” But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain.” Psalm 3:3-4

Do you ever feel like you are in a battle? There are so many battles in this world. Battles in the home, at work, within relationships, financially, within our churches, and even attacks within ourselves. Everywhere we look there are enemies surrounding us. There are enemies attacking us.Sometimes we feel like we can’t escape them. We become weary fighting against them! Where is the relief? Where is our help? We can’t fight them on our own! Where does our help come from?….our help comes from the Lord!

In Psalm 3: 1-8 , David was being pursued by enemy soldiers . He was running for his life from his own rebellious son, Absalom, and a host of traitors. Absolom was plotting against his father, David, to take away the throne. Can you believe his own son was attacking him?  Does it get any worse than that? How about you….are you being attacked right now? Is Satan around every corner? Do you feel overwhelmed by the enemy?

We can learn from David in the Psalms as he cries out to the Lord! In Psalm 3:7 David cries out “Arise , O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face!” I love it! He trusted wholeheartedly in His Lord! David was truly outnumbered! He knew he couldn’t fight alone, he needed the Lord! What really strikes me is that not only did he ask for the Lord’s help….he demanded that the Lord slap them in the face! I love boldness! David knew who his God was! He believed in His Lord! He knew that the Lord was his shield and protector! He knew WHO his victory would come from! He had no problem shouting out orders to His God! “Slap them in the face !”

How about you? When the enemy strikes, how do you react? Do you fight with all your might? Do you call on your friends? Or do you turn to your Lord, the shield that protects you at all times? Do you cry out to Him with the faith that David had? Are you bold in your requests? Do you truly believe that He will answer from His holy mountain and that your victory will come from Him?

Your turn:

Look up Matthew 7:7, Psalm 23:4; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 62:1-8

What encouragement do these scriptures give you about your God? I encourage you to pick one and meditate on it so when the enemy strikes you, your Lord can help you strike back…maybe even right in the face!!

 THE RIVER OF LIFE!

I love to be outdoors experiencing  the beauty that God has created!  Everything from the smells and sights to the sounds that I hear! I love to see His mighty hand as I gaze upon sunsets and sunrises, mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans! I just spent the last 2 1/2 weeks on vacation visiting my family in Tennessee and  in Florida. I spent 42 hours driving down and back! I know… it doesn’t sound like fun being in the car that long, but we actually handled it pretty well! The kids were great in the van and I was able to spend alot of time thinking! I must say, I am glad to be HOME though and am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight and getting up tomorrow and not having to go anywhere! There is NO place like HOME!

I wanted to share with you something that God has placed on my heart these last few weeks! These pictures that I posted here are of Abram Falls, in the Smokey Mountains! We went on a 5 mile hike that was beautiful! I loved every moment of it!  I could of done it everyday, but I don’t think my kids would have agreed to that one! We  began the hike all prepared with water bottles, snacks, a first aide kit, camera’s, and of course a backpack! We were prepared physically! Spiritually,  I was prepared for God to show me something I really needed!

I began this vacation, 3 weeks ago, needing some refreshment, encouragement, and direction. I have been seeking. I have been praying. I have been wondering what God has for me next. What is His plan for me? Am I following Him or am I following my own desires? I continued to go back to my Esther study where I continue to ask myself “What does He expect from me during such a time as this?” Am I at this new church for a reason? Am I sitting back too much or do I need to make some steps forward?  Am I being the mom that my kids need me to be?  What does God have planned for my family? The Lord  has a Destiny for each of us….what is mine? What does it entail? Why is it always so hard to figure out?

Then I began this hike…through the Smokey Mountains! Look at these two pictures and quiet your mind as you listen to the water flow down the stream and rush down the Fall! We walked  two and a half miles to the falls. Along the way, we took in all that God created! We even experienced the site of a bear sitting above us as we walked along the path below.  However, what I experienced, above all, was the sound of the water continually flowing along side us! I kept watching it and listening to it….I kept repeating to myself “He leads me beside still waters!” Psalm 23 was in my mind the entire way to the Falls! “He guides me along right paths!”……it was so cool to see God at work!

When we got to the Falls, people were sitting there eating their lunch, taking pictures, and even swimming in the pool below!  The sight was so refreshing! You watched the water rush over the Fall and you could hear the continual flow of water down the stream! All around us were brightly colored green trees and every now and then you would see beautiful flowers growing. We even saw tadpoles and the most beautiful blue butterfly we’ve ever seen just sitting on the rocks! New Life!

