Thursday, April 03, 2014

Stop Picking On Me

God is our refuge, our strength and salvation, a mighty fortress is the Lord Almighty!



1 John 2:1-2  My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the One who is truly righteous.  He Himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins--and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

John 14:16  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.

There is a lot of talk these days about bullying, one of the greatest challenges as a kid is trying to feel good about yourself and attempting to fit in, I didn't achieve either one of those goals until I was way past childhood. Insecurity is one of our greatest enemies and none of us are ever completely free of this battle.

There is a bully that stands strong against us with exceptional power, his goal is to cause us great harm, he wants us to feel as insecure as a little child. Satan wants to keep me from realizing my position as a child of God, he wants me to continue living in the guilt of my past mistakes, he wants me to believe that I will never be good enough.

I don't have to stand in the courtroom in front of God the Father with only the Accuser by my side. Thank God I have a defense, I have an advocate that stands there with me before the judge, he speaks on my behalf to protect me from every attack that the Accuser brings. The work that Jesus did through his death and resurrection and continues to do for me
Who dares to accuse me?
Romans 8:33-34  Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one--for God Himself has given us right standing with Himself.  34  Who then will condemn us? No one--for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.
Who is accusing you? Who is condemning you? Is he greater than your defender? While Jesus was here with his disciples he was their counselor, a guide, and a friend. He had instructed them, he endured their prejudices and ignorance, and he consoled them when they were hopeless. We have the same care that they had, the Holy Spirit is our comforter, teacher and helper in the same way that Jesus disciples had him.

If you are a child of God then the Accuser has already been defeated and you don't need to listen to what he has to say about you. I love the way this song reminds me of the power and help that we have on our side:

Defender (Call Upon the Name)
Words and Music by: Travis Doucette

He is near to the broken
Close to the weary of heart
In His name is a refuge
A safety for the weak and discarded

There is help for the hopeless
For the wounded in need
In the presence of Jesus
There is power unleashed

Call upon the name of the Lord
He's our defender, our deliverer
A shelter in the midst of the storm
Jesus, our Savior
He is King over all

I will sing of my Redeemer
Testify to the touch of His hand
Lifted me from disaster
Set my feet on a solid rock to stand

God is our refuge, our strength and salvation
A mighty fortress is the Lord Almighty!
There is no equal, no power beside Him
Forever our champion is the Lord our God!
Thank you Lord for loving me and taking care of me everyday!