A Place to Hide
J. Allen Blair
Have you ever felt like you wanted to get away from everything and hide from everybody? Well I am going to tell you about a good place to hide, so please read on!
Consider the words of Isaiah 32:2: A man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Everyone needs a hiding place from four things. First, we need a hiding place from an accusing conscience. We are born into this world with a conscience, but each of us has sinned against his own conscience. There is no torment like the torment of an accusing conscience. It may be that your conscience doesn't bother you. If this is the case, you need to realize that there is a sense in which the conscience sleeps; but though it sleeps, it never dies. The day will come when the sleeping conscience will awaken, and will point its finger of accusation at you. It is then that you will need a hiding place.
Second, we need a hiding place because of the power of sin in our life. If you will be honest with yourself, you know that there are powers of evil resident within you which are more than you can master in your own strength. If you think you can overcome all sin in your own strength, you are sadly mistaken. You may be mastered by an appetite for alcohol or you are enslaved by other sins. It could be unclean thoughts. Maybe it is neither alcohol, nor unclean thoughts; but you have other problems. It could be an uncontrollable temper, or a sharp caustic tongue. Regardless of what it is, the power of sin is more than any of us can master ourselves. It is for this reason that we need a hiding place.
Third, we need a hiding place from the power of the Devil. Now there are many people who appear to be too wise to believe in the existence of a personal devil. There are no doubts in my mind relative to his existence. The Bible tells about him, and I believe the Bible. In 1 Peter 5:8, God says your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. In Ephesians 6:11-12, Paul wrote, Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. There are many other verses in the Bible that tell us about the Devil. I also believe in a personal devil because of my own experience with him. Satan has buffeted me, and sought to ruin me time and time again. As I read the daily newspapers and watch the telecasts, I am a witness to the Devil's labors. Lives are being destroyed; homes are being wrecked, while nations persist in war. The Devil is the instigator of all this trouble and hardship. Be assured, there is a Devil--subtle and wicked--and we are no match for his cunning power. Therefore, we need a hiding place from him.
And, finally, we need a hiding place from the wrath to come. Like those who disbelieve in a personal devil, there are some who laugh at the idea of wrath to come. The Bible says that God hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness. The Word of God declares this, and His Word gives us the facts. But not only does His Word tell us this, life itself testifies to this fact. Here is a man who has deceived and cheated his neighbor. He has robbed him of thousands of dollars, but when taken to court, is declared "Not guilty." How clever his lawyer was in winning the case. But do you think the case is closed? Oh, no! Reason tells us that the day is coming when the accounts will be settled. In the eyes of God, the case was simply postponed. Let us not think that thousands of men and women who have deceived, cheated, and murdered will not have to stand before a righteous God and receive what they have never received in this world: a just reward for their iniquity. Of course there is a judgment and there is a hell. It is a biblical teaching and even in nature wrong-doing has consequences: man needs a hiding place.
Look at the passage from Isaiah again: A man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. What do we see here? A man shall be as an hiding place. Who is this man? It is the God-man, Jesus Christ. Christ is the hiding place from conscience. Are you haunted with the memory of the past? Christ is the hiding place. There is peace in Him. Christ is the hiding place from sin within. He has made forgiveness and victory available, if you will turn to Him and claim Him as your hiding place from sin. Christ is the hiding place from the Devil. Recall how the Son of God was tempted in the wilderness. Three times the Devil sought to ruin Him, but the Devil suffered a severe defeat. Christ can overcome the Devil. Christ is also the hiding place for the wrath to come. Not only does He possess the power to save us from our sins, but the power to save us from the consequences of sin hereafter. Religion that is incapable of saving a person from present day sin will never save anyone from the wrath of God. There is an abundance of religion in the world, but it is absolutely worthless because it is ineffective to deal with man's sinful nature. People may be religious, but are they assured that all their sins have been forgiven and that they are ready to meet God?
Jesus said, in John 14:6, I am the way. What did He mean by this? He meant that He is The Way to eternal life. Now there are others who are teaching that they have the way, but the Bible says that there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Don't trust in a way or any way. Trust in The Way. Jesus said, I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. Take God at His word. Don't trust in your own intelligence. Don't trust in what religion tells you.
Some people think there are other ways to be saved. I don't know of any other way. The Bible says there is One Way. Neither is there salvation in any other, the Bible says. I believe that because we know the Bible is true. The Bible proves itself to be true. No one can prove that it is not true. This is the Word of God, and so we take God at His word.
Jesus Christ is the hiding place from conscience, the power of sins, Satan, and the wrath to come. You need Him as your hiding place. Turn to Him now.
Are You Timid?
Gary Janes
Recently, my grandson quoted his life's verse to me: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). That spirit of fear is translated "timidity" or "cowardice." This article could have been titled, Are You Chicken?
Ramp up your Christian experience with this month's free book, Living Confidently! It's a study of the three Epistles of John. Ask for one free copy per household, and purchase additional copies, $3.00 each. We pay the postage! ( USA addresses only.)
A Special Word of Thanks
On September 9, 2007, Dr. Blair passed from this earth to his heavenly home. In the nearly three years since, Glad Tidings has continued to air the daily Bible teaching messages and to produce this monthly publication, made possible only through your prayer and financial support. We offer this special word of thanks to each of you who continue giving to make it possible!
Evaluation vs. Fault Finding
The free printed message that we are offering this month is titled, The Evil of Criticism. A critical care unit is a place in which someone is first criticized, or evaluated, then treated. But, when the other definition of criticize is intended, we must add the word evil, because that is fault-finding. We walk a fine line between evaluating and fault-finding.
The Evil of Criticism is a tool to hone your Christian life-skills! Ask for a free copy when you write this month...gifts are not a requirement for the free offers we make. Hearing from you will be a blessing. So, take a moment to let us know you appreciate this newsletter.
Daily Bible Reading
Why daily? You eat daily, correct? Just as your body needs daily sustenance, so does your soul. Earlier this year, we aired a message by Dr. Blair in which he said, "Most of us feed our bodies pretty well, but what about our souls? Do you take time daily to refresh your soul from God's Word? I wouldn't miss this regular diet of truth from God's inspired and eternal testimony found in the Holy Scriptures for anything in the world."
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts (Jeremiah 15:16).