Impenetrable to Temptation
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“God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1, Amplified Bible)
Lately, I have been struggling with a great deal of anxiety. One of the reasons for this is my lack of intimacy with God, His word, and just being still with Him. I desperately need to take time with Jesus each and every day – at least once a day – to sit with Him, talk to Him, and then spend time listening.
Daily, I read His word, but it is vital to me that I, “Let be and be still, and know [recognize and understand] that [He is] God.” (Psalm 46:10, Amplified Bible) Psalm 46:1 clearly shows me just how beautiful and profound the results of doing so can be! Will you walk with me through what I discovered when I spent some time with Jesus and this verse?
Jesus is my refuge, my strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], and a very present, well-proved help in trouble! Wow! Did I know this? Not entirely, not before reading and talking this scripture over with Jesus today! I knew that God was my refuge and my strength, but I was not aware that He is impenetrable to temptation!
So just what does this mean to me? First, it tells me that, when I am struggling with anxiety, I can run to Him and hide within Him: His word assures me in Colossians 3:3, “For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Amplified Bible) What a wonderful truth and revelation!
In Christ I am hidden from the world’s lures and from the enemy’s arrows. Is that not what I am also promised in Ephesians 6, when the Lord plainly tells me, “Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].” (v.16, Amplified Bible) Jesus does not say that I can quench some of the flaming missiles of the wicked one, but all of the flaming darts, arrows and barbs that he fires my way! Each and every one of them will be extinguished, if I put on the shield of saving faith, which Jesus has given me.
The Lord says that He has given each and every one of us this saving faith in Romans 4:16: “So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.” (NLT) What a tremendous promise!
So what do we now that we have received the free gift of faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave Himself up as a ransom for our sin, paying our penalty in full? We can run to Him, our Lord and Savior, seeking Him as a strong refuge, and be fully hidden from the flaming arrows of the evil one, our enemy of the faith. In doing so, we are shielded from temptation to sin. And what kind of shield do we have? We have an impenetrable shield! That means that absolutely no temptation can get through to us or cause us to fall, as long as we are willing to run to Jesus and hide ourselves in Him as our strong tower, our refuge, our ever-present help in times of trouble!
But how can I be sure? If I am lacking in past experience, I can turn to Hebrews 12 for assurance. (Read Hebrews 12:1-3)
We can study the life of Jesus to learn how to avoid and resist temptation by His perfect example. We can also study the lives of the saints listed in Hebrews 11, our “great cloud of witnesses.” In studying how they depended on the Lord as their “leader and the source of faith” we are also able to turn away from the sin that so easily entangles and run with endurance the race that is set before us. These heroes of the faith had the same race as you and I, my friends. And they were not more or less than we.
They had the same great and almighty God to lean on, turn to, and depend upon that we have—the same warrior king to fight their battles for them! Because of this, they were victorious! We can be too, my brothers and sisters in Christ! We just have to stand strong, be courageous and believe what Jesus says in His word as He has promised us in John 16:33:
“’I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you].’”(Amplified Bible)
Will you choose to believe that Jesus overcame the world to give you victory in Him today? You only need faith the size of a mustard seed and you can move mountains! Praise be to God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Lord Jesus Christ today! Amen!
Lord, I thank You that You have overcome the world and that You have given me Your peace and confidence. I pray that You will quicken the word of God in my spirit so that I will not bow to any fear or anxiety. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
Question: In which area of your life do you need God to be your strong tower, refuge and ever-present help?
7 Responses to “Impenetrable to Temptation”
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Dear Father God-I ask Lord that you will be with my sister as she gose through anxiety in her life, but Lord God when you were on the cross, that when You stretched out your arms on that rugged cross that is how much You love us all. When you hung on the cross it is like a rag doll that you hung there, You shed Your blood and water to take Your life and give it to us. In Jesus Mightyname amen
Dulcinea Rose, I completely agree with you that there is understanding regarding God’s Word all around us AND in us through the presence of His Holy Spirit; however, just as you say, we can only receive this wisdom, this discernment, by seeking God through prayer and asking Him to grant us His understanding. As the Lord tells us in James 1:5, “If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.” (Amplified Bible)
When we are willing to take the time to listen to the Lord in our alone time with Him, the Scriptures are opened up to us and we can read them in a brand new way! Truly, they are a treasure that can never be fully mined, as it is endlessly deep with the wisdom of the Lord!
