The Lord is my Strength and my Shield

As I sit here and  think of my husband leaving again tomorrow for another week it is easy to throw myself a pity party. If I sit and think long enough I can throw myself into a full-blown tizzy! What will the evenings hold? Will my oldest son lose control of his emotions and actions? Will I be the victim of those outbursts? How will I keep the other boys safe? Will I know what to do in each situation to make the best of it? As you see, it is very easy to feel defeated and overwhelmed. That is exactly what Satan wants to do. His goal is to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10) my joy and keep me from fulfilling God’s purpose.

Earlier this afternoon I was fulfilling extremely anxious about my husbands upcoming travels but after a few tears I decided to get away with my Bible. I went to my favorite place, the local coffee shop. I am definitely a lover of coffee and the atmosphere that surrounds cafes. I decided that instead of falling in to Satan’s trap, I was going to replace his lies with God’s truth. First I went through my concordance reading different verses on ‘hope’. The ones I really saw as useful this week I wrote down. Next I did the same for “strength’. Amazingly, well not really I should have know, I felt 100 times better! I decided that I would make a pretty page on my laptop to print off and hang up in various places through out the house. (Ha Ha Satan, the jokes on you, I will not allow you to take away the joy in my life)! I thought you all might enjoy the verses as well. Your welcome  it is my pleasure to help you defeat Satan in your lives as well.

It is really sad in my situation when I allow Satan to take away my joy. Motherhood is one of God’s most precious gifts, of course besides the cross, and when I allow him to take control in my life and fear to grow I am no longer enjoying the gift God has given me. Please Lord, allow me to take every day at a time, to treat every day as a precious gift from you, to keep my patience in stressful situations, and to remember that this is not my home. Heaven is where I belong, Heaven is my home and there is no place like home… .

Here are the verses I found to be the most helpful. I hope that they are beneficial to you as well.

• The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Ex 15:2
• The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7
• Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5
• My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is my strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
• So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
• The SOvereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights. Hab 3:19
• I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13

I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaver and Earth. He will not let your foot slip-He who watches over Israel with neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm- He will watch over your life; your coming and going both now and forevermore.       Psalm 121