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Refreshment in Refuge

    by Gina Burgess

Be free to enjoy God!
Date Posted: April 23, 2023

It feels like forever. The constant waiting and waiting. When, Lord? When will You go to my defense? When will You fix this problem? When will I see daylight? When will I feel normal again? When will I be able to look up from this problem and focus on others again? When will You release me from this prayer vigil? When can I stop and rest?

That's just it. We must rest or we burn out. God knows just how long we need because it was He that issued the 6 day work week and the 1Day of Rest. Only that day of rest is supposed to be competely devoted to God and the worship of Him.

Huh? Did we forget something along the way? We must have because there seems to be some confusion about priorities, and about worship, and about the Christian lifestyle. At least that is what some would have us believe.

Isaiah 58:13 "If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don't use my holy day for personal advantage, If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, GOD's holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,' making money, running here and there-- 14Then you'll be free to enjoy GOD! Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all. I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob." Yes! GOD says so! More than that, God gives us a deep desire to get close to Him, drawing us together.

It is actually about lifestyle.

What I am saying is that I have to sit down with God everyday or the anxiety takes over. I have to practice giving it all to Him or I'll take it back and try to "fix it" all the while making the matter worse. Some problems dissolve over time, other problems need the hand of God. I have a lot of problems that need the hand of God, but I get in God's way while He's trying to fix them... or teach me a lesson. You can go ahead and admit you are like that, too, because I know I'm not in the boat alone. We are skimming over the water far too fast, I can't row that fast so I know I'm not the only one rowing.

Keeping God first is a DAILY thing, not just a Sunday thing. Here is some interesting information that has gotten skewed in the media. According to the General Social Survey (2008), Evangelical Christians who attend church on a weekly basis act like Christians: pray daily (More than 75% of all Evangelicals, even those who are unaffiliated with a church pray daily, that is up from 2/3 in the 1980s and 1990s), share their faith with others daily, read their bible, and there are more of us attending church more than once a week. In 1970, only about 45% of us went to church weekly, but in 2008,50% of us now attend weekly. The United States is still a Christian nation.

We still have a tendency to waver, though. Peter sank when he took his eyes off Jesus. The disciples couldn't remove the demon from the boy because they didn't have the faith of a mustard seed. David was lollygagging at the palace when he should have been at the war front with his men and that's when he lounged on the roof and caught sight of Bathsheba. The Bible is full of all kinds of examples of life situations that went awry when folks quit putting God first and that was the first step down their path to trouble. It is no different today.

That is just the beginning of trials and tribulations. God never promised easy living. What would we ever learn if life's most pressing decision was which bon bon to eat next? Job had an easy life until God allowed Satan to put his foot in it. So, guess who's messing with us now?

Satan is angriest when God's children are moving mountains with their Daddy's power. When we are doing God's work, Satan rolls up his sleeves and works harder to foil God's perfect plan. We just happen to be his main targets.

The best defense is to draw God's word close to our hearts. Jesus said, "It is written..." thus foiling Satan, shutting him up completely. Here's some verses that can help do that for you.

"No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2
Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress. Psalm 71:3
O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God! Psalm 68:35

Question 4U -- Do you have a favorite verse that you use to deflect the firey darts of Satan?

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Biography Information:

Gina Burgess has taught Sunday School and Discipleship Training for almost three decades. (Don't tell her that makes her old.) She earned her Master's in Communication in 2013.

She is the author of several books including: When Christians Hurt Christians, The Crowns of the Believers and others available in online bookstores. She authors several columns, using her God-given talent to shine a light in a dark world. You can browse her blog at Refreshment In Refuge.

If you'd like to take a look at some Christian fiction and Christian non-fiction book reviews check out Gina's book reviews at Upon

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