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| Prophetess hilda arredondo |
JESUS--OUR REFUGE IN TROUBLED TIMES
“And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe…”
Mark 16:15-17 In this hour with
all the messages coming forth to us such as the world is about to end, destructive tsunamis coming to our shores, earthquakes,
severe weather all around us, while our enemy nations threaten our welfare, yet
others are saying get out of Louisiana,
(where we live). It would be easy to run if our faith would not be in
Jesus. Because it is, then we know that
there is nowhere to run, but stay where we are and look unto Jesus and run to
Him and hide. I am not saying there is
no truth in what we are hearing, but my question is, is there somewhere truly
to run and hide? No, only in Jesus and He is right there where you are. It is so easy for us to forget that Jesus
said we should occupy till He comes.
Truly we are under judgment here in America and also throughout the
world, but we can’t just sit down and stop living and doing. We must not forget that our first commission is
to preach the gospel and catch as many men into the “net of salvation.” We are
to trust Him and put our faith in Him and not be so fearful of what is coming that we
encourage others to run, but rather to pray.
Jesus is watching over us and will be with us to the very end of
time. Jesus said in Matthew
24:6, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not
troubled: for all these things
must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Granted we are closer to the coming of our
Jesus and we see the signs of the end times, but no one knows the hour. I would
like to look at the life of David and be encouraged. “David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the Cave
Adullam…” I Samuel 22:1 David
sits and waits upon God in this cold and dark cave. It seems that he has been on the run from King
Saul forever. More than once I’m sure,
David has asked himself the question, “What is happening to my life?” Thoughts of the past, before he was anointed
to be King over Israel, flashed through his mind. He could recall when he was a happy and
contented shepherd boy, taking care of his sheep in the quiet, countryside
pastures. At that time, he had much
tranquility in his life, but since the Prophet Samuel had anointed him King over
Israel by pouring a vial of oil over his head, it seemed that the fire of the
enemy had come to destroy his life. The
Lord God of Israel selected him above his brethren, as a chosen vessel for this
exalted ministry. Saul, the present
King, had made David to be his personal armour bearer and later Captain over
his armies. Now he finds himself being
treated like a criminal, stripped of identity and honor, having to hide out in
the Cave Adullam. At one time, David cried, “…truly
as the LORD liveth…there is but a step between me and death.” I Samuel 20:3. King Saul, once his friend, is now the
destroying slaughter weapon being used against him. Yet David, a man after God’s own heart, never
retaliated but behaved himself very wisely toward Saul. “Wherefore
when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.” I
Samuel 18:15.
DAVID ON THE RUN
Surely, this was a time of great trial and tribulation, with
much suffering for David. It was a time
he would have to solely trust God and make God his total REFUGE. David wrote in Psalm 62:7, “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my
strength, and my refuge, is in God.” It is very possible that some of you
are going through some rough times right now, times of trials and tribulations
which have brought suffering into your life.
For some, these adverse circumstances you are in might seem more like a
bad nightmare, but remember, God’s very Hand is upholding you through this
time. As you call upon Him, He will
never leave you nor forsake you. This
new season of trials and tribulations is needed in our lives to perfect us into
His image. Paul said in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” God allowed suffering to come to the
lives of men like Paul and David for a specific purpose. The Lord spoke to Ananias, the servant of the
Lord, the same about Paul, “Go thy way: for he
is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and
the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for
my name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16. Although the enemy was behind the
adverse circumstances, God allowed the suffering to come into their lives; but,
Jesus, the Christ in them, the Hope of Glory, brought them through victoriously
every time!
THE HIDDEN PLACE
Are you feeling confused because of “the signs of the times” or
of some things you have been experiencing lately? Then, let God’s Word minister to you through
this article to help you be an overcomer!
Follow David’s example and run to that secret hidden place in Christ
Jesus. So much has been taught in the
last few years about how, since we are the King’s kids, if there is some form
of hardship, we are not truly walking with Him.
This is absolutely not of God! We
see there was great suffering, persecution, and anguish in the lives of the men
of faith. What was to be accomplished
from all that David and Paul went through?
God would form His character in them.
Romans 5:3-4 (LB) reads, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into
problems and trials for we know that they are good for us- - they help us learn
to be patient. And patience develops
strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it
until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.” In addition to character, Jesus would also learn obedience and
to completely trust God in every situation.
“Who in the days of his flesh, when he
had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him
that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though
he were a Son…” Hebrews 5:7-8 Yes, when suffering comes it will deal
with our flesh, and as we persevere, the flesh will die and we will walk in the
Spirit of the living God. “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live
after the flesh. For if ye live after
the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of
the body, ye shall live. For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:12-14 Please keep in mind that trials and
tribulations are only for a season, and oh, when it is over, what a tried
vessel of gold the church will be! Every
child of God who is called to a place of service will go through some form of
hardship just as David did. To not want
discipline is to reject that special calling of service. How many of you, since you truly got serious
about serving the Lord, have experienced the enemy attacking you like never
before? Even though it would feel much
better not to have the trial or tribulation, to ask God to take you out, or to
remove it, is to forfeit your high calling in Him. It is that very situation
you are in that will mold God’s character in you and perfect your weakness,
making you a servant after God’s own heart.
Our prayer should be, “God make me strong so that I can persevere
through this situation, help me to be victorious, show me how to fly above the
storms of life and let “this very thing” that I am going through lift me up to
higher ground, Amen!”
