Sanctuary

[Rowan]

JANUARY 23

PREPARE FOR TESTS

JAMES 1:18
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.


James reminds us that we experience temptation because we are God’s special people. We are members of His family because we have been born again by the word of truth. When James uses the word “firstfruits” to describe believers, he is reminding us that we belong only to God. In the Old Testament, “firstfruits” were the firstborn of cattle and the early fruit of the ground, both of which belonged to God.

The enemy targets us because of our relationship with God. There would be no inner battle if we were truly lost.

The tests God allows to mature us can become temptations from Satan that malign us. We must be prepared for tests, realize they can become temptations, and then overcome them through the strength of our relationship with God.


David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God

 

[Rowan]

FEBRUARY 1

REST IN JESUS

JOHN 16:33
In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

When we don’t know how this is all going to work out, we have to hold tightly to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and rest in Him. That’s the message we often find in the New Testament.

In John 16:33 Jesus said to His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jesus had been talking about His future death, but then He said, “Don’t get caught up in that. Make sure in the midst of these tumultuous times your trust is in Me.”

When we go through a tough time, if we’ve spent any time at all in the Word of God, that tough time is like a magnet that draws us to the Lord Jesus. Nothing will happen in the future that will catch Jesus Christ by surprise. And there’s nothing that will happen that He can’t help His children work through.

So rather than spending our time trying to figure out the nuances of what will happen, we should spend at least as much time getting to know Him better.


David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God