Love Protects
We have a painting on love in our bedroom and one particular day, an aspect of that painting jumped out to me. It read “Love Protects”. As I pondered on this statement and recalled what 1 John 4:8 says about God being love, I decided to replace the word “love” with “God”, which read as “God Protects”. I was super excited because I was reminded of one of my favourite scriptures in Isaiah 52:12. Let’s look at it in two different versions:
“For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard”. (NKJV)
“You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.” (NLT)
Did you notice it mentions that God will be our rear guard or protect us from behind? Wow, this simply means that GOD HAS OUR BACK!! Hallelujah!!! I love this scripture because the best person to watch and have our back is the Almighty God Himself. It is no wonder that when you examine the whole armour of God that we as believers are to put on to fight against the wiles of the enemy (Ephesians 6:11-18), there is no weapon or armour for the back. I used to wonder how our “back” as believers would be protected, until the Holy Spirit revealed the answer to my question in Isaiah 52:12, reassuring me that God is our rear guard. Physically speaking, you will notice that it is difficult to watch your back and you actually need another person to do so. The same goes for our marriages and families.
Many times, couples are trying to protect their marriages and families from all kinds of evil and instead of allowing God to protect it, they take matters into their hands through earthly, unspiritual or even demonic wisdom (James 3:15). Instead of taking matters into our hands, let’s operate in divine wisdom by welcoming God into our marriages and families, which yields a way greater and more sustainable solution. I came across 2 Timothy 1:12 during one of my devotions that totally blew my mind and is a reminder that every good thing we have is actually from God, which includes the marriage and family we have. It says:
“And this is why I am suffering as I do. Still I am not ashamed, for I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on), and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guard and keep that which has been entrusted to me and which [e]I have committed [to Him] until that day.” (Amplified Classic, AMPC)
Here it is in The Passion Translation, TPT
“The confidence of my calling enables me to overcome every difficulty without shame, for I have an intimate revelation of this God. And my faith in him convinces me that he is more than able to keep all that I’ve placed in his hands safe and secure until the fullness of his appearing.” (TPT)
In the original design of God, marriage is a gift entrusted to us from God, hence the importance of involving God in the selection of a life partner. God is more invested in your marriage and family because it is the bedrock of any community or nation. The more marriages and families are striving and excelling, the more a community and nation excel as well. So, believe me when I say that God definitely wants to see your marriage and family succeed and He is so willing to guard and keep your home if you allow Him in. But first, we have to be willing to commit our marriages that He first entrusted to us, back into His hands. During some wedding ceremonies, you will notice that the hand of the bride is handed over to the Pastor/ Officiant (a representative of God) by the bride’s dad and then the Pastor/ Officiant hands over the hand of the bride to the groom. It is our responsibility to hand over our marriage and home to God to govern it as He pleases and we must be willing to follow His leading, believing by faith that He is more than able to keep and secure our homes and marriages. God wants to reveal Himself as your protector and defender in your marriage and you have to trust Him. Allow Him to take the wheels of your marriage and home.
In order for Him to keep and guard your home, you need to entrust your heart to Jesus Christ, in order for the Holy Spirit, our helper in time of need, to step into your situation. To invite Him in, please say this prayer with me:
“Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you are the Son of God and I believe You died for me on the cross of Calvary. I know I am a sinner and today, I come to You to forgive me for all my sins and to make me a brand new creation. I accept You as my personal Lord and Saviour. Thank you, Lord, for forgiving me and making me born again, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Congratulations!!!! You are now born-again! This means you share the same DNA as Jesus Christ and, because of you, there is a great celebration in heaven right now!
If you made this decision, I would love to hear from you today! Please leave a comment on this post or reach out to me at https://www.cccghq.org/contact-us
By: Pastor Ibukun Adewusi