THE CAVE ADULLAM
Here in I Samuel 22, we read that David retreated to the
Cave Adullam. The word Adullam means a
place of REFUGE, which is a shelter, a place of protection from danger or
distress. David knew his God as his
place of refuge and strength. The cave
Adullam was not a place of much glamour.
It had no running water, plush carpet, or beautiful drapes, not even a
soft warm bed with clean sheets. What
would we have said with our “modern day version of the Gospel”, where we are
promised that as a child of the King we are to have life more abundantly, with
emphasis that “abundantly” is to have wealth, shiny new cars, fancy luxurious homes,
and expensive clothes? What would we
have said to David?... “You missed God, brother.” But, oh Church, how many of us instead, have
missed the true ways of God and in its place settled for much less? Some of us are just like David up to a point;
we run the race, but then we grow weary and tired. We hunger and thirst after God, yet we run
here and there looking for God and answers, not understanding David’s
secret. David drew nigh to God because
he knew that his retreat was in God, for God was his REFUGE. We can understand more clearly today why
David could cry, “Be merciful unto me, O
God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of
thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” Psalm 57:1 David ran to the Mighty Refuge and oh,
he knew how to get under the shadow of His wing, the place of REFUGE and
SAFETY. When the calamities (trials)
come into our lives, there is a place to hide - - The Mighty Refuge, Jesus
Christ, for He is forever merciful. When was the last time you sang a song unto
the Lord? Possibly, you may say, “I
don’t feel like singing, my life is a mess, the church is a mess, my spouse
left me, my children are on drugs, or I’ve lost all my money.” Beloved, we must learn to give the sacrifice
of praise anyhow, and as you do, then you will understand what David meant in Psalm 27:13 when
he said, “I had fainted, unless I had believed
to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Oh,
Hallelujah! Do you know that we can say
the same thing today, in the midst of the trial; because the goodness of the
Lord is still in the land of the living, and who is the living? You and me!
TRIED IN THE FIRE
Notice that it was not until after all
these calamities (troubles) hit David’s life and he had proved that he could
overcome, then he became pliable and usable for God’s kingdom. David had nine years of trouble; nine is the
number that represents fruit in the Bible.
All the trials and calamities that came his way were used by God’s
finger to transform his character so he could bear much Godly fruit such as
compassion, mercy and integrity. His
self sufficiency ceased, and he became totally dependent upon God. David could now say, “For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I
leaped over a wall. As for God, his way
is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that
trust in him” Psalm 18:29-30 David also learned great humility and obedience to those in
authority. King Saul was in authority
over him; therefore, David, a man of integrity, put matters into God’s
hands. God’s Word says many are called,
but few are chosen. Those who are called
to be chosen vessels will be allowed the privilege to suffer, and through the
trials, they will have God’s character formed in them. Then they will be qualified with God’s
precious anointing.
It
is exciting for us to read that in David’s lowest moments, when all of his
friends were gone, and he was considered a fugitive with no place to call home,
that it was then that God gave him a following (congregation). It was then that God blessed him with
ministry. He made him king over the
distressed, those in debt and the discontented.
Why this particular group? It was
the group that truly needed him! They had troubles, and now David could relate
and truly be compassionate. In II Corinthians 1:3-5 (LB), we read, “What a wonderful
God we have - - he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every
mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and
trials. And why does He do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our
sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort
God has given us. You can be sure that
the more we undergo sufferings for Christ, the more he will shower us with his
comfort and encouragement.”
JESUS IS OUR REFUGE
Are you running to Jesus (The Refuge) when troubles come, or are
you expecting your husband, wife or friends to comfort you? Granted all these individuals can be used to
help, encourage and strengthen. But
there is a time that God will close all these avenues because He wants to be
your total REFUGE. Many of us will be
required to grow up and stop leaning on others.
This can be a painful time because we will tend to think people are
cruel and not compassionate toward us.
David said, “For thou has been
a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever: I
will trust in the covert of thy wings.
Selah.” Psalm 61:3-4 Yes, David knew where to go; the Cave Adullam became his Holy of
Holies and there he found REFUGE in his Mighty God. The place of refuge is in His presence;
nothing can touch you in that special place – under his wings, where you can
rejoice and find the fullness of joy, comfort and strength.
REIGNING WITH HIM
Some of you will say Jesus came that we might have life and have
it more abundantly, and that doesn’t mean suffering. Please keep in mind that all of God’s Word is
true and there is much said in God’s Word about trials. Also, if you have read and studied David’s
life, you will remember that David did not prosper or enter his time of great
wealth and power until he suffered for a season. Then he became qualified because of his Godly
response to every situation. He never
blamed anyone in the midst of unfairness, injustice and rejection. He kept pure and responded as a man after
God’s own heart. Are you facing a season
of storms in your life? Are you responding by going to the Refuge
Place which is in Jesus? If you are –
then, get excited! For the day will come
that the storm will cease and you will reign with Him while seated in heavenly
places. To God Be The Glory!
Thank you so much for
reading this Prophetic Message. If you
would like to make a copy or copies of this newsletter, you are welcome to do
so. Make sure your copy is in its entirety and the message should not be
changed. Judgment messages are very serious and those declaring them carry a
big responsibility.
Hilda Arredondo's name and her website http://NDCPrayer.com
and e-mail addresss ndcp@att.net
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