Protection
As I drove to my Writing Retreat on Friday afternoon, I recited Psalm 91 out loud. I saw our American flag flying at the entrance to one of the farms, and I smiled. As I got closer to my weekend home-away-from-home, I found myself driving under a canopy of trees coming from each side of the country road. They formed a beautiful living arch over me. And I thought about Psalm 91, verse 4: “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge….” I felt like I was under God’s wings. It felt so good and safe. I knew I’d be writing about joy in the Lord’s protection—one of my favorite topics.
A celebration and a prayer
So, how did I begin my retreat, after I brought all my stuff into the Airbnb? With a celebration of the Lord’s provision—eating a BLT sandwich—heavy on the B and heavy on the mayo. D-to-the-deee-licious. What did I eat on the side? Kettle chips and some homemade onion dip. Mm-mmm-mmmm.
Next, I closed my eyes and listened to the whistling wind outside. I opened one of the blinds and saw rain in the distance. I prayed that it would rain here (and at our house). I’m thirsty for rain, but not nearly as thirsty as the parched Texas grass. I love rain. That reminds me of Story Five from the last post—the story about the wind turning our sailboat around so we could avoid the coming rain.
Today’s post will be sprinkled with stories from our lives about the Lord’s protection. Get ready to read about the soccer team, the preacher’s son, and another BLT.
Key verses and favorite stories
Because there’s danger and evil in the world, we need God’s protection. A lot. Let’s start today’s post with our key verses about joy in the Lord’s protection. Read Psalm 5:11-12 (ESV).
On Choosing Peace, I’ve told lots of stories about the Lord’s protection. Here are some of my favorites:
♦ The 18-wheeler miracle
♦ Protected from my evil sister
♦ The girl’s fall off her scooter
♦ Leaving my phone at home
♦ Sleeping through the attacks: this post and this post
♦ A near miss in the rain (see the song section at the end)
♦ Masks at the sociopath’s funeral
How about three new stories about God’s protection.
Story 1: The illness
During Logan’s senior year of high school, he was home for several months with mono. He really missed his friends and teachers. It was hard, but the Lord was protecting him big-time. That fall, all of the other seniors on his school soccer team were expelled for using drugs. One of them—the drug dealer—can never return to the Christian school’s campus. It was serious. Random drug testing for the students. Lots of stress. And Logan was protected from all of it. He was sheltered by the Lord. It seemed as if Jesus was saying: “No, no, little sheep. You must stay over here for now. I know it’s hard to be separated from the others. Trust me. I am your Good Shepherd.”
At the time, we were not joyful about Logan feeling bad and having to do his schoolwork from home, although I knew in my heart that the Lord was protecting him. Now, four years later, I can smile about it and feel even deeper gratitude. The Lord was so kind. So very, very kind to our dear Logan.
Sometimes what we consider to be a hardship
is actually the Holy Spirit’s tender hand of protection.
Have you ever experienced a hardship, and now you realize that God was protecting you from something? Think about that. Pray and thank the Lord.
Where is the private Christian school’s drug dealer now? President of his fraternity at a Texas university. Hmmm. Watch out, world.
Story 2: The snare of evil
Last year, two disturbing, seemingly-unrelated things happened to Logan on the same day.
Monday, June 5
Journal entry
Logan met Elijah and Nicholas for their book discussion/discipleship time. After they ate, they went to Whataburger for shakes. A large group of military-looking, highly-fit young people was there. Logan and friends were extremely uncomfortable. It was a cult. The leader talked about shunning people who leave. Wendell (Brandon’s uncle by marriage) contacted Logan via Facebook. Logan and friends discussed it. Wendell did the same thing Logan’s freshman year [of college] and Logan ignored him. I told Logan that Brandon’s mother is behind this. (They live next door to each other.) We talked more about Wendell—raging alcoholic, first wife committed suicide, never showed the least interest in any of us. I told Logan that his grandmother remarried. He was not happy about that. He talked about her spider web, being all about herself, and being evil. Absolutely. I advised him not to reply to Wendell. A reply would encourage more contact and would open the door for the snakes and spiders. Lord, give Logan wisdom, and protect him from evil. Amen.
