“It  is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” (Psalms 118:8-9 ESV)

Refuge: shelter or protection from danger, trouble.

His name is a strong tower

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” (Prov. 18:10 ESV)

He will cover you with His pinions

“He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:4 ESV)

God is your hiding place and your shield

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.” (Psalm 119:114 ESV)

He will hide you in His shelter

“For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:5 ESV)

Therefore…

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8 ESV)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalms 91:1-2 ESV)

“Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come…” (Isa. 35:4 NIV)

Fear is a controllable emotion

In the above passage we are told to say to people with fearful hearts “Be strong, do not fear.” That is because fear is an emotion, and like any emotion, it’s a thing that can be controlled. To control fear you must recognize it when it first appears, then immediately take control of it. If you don’t control fear, it can grow into full blown and debilitating anxiety attacks. Keep in mind that God commands you many times in scripture not to fear. And He would never command you to do something you didn’t have the power within you to do. Understand too, that fear is not from God, but it is a tool the devil uses to mess up your life and stop what God wants to accomplish in your life. Fear is actually the very opposite of faith, it is anti faith! Just like faith, which moves the hand of God, fear moves the hand of the devil! It’s interesting to know that God has told us 365 times in the Bible not to fear, one for each day of the year. And the above passage also reminds us that “God will come.” It’s a wonderful promise to hang onto when fear attacks!

Love has no fear and perfect love (which is God) actually expels fear

“Love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it . . . shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love” (1 John 4:18 NLT).

We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8;37-39

“The Lord watches over all who love him.” (Psalm 145:20 NIV)

His eyes are on you

“The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.” (Psalm 34:15)

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8)

“Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,” (Psalm 33:18)8

Therefore…

“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3)

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples." (Psalm 105:1, NASB)

Tell of His glory!

“Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.” (1 Chron. 16:24)

He alone works wonders!

“Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders.” (Psalm 72:18)

“For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.” (Psalm 86:10)

He has done wonderful things

“O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.” (Psalm 98:1)

Therefore…

“O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” (Isa. 25:1)

“O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.” (Psalm 71:17)

“Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.” (Psalm 96:3)

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:15-16 ESV)

The hot/cold scale

On a scale from one to ten, one being cold and ten being hot, where would you place yourself on the scale? Most would say they are somewhere in the middle. That would mean they are neither hot nor cold. They are lukewarm. The above passage gives a severe warning about being in the lukewarm condition. The Bible has many warnings about how this happens.

Friendship with the world is enmity with God

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4 ESV)

Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will go to heaven!

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21 ESV)

Most people don’t intend to be lukewarm

Luke warmness happened gradually, a little bit at a time. They gradually became busy with the cares of the world that had entered into their lives and it eventually choked out the God’s Word.

“And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19 KJV)

What to do

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor.  6:14-18 ESV)

Therefore…

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22 ESV)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27 ESV)

I have never heard an audible voice from God, but I’m absolutely sure I’ve heard Him speak to me many times in my thoughts through His Word, the Bible. I read, study the Bible and think deeply (meditate) about what I’ve read. Often His Word speaks very clearly to me as scriptures come to my mind on many things as needed personally. I’m sure His Holy Spirit is at work in my mind making it happen as He brings His Scripture to remembrance.

The Holy Spirit brings His Word to your mind

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26 ESV)

Hearing the word of Christ

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17 ESV)

Call on God and He will answer

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jer. 33:3 ESV)

Whoever is of God hears the words of God

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (John 8:47 ESV)

Blessed are those who hear the word of God

“But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28 ESV)

Therefore…

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20 ESV)

“The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:8 ESV)

The Lord goes before you and will never leave you

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:8 ESV)

He is with you in the uttermost parts of the sea

“If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:9-10 ESV)

He is with you in the wilderness

“The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’” (Deut. 130:31 ESV)

He will instruct you on the way you should go

“You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalms 32:7-8 ESV)

Therefore…

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.” (Psalms 37:23-29 ESV)

“Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” (1Sam. 30:6 (NIV)

From devastation to victory

In the above passage, David and his men had just returned to Ziklag to discover that the Amalekites had raided and burned their homes, taken all their possessions and even taken captive all their women and children, young and old. David and his men were devastated by the great loss and wept aloud until they had no more strength left to weep. “The men then turned against David and threatened to stone him…. But David found strength in the Lord his God.” He then consulted God, rallied his men and then went after the Amalekites. “David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.” (1 30:17-20 NIV)

When you are faced with problems which may seem insurmountable, just like David did, strengthen yourself in the Lord your God!

Don’t fear, God will strengthen you!

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

No matter what you may face, you can do all things with God’s strength!

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13 ESV)

Therefore…

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chron. 16:11 ESV)

Charlie

“You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:16 NIV)

Our family’s sad loss

Our beautiful little dog, Charlie, was hit by a car and was instantly taken from us. It was a terrible shock to us and also to our grandchildren who loved him so dearly. There has been a lot of tears and sadness in our family over the loss. One of the grandchildren asked, “When is Charlie’s funeral?” This made me think about what the Bible says about animals. It says that God has made and knows every creature. He has given them all breath, they are His, He cares about them and knows when they die. It doesn’t say anywhere that they go to heaven, but, it also doesn’t say that they don’t. But, we do know for certain that God has a perfect future planned and we can trust Him totally. As the verse at top says, “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”

Here's some of what we learn from the Bible about animals:

• All animals are His and He knows them

“…for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.” (Psalms 50:10-11)

• God cares for animals and knows when they die

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” (Matt. 10:29)

• Animals and humans have the same breath

“I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” (Eccles. 3:18-21)

• God preserves both people and animals

“Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.” (Psalm 36:6)

• All creatures bring glory to God

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Rev.  5: 13)

Therefore…

“My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.  Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.” (Psalm 145:21)