Protection In Jesus- Summer Break pt. 1
This summer as Diana prepares her heart to share the most difficult tragedy in her life, we will be enjoying a Summer Break series from Diana’s personal journals, studies, and a variety of other resources as we continue our Heartfelt Conversations. So, pour a glass of lemonade and grab a comfy chair out on the porch or even as you are driving to work and be inspired to live your best life.
Diana’s Notes
Welcome to Heartfelt Conversations with Diana! Over the past several weeks we have been talking about and learning the many names of God. His names help us know Him more intimately by knowing and understanding His character and the power and sovereignty in His names. And as we have been discovering God through His names each week, I have also been sharing my testimony, my story through each one of those names. But! Summer has arrived as we have come to the place in my personal journey that is going to be the most difficult for me to share publicly. Not just publicly, but also for me to walk through still. Even after 41 years.
I have spent the majority of that time avoiding the pain and now I stand on one bank looking across the river to the other side, knowing that I must cross over to receive the healing God has for me in this chapter but rather than rushing through it, and not really going through the grieving stages that I need to we are going to slow down just a bit and take a little summer break so God can prepare my heart. During this summer break, we will be chatting about a variety of things taken from my personal journals, stories, reflections, thoughts, and studies.
The episodes will be short, kind of like little devotions and hopefully you will enjoy them as we learn to value one another, seize our days and give praise to the One Who awakens us each day with a new breath of life .
This summer, enjoy time with those you love, make time for self-replenishment and time just enjoying the beauty of God’s Presence and this beautiful earth He has given to us.
And with that, let’s dive into our first Summer Break episode taken from a page in one of my many journals. Below is an entry from one of them from 2021. I titled this page Protection in Jesus.
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in and confidently rely on the loving-kindness and the mercy of God forever and ever. I will thank You and confide in You forever, because You have done it! (delivered me and kept me safe.) I will wait on, hope in and expect in Your Name, for it is good,
Psalms 52:8-9
I have personally dwelt in the presence of I AM. The Father of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The angel of the Lord has spoken to me. I have been in the presence of God Almighty. I have witnessed and received miracles by His Own hand.
He has always been holding me, waiting for me to see and feel and know the depth of my Savior’s love. But shame, fear, guilt, sorrow, grief, death, bitterness, anger, pity, self-righteousness and pride kept me from receiving all the good things God planned for me, long before I was even born.
I ran, I sinned, I hid and yet, there He was always protecting me, even from my own self destruction. I wish I would have been wise enough to wait on Him, hope in him, rely on him. But that takes Knowing Him, Learning of Him, Yielding my life to Him, everything to Him (heart, mind, body, soul,spirit, will, desires, dreams and even my fears and worries and deep sorrows.)
As my personal relationship with Him grows, so too does my faith, trust and confidence in Him grow, which will all be necessary to stand strong when that enemy of mine, Satan comes against me , against the life God has for me. Life’s trials, temptations and tragedy’s will come and knock on my door and it is only through His strength and the full leaning on His power and authority will I be able to withstand the storms, but in Him, I will stand.
I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was 12 years old because I believed there Is a God and I believed Jesus Is His Son and I knew I did not want to go to hell. What I didn’t know was that Salvation was only the beginning of this relationship. Yes, death no longer holds any power over me when I die and go to heaven, but what about before I get there?
I spent hours and hours a week in church as a kid but I knew nothing about developing an intimate walk with my Shepherd. I did not have a personal walk with Jesus. I had Salvation, but I was still living in hell on earth, or so it felt like a living hell.
The 12 disciples walked and talked and learned from and of Jesus as they traveled together. Me too, as the disciples of Jesus are to have that same type of relationship with Him. Meet with Him daily. Talk with Him, walk with Him, share my defeats and my victories, my fears and dreams. And as I learned of Him, I desire more of Him and to know Him more deeply, intimately. Now I am allowing Him to shepherd me without fighting against Him and this new way of learning to be has been bread of life to my soul and living water to my spirit.
