It’s easy to fall back into old habits, putting up walls against how we imagine someone might hurt us. But when we seek to self-protect, we will fail. Every time. We’re just not equipped for that God-sized job.
Coming out from under our Protector’s covering to try to do His job ourselves only leaves us wide open to all the more enemy attacks.
The safest place is in the center of God’s will, loving Him and loving others. Matthew 22:37-40. When Christ is our Head, and His love flows through us, the people and circumstances around us change. But more importantly, we change. His love, peace and joy carry us even through the toughest of trials.
Do you have deep wounds? Even some you might have forgotten about? Please prayerfully read through this More Than A Conqueror message to ask the Lord if those experiences caused you to make a self-protective vow He wants you to break:
The Danger of Self-Protection
Lord, in what ways have I put up walls against You and others? How have I let my fear and hurt distance me from receiving and experiencing fully both Your love and the love of others? What self-protective vows have I made, like, “I’ll never let someone do that to me again!” that have actually pulled me out from under Your covering and exposed me to all the more enemy attacks in that area of my life? O Father, please forgive me for taking Your job. As if my strategies of isolation are somehow stronger than Your protection. Forgive me for the vows I have thought in my head and acted upon to cut You and others out. I’m NOT strong enough to protect myself from hurt. I need Someone stronger. I need YOU, Lord. Come and rescue me from the traps Satan has set for me. For the more I try to avoid pain, the more he brings people and circumstances into my path to afflict me. Set me free from my fears and bitterness. I need You now. I want to freely love others without fear of peril to my heart. For when Your love freely flows through me, I can love as You first loved me, without borders, without the need to be loved back. For I am already unashamedly, boundlessly, purely, perfectly and forever loved by the Perfect One who created me for Love. You loved me so much You gave Your Son to die for me so I can be free. With Your perfect love, O God whose name is Love, come chase out all my fears. 1 John 4:16-18. Cover me beneath Your wings and shelter me from harm, like only You can. Psalm 91. I relinquish my chains. All my fear. All my pain. I lay them down at Your feet. Cover me with Your unending love. For only in Your embrace, O God my Shield, my Fortress, my Mighty Warrior, the One who fights for me, … am I truly safe.
For steps to freedom from from self-protective vows and other ways you’ve given in to the enemy’s plans for you, see Delight to Be a Woman of Wonder and the men’s version, Dare to Be a Mighty Warrior, at MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com.
Mikaela Vincent and her husband are missionaries who live by faith, trusting in God to provide for their needs as they pray for and share Christ with the nations. If you would like to help their ministry through a donation, or by finding gifts for those you love at Mikaela’s online bookstore, click the buttons below:
Any proceeds this author receives from the sale of the deep devotional Bible studies and other MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com books mentioned in this post go to shining Christ’s light in the darkness and seeing the nations come to Him.
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