God is our Refuge...

(Disclaimer: With The Refuge being next week, something was sparked in my head. While The Refuge is worship based, this post is not about worship.)

I just finished reading Wild At Heart by John Eldredge, and while the book is not perfect and I do not agree with some of his arguments, one thing that he brought up really stuck with me. In the book Eldredge spends a lot of time discussing what he calls the battle for the Man's heart. I don't think that this battle is exclusive to the Male. Rather I think that it is something that all of us have to realize and deal with on a daily basis.

I used to hear preachers say that we are in a spiritual war. That we are beset on all sides by those who want to invade our lives and breakdown every stronghold we have ever built. They always used brilliant imagery, I guess this was to make it seem more real to those of us listening. To be honest I always thought it was over the top, and I always stopped listening when my pastor, Kevin, would start talking about spiritual warfare.

However I do believe that I have had a lightbulb moment. I guess I just came to realize that all this spiritual warfare stuff is actually true...

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5: 8).

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy," (John 10:10a).

The Bible doesn't shy away from the subject, why do we as Christians shy away from this and say that we don't fear the enemy, or act like we got it all together. I am as guilty as anyone, I have never truly respected the devil. Yes I said respect. I think that as Christians we need to respect the devil to truly understand what he is capable of. He can bring out our worse at the absolute worse time, and most of the time we don't know that he doing it. To quote Verbal Kent from The Usual Suspects, "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist."

If the devil can make us not respect him than he has already won.

Bleak picture isn't it? I did not choose to write on this because I want to frighten Christians into watching for the devil at all times, but rather to show that in this war we have someone better on our side.

I am pretty sure we have said the God is our refuge at some point. We probably have sung the old hymn that says "What a mighty is our God." Do we truly believe this? In other words, are we hiding in God's stronghold or are we trying to build our own hoping that they will be good enough.

"He is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." (Psalm 62: 6-8).

What is the Psalmist saying? God is our refuge, our stronghold in Him is unshakable. Do we truly want to put our complete trust in God, as our General. I think we should. If you have ever read Revelation then you know how it ends. And speaking for myself, it feels good to be on the winning side. But how to we keep the devil from completely ruining us.

I think that this is very simple...sort of. I believe the closer we draw to God the more he helps us in our struggle against the Prince of our world. However the closer we draw towards God, the more the devil attacks us. I guess this is a literal catch-22 right, but its the best I got. I would much rather be singled out by the devil because I was a force to be reckoned with rather than just kind of giving up and letting him win. Remember God has given us a full body suit of armor to battle with...don't believe me go read Ephesians 6:10-17.

I just write this to encourage you, not to discourage. But I will leave you with one last verse.

"and do not give the devil an opportunity to work." (Ephesians 4:27, ISV).

Good Luck and God Bless you in your future battles.

I have been fearfully and wonderfully made...

I have been reflecting on the words to one David Crowder Band song recently. The chorus goes like this.

"You make everything glorious. And I am yours, so what does that make me."

I have heard that song what seems like a million times but the words never really sunk in. If everything God has made is glorious, than wouldn't that make me glorious as well. I guess that I have never realized that I was a glorious creation. What makes this worse is that I look around at others and it seems like they don't seem to see that either. Have we lost out on what God really thinks of us?

The bible mentions many times over that we are special to God in some way.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God has prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Ephesians 2:10

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children"
Ephesians 5:1

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us,
that we would be called children of God; and such we are.
1 John 3:1

"For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
Psalm 139:13-14a

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord.
'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you a hope and a future.' "
Jeremiah 29:11

How is it that we treat ourselves like we are less than what God looks at us as.

I am reading a book right now called The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry. It is about reforming your thinking around the teachings of Philippians 4:8. One thing he mentions in his book is that our negative thoughts come from our own self-image. We think negative thoughts because we don't place enough value on ourselves. We don't realize that we truly are Children of God. What would happen to our self-image if we truly started to believe that we are beautiful children of God the Father? Newberry continues to say that we don't realize that we are special.

"There has never been and never will be anyone just like you, and God has not made anyone else in the world out of better clay than he used to make you. Your life here on earth is your special, unrepeatable opportunity to fulfill God's vision for your life and to magnify the joy he has placed within you." (Tommy Newberry, The 4:8 Principal, pg 42).

You are special, I am special, and we are are beautiful children of God who were fearfully and wonderfully made.