Surrender Your Defense to God

[Surrender Your Defense to God]( Current Teaching Series [Living in the Goodness of God]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Surrender Your Defense to God]( By Rick Warren — 01/30/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Psalm 23:5 (NIV) King David knew what it meant to be attacked emotionally, verbally, and physically. As a young man, he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but Saul was still king. Even though David served him loyally, Saul was jealous of the future king and decided to kill him. David had to hide from Saul in caves while lies were being told about him across the kingdom. Yet David never said a bad word against King Saul. He never retaliated—because God was preparing David to be a king who followed God’s heart. David said of God, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5 NIV). Does it sound like David was stressed out? No! He didn’t have to use up all his energy defending himself, because he trusted God to be his defender. It takes a lot of faith and humility to trust God and rest when you’re under attack, when you’re misunderstood, and when rumors are spreading about you. When that happens, everything in you wants to rise up and do something about it. How do you handle people who attack you? You don’t. You let God handle them. Trust God to be your defender. Not only does God want to defend you, but he also wants to fellowship with you: “You’ll welcome us with open arms when we run for cover to you. Let the party last all night! Stand guard over our celebration” (Psalm 5:11 The Message). Both Psalm 23 and Psalm 5 paint the picture of a banquet, or a party, at an unlikely time—not just when good times are happening but when you’re under attack. If you’re in the heat of the battle right now, God knows about it. Maybe you’re fighting for your job. Or you’re fighting for your health. You’re fighting for your sanity. You’re fighting for your dignity. While the battle is going on, he wants to throw a banquet for you to offer just a little encouragement. God wants to give a party in a combat zone, to host a banquet on a battlefield. That kind of encouragement is available to you today when you surrender your worry, pain, and control to Jesus and rest in his promises to you. If you’re a child of God, your heavenly Father is proud of you. Critics may spite you, slander you, ignore you, ridicule you, or libel you, but they can’t stop God’s blessing on your life. As the Bible says, “He brought me to his banquet hall and raised the banner of love over me” (Song of Solomon 2:4 GNT). [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What battle are you in right now? What opposition is staring you down? - What will you have to let go of in order to surrender your defense to God? - How does resting in the midst of a battle help you fight better? The post [Surrender Your Defense to God]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get the Living in the Goodness of God Guided Bible Study when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( Start trusting God’s goodness in every area of life by exploring Psalm 23 with Pastor Rick’s Living in the Goodness of God Guided Bible Study. This beautiful, interactive, book will help you... • Revolutionize your life and your relationships • Recharge your body and mind • Create a habit of worship instead of worry • Practice loving God and others well • Use your time for the things that matter most • Stop comparing and start being content • And so much more! [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 12 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Living in the Goodness of God. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Is God Really Good All the Time? Message 2: Letting God Meet My Needs Message 3: Relaxing in God’s Goodness Message 4: How God’s Goodness Can Restore You Message 5: How to Be Led by God’s Spirit Message 6: The God of My Valleys Message 7: How Jesus Treats His Sheep Message 8: How God Lifts Me Up When I’m Worn Down Message 9: Living an Anointed Life Message 10: From Overwhelmed to Overflowing Message 11: Why You Don’t Need to Fear the Future Message 12: Heaven: God’s Eternal Goodness to You [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. 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