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Refreshment in Refuge
by Gina Burgess
Do you believe God?
I know beyond any doubt that God can be trusted. He has been true and faithful my whole life even when I decided to turn my back on Him. Dark days those were, too. God never forsook me, never denied me, and remained faithful even when I was unfaithful.
I was angry with God’s children, not with Him. Those children had belittled me, had bullied me, and had berated me. I had been teaching Sunday School since 1972! How could they treat me so callously? So I turned my back on the church and the people within it. Still read my Bible, still told Bible stories to my children, but I got tired of being the spiritual leader of my own home while my husband slept.
I never got to the point of unbelief in God.
Paul explains to us that those that wandered in the desert for 40 years all ate of the Spiritual food (manna) and all drank of the Spiritual drink (sweet water from bitter). 1 Corinthians 10. But these people kept on complaining, kept on trying Him, kept on murmuring, they fornicated, and the apex of their sins was they disbelieved God. Yet, God was with them through it all. He could have so easily breathed holy fire on them and burned them up as he did Aaron’s sons for offering unholy fire. But, He didn't.
He could have yanked me home for being the petulant child I was. Who was I to think being a child of God made a person Christlike in demeanor and speech all the time? Was I guilty of a double standard?
Nothing is greater or bigger than God. All things fall in line with Scripture and God most certainly is Who He says He is and will do exactly what He says He will do. When He says He will never leave or forsake us, He means it. I am living proof. He never left me alone to deal with my disillusionment all by myself. No one is perfect. However…
Our spiritual fight is not for victory over Satan. Our spiritual fight is through Jesus’ already won victory!
The key to realize is that Satan makes sure our spiritual battles begin in the mind and he endeavors to make sure our battles end in evil deeds. Our thinking is a powerful tool that he uses if we allow him to take control of our thoughts. Or rather, if we allow those thought bombs he tosses into our brains to explode and become all we think about.That thinkig can lead to doing.
We definitely have control over what we choose to think about.
To thwart Satan’s thought bombs, we must ask God to take complete authority over our hearts, our minds, and our tongues just as David did. There are a lot of pastors who preach that God is God and doesn’t need our permission to take control. Let’s analyze that a bit.
Yes. God is in ultimate control. He created the universe and nothing in the universe gave Him permission to create it.
God created animals on all fours who are mindful of the present and survival in the present. God created humans who look up in wonder, who are able to recognize God’s handiwork for whence it came. Who praise Him and worship Him by choice not necessity.
God could take over our minds and bodies without regard to our desires and permissions, but He doesn’t work that way. Jesus had a choice to go to the cross or not. He chose God’s will not His own will. The ultimate victory came from submission to God’s will. We should also say in all walks of life, “Nevertheless, Lord, Your will not mine!”
This is the lesson we believers embrace. Submission to God’s will for our lives as we live our lives will result in a victorious life. To do this, we need to submit our hearts and minds and tongues to Him. We must redecorate our minds with Jesus and that will take the shackles of fleshly bondage off of us so, as that song goes, we can dance!
God is the only safe, consuming passion we have. Our Enemy is seizing technology and is trying to make evil from what God intended for good. The only way to be released from evil is to take down that tacky decor in our mind and replace it with Jesus. The drugs of constant TV and games and internet junk that cloud our thinking and judgment must be replaced with things that are holy and things that are pure and things that are godly. Meditate on these things and watch how the addictions of the world have no more power. It is astounding!
Yes, evil and horror get up in our face every day. We know that darkness prevails in this world because Satan is the prince of this world. However, we do not have to live in the darkness since we are the Light on the Hill. We are designed to reflect God’s glory in this dark world. We are to embrace Truth, and sometimes truth is horrible and ugly. That means there are times when we must deal with the evil of this world. Thank goodness we don’t have to live there. Jesus has spread His wings so we can always find our safe haven under them. He has provided us with the perfect defense tools.
So put on that Helmet of Salvation and remove Satan's influence by trusting God...Believe God. Infuse the mind with the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word, so that evil thoughts won't find a foot hold. Wear the shoes of the Gospel of Peace and dance with Him. And the Belt of Truth will keep us from tripping over our skirts when we dance. He wants to dance with us. Can you see His hand outstretched? Can you hear His sweet voice asking you to dance? We'll never be wallflowers, because our Beloved always has His protective arm around us. Turn up the music and let's dance!
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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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