Elohim Shomri—God is My Protector

Our Daily Walk with Christ Devotional – February 8, 2023

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” —Psalm 46:1

A refuge is something providing shelter, or a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ” —Ephesians 6:12

From the moment we commit to follow Jesus, we enter a spiritual war zone. Every day, in our earthly journey, the righteous face the continuous opposition of unseen spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare poses the greatest danger to the Christian believer, its ultimate goal is to separate us from God.

For over six thousand years, the great controversy of good and evil has raged—God desires to save our souls, and Satan, the enemy seeks to destroy us. Spiritual warfare affects the entire body of Christ. Yet as believers, we also face custom-designed temptations. Temptations are Satan’s most effective strategy against humanity.

Satan cannot read our minds, but he can observe our behaviors and hear our spoken words [not our secret closet prayers]. He is a powerful fallen angel who devises intricate deceptive schemes to make us fall. We are not tempted by things that repulse us. Our temptations easily entrap us because they appeal to the hidden desires of our hearts.

The Onset of Warfare: Your vehicle has 275,000 miles. You prayed for a new vehicle, but God told you to wait. But you have a spirit of impatience and begin to speak words of worry, How will I get to work without a car? Suddenly, you begin to see many ads for great deals with no money down—the onset of spiritual warfare.

The Sequence of Temptation: You decide to go to the dealership just to look and explore the offers [embraced the temptation]. A couple of hours later you sign the contract [the fall]. You perceive this as God’s blessing [the deception of disobedience]. A few months later, you are laid off from your job.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” —1 Peter 5:8

Being tempted is not a sin. From distrusting God’s plan, we pursue our desires and place ourselves outside of God’s protection and into harm’s way. The scheme to make us fall does not come to fruition until the moment of disobedience. Sadly, we have willingly helped Satan to bring us down. Our rebellion to choose wrong over right reflects that we value our desires over obedience to God.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” —1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV

Praying for spiritual insight and wisdom invites the Holy Spirit into our battle. We immediately receive the spiritual alert that we are being tempted. Our next step is to say no and to walk away. We cannot allow ourselves to engage in a discussion like Eve. Satan has no power over the believer who relies on Christ through much prayer.

We become vulnerable only when we display an interest in the temptation. If we walk away, Satan will not chase us, he recognizes defeat. It is impossible to rely on our strength to overcome Satan’s stealth strategies. If we dismiss the Holy Spirit’s warnings and use our thoughts or strength to confront temptation, we will sin.

The Sin Dilemma: After we have sinned, the Holy Spirit convicts us. Our response to the conviction determines the trajectory of our lives. Will we run to Christ our Refuge and repent?

“For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up…” —Proverbs 24:16

When the righteous fall, our hearts are filled with anguish and guilt because we have sinned against God. If our next step is a prayer of confession and repentance—to turn away from sin, our Redeemer extends His arms in love, mercy, and forgiveness. We are always forgiven but may endure the consequences of our disobedience. Still, we forgive ourselves, receive comfort and strength from the Holy Spirit, and move forward in our commitment to live as one who is forgiven.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” —Psalm 91:1

To abide in Christ is often misunderstood, but the simplest explanation is to live a surrendered, faithful, and obedient Christ-centered life that focuses on doing God’s will. Only a heart filled with overwhelming love and appreciation of the Plan of Redemption desires the safety that Christ gives.

Daily surrender opens our spiritual eyes, and we begin to recognize our true condition—we cannot make it in this earthly journey without Jesus and His protection. Yes, we are truly grateful for the privilege to have Christ as our Refuge. Elohim Shomri—God is My Protector.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” —Proverbs 18:10

Lord, we thank You for being our Refuge and Strong Tower. Thank You for protecting us from the Spiritual Warfare by keeping us safely in Your arms. In Jesus’ Loving Name, we pray. Amen.

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