Tuesday, June 6
Journal entry
Logan got off [work] early. We talked more about the contact from Wendell. He thought it was profound that it took place the same day as their disturbing encounter with a cult. I agreed and said God was making a strong point. I again advised Logan not to respond. I called Charlene and asked for her prayers about this.
Good training
Logan never replied to Wendell, Aunt Marilyn’s husband, the wealthy banker. Why not? Because Logan remembered the truth, he remembered his training, and he sought the feedback of two close, wise friends. Most of all, he heeded the warning from the Lord. He saw the connection between the cult and the contact—an evil snare on both counts. God gave Logan a strange, disturbing encounter with a cult to strengthen him for the battles ahead. It was a means of protection.
Good training can strengthen us, prepare us and protect us from harm.
The bombardment
Less than a year later, the bombardment began, when Logan was contacted by seven different accomplices—and Her Majesty, the Sadistic Control Freak—I mean Delia, my sociopathic mother-in-law. For the details, explore this post about the accomplices and this post about Delia’s strange mailing.
Logan was able to persevere successfully through this year’s bombardment—a massive barrage of spiritual warfare—due to his good training and his willingness to benefit from his training.
Why some students fail
Not all students are willing or able to believe and receive the good training they’re given. (We are all students.) Some students are prideful. Some are lazy. Some are distrustful. Some are distracted. Some are rebellious. Some are confused. Some are slaves to public opinion. Some are traumatized and aren’t really present. Some are ensnared by lies. Some are evil and hate the truth. Etcetera.
Bad training
Not all training is good training. From part 4 of What Forgiving Is and Isn’t:
Dysfunctional families
I’ll be the first to say that seeing and responding appropriately to problems is much easier said than done for many of us. If you were raised in a dysfunctional family, you were trained to ignore and tolerate bad behavior. You were taught that bad behavior was normal or perhaps even praise-worthy. My parents trained me to be polite, to say what other people wanted to hear and to ignore problems. Truth and wisdom were irrelevant. It was my job to be liked by other people, regardless of who they were or whether they were decent or evil. That is pathetic. And dangerous.
In training
Peaceful Readers, we’re all in training. And training can strengthen us or weaken us, depending on whether it’s good or bad training. Remember this.
God’s army is in training, and so is Satan’s army.
Let’s face it. Training can be hard and painful. My first marriage was a long season of training and it was very painful at times, but it woke me up from the perpetual sleep of my childhood adapting. Learn about adapting here. (If you or someone you care about has experienced the pain of divorce, see all 8 parts of Grieving Divorce.)
Who is training you right now? What are you being taught? If a person is training you, are you receiving good, godly training that strengthens you? Is your training consistent with God’s word—all of God’s word?
Beware the bad teachers
Let’s start this vital warning with God’s word. Drink in Romans 16:17-19 (ESV) slowly and deeply.
Not all preachers, Bible study gurus, authors or popular Christian celebrities are good. Many of them preach a false gospel that will ensnare you. Go to Current Events in the index and carefully read the posts under Evil in the church. Watch the videos and the documentary referenced in those posts. Brylan Riggs covers the truth about false prophets in some of his videos. He’s got some good Southern sass. I like him (and I agree with him most of the time). “Fight for Truth” podcasts by Colin Miller are outstanding. Highly recommended.
The list
Check the NAR Connections search page before you listen to a preacher, buy a book, go to a conference or sign up for a Bible study. If you find the speaker’s or author’s name on the list, stay away and warn others. Also, purge your home of false prophets’ books and recordings.
The exhortation
Peaceful Readers, I can’t emphasize this enough.
