Man devises so many ways to solve everyone’s problems. And how easy it is for the natural mind of man to try to make things work for the benefit of self. The Lord helps us to lean on His understanding and learn His ways of wisdom. For the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of this world.

Delivered From the Devices of Man

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.

1 Corinthians 10:13

In our life’s journey we are continually faced with the opportunity to either lean on the Lord or create our own devices to deal with difficulties, trials or tests that come our way. We are all tempted in the same ways. In different forms, we are all tested in the secret place of our hearts to see how we will respond to what comes our way.

The way of the Lord is pure. When we discover His pure and perfect ways of wisdom in our lives then we can find refuge under the shadow of His wings. For He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The shadow of God is the hidden place where we find refuge from all the enemies’ tactics, temptations and traps that he would try to set for our lives.

A shadow is a place of darkness and hiddenness. When we are hidden in God’s shadow we are walking in His light, rather than the false light of ways of man. There seems to be some false redemption and security in the ways of man. The devices of man are self-defending mechanisms to temporarily cope with the provocations of the enemy and people, but have no eternal reward or value. These devices in turn prolong the process of God’s dealings in our lives. For it is God that allows the tests to come, many times through the enemy, to bring us to a place of utter dependency and the place of deeper waters of devotion. These things are meant to strengthen our cords, making us fit vessels for the greater works of God in and through our lives.

The Hidden Place of His Power

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.

Ephesians 3:14-16

Strengthening of spirit, character and resolve to stay within that hidden place is what we need to be taken to see the greater manifestation of His Kingdom in the earth. Power is not hard for God to pour out in our lives, but a pure heart is developed over time. Granted, He entrusts us with His power even now allowing us to partake in the divine nature through His great and precious promises. The journey is daily. The victories are daily. The culmination of this journey and the summation of battles continually one all factored together bring a greater expression of the life of Christ in us. It is the consistency of love, bearing the life of the Spirit, manifesting the Kingdom continually in the somewhat small events of life that releases a greater fragrance of Christ in the world and before the throne of God. God measures the fragrance of a life of devotion by the faithfulness and continual dependency on Him. A life that continually turns to Him is a life of His fragrance. Just as Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, so we keep our souls in check by continually leaning on the wisdom of the Father turning to Him on all occasions.

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15

The Lord is Our Defense

It is easy for us to justify the actions of the flesh and of the mind. The action of trying to justify is usually the giveaway that it is indeed the flesh being sown to. The Holy Spirit never needs defending. The actions speak for themselves. What the flesh initiates is always in need of constant defense. When things are initiated by the Spirit of God in our lives we can confidently say, “The Lord is my defense.”

But the Lord is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

Psalm 94:22

God is our judge. In times of who may be right or wrong, when fingers are pointing at us, we can say, “The Lord judge between me and you.” It is the Lord who judges our actions. Our blessing, privilege and obligation is to hear the voice of God, yield to His voice through obedience acting on what He has spoken. Once our obedience is complete the Lord is in charge of all matters concerning the effects of our yieldedness.

Let all be offended, let men be upset, may our pleasure be in our uncompromised commitment to His desires. Go with God!