Refuge In The Storm
Refuge In The Storm
During a recent quiet time, I was struck by a single sentence in my reading. In Psalms 11:1, it says, “In the Lord I take refuge.” This one sentence caused me to stop and question the idea of refuge.
I looked up the definition of refuge, and it said refuge is “a place or state of safety from danger or trouble.”
Day after day, I talk to men who are struggling to keep their jobs. Many are fighting to keep their marriage from falling apart. But most are fighting with the idea of living a life free from porn or sexual addiction.
All of the men are tired. They talk about how they are exhausted from fighting to stay pure and keep away from porn, massage parlors, strip clubs, or inappropriate relationships. The common theme from the men was the desire to fight and use their strength to win the war against sexual desires. Every man was losing the battle.
The battle for purity has brought the men to a place where there is nothing left of their mental, emotional, or physical strength to give to their wives, kids, jobs, friends, or church.
They are beaten up and tired of losing. They are ready to give up.
Are YOU beaten, tired, and ready to give up?
“In the Lord I take refuge”
What if you were never meant to fight the battle? What if Jesus told us to rest and let Him fight for us?
Jesus allows you the safety to stop fighting the battle you were never meant to fight.
Porn, adultery, illicit thoughts, and any other type of sexual sin; we are told to run away from them. And not only run, but flee (1 Corinthians 6:18)! You and I are not equipped to fight this battle.
But there is one who is equipped, God.
He is ready to fight for your marriage. He is prepared to fight for your restoration.
He is ready to fight for YOU!
There is only one question: Will you take refuge in Jesus, rest, and let Him fight?
I looked up the definition of refuge, and it said refuge is “a place or state of safety from danger or trouble.”
Day after day, I talk to men who are struggling to keep their jobs. Many are fighting to keep their marriage from falling apart. But most are fighting with the idea of living a life free from porn or sexual addiction.
All of the men are tired. They talk about how they are exhausted from fighting to stay pure and keep away from porn, massage parlors, strip clubs, or inappropriate relationships. The common theme from the men was the desire to fight and use their strength to win the war against sexual desires. Every man was losing the battle.
The battle for purity has brought the men to a place where there is nothing left of their mental, emotional, or physical strength to give to their wives, kids, jobs, friends, or church.
They are beaten up and tired of losing. They are ready to give up.
Are YOU beaten, tired, and ready to give up?
“In the Lord I take refuge”
What if you were never meant to fight the battle? What if Jesus told us to rest and let Him fight for us?
Jesus allows you the safety to stop fighting the battle you were never meant to fight.
Porn, adultery, illicit thoughts, and any other type of sexual sin; we are told to run away from them. And not only run, but flee (1 Corinthians 6:18)! You and I are not equipped to fight this battle.
But there is one who is equipped, God.
He is ready to fight for your marriage. He is prepared to fight for your restoration.
He is ready to fight for YOU!
There is only one question: Will you take refuge in Jesus, rest, and let Him fight?
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A Spiritual Green ThumbThankfulness in Times of TrialOne New LifeOne StepOne DecisionOne PossibilityOne FearOne LieOne DayFurther Up. Further In.When TImes Are Good, Don’t Lose GroundBlessings From The FatherWill shame stop exploitation?New Life in ChristNew Life: A Beautiful MessWhen It’s Hard To Do What You Said you would doConviction vs. ActionNot By SightFinding Identity In The Deep EndRefuge In The StormCan I Really Change? One Guaranteed Way Inside“I Made It” A Tribute To Terry TurnerOne Decision. One Choice.Free IndeedI never knew that something that merely peaked my curiosity at the age of twelve, would turn into years of relentless shame and secrecy. Over the course of four years pornography had consumed more of my life than I ever intended to give it. I vividly remember one of my most desperate prayers to God when I was sixteen. With knots twisting in my stomach, and tears uncontrollably running down my face I said, “God, I can’t do this anymore.” It was in that moment He replied, “Jessica, you don’t have to.” If you are reading this, I don’t know where you are in life or the magnitude of the struggles that you face. What I do know, is that there is such a thing as freedom. For me, it was freedom from more than a pornography addiction. Lust, deception, shame, guilt, comparison, rejection, abandonment, and condemnation have all reared their heads in the years that followed that night when I was sixteen. At times I found myself asking, “When will this ever end?” Somehow, I fell under the impression that the surrender of one thing meant that things in this new relationship with God would inevitably be effortless afterward. Not only was I wrong, but I am glad I was wrong. John 8:36 reads, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” To this day, it is a verse that has brought me the greatest joy, and I want to tell you why. Jesus starts out this verse by saying “if the Son sets you free.” I couldn’t keep up with the facade that everything was okay, and that I didn’t have an addiction. Freedom came in the moment I said that I couldn’t do it anymore. It wasn’t ever going to be found in my own ability, and for that I am thankful. I am thankful that I can never be too proud of my own strength and resistance to sin. On my own I will miserably fail. Then later in the verse comes my favorite part: “free indeed.” For only six letters, indeed is a powerful word. According to Strong’s concordance, some definitions include “really, truly,” and “actually.” In other words, Jesus was saying that this freedom is without question. It’s not a distant, unattainable fantasy. It’s an undeniable reality that only He can make possible. So where does this leave you now? It leaves you with a choice. Regardless of where you consider yourself to be in this life, Jesus is the only way to lasting freedom. The lies that tell you that this is how it always must be are exactly that – lies. There is a life beyond addiction. Ten years ago, I found myself at that crossroads where I had to decide if I wanted to keep living the way I was. Jesus wasn’t just as my crossroads, but on the road leading to it. I only had to recognize that He was there.
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