The
devil often attacks our heart, the seat of our emotions, self-worth, and trust.
God's righteousness is the breastplate that protects our heart and ensures His
approval. He approves of us because He loves us and sent His Son to die for us.
Righteousness (acting in a morally
correct manner, correct by divine declaration - set right with God)
Genesis 15:6 - And he [Abram] believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Abram
believed what God promised him and because his faith was in God, not the
promise, he was set right with God or declared by God to be righteous. Our
faith, even as little as a mustard seed, needs to have its foundation in Jesus
Christ, in His person and His work.
Glade
walked into the clubhouse. He smiled his usual greeting to the man heading in
his direction. Buzz pushed by him as he stocked toward the door. “What’er you
so happy about? Life stinks,” he grumbled. The clubhouse door slammed as Buzz
disappeared through it, leaving Glade standing, staring after the unhappy man.
“Hey,
Deeter. What’s with him?” He hollered to the one other person in the room.
Deeter
looked up from the newspaper he’d been reading. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”
Deeter’s gaze returned to the article in front of him.
Glade
shrugged but the image of unhappiness that permeated the place reached out and
grabbed like a tangible hand. He shivered. What was it about the club that made
him feel so unloved and unwanted these days? Then he remembered the sermon his
pastor had preached in church the day before. He’d talked about a Christian’s
need to guard their heart, to protect their inner most being from the attacks
of the enemy.
Was
it possible? He scoffed. Of course it was.
This place was ripe with Satan’s markings. Everywhere he looked he saw, with
eyes that seemed to be clear for the first time, evidence of how the enemy
controlled the lives of all who entered the doors of the club. The heaviness
weighed them down. He could feel it. I
need to leave. Glade marched toward the door he’d just come through.
The
pastor was right. He needed to protect his heart by immersing himself in the
word, and traveling with people who also loved God. Especially now when he’d
given his life to Christ. There was nothing he could do for his fellow bikers
until he became stronger in his faith. Maybe one day God would lead him back
here but for now he needed to put the club and its members behind him.
Glade
was right to take what his pastor preached seriously. If we don’t wear our
righteousness, the set-right-with-God shield, openly, we are more likely to
step back into old habits. We need to wear it like a badge of honor whenever we
step into the world and all that entails, understanding that while we love the
people we work with, the people God places in front of us, we also need to be
aware of Christ, His person and His work at all times.
Fill
your heart and mind with God’s love for the people you come in contact with but
never forget it’s God’s love and not your own. Don’t ever take Christ for
granted. Be aware of His power to reach out to the lost, the sick, and the
weak, as you move through your day.
Father,
regard me as righteous. Fill me with Your presence today, so I may reflect You
to the people You bring into my path. Keep me sharply aware that it is all
about You, not me at all. I can do nothing without You in my life, walking
before me, guiding my steps. Thank You Father. Amen.
Look
around. Do You see God at work in and through You? Have you taken the necessary
precautions to protect your heart, your inner most being from the enemy or do
you let unholy thoughts fester and grow like a cancer?
About the Author
About the Author
Watching the expressions on the faces
of her readers, as well as answering questions about her characters,
is what drives author and speaker, Barbara Ann Derksen to write yet
another book and another. Her favorite genre is murder mystery but
each book brings forth characters who rely on God as they solve the
puzzle in their life.
Barbara’s devotionals are sought
after each year when she publishes a new one that reflects what God
has placed on her heart. From Straight Pipes, her first, to
More Than Bells, Preparation for Prayer, the latest, Barbara’s
devotions take people to the place where God can touch their heart
and leave a lasting impression. When people stop by her table for the
latest, they talk to her about using the devotions in their chapter
meetings, or their personal devotions. Some men return at their
pastor’s request because the books are used as launch pads for
men’s bible study. Many copies have been passed on to new believers
as discipling tools.
Born in Canada, Barbara lived in the US
for 12 years. There her writing surfaced as she worked under contract
as a journalist for six years with over 2500 articles published in
newspapers and magazines during that time. Meeting and interviewing
people, digging for the hidden gems in their lives, made those years
informative as well as instructive. She began attending Colorado
Christian Writer’s Conferences and each year, under the tutelage of
great Christian writer’s like James Scott Bell, Angela Hunt, and
others, she honed her skills.
Barbara has developed a speaking
platform and has spoken across the US and in Manitoba, Canada for
women’s groups and in church services on topics such as The Writing
Experience, working in the ministry of Christian Motorcyclists
Association, Love, Parenting, Time Management, and a host of others.
With 17 books to her credit, one
currently inactive and awaiting revision, each one surpasses the
last, according to her readers. They look forward to discovering
the new characters in a new series Finders Keepers. Book
One – Shadow Stalker – will be released mid-May, 2013
Writing, however is simply a tool to be
used in the ministry she shares with her husband. With his gift of
music (he sings country gospel), Barbara and her husband operate
CatchFire Ministries, a ministry to bikers through Christian
Motorcyclists Association. They travel for four to five months every
summer in the US and the rest of the time in Canada where they seek
to inspire, encourage and invite people into a deeper ministry with
Jesus Christ. They also minister at Veterans Homes and churches along
the way and are about to begin a ministry to Juvenile offenders
incarcerated at Manitoba Youth Center. The mysteries include a gospel
message that opens her readers to the possibility of reading books
written from a Christian World view and supply funds for CatchFire.
About Her Latest Book
Evil pursues Christine, in this the
second book of the Finders Keepers Mystery Series. Retreat is not an
option but her move forward makes her vulnerable to the very evil
that took her parents' lives. Faced with yet another missing child,
she embarks on a search that takes her out of her comfort zone to
question her chosen career, her abilities, and her belief system as
she helps stricken parents find closure. Christine finds herself
confused about her growing interest in Jeremy but she is distracted
by the essence of evil that surrounds her.
Purchase the book here: Essence of Evil (Finders Keepers Mystery Series)
Purchase the first book in the series here: Shadow Stalker: The Finders Keepers Mystery Series Book One (Finder Keepers Mystery Series)
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