When I was a kid growing up in the big town of Bloomburg Texas, I had a big brother that was a little overbearing at times. In fact, most of my friends refused to come to my house to play because of him.  He liked to have fun at the expense of myself and those brave little friends that would come over to play with me.  He liked to play games like ‘hang em high’ where he would literally get a rope and you guessed it, ‘hang em high’.  He only acted like that when my father was not around because he knew he could get away with it. So the trick to not getting hung was to stay close to my father. 

Now that I am older, I realize that I still have an adversary that wants to play the game ‘hang em high’, and the secret to not getting hung is still the same, stay close to the Father.  Our earthly fathers are limited to the protection that they can give, but thankfully we have a Heavenly Father that has no limitations at all. 

Today… let me encourage you to stay close to the Father. He is the only one that really protects you from the one who wants to hang you out to dry. 

Read the following verses and have a wonderful and Spirit-filled day.

Proverbs 18:24

   24A man of too many friends comes to ruin,

         But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (NASB)

2 Thessalonians 3:3

3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. (NKJV)

Psalms 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—

       where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,

       the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—

       he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel

       will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—

       the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,

       nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—

       he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going

       both now and forevermore. (NIV)