Psalm. 119: 9-12
How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
Walking in harmony with God or being in agreement with God is my definition of enjoying life. This verse is David doing just that. There can be no enjoying life the way God intended it to be when my life is in conflict with the Life Giver. We are plagued with guilt, insecurity, fear, pride, loneliness, and doubt. How can there be a union? These emotions result from wanting to do life my way instead of His way, which is what the scriptures teach. How do we cope with these negative emotions if we do not want to submit to the Lord? It varies between individuals, but one way is by achieving goals. If I do this or become that, I will not be so insecure or afraid, and I will be happy. Or if I can get in with this group or date this girl/guy, then I must be somebody, and I will not doubt myself. Or if I could get along with my spouse, I would be more secure about my marriage. Or if I get that promotion, I know I will be a good provider, and people will think I’m important.
We believe attaining these goals will rid us of these negative emotions. Things will be better when we get them, right? It becomes a day of reckoning when we do attain our goals, and the happiness we achieve does not last. We then set other goals, never realizing that the problem is the absence of God in our life. We visited the Oregon Coast (camping) early in our marriage, and I loved it. We were living in Fresno, and I felt that our lives would be better if we could only move there. We were seeking a simpler life, especially since we both came from a coastal environment. The ocean always gave us peace. However, I learned before moving that my flaws and personality quirks follow me. The Lord showed me that Peace, true peace, is not in a place but in focusing more of my attention and time on knowing Jesus. Goals are admirable, but they are not the answer the soul needs.
“Taking heed” means to guard, to watch, to listen to with the purpose of obeying. Here’s a word picture of taking heed. Imagine you are lost, cold, and hungry in the wilderness, and night is fast approaching. You need to light a fire and only have two dry matches. You would be so careful lighting that fire, being sure that the kindling you selected will lite, and once lit, you would tend to it carefully. You would also ensure you had enough wood to keep it going. Your next meal, warmth, and survival depended upon that fire. If we attended to God’s Word and prayer with the same kind of attentiveness and dependency, we would be less apt to stumble and be less apt to believe that things, people, or places were the answer. We would be stronger, defeating deceit and temptation. Our lack of commitment to knowing His Word gets us in trouble. As we do take heed to His Word, we grow the spirit of man.
Zechariah 4:6
Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Unfortunately, many of us are easily distracted and do not have that kind of dependency on the Lord. We go to church and maybe even pray over our meals, but that’s as far as we go. There is no conviction to With my whole heart have I sought thee: we are not 100% in. We are not concerned about O let me not wander from thy commandments. We lack the fear of God that causes us to seek and change. Our hunger and thirst are not 100% for Him; it is mixed with the passions and desires of the carnal man.
Psalms 42:1-2 Thirsting for God
As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL VERSE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO SEEK HIM FULLY, TO SEEK HIM AS IN HAVING A … “LONGING” or “THRIST” for God.
And though David is very much on the right track of seeking God, it didn’t exclude him or us from the struggles of this life.
Psalms 42:5
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted ( troubled, stressed, worried) within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God ( health in this usage means protection, fortified walls, security). As human beings, we need that!
What does maturity as a Christian look like? As the verse says, as we battle against worldly fears, insecurities, temptations, and just the general “stuff” of life, we know that we shall praise Him. As we mature in Him, we see more, and as we say, hindsight is 20/20, and so is spiritual maturity. Faith becomes our road map; we trust God for the journey, and the victories come as we believe. David is a man of war, couples two concepts together, the pleasure of feasting and defeating one’s enemy…
Psalms 23:5-6
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil (symbolic of the Holy Spirit) ; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
On our worse day, in the presence of my enemies, I can focus on my Lord and know He has me, so with joy my cup runneth over…
Here’s a saying, “Small God, Big problems, Big God, small Problems, though the problems be the same. His presence nourishes us.
