BE THOU MY BATTLE SHIELD - PART 3

"Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for the fight;
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight,
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower;
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power."

Verse 3 brings my thoughts straight to Ephesians 6:10-18

(BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ephesians 6:10-18). God didn't create us, save us, and hope for the best. He equipped us to be prepared for our spiritual battles. Through prayer, reading scripture and applying these learned truths, we are equipped to defend against Satan's attacks. Through Him we are given dignity, protection, honor and a place in His kingdom.
"I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness." Isaiah 61:10a
He is our soul's shelter:
"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." Psalm 32:7
Our high tower:
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." Proverbs 18:10
Paul says in Philippians 3 not to put our confidence in the flesh. He chooses instead to desire to ...know the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings becoming like him in his death... Philippians 3:10 and, although he has not perfected this (for us "all or nothing" people), he does not give in to frustration but chooses to have this attitude: "..Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." 3:13-13
Moses certainly experienced the equipping of God. He had his doubts when he asked, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, "I will be with you." Exodus 3:11-12a And of course he was! Certainly, we are not being asked to lead a nation of people out of an oppressing land with an evil dictator. So if God can do what he did for Moses, can he not do wonders for us in our battles? Moses told the Israelites at the Red Sea with the Egyptians at their back, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14
So...be still...pray....and allow God to be your shield and defender!

BE THOU MY WISDOM - Part Two

What the quote says on the picture is, "There are two ways to live your life. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein
I choose the latter! Think of it. Every day in itself is truly a miracle! The fact that no one has set off a nuclear bomb either by fault or by accident is a miracle. That the Bible's integrity has never been compromised (as proved by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948) after thousands of years in this evil world is another amazing miracle. The Jewish nation that began with Abraham and remains in tact today...and on and on.... But why would these not be so? God is in the business of miracles in spite of the world and it's efforts to snuff Him out.
"Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked." Galatians 6:7 His will and His word can never be destroyed.
This is our God. True as True can be. He defines the word, "Wisdom". And He loves to bless us with this incredible attribute as well.
"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold." Proverbs 3:13-14
What a wonderful prayer to pray...verse two of, "Be Thou My Vision."

Be Thou my Wisdom and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord,

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one

SOLOMON'S PRAYER:

(Based on I Kings 3:9)

"Lord, give your servant a discerning heart to lead your people and to distinguish between right and wrong."