My foundation was not strong and life almost took me down. I couldn’t see God in the storm, but He was always there. My heart was like a fist clenched shut, ready to protect myself with a forceful blow if necessary. But now I praise God. I am IN Christ Jesus and remain seated IN Him as He straightens out the crooked paths I have taken for far too long.
I was rescued from the grips of death on multiple occasions and because I blamed God for the loss of my daughter, I nearly squandered everything, and yet God was always there providing for me, protecting me, being so gracious to me even when, especially when, I was so undeserving.
Thank you Pastor Beth for Getting A Grip On The Basics and helping me to learn, know and understand that God does really love me. He even likes me! LOL
I am NOT rejected by Him. And thank you Pastor Jeff for your Walk The Line message that was a huge step in meeting my Helper and personal life coach, The Holy Spirit. And thank you Pastor April for leading me in that prayer.
WOW! What a friend we really do have in Jesus and I am so grateful that I have been awakened to this new life of God’s promises here, on this earth. In the land of the living! I don’t have to die a physical death in order to have heaven here, now. Without the Help of the Holy Spirit I would have remained dead and defeated. And thank you to Joyce Meyer for the Mind is a Battlefield. My mind was a mess! I was filled with stinkin’ thinkin’! So much stinkin’ thinkin’.
Where the mind goes, the man ( or in this case, woman) will follow. We head towards the direction our thoughts remain, and my mind was on a very dark, lonely, bumpy, destructive path.
But now, my eyes have been opened and I will not be in despair because I know Who holds my tomorrow and I am now and forever more will be safe in His loving arms.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who fear Him (and worship Him in awe-inspired reverence and obedience), On those who hope (confidently) in His lovingkindness.
Psalm 33:18 AMP Bible
When I put my full confidence and trust in Him as I learn to walk by the Spirit , I am assured that His eye is upon me and I have nothing to fear. Like any good Father, God always has His eye on us.
There is a quote from Tony Evans that says:
“God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.”
He will always be ready to meet us, when we are ready to receive Him.
“May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you His favor and give you, His peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
Songs to inspire you
Eye Of The Storm - [Lyric Video] Ryan Stevenson
MercyMe - Greater (Official Lyric Video)
Citizen Way - Bulletproof (Official Lyric Video)
Scriptures from this week's Podcast
Psalms 52:8-9
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in and confidently rely on the loving-kindness and the mercy of God forever and ever. I will thank You and confide in You forever, because You have done it! (delivered me and kept me safe.) I will wait on, hope in and expect in Your Name, for it is good,
Numbers 6:24-26
”May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you His favor and give you His peace.”
Additional Resources
Prayer of Salvation
Jesus has given salvation, healing, and countless benefits to all who call upon His name. These benefits can be yours if you receive Him into your heart by saying this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You admitting that I am a sinner. Right now, I choose to turn away from sin, and I ask You to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus rose again from the dead so that I may be justified and made righteous through faith in Him. I call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life. Jesus, I choose to follow You, and I ask that You fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. I declare right now that I am a born again, child of God. I am free from sin and full of the righteousness of God. I am saved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This prayer and the comment above, were taken out of the book:
Secrets to Powerful Prayer - Discovering the Languages of the Heart
By Lynne Hammond and Patsy Cameneti
If you have just received Jesus as your Savior, please write Lynne Hammond Ministries at:
PO Box 29469
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55429-2946
Or, email one of the ministries listed on the Additional Resources Tab and let them know that you are a brand new christian and need some direction on the next steps for your new life in Christ.
Or email us here at Heartfelt Conversations with Diana and we will pass along your information for you.
Congratulations if you are a brand new Christian or if you have Returned Home! Welcome!!! Get in God’s Word and get it into you!
Diana’s Home Church:
Valley Family Church - Pastor’s Eric and Alexa Jones
www.valleyfamilychurch.org
Other recommended Jesus-centered churches who teach the True Word of God:
Elevation Church - Steven Furtick
https://elevationchurch.org/
Joseph Prince Ministries - Joseph Prince
https://www.josephprince.org/
Joyce Meyer Ministries
https://joycemeyer.org/