His Name Is My Refuge, September 21

Blessings of Consecration

The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Proverbs 18:10.WGD 266.1

The cities of refuge appointed for God’s ancient people were a symbol of the refuge provided in Christ. The same merciful Saviour who appointed those temporal cities of refuge, has by the shedding of His own blood provided for the transgressors of God’s law a sure retreat, into which they may flee for safety from the second death. No power can take out of His hands the souls that go to Him for pardon.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 516.WGD 266.2

Satan seeks to bring us into temptation, that the evil of our characters may be revealed before men and angels, that he may claim us as his own.... The enemy leads us into sin, and then he accuses us before the heavenly universe as unworthy of the love of God....WGD 266.3

God, in His great love, is seeking to develop in us the precious graces of His Spirit. He permits us to encounter obstacles, persecution, and hardships, not as a curse, but as the greatest blessing of our lives. Every temptation resisted, every trial bravely borne, gives us a new experience, and advances us in the work of character-building. The soul that through divine power resists temptation, reveals to the world and to the heavenly universe the efficiency of the grace of Christ....WGD 266.4

The only safeguard against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. It is because selfishness exists in our hearts that temptation has power over us. But when we behold the great love of God, selfishness appears to us in its hideous and repulsive character, and we desire to have it expelled from the soul.—Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 118.WGD 266.5