Refuge

On December 2, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Samuel 22: 31

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

I want you to know that God has provided protection for you nine ways from Sunday. Everywhere you look in His word has the promise of His protection. He is a refuge, a shield, a strong fortress. He sends angels to look after you. He has sent His son and now He has sent His Holy Spirit. Everything He is and has is laid at your feet.

Now here is the rub. There always seems to be a contributory factor for which we are responsible. Last week’s scripture told us to listen to Him and that those who do shall live securely. Today’s scripture tells us that we must take refuge in Him for His protection to operate for us. Now this isn’t meant so that you can become confounded, frustrated and worried. It really is as simple as His building a fortress for you and you deciding whether or not you will avail yourself of it.

Imagine medieval times and God has built a strong, walled city. Some people build their homes outside the city walls though. None the less, in times of trouble they are allowed, even expected to withdraw within the protective walls of the city. This is such a good image of the protection the Lord has provided. Some people actually are going to choose to sit outside as marauding invaders approach rather than take advantage of the protection provided for them. Is that nuts? And then when those brigands fall on them, who do the people blame? They blame God, of course? You hear it all of the time. “Why did God let this happen to us?” He didn’t. He provided a fortified city for you to dwell in. It is not His fault if we are too proud or foolish to avail ourselves of it.

We must look to the Lord as our fortress and our refuge in times of need. If we constantly look to the things of the world for protection and to solve our problems, then we are effectively shutting God out. It is like sitting outside the gates. Just run into His city and allow Him to defend you. Look to Him instead of governments and other human agencies to be your guard. When you see a threat on the horizon, talk to Him first. He has already prepared an answer for you. He loves you and wants to help you in all things.

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Proven and True

On June 11, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Samuel 22: 31

God’s way is perfect! The promise of the Lord has proven to be true. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

I really like when the Father starts showing me verse upon verse which combine to illuminate His teaching. Every verse this week has built upon the previous one. It began with “Blessing the Lord” in which we learned that believing God’s promises blesses Him. Today we arrive at a word of assurance.

We have been looking at a model for prayer. This model is dependent upon God’s Word and His promises. What if His promises are not meaningful or have expired? What if they are not full of God’s intent? If so, then the prayer model doesn’t work, and we have to go back to begging God to do something.

We needn’t worry though. God’s promises are tried and true. That have been tested and proven. That’s good news. I think, in this verse, we can also hear that His Word and His promises are places of refuge for us. We can rest securely in the promises of God. They are a shield but the key to the verse is that we must take refuge in Him. We must make God our place of refuge. We don’t run to the world for answers to our problems. We run to Him.

God is perfect but more importantly, His way is perfect, and His Word leads us to the perfect way. In Him and in His Word, we find the answers we need, and those answers lead us on the level and secure path. His promises never fail so we need only to retreat into those promises. Your Bible is a mighty weapon and a shield of faith and protection. It is the light burning in the sanctuary. All of His promises are, “Yes,” so renew yourself in His Word and find the strength, faith and refuge you need.

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Shipping is Free

On July 26, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Samuel 22: 31                NLT

“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
I want to look, this week, at how we walk in the blessings of God. If God has blessed us, if the Word is true then why don’t our lives look more blessed than they sometimes do? This question has plagued me personally and professionally for years but I believe I am beginning to have a revelation into the answer. I would like to use a couple of personal illustrations to demonstrate how we can live in the promises of God and even how a blessed person can miss them.
Last week I was fortunate to get to go bike riding several days. On Saturday I went for a fairly long ride over new territory. I was psyched to go to this new place and spent time Friday getting my water, food and clothes ready for a long day of cycling. I missed one preparation step though and I paid for it. I forgot to pray.
Now, how does a minister of the gospel forget to pray? I have my own theories on that but it is really bad. You see, God has made me many promises. In fact, every single promise that He ever made to anyone is mine if I choose because God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10: 34) which means that He does not show favoritism. What He has ever done for anyone else He will also do for me or for you. Therefore, every promise in the Bible is mine.
Now then, today’s verse, along with many others, tells us that God is a shield for all who look to Him for protection. His promise has been tested and proven true. How can it be, then, that I fell on my Saturday ride and scraped up my elbow? Where was my protection from God? Why did my bubble of protection not keep me unscathed? As I am sure you have discerned, the protection never settled on me because I never prayed. I never received that promise. Today’s verse says that, “God is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” Well duh, I never looked to Him for protection. I just jumped on my bike and took off in the power of my might. What an idiot! Don’t copy me. Cover yourself, clothe yourself every day in God’s protective power. 
 
God isn’t assumptive or controlling. He has given you and me authority and decision making power. He says, “Okay, here is a protective shield. Put it on if you choose.” We have autonomy. That autonomy has a price though. We have decision making power, and that is great, but it also means that His promises are not automatic. They are all activated by our choices. This is how a friend of mine explains it, “We wait for something to happen, or be handed to us, rather than working hard and reaching for things ourselves. It’s like lying on the sofa, asking for someone to bring us a drink. IT’S IN THE KITCHEN, GET UP AND GET IT!!!!! God’s blessing are there, within our power to have, we are just too lazy to get them.” I think this friend has a revelation. God has already stocked the refrigerator with all the drinks we could ever want or need. We have only to go open the door and take what we want.

All of God’s promises are yea and Amen (2 Corinthians 1: 20) which means that He has already said “Yes.” However, we have a role to play. We must appropriate these blessings for ourselves. The warehouse is stocked; it is full. Now just write out your requisition form and have what you need and want shipped to you. Shipping is free.

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