Sheltered in the arms of God; it’s a safe place to be. So when all rages wildly about you and your mind is doing whirling twirls in no kind of organized fashion, the place to be is quiet before the Lord and held tightly in His safe keeping ’til the quiet comes.
So no, you’re not really sure what the day holds or the week, for that matter! As a matter of fact, you’re not ready at all and you’re not really sure about any of it and you’re not sure how you will make it through? There’s just a whole lot of stuff to wade through and a whole heap of unsettled issues pressing in with threats, fears, worries and yeah, some unsettled issues may just press all the panic buttons and weaken your faith, setting you off course momentarily. Friends, the enemy lurks about seeking where he might get his foot in the door, through weakness, so be alert to his undermining tactics of “takedown” and defeat. You and I and we and us, we need the full armour of God for days like these. We need to garb up in God’s divine strength and courage, for the fiery darts, so that nothing can hit us from behind or sideswipe us off our feet. Be sure to grab the Word of God! Put it on early and don’t leave home without it. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6: 10 – 11, 13
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armour of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Yeah, our enemies are mighty and plentiful and strong and our weaknesses many and great, but our God is greater, reigning supreme overall. He’s our strength and our victory! Praise Him for that! Put Him on today and saturate yourself in His grace and in His sovereignty and all-knowing authority and power! He sees it all and understands it all. He has skills beyond our comprehension to fix and repair. On His side? Then be assured, He’s got you and all the enemies will crumble underfoot. First thing today, dress in that armour of God and stand firm, well balanced, and strong in the faith, even when the day ahead threatens to be overwhelming. Ephesians 4: 14″Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”
Maybe there’s a whole lot of us who are tired? Tired of the way things are with no end in sight. Oh, we hear of the positive power of the positive thinker, but let’s not underestimate the negative power of the negative thinker. We seldom think about it that way, but our negative thinking, will pound us into the ground and trample us underfoot with a force so strong it renders us useless. Thing is, that kind of thinking will keep us there unless we rise to the challenge of change; change of heart, change of mind, change of thought, and a change of desire.
So, hey, let’s not allow anxieties, fears and self-destructing thoughts to trip us up and control our day. Remember where they originate from and who the enemy really is. It’s not the one that’s getting under your skin or the one who just lied to you or the one that selfishly tries to take control, but it’s the father of lies, himself ~ the enemy, who spews out his lies in your face to discourage you and bring you down! Shake that thought or Walk away from the drama when he uses that person and that ridiculous tactic to get to you. Take control of your thinking and think on something lovely, and find your spirits soaring once again 
Philippians 4:8
” Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
So, sometimes our perception isn’t so precise is it? Sometimes how we view it, is just wrong on so many levels? Often we don’t see clearly all the detail of all the stuff in our way and so we make a false judgement, wrong decisions, critical remarks and as a result we act and react on false pretenses just because our vision is dimmed.
The other morning I noticed a spider in the bathtub, and you have to understand, we don’t get along well. No, spiders and me ~ well, we just don’t see eye to eye. Oh, I love the elegant patterns etched into their silken webs and for photography, I find their amazing draping, spun creations fascinating as they glisten with dewdrops in the lazy, hazy, morning sun! However, the way the spider crawls about in mid-air and free-falls to spin its elegant design is frightful for one who’s standing below in close proximity. Maybe it stems from the baggage of a fear awakened in my childhood spirit when upon waking one morning, sleepy eyes met with adrenaline, and widened and focused rather quickly to see a spider dangling from its web about two inches from my face! Did I say, I panicked? How does an eight-year-old figure this one out? Screaming was never my thing, as it was much too loud and dramatic for my quiet side. Yeah, I was on my own for this one and so I was.
I didn’t have much time to think but felt slightly frozen in fear! Moving too quickly, could prove to be a bad choice, so I gently blew him gently to the left as I crawled out gently on the right from underneath, hoping he didn’t drop further with the wind in his sails. Yeah, to this day, I don’t like them and I really dislike their spidery, eight-legged characteristics and their predictable creepy crawl way they crawl.
So, this day here we were together, him and I, and this spider found lodging in the tub just had to be reigned in! I grabbed a very thick wad of paper in order to make sure he didn’t make a getaway! Now, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be and without magnifying glasses, all fine detail is a blur and a lot of things look the same to me. I sized up the moment as best I could and with a vision quite less than 20/20 I took him out! Upon checking to make sure I had him, he moved and fell back into the tub. I panicked and dropped the whole wad of nonsense, only to recoup to find to my embarrassment, it was nothing but nonsense, as a clearer view revealed a fluffy fuzz of dog fur that floated off the wad, into the air drifting back into the tub. No damage done this time, just a wake-up call to not be so anxious about things that might not even be. But how many times do I need to be reminded?
Do you do the same? Do you find yourself worrying about things that aren’t? Feel panicked about things that aren’t concrete? Anxious about issues that aren’t set in stone? I didn’t see clearly enough to know the detail and so I had it all wrong. Ok, so here’s the thing friends, physical eyesight isn’t always accurate and sweet and beautiful soul, neither is our spiritual insight? We are called to be discerning but we have to take care to see clearly before acting or reacting. In John 7: 24, Jesus rebukes a critical crowd in the temple courts, when He says to them “Do not judge by appearances but judge with right judgement.”
Sometimes you and I and we and us, don’t we just get it all wrong and judge before we gather all the facts? We see we perceive, we size up and we assume all manner of things! Sometimes we listen to wrong words and our false perception leads us off track and nonsense possibly leads many others astray as our false belief gives way to gossip and spreads like uncontrolled flames through a dry forest! Unlike the “no big deal” of it wasn’t a spider after all, we can burn valuable bridges causing a lot of damage to ourselves and to others because of anxieties and false perceptions.
Yeah, beautiful soul, you and I and we and us, we need to take care to give the heart magnifying glasses in order to see things through the eyes of spiritual discernment opened up in the Light of Truth, before we jump headfirst into something that’s all wrong. Sometimes, we need to put our “holier than thou” caps on the hooks of challenge and seek to understand by joining the ranks of those living where the rubber meets the road so to speak. Walk in their shoes and carry their baggage! Not all things come together to make a nice, clean, tidy story of perfection but each one is writing God’s story for our lives as the divine and sovereign God heals, repairs and perfects that which concerns us. David knew His God well and reminds himself and us of His constant care in Psalm 138:8, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your love O Lord endures forever. Do not abandon the works of your hands.”
How’s our story? Not perfect eh? Rest assured God is working on you and He’s working on them! Who are we to judge then? In Proverbs 3: 13 we have a promise of blessing to the wise and to those who seek to understand.
“ Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding…How then do we get wisdom? How then do we understand?”
James 1:5
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Hope and Healing In Hard Places 