Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
Once, in a jail ministry class, one woman shared that she believes she was “rescued not arrested”. The other inmates looked puzzled by her statement. Then she began to explain, “because of my bad choices, I was a danger to myself and to others – so God actually rescued me by allowing me to go to jail. So, as far as I’m concerned, I was not arrested, I was rescued from myself!”
What a positive attitude this precious young lady embraced despite the interruption in her life. God’s course correction – out of His great love for her. As we discussed her comment further, I shared that I often ask God to “protect me from myself.” Sometimes, more often than others!
Silence took over the room, as they pondered my statement. Another woman asked, “Why do we need God to protect us from ourselves, shouldn’t God protect us from what other people do to us?”
When we think of God’s protection, we often think of God protecting us FROM a dangerous person or a painful situation. We’ve all experienced God’s protection on that level.
But, to become everything God has destined us to be and in order to follow His will for our lives, it is sometimes necessary for Him to intervene in our self-destructive, self-focused, or just plain selfish motives. We know what we want, but God knows what we need.
Sometimes we wonder, if God is protecting us, why does He allow situations to go on as long as they do? Is He using our bad mistakes or unwise choices to teach us a lesson or direct us back toward His will for our lives? Has he been telling us all along that this is not His path for us, yet, we continually chose to ignore His voice?
Bottom line …. God has a plan for you, and He has a plan for me. And, if we let our own selfish choices distract us from His plan for our lives, He will likely intervene to bring us back in line with His will, even if it means –– protecting us from ourselves.
He who began a good work in you is always …. ALWAYS faithful to complete it!! (Philippians 1:6)
Are you willing to willing to surrender to God’s will? Even if it means protecting you from yourself?
