, per Wikipedia are highly modified leaves which help prevent water loss) can inflict some major, long-lasting pain! I experienced it myself that afternoon.

My mind swiftly saw those spines as a prickly hedge of protection around the delicate prize parading itself on top; those beautiful blossoms. And like a game of connect-the-dots, my mind darted next to my children and all of you who are dear to my heart, around whom I pray a hedge of protection.

Though it makes me cringe to quote Satan, in the story of Job, he’s quick to point out the hedge of protection our Lord had secured around Job. (I’ll be very quick to admit that I pray God never feels it necessary to point me out to Satan as He did Job.) Satan responds to God by saying, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?” Job 1:9-10 NIV

Perhaps we’re not quick to recognize God’s hedge of protection, because we focus on the “bad things that happen” in our lives. It reminds me of an old story, whose author escapes me, but I’ll share here (note: by sharing this story I do not imply that it’s biblically sound):

“Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always as they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest

When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, “How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die!”

“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always as they seem.”

Divine protection is fiercer than the spines on the cactus, it’s more tangible than your face, and it’s unmovable and already knows what to protect us from and what to let through to nourish us. The divine protection of which I speak is the very Spirit of God Himself; we are the apple of His eye, the delicate blossoms that adorn His creation.

Perhaps ask God to show you a few things He’s protected you from while you fought your way through a battle. Maybe even find the boldness to ask Him for some revelation about the struggle you’re facing right now.

Father, thank You for such powerful protection from the enemy; and from myself. Amen.

(All three cactus photos are my own.)