“¹⁰for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ ¹¹and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” – Luke 4:10-11 (ESV)

God is my protector and comforter.

“¹²And Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” – Luke 4:12 (ESV)

And there it is, I do not have to test Him to know that it is true. In fact, as put my Jesus, I “shall not” test Him. God will protect and guard me in all times. I have to know that and accept it as that which I have learned. I do not have the right to quiz Him and test His loyalty to me and my welfare. He is there and will demonstrate His love, care, and protection when the time comes for it to be shown.

I know that as a man, I need validation from those around me of the work I am doing and that it is meaningful and I am appreciated. The thing is, I should not be in the business of doing things just to get that. It is important for me to just do the work. The validation will come or not from those around me. The real validation is from God and He will show me when the time is right for Him to show me. I do not and should not test His loyalty and love for me.

What validations are you seeking? Are you doing things for the validation and recognition? What if you were just to do the work of God and allowed Him to demonstrate His love, care, and protection when you “need” it as opposed to when you seek it?

“²¹And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.²²For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” – Mark 13:21-23 (ESV)

Have I not been taught? I have been given knowledge from God in His Word. The knowledge has been taught by many I have trusted in the faith throughout my life. Therefore I know what is right and the correct approach to those things that are of God and that are God. Do I know all, NO, but I know where I should go should there be something that questions what I do know.

All too much in this world, we have been presented with information that is contrary to what we know and at that point it is up to us to accept the deference to what we know or use it to learn more while holding to what we do know. Take the idea of the earth being flat or round. We have been taught that the earth is round. We have seen the pictures from space, read the scientific information, and have accepted it as knowledge. When someone declares that the earth is flat, we may push back a bit yet investigate for ourselves to find proof of the concept before accepting it.

This same process should be used in our faith and with what we know about God. We have been taught and we have read the proof in God’s Word. When someone speaks or brings something contrary to what we know, we should be guarding against it and go to God’s Word to investigate and find the proof that the other person is correct before changing what we know. It is up to us to guard against the false teachings until they can be proven to be truth, and the only place to find the truth is in God’s Word.

When someone brings something to you, what is your approach to the belief it may or may not be truth? Are you accepting of that which is contrary to what you know without investigating for yourself? What if we held to what we know and guarded against that which is contrary until we can find the truth in God’s Word?

“¹⁵Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. ¹⁶’For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her’, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.” – Malachi 2:15-16 (ESV)

It is too easy to abandon God as we go through our lives. When we are not paying attention to His presence, our thoughts are as though He has abandoned us. As such, we then turn away from Him and His love since we do not actively feel Him there with us.

The fact is that He is always with us. We may not feel Him as we have lost sight of and stepped away from our relationship and fellowship with Him, and not the other way around. It is our duty to find our way to Him at all times. Not just Sunday mornings, or Christmas, or Easter, or when we are experiencing a difficult time. We have to maintain our relationship and fellowship with Him in all. Our lives are to be filled with Him.

I have a duty to God and in that duty I have to guard against all that comes against me to distract me from my relationship and fellowship with Him. Satan is actively working to separate me from God. God will protect and guard against the danger, but I also have to guard against falling prey to the schemes of the evil one and turn to God in all. When I turn to Him, he will protect me. When I turn to Him, His love is felt and realized. When I turn to Him, I am guarding against the temptations of the evil one and living in the love of God where I am demonstrating my faith in Him.

When you are experiencing life, what is your relationship with God? Are you allowing yourself to turn away from Him and losing sight and feel of your relationship and fellowship with Him? What if you were to turn to Him, demonstrate your faith in Him to guard yourself from the evil one and allow God to guard over you and protect you from the same?

“¹²For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” – Isaiah 52:12 (ESV)

I think back to when our boys were young and Lori and I would take them places. We always seemed to have them between us. Either we were on either side of them, or one of us before them and the other behind. We always protected them against what was ahead and that which might sneak up from behind.

