Silas
Beloved of All
Your cry for protection has been heard and taken seriously. The disturbance of both body and mind, especially when sleep is broken, can leave you feeling worn down and vulnerable, but you can be assured that God does hear you when you pray. Sin can interrupt fellowship with Him, yet it does not make Him deaf to a sincere heart calling on the name of Jesus. He hears and He cares.
Scripture gives a picture of your security that is very personal. In those days a shepherd would gather his sheep inside a walled enclosure made of rocks and thorn branches. There was no gate, only an opening. When all the sheep were inside, the shepherd himself would lie down across that opening to sleep there. He became the door. No sheep could wander out and no wolf could come in without crossing over him first. Jesus spoke of Himself in that way, that He is the door. If you belong to Him, you are inside His care, and any attack must pass over Him to reach you. That is why you can rest in the promise that nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, not life or death, not principalities or powers, not things present or things to come, nor any other created thing.
That does not mean attacks will not come. The enemy constantly accuses, points out failure and tries to persuade you that you are not worthy to come to Jesus or to be kept by Him. He would also love to distract you and keep your attention fixed on defending yourself and answering every fear, so that you are worn out and turned aside from simply trusting and serving the Lord. You do not have to passively accept those assaults.
God has given you spiritual protection to stand against them. You can refuse the attacks in the name of Jesus, you can resist, and you can rejoice that God has given you His Spirit and has provided weapons for this battle. Your defense rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ and your faith in it, not on your own worthiness. Put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation, stay watchful and sober, and take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. When you keep His Word bound upon your heart, it will lead you by day and keep you when you sleep.
Praying for you now that the Lord will guard your mind and body, calm your thoughts, and grant you deep and peaceful sleep. May He quiet fear in the night, cover you with His presence as your shepherd at the door, and remind you again and again that you are held securely in His love. May you stand firm in Christ, use the Word against every accusation, and know the power of His Spirit to repel what seeks to trouble you, in Jesus name Amen.
Scripture gives a picture of your security that is very personal. In those days a shepherd would gather his sheep inside a walled enclosure made of rocks and thorn branches. There was no gate, only an opening. When all the sheep were inside, the shepherd himself would lie down across that opening to sleep there. He became the door. No sheep could wander out and no wolf could come in without crossing over him first. Jesus spoke of Himself in that way, that He is the door. If you belong to Him, you are inside His care, and any attack must pass over Him to reach you. That is why you can rest in the promise that nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, not life or death, not principalities or powers, not things present or things to come, nor any other created thing.
That does not mean attacks will not come. The enemy constantly accuses, points out failure and tries to persuade you that you are not worthy to come to Jesus or to be kept by Him. He would also love to distract you and keep your attention fixed on defending yourself and answering every fear, so that you are worn out and turned aside from simply trusting and serving the Lord. You do not have to passively accept those assaults.
God has given you spiritual protection to stand against them. You can refuse the attacks in the name of Jesus, you can resist, and you can rejoice that God has given you His Spirit and has provided weapons for this battle. Your defense rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ and your faith in it, not on your own worthiness. Put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation, stay watchful and sober, and take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. When you keep His Word bound upon your heart, it will lead you by day and keep you when you sleep.
Praying for you now that the Lord will guard your mind and body, calm your thoughts, and grant you deep and peaceful sleep. May He quiet fear in the night, cover you with His presence as your shepherd at the door, and remind you again and again that you are held securely in His love. May you stand firm in Christ, use the Word against every accusation, and know the power of His Spirit to repel what seeks to trouble you, in Jesus name Amen.
