50. Refuge and Strength
[Due to an unanticipated medical emergency on my part yesterday, the rest of this week's blog roll I am planning to include a selection from my edited novel “Victory” (got fifty days left to get it done AND I WILL GET IT DONE!), a collection of my favorite status updates from the first half of May, and this week's Ensign which will involve graduation. And what about today? Today I'm turning the duty over to John Lysaught, a frequent contributor to Rapture Ready, one of my favorite websites to read from. I'll reprint the beginning of the article, “Refuge and Strength” (the title's from the beginning of the 46th Psalm, as in “God is our refuge and strength”) but I'll provide the link to the rest and I strongly urge you to read it. It speaks to us. – David]
“God
is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm
46:1)
If
you’re like me, you need refuge and strength in these end-times.
The devil and his minions are working hard to snuff us out, exclude
us from society, and keep us from our Lord Jesus. Satan is working
mighty hard at this. Even though he seems to be winning, he will
lose. But in the mean time, the fight is against us and we must
battle in mind and spirit to keep him at bay so we stay on the path
of righteousness with Jesus.
Satan, his minions
and the world will do their best to keep you from Jesus. If Jesus is
your Lord, then Satan will do his best to trick and deceive you to
get you to let go of Jesus. He will put lies out there, try to
influence you with the world, and will work in your mind to get you
to sin; anything he can do to get you away from Jesus.
If you aren’t
saved, then he already has an upper hand and will work hard to get
you to not turn to Jesus and be saved for life eternal in heaven.
This is why we need the strength of the Lord in us so when faced with
adversity; not only can we can get strength to resist the evils of
this world, but we can take refuge with our Savior.
Psalm 62:8: “Trust
in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God
is a refuge for us. Selah.”
We all face times of
despair. We face adversity. We face temptation. In times like these
we must put our trust in the Lord. He will be our refuge. Can’t
find a job so you are tempted to start drinking? Don’t. Put your
trust in the Lord for He will make a way. Tempted by that nice
looking coworker who flirts with you time and time again, gentle at
first, but more aggressive as time goes by?
Don’t fall for the
temptation to adultery. Not feeling happy so you begin to think of
drugs to take? Don’t do it, for Satan will capture you and work to
get you to let go of the Lord. Trust in Jesus in these times of
despair, adversity or temptation. He is a refuge for pain and will
hold on you to with His righteousness.
It’s hard to avoid
temptations. Temptation is all around us. Everywhere you turn there
is something tempting you, that is not in agreement with the life
Jesus wants you to live. Satan uses temptation to draw you from the
Lord. He will temp you in small things and when you give in; more
temptation will come and grow until finally—Satan has a grip on
your wrist and you’re off the path of righteousness. And then
you’re not looking to Jesus anymore for Satan will use sins to
create guilt and make you think you are not worthy of Jesus anymore;
not worthy of salvation. He will use that guilt to pull you further
and further from Christ until you feel so guilty that you no longer
believe you can be saved....
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