God's Protection

My home is protected by an alarm system. The first thing the alarm company did after installing the alarm is to put up a yard sign, so that everyone would know my home is protected.  My home is now protected in two ways. 

The first is just the knowledge that my home is armed with an alarm will deter many would-be thieves not to try to break into my home. They might decide to try another home without an alarm system.

The second way my home is protected is with the alarm itself. If someone would to break into my home, the alarm would immediately call the police department and have the police at my home in minutes.

Did you know you are marked with a sign?  Believers in Christ have his seal of ownership on us.  "He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:22) Like my alarm system, that seal protects us in two ways.

The first is that it may deter some dark forces, whether earthly or spiritual, from coming against us. There is an awareness that we belong to Christ, and that we will be a hard sell on sin.

However, we know that Christians are not exempt from spiritual attack. And that is where the second protection comes in. We are armed, like an alarm system, with the word of God. With his seal, comes the spiritual armor of God, that we can put on daily to protect us. We literally have angels to protect us where ever we go (Psalm 91:11). 

I sleep better at night knowing I am protected by my alarm system. But true peace comes by being protected by God. May God raise a hedge of protection around you, as you fully believe him.

Psalm 91:
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

"It's Just a Season"

I can remember those really really hard days of mothering a preschooler. Some days I thought God must have been crazy to give me a child - because clearly I had no idea what I was doing! During those crazy, chaotic moments, someone would always come beside me and say, "Don't worry, this is just a season." And low and behold, right before I lost my mind, something would give and it would get better. And I'd think, "Whew, they were right! It was just a season and now everything is all better."

But then a funny thing would happen. Right when I was getting comfortable in my new reality of perfect parenting, something would slip and a new problem would arise. What the heck? And I'd be right back to crazy and chaotic days (albeit with different craziness this time). 

And then I came to realize something.  It's ALL a season. Not just the bad stuff, but the good stuff too. And it's not just about parenting.  When your job is going perfect - watch out - because that's just a season, and things are going to get tough.  But that's okay, because the tough stuff is just a season too.

And your marriage - look out friends, the bad season is coming. But if you can just cling to Jesus, know that a good season is around the corner.  But good or bad, it's not forever.  It ebbs and flows.

Life has it's good and bad days, it's good and bad seasons. And one thing I've learned is that the seasons always change. And that's okay! We learn, and grow, and become stronger in the rough seasons. And we rejoice, and relax, and renew during the good seasons.

I think sometimes we wait for the time to come when everything will be alright, and we don't have to experience any more bad seasons. Friends, that isn't going to happen on earth. But if you know and love Jesus, when the seasons of life end, you'll go be with Him, and the seasons will end and our perfect eternity will begin. But until then, on earth, one thing I know is "This too shall pass."  It's just a season.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-3

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com