God treats us as His children as we did our own. He goes before us to clear the way and behind to guard against that which we cannot see. What a great visual and feeling found here in this verse, to know that God goes before me and after me in protection. We are not left out there alone to find our way and fend off that which might come from behind. God surrounds us with His protection.

How do you think of your journeys into this world? Are you out there going it alone? What if you were to know that God is going before you and after you to guard you in your walk?

I have an expectation of safety and protection. But the reality is that protection is not just there. At events, I have to hire security. I have to find someone to escort me when I am not comfortable to go alone. I have to be willing to ask to be protected. I will not get something without asking for it.

“²⁰Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. ²¹May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.” – Psalm 25:20-21 (ESV)

This morning as I read in Psalm, I am reminded that even with God, we should be asking for His protection. We ask Him to guard us. We ask Him to deliver us. Frankly we ask Him for everything. AND HE WILL PROVIDE!

Even in the face of certain difficulty, God will make sure that we are wrapped in His arms of protection. He has devoted Himself to our care and all without us deserving a moment of it. He gives and gives to protect and guard us as His children. And even with all of this true, we should still be asking for Him to guard us against our enemies.

Our asking is not so that God will protect and guard, but for us to acknowledge we are in need of Him each and every day and situation we find ourselves in. We have to ask for the protection and know that when we ask, He will provide.

When you are in need of protection, what is your expectation? Are you just expecting all to be well no matter what? What if you were to ask every time you were in need?

“¹⁸We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” – 1 John 5:18 (ESV)

As a follower of God, I should sin no more. I am of God now in my life and have given myself to Him. I should sin no more. Now that is an interesting statement as I am a sinner and will continue to sin as long as I am here in this world.

I have to go back and look at 1 john 3:6 to get a bit more context:

“⁶No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”

Here I see more and with the commentary read I understand, as a follower of Christ I should not be consciously sinning any longer. I will do all to glorify God and that includes not deliberately taking actions of sin.

Will I sin, yes, and that is where my repentance and God’s forgiveness come into things. I may not know when I sin or what those sins might be, but I will sin and for those I will need repentance and forgiveness from God. When those are realized, which should be daily and more often, God wraps his arms of protection around me and keeps me from harm. Will adversity still happen to me, yes. Will I still experience heartaches and pains, yes. Will I still die and leave this world, yes. Will I have to take all that on alone, NO.

God is my protector and I owe Him for that. Does He need anything from me, no. He only wants me to give myself to Him fully and glorify Him and as a result, I have the protection of Him in my life as I do His work.

What protections are you able to experience from God? Are you a child of God and still actively sinning? What if you gave yourself full to Him, consciously avoided sin, and allowed him to protect you from the evil in the world?

“¹Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; ²the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. ³The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.” – Psalm 41:1-3 (ESV)

This passage reached me this morning just when I needed it. Again, God gives what we need just when we need it. Knowing that God will protect me when I am considerate of those around me is of great comfort.

I feel as though I am in a constant state of serving others and I am receiving very little if anything in return. I don’t seek out recognition for the work I do, only that the work gets done for those needing it. Caring for the needs of others is paramount and I know that as a Christian it is my duty to do so.

Knowing that I am to be caring for the needs of others, specifically those that are less fortunate and that God recognizes and protects me from harm in those situations, I am able to carry on and continue without the recognition. I am able to move forward and provide for more, knowing that God is there to guide, protect, and care for me as I do.

When you are working for others, what are you looking for in return? Are you wishing for outward recognition and celebration as a result of caring for others? What if you were to recognize and embrace that God provides for your protection and care so that you can just continue the work?

What does it mean to “know” someone’s name? Well what I believe it to be is that there is a deeper understanding of and relationship that has been built with them. Knowing someone’s name is more than just being able to recall that person’s moniker. It is being able to understand their character, their personality, their standing, and their beliefs. Knowing someone is having a relationship that is more than just business.

“¹⁴Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. ¹⁵When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. ¹⁶With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” – Psalm 91:14-16 (ESV)

Here we see the repeating of “God’s pledge to care for his faithful ones” (ESV commentary). When I know His name God will devote Himself to caring for and protecting me in all of my times. That is the hardest thing for me to grasp as I am not always paying attention to God being with me always. He is and I know that inside me, but I forget His grace when I am not making it a point to fellowship with Him.

