https://odb.org/MY/2023/07/02/our-refuge-2
The creation of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, the life illustration of today’s ODB, does remind and point me to God being our refuge. The 15,000-acre Refuge in Denver, Colorado, is a sanctuary for wildlife covering nearly 300 species from black footed ferrets to burrowing owls to bald eagles and roaming buffaloes. It is a place where wildlife may thrive and flourish as nature intends without, ironically, interference from humans. What’s amazing about this wildlife sanctuary is its urban setting near a large city like Denver, Colorado.
I think a wildlife sanctuary is a good picture of our life in God. When we accept Christ, we become a part of the universal church, the family of God, also known as the Kingdom of God. This means that we are like part of a protected zone, what some Psalmists like to call under the shadows of His wings. We are under the protection of God. Not so much from the hustle and bustle of life, but from the concerted attacks and deception of the evil one in the spiritual realm, whose only intent is to bring us along with him into the eternal flames of fire. He knows where he and his troops will end up one day and thus will attempt to bring as many as possible with him by enticing us with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The tiger doesn’t change its stripes, and it is the same with the devil and his tricks.
The evil one knows that he is powerless when we are in God’s zone. His powers do not work. So he needs to entice us out of the safety zone, like how Adam and Eve ended out of Eden after the fall. That’s the beauty of the safety zone, the sanctuary our LORD built for His people. That is why He is our refuge and our rock. He is our rock and our salvation. See Psalm 62: 5-8.
When we are in God’s zone, we may tap upon His supernatural powers and bring heaven down on earth, with the spiritual realm breaking through and into the natural, bringing along the blessings and the power of God to heal and to set the captives free from the bondage of sin.
Do not depart from God’s zone. Keep within the safety of His sanctuary, within the shadows of His wings. Do not venture out. Keep our eyes and focus upon Jesus Christ, the author and the finisher of our faith. As He is the alpha and omega – make sure we end up in omega even as He called us in the first place, alpha. Let our lives be from alpha until omega as Christ had intended and planned even before the foundations of the world! Christian life is less about finishing first and at the top of the class than about finishing the race. Like a marathon runner, we are not keen on winning the winner’s trophy than being awarded the finisher’s medal! We have finished the race and had fought the good fight; that’s our goal and our motivation! Remain in God’s sanctuary, His safety zone, and we will be safe for He is our refuge, our fortress, and our salvation!
Ronnie's Thoughts 