Do not listen to or read books by false prophets, even if all your friends are doing it, even if you really like them, even if you think they’ve helped you, even if they’re really entertaining, even if they sound really good.
The guilty parties
Do not drink their poisoned Kool-Aid. One drop of poison in an otherwise normal drink will still kill you. The devil mixes truth with lies to ensnare and confuse and mislead and control and use and destroy people. That’s how he works.
No-no’s in the NAR—New Apostolic Reformation—include Max Lucado, Beth Moore, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, John and Lisa Bevere, Bill Johnson, Priscilla Shirer, Steven Furtick, and many more. Rick Warren goes to Davos to hang out with Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum—the globalists bent on extreme population reduction—I mean mass murder. Beware. (See this post to learn about the Georgia Guidestones.)
I wrote about Max Lucado in this post. He decided woke activism is better than God’s word. He decided public opinion matters more than God’s truth. He joined the evil sages of these evil times. He drank the Kool-Aid and now he spreads it far and wide. Did you know that Modern Max now serves as the interim preacher at Gateway Church following Robert Morris’s recent departure due to long-term sexual abuse of a child? Red flag, peeps. Big red flag. Read about our field trip to Gateway in part 4 of The Joy of the Lord. It was disturbing and very revealing.
Good trainers and the best training
There are some excellent, godly preachers and authors out there. Be discerning. Be wise. Be prayerful. Ask God: Is this message true? Does this person’s ministry bring you glory? Is this person devoted fully to you? Watch this Doreen Virtue video, “Why Are Women’s Bible Studies Filled with False Teachers?” It includes excellent advice for discerning a good teacher from a bad teacher. Also, check the NAR Connections list before you sit under anyone’s teaching—spoken or written.
If you’re looking for an excellent Bible study, consider Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).
God’s holy word is the best teaching of all. Be trained by God’s inspired, inerrant word.
The shield
Am I feeling joy about Logan being protected from Delia and her accomplices? Honestly, I’d call it A Main Course of Relief with A Side Dish of Joy. Several years down the road, when we’re more detached from all the stress of this year, I believe the joy will take center stage. Even now, I can smile about the goodness of the Lord and his protection. The arrows flew, but Logan’s armor—especially The Shield of Faith—protected him. Our God is mighty. And we are his.
Let’s continue to the third and final story of protection.
Story 3: Compromised
Sometimes God tells us someone else’s story as a warning and as part of our training. He desires to protect us from similar mistakes. This story from last year includes people from my youth group at church when I was a teenager. I’ll call our preacher’s son Bruce. During high school, he dated one of the popular, party-time girls at church. Then his family moved to another Texas town, and Bruce had a drug problem as an adult. But there was more to his story.
Wednesday, February 15
Journal entry
I woke up early and baked bacon so I could eat a BLT for lunch. Delicious. I put a lot of mayo on it—like Kristie Grant’s mom used to [from our youth group at church]. The Holy Spirit told me to look up Bruce Horton (our preacher’s son) online. He was indicted for large-scale tax fraud along with several colleagues [at the end of the previous year] on behalf of wealthy clients. I will talk with Logan about his career. He will be a gatekeeper—for his family and his clients. Logan will be an excellent, honorable gatekeeper.
The right time
That weekend, Logan came home to see his high school’s musical. During one of our talks, the Holy Spirit opened the door for an important conversation. Logan mentioned an old friend of his who’s still smoking marijuana and making bad choices. They have very little contact.
Saturday, February 18
Journal entry
…I knew it was time to share the info I found about Bruce Horton [—including his prior drug arrests]. I warned Logan that in his [accounting] profession, people will ask him, “Does it really say…”—and those are the words of the devil. They will ask him to cheat for them—to move the line, to compromise. [Logan’s old friend] and Bruce H. are compromised because of their drug abuse. I told him that accountants are gatekeepers of right and wrong. I asked him what other professions are gatekeepers and he mentioned police, medical, scientists, etc. Very good. I told Logan that he’ll be a very good accountant because of his truthfulness and honor. Thank you, Lord, for this important conversation and for preparing me for it.
