The Lord is my Fortress
by Annalene Holtzhausen
Many of us reading this devotion today can relate to times in our lives where it felt as if our heart was breaking into pieces. Moments when something deeply unsettling or hurtful happened and made us feel exposed and emotionally vulnerable. Often, our normal reaction is to protect ourselves from ever feeling such deep hurt again, so we ‘cover up’ and decide to keep any possible threat at a distance. We make the decision to not ever feel so vulnerable again … and so we hide in our self-made fortresses. What we don’t realise is that we actually become captives in our own protective fortresses.
The enemy loves it when we react in this way, because he will use anything to enlarge the lies we have started believing. Those lies that tell us we are our own protection, that people cannot be trusted, that life is awful, that we are useless and inferior, that God doesn’t care about me and that no one is there for us. His intention is to deceive you even further and to make you believe your self-made fortress is the solution. ‘He’s been a murderer right from the start! He never stood with the truth, for he’s full of nothing but lies—lying is his native tongue. He is a master of deception and the father of lies! (John 8:44, TPT). The devil wants to drive you away from the Lord and His truth. Because God’s truth sets you free. Jesus taught us: ‘And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (John 8:32, NLT).
God’s heart for each person, is to ‘bind up the brokenhearted’ (Isaiah 61:1, NIV). Only He can put the pieces of your heart back together again and heal your wounds. Only He can show you the truth and help you see a little more than the ‘reflection in the mirror’. He knows exactly when and what to reveal to you in order for Him to lead you into His freedom! Take one step today and choose to trust Him with your broken heart: ‘Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST (renewal, blessed quiet) FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light’ (Matthew 11:29-30, AMP).
Prayer: Lord, I have been hiding in my self-protection for so long and I have tried to forget the betrayal and the hurtful things that have happened to me. In the process I have also hurt other people by my self-defence. Lord, please reveal the lies I have been believing as truths and show me Your truth, because Your truth will set me free and lead me into a full life of joy and victory in Christ. Amen.
Annalene Holtzhausen is on the Associate Team at Ellel, Africa. She is married to Renier, who introduced her to Ellel Ministries. She is a full-time mother to their two boys. Her passion is for the restoration of women’s hearts and for people to find their worth in the Lord.
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