Do battle! Make WAR!

Psalms 84:11-12 NLT
For the lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O  lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
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He is the light that shows us the path, that guides our feet along the path when we look to Him and seek His will as the priority for our lives. When our eyes are open,  when they have been healed by the touch of His grace, we can seek and find the truth in the Spirit of the Word of God, not just be veiled to seeing this book as a set of legalistic rules. We can know and trust that the victory is already won if we have surrendered our lives to Christ and are following Him,  loving God with our everything, and loving others – and we can know this living Word of God to be valuable guidance along the path to help us discern His true light from false trickery.

He is our shield and our protector. Yes, we are experiencing the efforts of those unseen enemies,  and yes we will encounter struggles and strife, but our faith protects us from any lasting harm. For these enemies can touch our physical bodies with sickness pain and even death, but if we are readied with Christ as our shield, they cannot touch our everlasting souls. But we have to make ourselves equipped daily with the full armor of God, walking that path that He shows us – not throwing down our armor,  shield,  and protection to chase after temptations of this world in the darkness of the sides of the path. We must resist evil and resist temptation,  and we find the strength to do this in believing and understanding the sacrifice paid for our salvation.

And when we walk like this,  the Lord will withhold no good thing from us that is going to help us along His path,  His blessings are found along the path. But if we are off wandering away from the path, we are choosing on our own to dishonor the blessings that He has in store for us, blessings that are not only helpful now,  but for eternity – and we are trading those in for a fleeting physical satisfaction for an itch of our sinful nature. How foolish we are when we forget the value of God’s guidance and blessings for our lives.

But when we do what is right by having faith in your promises, by seeking and following your guidance,  Oh Lord,  we find joy,  and we know a renewed life, and we encounter the blessing that you have set aside for us as an inheritance as your children. We just have to trust in you.

My decisions,  my thoughts, my actions,  my words, my reactions to my circumstances,  my perspective of my own life, the amount of unconditional,  sacrificial love that I show to others whether they deserve it or not  – it all comes down to how much I trust God.

Because if I trust Him fully –

Won’t I see the blessings and opportunities in my life for Him to show His power rather than being anxious and worried about a challenge or struggle or circumstance?

Won’t I know that I am valued by God so much that He sent His only Son to suffer and die on a cross to save me from the bondage of sin instead of wallowing in a life that I think is hopeless,  worthless, or unfair?

Won’t I show love to others, not just emotional love,  but an unconditional,  sacrificial kind of love that sees their needs as more important than my wants – instead of being envious of what others have that I don’t?

Yes, trust is hard if we don’t know someone as a close enough friend to trust them, if they haven’t proven themselves over time to be trustworthy. But if we aren’t seeking to draw close to God daily, how will we ever know Him as that close friend and trustworthy voice? If we don’t hand over our challenges to Him and see the evidence of Him turning them into opportunities,  lessons,  and blessings, how will He ever become tried and tested and proven faithful in our lives?

Trust and faith isn’t a single prayer – it is an ongoing choice to walk with God in light, protection, blessing, joy, and in all of the spiritual blessings that are more valuable than silver or gold. And when we do this, we find it also lead to the less important and temporary physical blessings as well,  because we can then use them for His glory and honor.