From a sandwich to a story
What a great story. First, my mind went from mayo to Kristie’s mom and how she made sandwiches 45 years ago. Guess what? Kristie and Bruce’s little sister were best friends. They were inseparable at church. So my mind went from Kristie to Bruce’s sister. Then the Holy Spirit urged me to look up Bruce to find out what just happened a few months earlier. God knew what Bruce had done. He knew Bruce and Logan were in the same profession. And he knew Logan would be home that weekend. That blows my mind.
The prodigals
Bruce’s character has been compromised for a very long time, and there have been many consequences. He’s an excellent example of this truth: Not everyone who receives good biblical training benefits from that training. That goes for Logan’s old friend too. He heard excellent preaching and teaching at church, but so far, he’s rejected it. Hopefully, he and Bruce will humble themselves like The Prodigal Son one day. I pray for their salvation and transformation.
I can sympathize. Truly. When I was a teenager and young adult, I didn’t make godly choices either. I wonder how many people prayed for me. God saved me when I was 33. It was the right time.
Enough about me. Let’s wrap up the story about Bruce.
Gratitude
I thank God for my BLT sandwich that day in February last year, the generous mayo, Kristie’s mom, and all the aspects of this story. And, yes, I’m joyful about being able to share Bruce’s story with Logan as an important warning for his life. God is good. (So are BLTs.) Also, Bruce’s story isn’t over. Will you pray for his salvation? (Ditto for Logan’s old friend?)
The stories of protection
Our key verses speak loudly into these three stories of protection: (1) The illness that protected Logan from drug issues at school; (2) the two snares—a cult and an evil relative’s accomplice; and (3) the warning about compromised character.
Stories of warfare
Come to think of it, these were all stories of warfare. We’re at war with dark forces in the spiritual realm.
Where did the devil attack?
Story 1
Attack: The minds, bodies and spirits of teenagers
Tools: Lies and social pressure
Goal: Lives ruined by illegal drugs
Story 2A
Attack: The minds and spirits of young people
Tools: Lies and social pressure
Goal: Lives ruined by a cult
Story 2B
Attack: The mind and spirit of our son Logan—a junior in college at the time
Tools: The lie that Wendell cared and/or wanted to hear from him, and social pressure for the politeness of a reply
Goal: A life ruined by an evil relative (Delia) and her accomplices
Story 3
Attack: The mind, body and spirit of a preacher’s son who’s in his 60s
Tools: Lies and social pressure
Goal: A life ruined by illegal drugs and calculated stealing
Why they came
The devil came to steal, kill and destroy. The stories above display that so vividly. In every example, lies and social pressure were used to achieve the ultimate hit—lives ruined—by drugs, a cult, evil people, stealing. When did the devil or his minions use lies and social pressure to influence you to commit sin? What was the ultimate hit they were aiming for? As you reflect on that particular sin, where are you now? Pray and ask God what sin you need to wage war against in the days ahead and what he wants you to do to conquer it, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus came to give us abundant life. Watch Jesus, the Soul Shepherd, the first listing on my Documentaries page. It shows good and evil, the consequences for leaving our shepherd, sheep vs. goats, and so much more. It’s really wonderful. I think I’ve watched it eight times, but I’m starting to lose count.
One more time
Because there’s danger and evil in the world, we need God’s protection. Let’s drink in our key verses for joy in the Lord’s protection. Read Psalm 5:11-12 again. Consider how these verses speak truth over and above today’s three stories. What do these verses tell us about God?
What are the two things I pray for Logan the most? For God’s protection and favor with God and man.
The Lord has been so good to us.
Coming next: I’ll be sharing stories about joy in the Lord’s provision. Come back next time to read about cheesecake, tech support, a lantern and more.
Until next time, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Truth from The Word: Psalm 28:7-9
Song: “Carry Me Through” by Dave Barnes
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