Promise for Today - Doubting

How I love you, Lord! You are my defender. The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe. I call to the Lord, and he saves me from my enemies. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 18:1-3 Good News Translation

The enemy of our souls is always trying to defeat us, demean us, distract us, trying to get us to be disappointed in God our Lord. And when we try to be strong, fighting in our own strength, we lose. And when we lose, it just seems to reaffirm satan's lies.

We've talked before about what standards we use to conduct ourselves. For Christians, the ultimate standard IS the Word of God, the Bible. It is applicable for every situation, every circumstance, in other words, for EVERYTHING.

If you find yourself in tough circumstances right now, you can praise your way out of them by praying His Word back to Him. Isaiah 61:3 tells us to put on the garment of praise to overcome the spirit of heaviness. Charge the atmosphere, proclaiming His goodness to you and for you. A plethora of declarations is readily available in David's psalms. Avail yourself of them. His Truth wins out over the facts every time.

Prayer:

Father,
           I will sing to You as long as I live; I will sing praise to You while I have my being. I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings, I sing for joy. You, Lord, are my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in You, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song, I shall thank You and lift You higher. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friends' Favorites - Camping Standards

And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: "Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting. 

Numbers 2:1-2 NKJV

In this passage, the Lord is clear about how He wants His people lined up. Each tribe to camp by its own standard - the banner that represents their lineage - the emblems of the father's house. You could tell by a glance who was supposed to be where and with whom.

It is a code of sorts that has carried down through the ages. Family crests, clan tartans, country flags, state flags, school flags, military regiment flags. You get the picture. Many of them are recognizable without definition. Whether it's honored or hated, everyone in the world knows the American flag. As children growing up in American schools, we pledged allegiance and lined up by the flag and all that it represents. 

I used to go camping as a Girl Scout. The only two things I liked about camping were singing around the campfire and making s'mores. Each group had a flag with a certain color and shape.  Invariably, the group I was in would wind up being the last tent. The one closest to the woods, far from the meeting house and all the campground lights. Ours would be the one the night critters - skunks and raccoons - would sometimes get in. I always wanted to pledge my allegiance to a different flag... one that was closer to the meeting house and the lights and the Leader.

In Isaiah 59:19b, the prophet proclaims, When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.  Do we know the Father's standard? Will we make our camp beside it? When He lifts it up, will we know where to run? What is our standard? Pun intended.

Prayer:

Father,

         We want to make our dwelling place in Your camp and our allegiance only to You. We place ourselves under the protection of Your standard, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Camping Standards

And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:  “Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting. 

Numbers 2:1-2 NKJV

In this passage, the Lord is clear about how He wants His people lined up. Each tribe to camp by its own standard - the banner that represents their lineage - the emblems of the father's house. You could tell by a glance who was supposed to be where and with whom.

It is a code of sorts that has carried down through the ages. Family crests, clan tartans, country flags, state flags, school flags, military regiment flags. You get the picture. Many of them are recognizable without definition. Whether it's honored or hated, everyone in the world knows the American flag. As children growing up in American schools, we pledged allegiance and lined up by the flag and all that it represents. 

I used to go camping as a Girl Scout. The only two things I liked about camping were singing around the campfire and making s'mores. Each group had a flag with a certain color and shape.  Invariably, the group I was in would wind up being the last tent. The one closest to the woods, far from the meeting house and all the campground lights. Ours would be the one the night critters - skunks and raccoons - would sometimes get in. I always wanted to pledge my allegiance to a different flag... one that was closer to the meeting house and the lights and the Leader.

In Isaiah 59:19b, the prophet proclaims, When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.  Do we know the Father's standard? Will we make our camp beside it? When He lifts it up, will we know where to run? What is our standard - pun intended?

Prayer:

Father,

         We want to make our dwelling place in Your camp and our allegiance only to You. We place ourselves under the protection of Your standard, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen