God Is My Refuge

GOD IS MY REFUGE

In Psalm 91:2 the Psalmist wrote,  

 "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." 

The word here used for "refuge" according to the Strong's Bible Concordance is מחסה makh-as-eh'

The word means a shelter (literally or figuratively).

The Psalmist is saying that God is his place of hope, place of refuge, his shelter, and trust. 

No matter what trial we may face along our life's path, if we make God our refuge from the storm, from danger~ even when it comes pouring down like rain all over our lives, He will shelter us and keep us safe.   

But there is also another interesting aspect about the word  "makhaseh" ~ God can be our refuge from falsehood or deception. 

In John 10:4-5 Jesus Christ said, 

"And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 

 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."

The word for "know" according to Strong's means "to understand, perceive, have certain knowledge of, are sure of."

Predators abound on the Internet who try to deceive unsuspecting people all the time. There are many false teachers today who are teaching error concerning the Bible. Straying from the foundational Truths of the Christian faith, yet calling themselves Christians, they are leading many astray who are not abiding in the word of God nor making Christ their Refuge.

The only way we can come to know our Good Shepherd's voice is to spend time with Him, to make Him our Refuge. That choice is up to us.

When we make Him our refuge He will be a shelter from every storm we face and protect us from every deception of the enemy that tries to lead us astray. 

The Lord gives His children His Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16:13,

 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth."

The Holy Spirit gives us discernment as we abide in Christ, read God's word, pray, and worship regularly. This is daily making God our  Refuge.

This is how we get to know Him as our Good Shepherd and learn His voice. And He makes this promise to us in John 10:27-30 

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I pray you will be my Refuge, my Fortress, my God in who I trust today and every day. 

Lord Jesus, my Good Shepherd, teach me to know Thy voice, shelter me from every storm, protect me from every deception, and keep me always close to Thy heart, filled with Thy love and light, in Jesus' name, amen. 

"God Is My Refuge" © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Illustrations via Pinterest

God's Faithful Promises

Psalm 97:10 

"Let those who love the Lord hate evil.

He guards the lives of those who are faithful to Him.

He saves them from the power of sinful people."

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our Guardian God and have promised in Psalm 121:8  that You will "guard my going out and my coming in from now until forever."

You have promised in Isaiah 54:17: "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord."

Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, You promise in John 10:27 that we will be able to hear Thy voice: "My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me."

Lord, You promise to give us "eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." (John 28-29)

Lord Jesus, You promised that You will never ever reject any soul that comes to You seeking help. (John 6:37) "Those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them."

Lord, Your word promises that even though we may have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, that You will be right there with us, you will never leave or forsake us. 

(Psalm 23:4) Your word even says that we are engraved on the very palms of Thy hands! (Isaiah 49:16)

In the book of Zephaniah 3:17, Lord, Thy word says, "For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” 

Thank You, Lord, for such beautiful promises of Your love and protection.

May we ever thank and praise You for these eternal promises. For, Lord Jesus, You said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word will never pass away." 

Lord Jesus ,You are eternally faithful and keep every promise forever! Your last words to Your disciples before You ascended into Heaven were, (Matthew 28:20) "... I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

Thank You, Lord, for Your abiding Presence, faithful love, and powerful protection always guarding us. May we trust You more and more as we put our faith and hope in Your holy word which cannot lie. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God's Faithful Promises © 2014 Prayer of Thanks S.D. Harden Unto The Least Of These/Photo Illustration Source: Pinterest

Christ My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need. (Psalm 23:1 NLT)

CHRIST, MY SHEPHERD

Psalm 23 begins, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all that I need."

Jesus said in John 10:11 "I am the Good Shepherd."  

In Christ God's word abounds with assurances that all our needs are met for He is and has everything we could ever want.  He told His disciples. "The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." (John 10:10)

"In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven."

(Ephesians 1:3)

In Christ I have access to all wisdom and insight through His Holy Spirit dwelling within me!

"In Christ lie hidden all the mighty, untapped treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:3)

In Christ we have a Mighty Savior. He said,

"I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will be able to come in and go out. They will find everything they need." (John 10:9)

My Good Shepherd has led me out of the bad pastures and transferred me into His Kingdom of light where there are abundant good pastures. My Savior knows how to set me free from all the things that held me captive in the old pastures; He provides everything I need for deliverance, healing, success, and blessing!

"God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of His Son, whom He loves. His Son paid the price to free us, which means that our sins are forgiven." (Colossians 1:13-14)

In Christ we have a Savior who's voice we can hear and who will never leave or forsake us~One who will not let anything or anyone snatch us out of His Almighty grip. 

"My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 

I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. My Father is the one who gave them to me, and He is greater than all. No one can steal my sheep out of His hand. The Father and I are one.” (John 10:27-30)

Here is a profound promise to Christ's sheep:

“Who has known the mind of the Lord so that he can teach Him?”However, we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16)

How can we possibly have the mind of Christ? Through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Our Good Shepherd wants us to listen to His voice every day and walk in the way His Spirit leads us. 

  "Certainly, all who are guided by God’s Spirit are God’s children." (Romans 8:14)

"You haven’t received the spirit of slaves that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the spirit of God’s adopted children by which we call out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children."(Romans 8:15-16)

As we worship the Lord, pray and study God's word each day, we will get to know our Good Shepherd better. He's a wonderful Friend~one who "sticks closer than a brother."

But what about our material needs? Will The Lord provide for those as well as our spiritual needs?  Our Good Shepherd will provide for every need His sheep has, physical, emotional, material, spiritual...whatever the need. The bible says, "God has made you complete in Christ." (Colossians 2:10) in other words, Jesus satisfies our EVERY need and He knows just what they are.

He will always provide for us. He once said to His disciples,

“So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. 

Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? 

Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. 

But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. 

Then all these things will be provided for you. 

“So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 (Matthew 6:25, 32-34)

King David, who wrote Psalm 23, also wrote these comforting words to assure us of God's faithfulness:

"Through my whole life young and old,

I have never witnessed God forsaking those who do right, 

nor have I seen their children begging for crumbs, 

Because they are always giving and sharing;

truly, their children are a joyful blessing." (Psalm 37:25-26 The Voice)

In Christ, we have so much to be thankful for! 

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to bear our sins to redeem our souls that we might have eternal fellowship with You. Thank You for our Good Shepherd who knows and meets our every need. I love You! In Jesus' name. Amen.

Christ, My Shepherd, © 2014 S.D. Harden, Unto The Least Of These, Illustration Source/Internet 

New Year's Prayer 2014

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, please bless all Thy children in the coming year.

Fill us with rivers of peace and hope from the eternal springs of heaven. 

Scatter all our fears and anxieties to the four winds and whisper a song of assurance deep

in our hearts that all will be well. 

Lord, draw us closer to Thy heart. Let the light within us not be darkness. 

Fill us with a holy passion for Thy word and help us to hide it daily in our hearts that we might not be deceived by false teachings.

Good Shepherd Jesus, teach us to distinguish Thy voice above all the voices that daily compete for our attention; all the false voices that pretend to represent You; Lord give us great powers of holy discernment. 

Precious Lord, help us to always abide in You, to learn to pray without ceasing, to give thanks in all circumstances, and to rejoice always. 

Help us to never give up, no matter what challenge may come our way, knowing that You are always with us and will never leave or forsake us.

Lord, help us to remember that You are the Eternal Light and that no darkness has ever or can ever overcome You, and that as long as we abide in You, no darkness can ever overpower us either.

Thank You, Lord. I love You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

John 1:4-5 (Christ) was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity. The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it. 

Unto The Least of These, New Year's Prayer 2014, © S.D. Harden 

Illustration Source/Internet