Protecting Your Family in Dangerous Times & Dangerous Places

2011 - 4:00am
I was woken up by an imperative whisper, saying, "Wake up!" As I heard those words, I felt 2 firm taps on my feet. I opened my eyes and was immediately wide awake. But I saw no one in the room. Instinctively, I knew it was the Lord waking me up. I knew that this was important, so I got up to pray.
For the next hour I worshiped and prayed in tongues. Then I went back to sleep, still not knowing what it was all about.
Later that morning the kids had gone to school, and I was alone in the house. Around 9am 2 men tried to break into the house, thinking that no one was home. I caught them as they were about to break the window to get in. When I saw them, an authoritative boldness rose up in me and I chased them away. They fled, petrified! I don't know what they saw, but I saw the horror on their faces! And their actions confirmed it as they fumbled in panic to get away.
Afterwards I sat down, thinking about what had just happened. Then I remembered that the Lord had woken me up to pray early that morning. I believe that the enemy had planned a tragedy for our family that day, but the Lord was not going to let it happen. He alerted me to pray, and I believe my prayer stopped the plan of the enemy. I believe that the 1 hour I spent praying prepared me emotionally and spiritually to exercise Godly authority in the situation.
What's interesting to note, is that spiritually I was not in a good space at that time. I was going through a tough time in my life and was emotionally and physically burnt out. I had chronic insomnia and went most nights with little or no sleep. Most of my prayers were more like complaints to God. I would complain the one day and then repent the next, then complain again, and then repent. My faith was like a yoyo, up the one day and down the next. Most of the time I was not hearing God's voice through all my complaints to Him. But, that day He knew I would face something that I was not ready for, so He got my attention by speaking so clearly to me that I heard His voice audibly, so loud that it woke me up. And He tapped my feet so He could make sure He got my attention.
What would have happened to me that day if He hadn't woken me up?
The point I'm trying to make is that you can know that God wants to protect you, warn you, and prepare you, and you can fully expect Him to, no matter where you are, no matter what's happening around you, and no matter how 'good' you have or haven't been.