22 For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.” Ezra 8:22 (NASB)
Perhaps my case is unique, but I doubt it. The closer I get to being a slave for Christ, a living sacrifice, the more the things around me that make up my “comfort zones” become either obliterated, gone, or broken, or my sensory system which used to somehow find comfort in their make up loses the ability to do so. I believe it is God’s hand in removing the idols from my heart; making me utterly dependent upon Him and Him alone for everything….
Of course, this is a work in progress. In the past as I prepared to wrap my mind around God’s Word to write these posts I used to have little rituals of preparation that brought me much joy that no longer do that, but, instead, the very thought of them delivers a certain level of anxiety to my heart that is only assuaged as I prayerfully dig into the Word. It is as if there is a “Danger – Do Not Enter” sign over them. I have noticed that the tone of my writing has changed considerably as well as I have heeded that.
Either God is sovereign or He is not. If He is, and I believe He is, then I believe He also keeps He promises and protects those who are His. If we really believe this then it should be reflected in how we live and walk in this life when it comes to being known as Christians.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NASB)