The Shelter of the Almighty

Psalm 91:1

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. NASB

I began and finished 2018 with this verse.

Protection in Christ for 2018, was the first Sunday sermon of the year, and Psalm 91 was the main Scripture. As my Pastor ended the message, i was compelled to go forward and stand in submission to God for the verse above. I sensed the Spirit say, will you stay UNDER my shelter this year? Will you trust me to be enough no matter what comes your way? I was already being challenged in so many ways in my faith, that the invitation was actually an answer to my prayers. Yes, I wanted to cease striving and know that He is God. I wanted to feel protected, guided and loved by Him. I wanted to know intimately what it meant to live UNDER His protection. So i went up for prayer. Some people thought I was going up to pray for others, because leaders at church are not supposed to go up for prayer for themselves( so NOT true!).

At the altar, I committed myself to God, I committed not to question what happened to me, whether I thought it came from Him or not. I committed to see my situation through the filter of His unconditional love, no matter how unloved I felt. I committed to walk UNDER His shadow, UNDER His voice, UNDER His authority. It was a year of living UNDER. Any time I felt the oppression of the enemy, I went UNDER. Anytime the lies became more real to me than His truth, I went UNDER. I even bought a book titled UNDER COVER, that I did not read, because reading was a luxury. Instead, He used this Scripture over and over again, to remind me, “if you mean what you said, I am here, you can remain UNDER Me, UNDER my Protection. He became my shelter of peace, joy, purpose, direction, strength in weakness, my hope.

In mid year, my son’s mother in law suffered a brain hemorrhage that caused her to be hospitalized in critical care for weeks and remain in need of daily care. My children are young, raising 2 children, I knew I had to go and help, if only for a week. This became my summer vacation. There, God reminded me again that He was the shelter not only for my storm, but for my loved ones. He used this time to connect me more with my grandchildren and show His love to my son and daughter in law.

Then in the midst of a huge leadership project, my mother (who is 86 years old), was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. This was another opportunity to remain UNDER, to trust His ways, His timing, His love and concern for her. I was exhausted and could not see how I could help her in any way, but the Lord gave me strength to care for her for two weeks. Again, during these two weeks after her surgery, I had an opportunity to remain UNDER, to trust that He was sufficient for every need my mother and I had. Trust me, there were many needs, but one after another, each need was met. My Pastor and Minister Tara, my family and close friends, all came to our aid. There are angels everywhere, if we look to see them. I was gifted a copy of the study book, Intentional, Life’s Lessons from Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. Because I was familiar with the content, the Holy Spirit would often remind me of different sessions and would lead me to what I needed to read to remain UNDER. When I left my mom after her surgery and had questions about her future care, I was led to read Session 7- Part of God’s Plan is not to Tell You all of His Plan. It was like a stream of water in the desert of my soul. That day, I once again, committed myself, my family, my situation to God. Peace filled my soul.

As we neared year’s end, I sensed that I needed to declare that on the last night of the year, I would declare victory over the enemy, over his lies and constant harassment. I needed to declare that I was committed to living the rest of my life, UNDER the shelter of the MOST HIGH!

On December 24, 2018,(a BIG holiday for Hispanics), I ended up in a hospital emergency room due to my leg swelling and the enemy whispering that it was a blood clot.

It was a threat, that I did not take lightly so I went to make sure it was not so. I left the emergency room, once again, assured of Protection. There was no blood clot. I needed bed rest, to elevate my leg for a few days and then see my primary for follow up. The threat turned out to be for my good, because I was exhausted from everything I experienced from January 1, 2018 until December 24, 2018. I needed rest. The Lord provided, once again, just what I needed. To rest in HIS care, to stay UNDER the shelter. So yesterday, on December 31, 2018, I decided to celebrate living UNDER! It’s where I want o live the rest of my life! Happy New Year! Be intentional! Live your life! Live for Him!

I hope to see you at the next Intentional Workshop January 26th at Signature Grand. I know Successful Collaboration is needed in 2019. I want the tools to help me reach my goals with people in my life personally, and at work. This workshop is open to everyone! Register today at livewithintention-inc.com