Hidden in the Cleft: True and False Refuge: Strategies for the Threshold #4

by Anne Hamilton

Jesus had a refuge—a safe haven—He retreated to when His life was in danger.

What does His choice reveal about where best to find sanctuary in times of trouble? What is the significance of the hiding place He used for an entire season? How can we discern the difference between a true and false refuge?

Removal of our false refuges is the first step towards achieving our life’s calling—the divine purpose for which God created us. Yet all too often we fail to recognise how we’ve defaulted to a false refuge when disappointment strikes.

This book offers practical help, hope and encouragement towards achieving your destiny in Christ.

Genres: Christian

108 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 6, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

For twenty years, I was the coordinator of an annual camp for children based around The Chronicles of Narnia. That experience shaped a lot of my thinking about how readers enjoy fantasy.

Like CS Lewis, my fantasy story Many-Coloured Realm began with a picture in my mind's eye: a boy without arms floating in a field of stars and faced with an impossible choice.

My non-fiction series beginning with God's Poetry can be traced back to the observation that Lewis comes from the Welsh word for lion. The discovery of name covenants led to the discovery of threshold covenants, as well as many other long-forgotten aspects of our Judeo-Christian heritage.

I love exploring words, mathematics and names. All of these combine in my books, whether they are fiction or non-fiction, or whether they're for adults or children, whether they're academic in tone or primarily devotional. I hope my readers always come away from my books with a renewed delight for the world around us and a child-like wonder for its awesome aspects.

Reviews

[Jenn Sands · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I will need to read many times to process the content. It was full of gems but is quite deep and needs to be pondered on prayerfully.

[Ruth Bonetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another thought-provoking and challenging book by Anne Hamilton. This shines a searing light on our motivations and how we justify them, how we reach for that comfort food, chocolate, coffee or substance to dull guilt and pain, rather than take the issue to God.
As ever, Anne Hamilton is honest about her own weaknesses and what she learned in her own life journey. She encourages readers to identify the issues, to repent and adds prayers to enable us to renounce a false refuges, and to ask God's help and empowering of the words.

[Nola Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a little gem. The basic premise is that we all have false refuges we run to when things aren't going well and we need comfort. Sometimes these refuges are clearly harmful (e.g., abusing drugs or alcohol; sexual sins). However, other times they can be seemingly innocuous like having a cup of coffee or reading a book. These things aren't wrong in themselves, but they can become false refuges when they're our go-to places or first ports of call in trouble rather than going to God, the one true refuge. In essence, it's a type of idolatry that keeps us from walking into the destiny God has for us. The author explains how to break down these false refuges through repentance and drawing closer to God.

This book is a shorter and easier read than some of Hamilton's other books, but there is a lot of meat in it and plenty to ponder. It really resonated with me and helped me to see my own false refuges for what they are.

Highly recommended for anyone who desires a closer walk with God, our true refuge in any storm.

[Quinta Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps my favourite Anne Hamilton book so far!

[Celia Vineyard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Book

This book explains so much about Scripture,God,and us. About how we provide comfort and safety in our own hidey
Holes.
how that makes barriers between and our inheritance of intimacy with God. Sometimes we don't even know those places are what they are,hidden places with evil altars to false gods. Just a clear explanation of what Jesus meant in the Lord's Prayer when he said "lead us not into temptation" makes This book worthwhile. Full of wisdom and insightful teaching.

[Lisa M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent teaching

If you're truly wanting to consecrate your relationship with Jesus, the revelation Anne Hamilton presents in this book is key. It's imperative that we only have the True Refuge for our hearts. Anne clarifies this and bars no holds. Thank you for an excellent teaching!

[Anne Hamilton]

I have not rated this book because I am the author.

Although this is the fourth book in the Strategies for the Threshold series, I'm advised by just about everyone that it should be the first. It's about false refuges - that place of comfort that we instinctively gravitate to in a crisis, rather than seek out God. I've had lots of people tell me that they go to God first in times of trouble, only to realise on reading the book that actually, no, they don't.

One of the primary reasons people don't cross over the threshold into their calling is because of false refuges.