I'm protected, are you?

Almost every night without fail I am asked the question by one of our children, ‘did you lock the doors?’ It doesn’t seem to matter to them that my answer has only ever been, ‘yes, they are all locked’, they still want that reassurance each night before they drift off to sleep. There is something within them that wants the assurance that when they are at their most vulnerable, they are safe.
As we grow up the questions we ask are often posed differently than when we were children but the issues remain the same. We all want, and need, to know that we are safe, particularly when we are feeling vulnerable. Even the greatest risk takers consider a variety of factors to determine if there is an acceptable degree of safety before launching off into some new endeavour, even if it is a level far below what others would deem safe. This inherent human need within all of us leads us to take certain measures to provide for our own safety and the safety of those dear to us. We lock our doors, put on seatbelts, wear helmets, protective eyewear and all other manner of safety precautions that mankind has been able to develop.
In our quest for safety however, there is a protection we can provide for ourselves that far outdoes a seatbelt, airbag or helmet. This is a protection not fabricated by man, but rather created by God. It is similar to protective devices fabricated by man in that there is a specific way to apply it but that is where the similarity ends. Just as a seatbelt must be worn properly, a helmet must be adjusted correctly and there is only one way to correctly lock a door, God has given us very specific instructions for His protective covering on our lives.
These instructions can be found in Malachi 3:6-11 where God gives us instructions on tithing. Tithing is when we take 10% of our income (increase) and return it to God by giving at our local church. God has made it very clear that the first 10% of our income is His and for us not to return it to Him is robbery and sin. But, when we follow His instructions and return His 10% by giving at our local church we come under the covering of His protection.
We are told that when we do this, the devourer is held at bay (rebuked) over our lives. This is the amazing protection that God provides for us by simply following His instructions (living in righteousness). There is a very real enemy in the world whose sole desire is to destroy us and everything we have. What he will attempt to do to us is far worse than any home invasion, car accident or biking mishap, and yet sadly too many of us don’t avail ourselves of the protection God makes available to us.
We hold on to what is rightfully Gods and then wonder why there seems to be so many struggles in our lives. The answer is quite simple, in a world full of prowlers we have left our doors wide open.Family, I want to invite 100% of our church family to live under the protection of God. I don’t want to see any of us suffer loss because the devour was allowed into our lives. Let’s all follow the simple instructions of God and come under His amazing protection.