A Child Under Divine Protection

Psalm 121:7-8

“The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming from this time forth, and forevermore.”

When I was a very young girl, I had a collection of barbies that I played with, they were my world in the middle of a very dark home that I sought desperately to escape from. I created an imaginary place that put together a perfect family, a perfect home, and a perfect love where I felt safe and protected. This false reality from my childhood planted a seed in my mind that no doubt left me deceived and carried with it a root of self-dependence, fear, and a strong wall that kept people at a distance. I developed a mindset that clung to the idea that no one was ever going to hurt me when I grew up.

I got a little curious after the big hype on the new Barbie release to dig a bit deeper into the message behind the movie and see if it held any connection to my deep loyalty to the life I adopted when living vicariously through “Barbie and Ken.”

In my heart of hearts, I learned some things that troubled me as tears of remembrance streamed down my face. I learned the enemy of our souls can and will use all sorts of methods and iconic figures to manipulate and deceive, even a young and impressionable girl who simply longed for a family that loved her and took care of her.

I am not saying playing with barbies is all bad, however, I am saying without knowing it, the enemy can take circumstances through iconic toys with a hidden message and shift an influential mind toward deception that can cripple one from believing there is any hope for a better life. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So, what if there was a seed planted in the mind of a desperate and hurting child to believe in a fictitious world that would lead to all sorts of trouble throughout her life? I wondered about this. Why? Because they were more than just play toys for me, they were idols that affected the way I saw life. And when I look back, I can see the way I believed affected the way I lived. And I lived a broken life full of trouble and a mind filled with misconceptions about men, about love, about family and so on.

I thought to myself, what better way to bring about a society of dysfunctional children than to start in the mind of a child who grows up a victim of trauma. This is how Satan works! If you give him an inch he takes your life. We must remember we are dealing with a spirit who came to this earth with one job….to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

Humor me for a bit while I enlighten you on the mystery of “Barbie” and where she came from and see if you can understand the underlying message of this spirit:

The word “Barbie” means stranger or foreigner and when you trace her origin you find she came from another land, from post-war Germany. She was taken from a German doll named Bild Lilly. Bild Lilly’s first appearance is in character with a fortune teller. She was the form of a sex doll and was even sold in sex shops. In fact, parents of that day considered her inappropriate for children. She flouted sexual immorality and was depicted as a prostitute.

“Bild Lilly” came to America in the form of “Barbie” in the 1960’s with the same pattern of clothing as this infamous sex toy. Yes, Barbie was based on a prostitute.

Let’s go a little deeper….

The bible records a parable given by Jesus in Matthew 12:43-45 about a spirit that comes out of a man and then returns to the man with seven more spirits more evil than itself. One of these spirits is known as the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. She was the goddess of sexuality and immorality. She was always depicted as a young woman, a young woman on her own and independent. She was known for taking on roles traditionally assumed by men. She was rarely linked to marriage and her ways were generally averse to marriage or motherhood. She was a goddess of women who were not married. Her ancient literature was pornographic and Mesopotamian culture was filled with her images and idols. They were little figurines that people kept in their houses that girls would look up to as a model.

If we plug this parable in to the fall of America, we see that was in the 1960s our nation began to intentionally remove God from its culture. During this same era, Barbie comes on the scene and her popularity skyrocketed. It was also in the 1960s the sexual revolution made its debut along with the dramatic weakening and destruction of marriage. The point here is that when you remove the Spirit of God from a culture, there will be other spirits that come in and dwell, hence the spirit of sexuality and immortality….the Goddess of Ishtar. I don’t have to tell you all the sexual immorality going on in our world today. Think about it.

Let’s do some comparisons with this Goddess of Sexuality and Barbie:

· Just like Ishtar, Barbie is also depicted as an iconic young woman. She is the most widely disseminated figurine of young girls on earth and since the time of Ishtar.

· Barbie’s origin was that of a sex doll, as was Ishtar.

· Ishtar was a prostitute goddess and a prostitute herself, as so Barbie was based on a prostitute doll, “Bild Lilly”.

· Ishtar was depicted as a female, independent of males, who took on roles traditionally assumed by men, and so is Barbie as we see Ken foreshadow this iconic queen.

· Ishtar was rarely connected with marriage or motherhood, so too Barbie as depicted in today’s blockbuster.

It was in this unveiling mystery that the Lord showed me His ultimate authority over my life even in my darkest days, “I shall preserve you from all evil, I shall preserve your soul. I shall preserve your going out and your coming from this time forth, and forever more (Psalm 121:7-8).” I was a child under divine protection….can you see it?

Divine protection, in its true and real sense, means the soul’s welfare so that nothing can bring harm to it or be an obstacle to its happy growth and divine fulfilment. This Psalm is a promise that the Lord watches over His people and will ultimately keep them from harm. This is good news!

I am humbled to know a Savior saw me in the depth of deception and had a rescue plan already worked out before I could even see it. Evil men may come and afflict a child of God, but the LORD shall preserve their soul. Even as a helpless child I had an overseer. I am proof that God preserves a life hidden in darkness to bring something beautiful from something broken.

Let me share with you how you can find this same hope. That painful past didn’t disappear overnight, and it started with a decision. Here is how my heart shift began:

First, I made a choice to surrender my life to Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior. It has been the best decision I have ever made and the beginning of a miraculous work. My yes to Him gave Him permission to walk into the middle of my wrecked world and begin a transformational work I could have NEVER done on my own.

Second, I started spending time getting to know Him, and little by little I began to see changes in myself. The bible says in Deuteronomy 7:22, “And the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them all at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.” It’s a process….It was years of pain and trauma and it would be years healing and growth to accomplish His good and perfect plan for me. I started small with a cup of coffee and a devotional which over time turned in to reading & studying my bible with the result of a much deeper and intimate relationship with Him where I,

Third, fell in love. It’s that simple. Recall what it was like when you fell in love with your spouse. There was nothing you would not do for them. You gave them all of you. And that’s what happens when you fall in love with Jesus. He gave me beauty for ashes. I had absolutely nothing to give Him and in return He gave me everything.

If you feel like you can’t overcome a past that haunts you, I want to give you hope today. God sees you and there is victory on the other side as you surrender your pain to a loving Father who desires to spend time with you and bring healing to your precious heart. If He did it for me, He can do it for you.

If you are ready, take a moment to pray with me and let your healing journey begin…

Jesus, I invite you to rescue my heart and become my Lord and Savior. I admit I am unable to overcome the burdens of this life on my own, I need you. Please forgive me where I have fallen so very short. I believe who you say you are, the Son of the Living God, who came to this earth to give His life for mine. I surrender my life to your saving grace and trust you to restore my true identity. Draw me close to Your heart and help me walk in the freedom that you died to give me. In Jesus Name, Amen

If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to leave a comment below and we will reach out to you.