The name of The Lord is a fortified tower

Proverbs 18:10 (NIV)

10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

The saints' security in God. It is a strong tower to those who know how to make use of it as such. The righteous, by faith and prayer, devotion towards God and dependence on him, run into it, as their city of refuge. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

When I was a teenager, I stole a hat. What is worse, I arrived at the store with a wad of cash in my pocket. Staring at the price tag, I thought, Hey, why should I spend my money on that hat? I can get it for nothing by pinching it, then save my money for something else.

As I headed for the door, the store manager stopped me. I [suddenly] wished I were dead. The manager saw I was not yet a hardened criminal and sent me home with instructions to have my parents call him back with the news or he would call the police. I went home to take my lumps. To this day, I remember what my 18-year-old sister said when she overheard me confessing: "How totally embarrassing. I've got a brother who's a thief!"

She called me a thief! …

[But] becoming ashamed of what we are as a result of what we do is a good thing and a necessary part of getting real about guilt. If you commit adultery, you are an adulterer. If you lie, you become a liar. I stole, and I had become a thief. It led me to my room weeping and ashamed of myself. But that was good! Painful, but good.  [Adapted from John Ensor's The Great Work of the Gospel (Crossway, 2006), for the 5-18-10 entry in Men of Integrity (May/June, 2010)]

We all should remember the name of The Lord is a fortified tower. Keeping our minds on the righteousness of God and running to Him when we are about to fall keeps us safe