“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?

How often is it that I avoid speaking the gospel so as not to be looked at strangely or treated as though I am so kind of “holy roller” trying to convert everyone. Well I would like to think that it is less often that reality, but I am not naive and know that feelings do get in the way of reality all too often. The fact is that I have a fear, as I believe a good number of Christians have, that my voice is not accepted in society and therefore it might be best to just keep it to myself and only speak in guarded and carefully selected positions.

“²I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain…⁹and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.” – Galatians 2:2 & 9 (ESV)

Here we have Paul recalling his meeting with the disciples. He had been in his ministry for quite some time and had been preaching the gospel to all who would listen. But, at this moment, he was private and calculated in all that he was saying and doing. He was careful to speak and live the gospel that he had been preaching to let them know, those that did know, he was on their side and was a brother with them in Christ. Now this situation with Paul and the disciples is different than my random carefulness. Paul is in the company of those that had been tasked directly from Jesus to carry the gospel forward so they were the experts. Whereas Paul did not back down from them, he was careful to be sure that they knew and understood that he was coming from and headed to the same place as they.

As I look into verse 9 above, I see that as Paul was keen enough to demonstrate and speak the gospel with the disciples, they accepted him as a brother in Christ and encouraged his continued ministry forward. I see here that it is up to me to speak and demonstrate the gospel and love of God to all as I have no idea who it is that I am engaging.

“²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” – Hebrews 13:2 (ESV)

I have the gospel to spread and it is my duty to do just that regardless of the consequences. When my focus is here, God rewards. I may not see the reward right away, and frankly sometimes the reward may not be realized in a time frame where I remember the circumstances (this has happened a number of times for me). But, God rewards with the act of being accepted into the fellowship of other brothers and sisters in Christ.

What circumstances have you avoided speaking or even demonstrating the gospel for fear of rejection? Do you find yourself thinking about the consequences and then backing away based on what “might” happen? What if you just went for it and spread the gospel through word and deed and allowed God to work in you and provide the acceptance into the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ?

“¹⁴The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” – 2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV)

I look at the who is in my life that I can count on, my wife Lori, our boys, and a few good friends come to mind right away. I can also think of the church and my fellow Christians that I can count on. But most importantly, I can count on God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to get me through. I may not be physically with either of the Trinity, but I know that they are there, especially the Holy Spirit who was sent specifically to guide me.

“²⁵These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” – John 14:25-26 (ESV)

The above are the words of Jesus as He promises to send the Holy Spirit as a “Helper” for each of us. Jesus would no longer be physically with the disciples or the people, so the Holy Spirit was being sent to be with us. And the Spirit would be with each of us all the time, guiding and teaching the way.

For me, I have the Holy Spirit that I am able to fellowship with at all times. When I am alone physically, I am able to find solace in the Holy Spirit as my fellowship and guide. With the Holy Spirit I am never alone in this world and that fellowship and guidance is from and with God and Jesus Christ. I have an active relationship with the Trinity always through the Holy Spirit who is always with me.

Who is with you always? Are you out there going it alone? What if you turned to God and allowed your fellowship and with the Holy Spirit to blossom?

Some may have heard the phrase, “Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are”. “This proverb suggests that like minds stick together.” as noted as a possible meaning at the website, https://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/Sayings/T/Tell_me_who_you_go_with_and_I_ll_tell_you_who_you_are_515.php. As I read and studied the morning I was reminded that we are like those that we surround ourselves with. And, it is difficult, if not impossible to be one thing and always surround ourselves with another.

“¹⁴Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (ESV)

As a Christian it is important to surround yourself and fellowship with other Christians. Oil and water do not mix, fire and ice either. Why would one think that righteous and unrighteous would work together any better?

I am not saying that I should shun those that are not Christians, on the contrary. I have been given the task of bringing the gospel to all of those I come in contact with, and who needs the gospel, the lost. It is important that I look for the opportunities to engage with the lost and bring the glory of God to them at all times. What I am saying is that for my own growth and Christian walk, I have to spend time in fellowship with other Christians and do the work of God in the areas where I will have an impact.

My fellow Christians are the ones that will bring me joy and peace and comfort and love. It is in their presence that I am able to let my guard down a bit and just enjoy their like mindedness and the love of God that we share and to a large degree understand. It is with them that I can be challenged with love to grow in a safe environment. It is in fellowship that we can put aside any worldly concerns and know that each of us is in love and commune with our God and Father.

Our relationships with the lost can be good, but there is nothing like having a relationship with those that are like us. When we fellowship with fellow Christians, we instantly have God in common and are able to love each other in kind without judgment. Are we perfect, not at all. But we are like one another and know where our future lies and can discuss life with those that are like us and know that what comes from them is the love that only God can provide. Our interactions with those not like us is one way love from us to them until the time we become like one another. The challenge is will we become like them or they like us, with God’s help, the latter is where I would prefer to exist.

What fellowship with others do you have? Are they and you alike, or drastically different? What if you did the work of God to reach those not like you and then retreated for comfort and love with those who are like you?