Thank you for your comment, Dulcinea Rose. May God hold you especially close to His heart today. Amen.
Leroy, thank you for your testimony regarding the amazing, saving power of the Lord! You are so right when you say the flesh if of no use at all in overcoming temptation, and that, indeed, we DO have the mind of Christ! Praise be to God forever and ever for His wonderful gifts of salvation and the indwelling Holy Spirit!
Rosanne, I am so sorry for the depth of pain your family is experiencing. It is wonderful that you have found such a rewarding job that brings you happiness and satisfaction. Is it possible for you to maintain contact with your sister through email and telephone so as to provide support and to help her understand some of the things that you did to overcome your emotional trauma? I agree that prayer is essential for your family. Perhaps you could pray and ask the Lord if there is a role He desires you to play in their healing. If He says, “No,” then so be it; if He says, “Yes,” then let it be done according to His will!
I pray that your entire family be blessed and find complete healing in our Lord Jesus, Rosanne.
Hidden in Him. He has a place for each of us. In MY Fathers house…. and I go to prepare a place for you.. says God. His Word provides powerful understanding. we must seek it out, it doesn’t just happen. He says no temptation shall overcome you.. there is temptation all around me, in my buried alive feelings, in my not wanting to get hurt, in my fear of falling, in my.. not trying. Lord hold me.
Hi Lori,
Rest is a discipline, which is a good thing because it means that with practice we can get better at it. I do not know what is going on in your life to make it so busy – if there are young children, or someone is sick, or you’re working 60 hours a week – but everyone needs rest. Even God Himself took time to rest. Is there anyone who could help you to take some of the responsibility so you can rest? Do you need to ask for less of something? Have you filled your schedule too full and need to adjust it?
I know that for some people they stay busy because being needed and useful gives them a sense of validation that they don’t find otherwise. For some, busyness is a way to not think about things they don’t want to think about and for others busyness comes out of insecurity (“you can’t get rid of me, look at all the things I do!”) I do not know if your busyness comes from outside or inside, but I would encourage you to consider both options. You said that you feel anxious if you’re not doing something, is that because the list is so long, or because you feel judged when you rest or perhaps because being busy makes your life feel structured and safer?
I love the verses in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” When things feel out of control, rest is very challenging. It takes a lot of trust to rest.
I’d encourage you to try practicing rest the same way you would practice a new exercise routine. Pick a place to start – maybe five minutes. Set a timer and commit to rest for those five minutes. Take note of what you’re thinking about during that time. Is there something that you’re worried about? Take that worry to God. Once you can rest for five minutes, try seven, then ten. Build up your capacity to rest. Your body and your soul were designed for it.
I struggle with “being still”. I cannot rest. There is always so much to do, and even if I have a minutes or two, I am anxious if not doing something. Help!
Dear Brother’s and sisters’s in Christ, the bible(John) tells us in John 6:63 the flesh is of now use to me, that includes the brain as well, But their is more to the brain so hold that though.
John 6:63
English Standard Version (ESV)
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Now Paul wrote that God gave us life and an abounded life, and abounded life also means the power to overcome temptation of any sort.I was a slave to sex but the moment I got serious and told God I will not do this any more the Mind of Christ kicked in and I can over come this temptation and do not ever think of sex with any one but my wife! In 1 Chlorinations, Paul also tells us this; For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. Having the mind of Christ in us we can overcome temptation just as Jesus did too. God bless you all and stay in prayer all the time!
I now reside about 2,500 miles away from my family because of my job, which I love. This has put a strain on my family since we were very close. My sister recently told me many negative things that my father has told her. My mother also lives about 500 miles away.
My father was always a difficult man to live with but we always tried to get him to see life differently but everything that comes out of his mouth is always negative with very few exceptions.
Unfortunately my sister is emotionally traumatized. I went through ‘his wrath’ more than 10 years before her so I was able to get help & overcome it.
This devotional made me think of this situation & the need for prayer to heal families such as ours. If truly my father has early signs of dementia, all we can do is pray.