“Rejoice in the Lord it is a “SAFEGUARD for you.”-{Phil 3:1}

Another tough few weeks and nights of illness, this morning I awoke and needed to get my mind on something solid to help me stay above my circumstances. Below are a few lines I wrote to speak to myself and reminded of truth and hope it may also encourage you…

“Safeguard” means to keep from stumbling, overthrown or been tripped up,make someone fall.It describes that which is safe and secure from stumbling or falling!

Paul’s circumstances involved unfair treatment, incarcerated, envious people, suffering,false teachers peddling a false Gospel,enemies of the cross, and writing to a poor people and his word to them “REJOICE…” not in circumstances themselves, but in his circumstances and theirs also, the focus is to be, “IN THE LORD!” And he tells them it is not some useless, irrelevant exercise, but it is a “Safeguard” for them! God’s provision to Inform them how to be spiritually protected, stable, in their circumstances.

What are your circumstances? Unfair, opposed by envious people, difficulties? “Rejoice in the LORD it is a safeguard for you!” It takes faith either way, Faith to REFUSE to follow His command as you don’t “Feel” like it, the circumstances you “feel” don’t warrant it. You can’t reason the point of it when things are not going the way you “feel’ they should. So you REFUSE and REJECT God’s WISDOM to You and For you, in the circumstance. It is also to REJECT His LOVE, as it is His Kindness and love to show you how to handle life, even when things are “unfair,” difficult people, and difficult circumstances.

It takes “faith” to reject Him, His Wisdom, His love! It is to say you are wiser than His Word, to elevate your own opinion above HIS WORD AND IN Matthew 7 it is to build your life on “sand!” And that is no safe foundation to build your life upon! And the one who chooses to do so, Jesus compares to a “FOOLISH Person!” Are you behaving foolishly? To place “faith” in yourself and what you “think, feel” as opposed to what God has revealed in His Word as the All Wise, loving LORD who cares for you, is to be foolish! 

In the heat of the moment it is difficult, it is to Him we must turn to and trust to remind us of Himself, His Word, His way and choose to exercise faith in Him and what He says and the one who does His Word He compares to a”WISE” person! “FAITH” in Him-Pleases Him- {Heb 11:6}- Glorifies HIM- {Rom 4:19-21} and expresses LOVE to Him as you choose to Obey Him-{John 14:21} So choosing to obey Him and rejoice in Him and exercise faith is not useless but is pleasing to Him, Glorifies Him and expresses Love to Him… and for you it is a “SAFEGUARD!” 

Are you facing unfair circumstances, unfair people,temptation to self reliance, {3:3}, difficulties of life? How you choose to respond will show who and where your faith is anchored, God commands, Rejoice in the Lord…It is a a safe guard for you, to keep you from spiritually stumbling, been overthrown, tripped up in your faith by unfair circumstances, people, life’s difficulties, false teaching, pride, confidence in one self to attain favor with God! Your response, as will mine, will reveal what we think of Him, whether He is trustworthy, wise enough, loving enough to care for us in the way that is right or not! Our response to the command reveals what we truly think about Him. It will either be a foolish or wise response!

“Rejoice in the Lord… It is a SAFEGUARD for you.”-  Spiritually stable, secure in your walk depends upon your choice to trust and do what He says or not!

Time to choose to “Rejoice in The LORD…It Is A SAFEGUARD for you!”