 As I listened and observed everything around me…it hit me, THE RIVER OF LIFE!  In Revelation 22 John talks about a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing crops of fruit! I looked at the life around this stream and began to think of how the river symbolizes life from God…the living water! We all thirst for it!  He wants us to take a drink! As long as we are drinking from the living water of God, He will nourish us and allow us to bear fruit! Look at all the life that was surrounding the stream!  That is like us….full of life when we drink from the river of life! Ezekial 47 also talks about the river and I am encouraged as I read verse 9 where it says “life will flourish wherever this water flows”. Ezekial 47:12 says “fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches.”

This trip through the Smokey Mountains has taught me that even when I am lost, God will lead me beside still waters and He will guide me along the right path. The River of Life will sustain me and will nourish me and help me to bear fruit! I must “be still and know that He is God” and hold onto the promise that I will “never turn brown and fall, but that there will always be fruit on the branches!! ” Sometimes we just need to sit by the river, drink, and take it all in!

Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield”

Psalm 23:1 ” The Lord is my shephard.”

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Savior.”

Psalm 18:2″He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

Psalm 27: 1 “The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger.”

 Psalm 27: 14 ” Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous.Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

WHO is our God? It can be hard at times in our lives when we are going through disappointments, discouraging times, and even tragedy. We wonder WHERE he is, WHO he is, and sometimes if He is even watching? There are a few people in my life that are going through tough times right now. I watch and I hope that they can see their God. I watch and I hope that their faith does not wander. I watch and I hope that they can believe in Him and trust in His promises even though they wonder and question his plans right now. I watch and hope that they KNOW WHO HE IS!

The Bible is full of stories that teach us about trusting in the Lord.  I think of Peter and how He stepped out of the boat to walk on the water towards Jesus, but then began to sink because the waves began to rise and he panicked and took his eyes off of Jesus. He focused on the circumstances surrounding him instead of keeping his focus on the Lord. I think of David as He trusted in the Lord to protect him and be his strength as he fought Goliath. I think of David as he trusted in the Lord to keep him safe from Saul pursuits. I think of the woman who was bleeding and ill for 12 years and trusted that if she could just touch Jesus, she would be healed. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that if we turn to the Word we will grasp WHO God WAS, WHO God IS, and WHAT He has promised to those that BELIEVE!!

My focus now is on Esther and I am learning more and more about her as the weeks progress. She was just a girl! She was orphaned at a young age by the death of both her mother and father. She was raised by her cousin Mordecai. She was beautiful. Her Persian names means “star”. She was quiet. She was a young woman who believed in herself . She was confident.She was simple. She was humble.She was strong. She was wise. She was independent.She was obedient. She had a tough life. She had many trials. She had much expectation placed upon her! She needed to lean on the Lord for protection, for guidance, for hope!!

She was the one who God had chosen to save His people. This wasn’t in her plans! This wasn’t suppose to happen! Hadn’t she already been through enough turmoil and trials! But the Lord says “for I know the plans I have for you!” We don’t always agree with them do we? We don’t always understand why things happen! We question. We become angry. We have tears. We become scared. We lose faith. But we must remember that He sees the big picture! Through my study on Esther I am learning that He has a Destiny for each of us. He wants us to discover that Destiny. Even when there are times when we don’t see God, we need to know that He IS going to show up. He has a destiny for us and our destiny is not always clear from our perspective. Our history is a part of our destiny! Our history is a part of who we are. Our history shapes us! Remember this : “He chooses us not inspite of what we have been through, but because of it!” (Beth Moore) In other words our destiny is tied to our history. No matter what we have been through in our lives…God is using that and wants us to remember that He dragged us out of it! Just like in the story of Esther….He was there in the past as He delivered His people out of Egypt! He was with them as Esther was chosen to be Queen! He wanted them to remember their history and what He had done for them. He was going to be with them as Esther was chosen to be the one to save her people! He knew the plans he had for Esther. He knew that she would be the one that would save His people from the wicked Haman. He knew her Destiny from the very beginning. Does it make it any easier to know that God has a plan for our lives? Does it help us as we go through the trials? We still have sorrow, confusion, pain, and heartache! But hopefully knowing that He has a Destiny for each of us that is shaped by our history will help us as we go through our journey. Knowing that we don’t understand now but that in the future we will see…gives us hope. Trust in Him and surrender to his plans knowing that his plans are not to harm you but to bring you hope and a future!