Not Safe Outside of God
We are at this time looking at a concept that has been germinating for some time, and we are going to look at some historical situations when people found themselves looking at a most difficult situation. Martin Luther has given us this famous quote; “I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.” He was pushed by a situation to go outside of scripture, God’s Leading and his Spirit Filled Conscience, so he stayed right where he was on safe and solid ground, unmoving.
If you study the wonderful pattern of “Cities of Refuge” in scripture, and the stories that surround them, you find that if you have ever had to flee into a City of Refuge, then to ever step outside of the gates and the walls of your refuge was almost an assurance that you were about to die as the “Avenger of Blood” circulated out there somewhere and they could take your life and thereby balance the books as it were, life for a life. Safe outside God’s Protection; Never! We have this verse found in Psalm 46:1c “God [is] our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” so actually is he yours?
Psalm 91:3-11 “Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, [and] from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth [shall be thy] shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor] for the arrow [that] flieth by day; [Nor] for the pestilence [that] walketh in darkness; [nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, [which is] my refuge, [even] the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”
Here we have an amazing quote from King David, and he wrote this from real experience as he has had multiple escapes from death by; Goliath, King Saul, by his own family, wild animals, by his enemies and so the list goes on, but from his Faith and Experience, King David can assure us that as long as “He” stayed; and as long as “We” stayed inside of God’s protection, then absolutely nothing can ever get to us. Have you lately had “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand?” {Psalm 91:7} We have God’s promise and assurance; “Because thou hast made the LORD, [which is] my refuge, [even] the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” {Psalm 91:7-11}
We have the assurance of scripture and the assurance of those who have walked the paths before us that the only safe place ever; is under the protective wings of the Almighty. Satan always wants us to “step outside” and then when we sin he runs away laughing at us stuck in a very nasty situation and watches the consequences of our action, damage and destroy us. Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Sin has real consequences and the sinner always has to pay that bill, and it usually is way worse than the miniscule perceived benefits from the wrong action.
Quote; “No man is safe for a day or even an hour without prayer. Especially should we entreat the Lord for wisdom to understand His word. Here are revealed the wiles of the tempter and the means by which he may be successfully resisted.” {DD 12}
Quote; “Satan is well aware that the weakest soul who abides in Christ is more than a match for the hosts of darkness, and that, should he reveal himself openly, he would be met and resisted. Therefore he seeks to draw away the soldiers of the cross from their strong fortification, while he lies in ambush with his forces, ready to destroy all who venture upon his ground. No man is safe for a day or an hour without prayer. Especially should we entreat the Lord for wisdom to understand his word. Satan is an expert in quoting Scripture, placing his own interpretation upon passages by which he hopes to cause us to stumble. We should study the Bible with humility of heart, never losing sight of our dependence upon God. While we must constantly guard against the devices of Satan, we should pray in faith continually, “Lead us not into temptation.” {4SP 350}
Back to part of our quote; “Satan is well aware that the weakest soul who abides in Christ is more than a match for the hosts of darkness, and that, should he reveal himself openly, he would be met and resisted.” In “Cities of Refuge” concept we could re-write it this way; “Satan is well aware that the weakest soul who abides in Christ within the strong walls of the City of Refuge, Christians are then beyond his grasp and outside of his ability to control, tempt and to hurt.” Satan can only hurt you when he has enticed you to leave the safety of Jesus Christ, to move you from remaining under the wings of the Almighty, and onto his faulty ground. Each of us who lets themselves get into this situation is going to be beaten every time, but “In Christ” we are always beyond Satan’s evil grasp.
Dear Reader; are you willing to stand like Jesus did with Satan as recorded in Matthew 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” If Jesus Christ felt safe in Scripture (it is written) then let us each resolve to be good Bereans and live by the Bible and the Bible only.
