{"id":192,"date":"2012-08-12T10:32:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-12T10:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=192"},"modified":"2012-08-12T10:32:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-12T10:32:00","slug":"always-protects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=192","title":{"rendered":"Always Protects"},"content":{"rendered":"

My family enjoys a version of jalape\u00f1o poppers that are baked. My husband faithfully cleans the peppers, I fill them with a mixture of cream cheese, shredded cheese, and bacon, and then they are baked in the oven. These delicious little appetizers make my mouth water at the thought.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We completed the preparation of these poppers for dinner last night. We were using the grill for hamburgers, so we decided to grill the poppers instead of baking them. They were even better!<\/span><\/div>\n
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When the poppers were ready to be removed from the grill, my husband grabbed a few pot holders from the kitchen drawer and carried the hot tray inside. As he made his way to the kitchen he mentioned that his hands were getting hot. He set the popper laden tray down, but the pot holders would not pull away from the tray. They had melted from the heat of the tray.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u00a0It became clear that the grill tray held much more heat than a normal baking sheet that is designed for an oven. It also became clear that standard household potholders were not the right protection against such heat.<\/span><\/div>\n
As Christians, we must be aware of the spiritual protection that is available for us. Satan knows our weaknesses and how to draw us out from our protection. We must be wise to remain within the boundaries of our spiritual protection.<\/span><\/div>\n
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David certainly knew about God\u2019s protection and asked for it frequently. In Psalm 5:11 (NIV), David rejoiced in God\u2019s refuge.\u201cBut let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.\u201d<\/i>We can rejoice in God\u2019s protection as well, because we love His name!<\/span><\/div>\n
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Another passage in which David praised God for protection is Psalm 32:7 (NIV). He says, \u201cYou are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.\u201d<\/i> When we hide from our enemies within the shelter of God\u2019s protection, we will be delivered.<\/span><\/div>\n
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We read in Psalm 31:28 (NIV) that when we act justly and are faithful, God protects and is faithful to us. \u201cFor the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
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In Psalm 40:11 (NIV), David says, \u201cDo not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord; may your love and your truth always protect me.\u201d<\/i> God\u2019s love and truth always protect. What a promise! <\/span><\/div>\n
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So how can we utilize God\u2019s protection to its fullest? Ephesians 6:16 tells us that \u201cIn addition to all of this<\/i> [putting on the Armor of God],<\/i> take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.\u201d <\/i>A shield protects its bearer from oncoming blows. That is exactly what our faith is to do. Provide protection for us against our enemy.<\/span><\/div>\n
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We can pray for protection as Jesus did for His disciples in John 17:11 and 15 (NIV). \u201cI will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name\u2014the name you gave me\u2014so that they may be one was we are one\u2026My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
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We can know that God\u2019s love and truth will always protect us. (Psalm 40:11)<\/span><\/div>\n
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I want to mention one more passage that David wrote. Psalm 91. You\u2019ll recognize it as soon as you begin reading. David was in need of protection and found a secure place with God.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u201cHe who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, \u2018He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/i> (Psalm 91:1-2 \u2013 NIV)<\/span><\/div>\n
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Do you feel the need for God\u2019s protection today? Is Satan on the prowl? Is Satan ready to pounce? If so, look to these passages and use them in your prayer time with God. Ask God to be your protection. Take up your shield of faith. Head into battle knowing that Satan\u2019s flaming arrows have no effect upon you. You will be victorious.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/span><\/div>\n
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Donna<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My family enjoys a version of jalape\u00f1o poppers that are baked. My husband faithfully cleans the peppers, I fill them with a mixture of cream cheese, shredded cheese, and bacon, and then they are baked in the oven. These delicious little appetizers make my mouth water at the thought. We completed the preparation of these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-following-god","category-trusting-god"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}