It is up to me to know the name, my God so that I will consciously and subconsciously worship and lift Him up. When I am in the act of lifting Him up, regardless of my circumstances, He hears me and “will answer” me. He will “protect” and “rescue” and “honor” me as His child and heir to the riches of heaven. God is my Father and protector. I know that I do not deserve His protection, but he gives it anyway.

What do you consciously and subconsciously know about God? Are you aware of Him and have relationship with Him? What if you worked to know His name and receive the benefit of His protection?

“⁶If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:6-7 (ESV)

I read the verses above and begin to examine my own life. Have I just been saying that I have fellowship with God? Have I been lying to myself and others to appear something that I am not? Now this may seem like something that I should not have to do as I know where I am in my relationship with God, but isn’t it worth the time to examine ourselves on a regular basis to keep sure that we are indeed in the right place, or at least headed in the right direction.

It is in truth that we gain the most from relationships. I think back to the events I have attended over the past years and review whether or not I was in fellowship or just attending the event. It is a mixture of both. Attending is jut the act of being there. Fellowship is the immersion into the event. I have found myself in both instances.

In thinking back to my relationship with God, am I just there, or am I immersed there with Him. There are times when I believe both are evident in my life. I have found myself going through the motions and being completely immersed and active. Whereas the latter is where I would like to find myself, the former is a true reality. As a man, distractions abound at every turn. I am concerned with a good number of things as I contemplate. And those concerns will/do distract from that which is at hand. Those are the times when I am just there and not immersed in fellowship with God.

Am I lying to myself and God when saying that I have a fellowship with Him? I don’t believe I am, as I do talk and immerse myself in Him much more often than not. God knows my heart and as such, He knows the fellowship and relationship I have with Him. Now it is time for me to focus and increase my fellowship with Him and do my best to immerse myself in Him even more.

As I struggle through this world and the circumstances and seasons I am presented, I have to dig into my relationship and fellowship with God to be sure that I am walking in the light that He emanates. My fellowship with Him is where I experience the saving grace and find the forgiveness of my sins that have occurred and that will occur.

What does your fellowship with God look like? Are you lying about your relationship and fellowship to appear something that you are not? What if you devoted yourself to the fellowship with God to walk in the light he emanates?

It seems as though when looking at God’s Word, there is a sense of looking out for ourselves. I know that I am looking for guidance, and teaching, and understanding. Now, learning is essential to our independent growth and should be embraced by all. It should be noted that we have been called to do the will of God, not our own. We are here to provide for the needs of others.

“¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—³that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” – 1 John 1:1 & 3 (ESV)

I have learned and now it is my job to tell. The Word of God was passed to me and now I pass that on to others. I have to be willing to give more than receive in order to fulfill my duty to God and the spreading of His word in the world.

I have been fortunate enough to have grown up in a Christian home and a great church full of others that have and continue to follow Christ. My fortune has given me the chance to grow in learning of God’s Word and I have developed some great habits, like this blog, to continue my learning and growth. As I look into my bible I see notes and insights and questions that I have captured over time that not only show that I have been in the word of God, but that I have been digging in to learn more.

Yes, I have learned, but have I taught? Have I been bringing the Word of God to those around me. Have I had a servants heart and thought more of others than of myself. I have to remember that it is not about me. I am an instrument of God in this world and it is my duty to bring the gospel to everyone.

My spreading of God’s Word allows for the fellowship with God of those that receive. I have fellowship, and now it is my turn to invite others into God’s fellowship so that they have the opportunity to experience the same love and comfort that I have been able to experience for all these years and those to come. I have to share and give that others may receive. I have to concern myself with others and not with myself. My learning is partly for me, but more for those that I am able to touch and bring my learning to.

What is your approach to others when it comes to God’s Word? Are you learning and keeping those learnings to yourself? What if you were to learn and then share for others to learn and find fellowship with God?