There can be periods of fun living in this world, especially when one attains a goal, but that cannot compare to the peace and love that God gives and at what cost to ourselves or our family are we paying to attain a worldly goal, a goal that is passing. And what happens to our goals when something terrible happens? Car accidents, sickness, death, stress, and arguments happen to all of us, yet we are less affected by them when we walk in harmony with the Lord. When we go out from under the Lord’s umbrella, we compromise that. When we compromise our Godly values to attain a goal that is contrary to God’s Word and do it enough times, we soon no longer feel God’s conviction over it. The Bible calls this “searing your conscience.” It now becomes a pattern of behavior, and a stronghold is formed in us. A stronghold or fortress that the enemy operates from.
As in war, the enemy seeks to develop a “beachhead” where he can continue to make assaults on our soul and take more ground. If, as a man, I am tempted with sexual lust, that can be a “beach head” if I yield to it. The enemy wants to exploit that weakness and develop other roads of captivity. We need to war against our carnal nature with God’s Word aggressively. Use the superior armor God has given us. Proverbs 5, 6, 7, and 8 are God’s heavy artillery against lust. We need to realize that the enemy seeks to compromise our life. He loves the lie that says, “Oh I’ll just do this once, it’s no big deal.” Say this enough times, and it’s how another “beach head” is established, and more and more of your freedom is being eroded. Our best defense is a strong offense. Focused on growing in Him and allowing Him to close these roads of lust and deceit by spending time in His Word. Become His son of Grace, “man up!”
For my sisters, what I have learned from being married for 42 years and raising two daughters is that women struggle with insecurity, “the feeling of being less than.” The Lord has excellent verses for this, but first, you must ask yourself what I am focused on. Is all my security based on my looks, clothing, outward approval, etc., for then you are like the parable of the man that built his house on the sand? That is precisely what you are doing. You must change your focus and be like the man that built his home on the rock. You must change your focus to pleasing Christ. Focus on being God’s daughter by Grace is the best decision you will ever make. You are en route to multiple victories.
Proverbs 31:10
Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
Proverbs 31:30-31
Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.
This is where we need to use our heads and not our emotions to guide us. How many famous attractive women get married and end up in a divorce? What happened? Did they become less attractive? No, they just proved that it takes more than “looks” to have a successful relationship. This is the outcome when we follow the world’s values more than God’s. Rather receive your “fullness and identity” from the Lord. YOU are His Daughter, can there be any title, fame, or importance greater than that? Now grow in the joy of what it means to be His daughter. I promise you; you will never regret this decision.
Psalms 42:8
Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life ( is my response to Him).
Enjoying life is something so much more than just everything going my way. It’s having favor with God and knowing that brings confidence and peace when faced with difficulty. When you live this truth, that alone helps us surmount life’s hard things. Therefore searing your conscience by repeatedly and purposefully disobeying God’s injunctions is much like burning your fingertips; pretty soon, they have no feeling. It’s a pretty stupid thing to do. Remember, He convicts us for our good; the sin in us separates us from Him. Sometimes we have reasons for why we ignore Him. We are hurt, we feel He has let us down, etc. I think we all have felt this, so talking to a friend who is a firm believer or a pastor would be wise because keeping our distance from Him will only incur more pain.
Proverbs 1:5
A wise man will hear and will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
God will not do life our way; He’s not that stupid. He will do life His way, the right way, and it’s up to us to get on His agenda, not vice versa.
If we continue disobeying the Holy Spirit soon, the conscience becomes silent. This, to me, would be a terrible place to arrive too. I’ve met unmarried couples that sleep together. It’s almost expected in today’s world; some even claim to be Christian. People say the Bible is outdated, which is their reason not to obey. Yet God made marriage and sexual union a specific way, always for our best. Ignoring this or “trample on His way” is only to hurt ourselves.
Hebrews 13:4-5
Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Let your conversation( your life) be without covetousness ( and sex outside of marriage is just that) and be content with things you have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor — forsake thee.
“whoremongers and adulterers” refers to all sexual misconduct, from opposite sex to same-sex. So maybe it’s a “cost” to obey God, but God promises never to leave or forsake us, and what is that worth? To repent and then seek Him to help me straighten out my life would be the most intelligent decision I ever made and the hardest thing I’ve ever done. However, to have Him as my Lord, Savior, and Friend is worth every bit of the struggle and more. Remember, a wise decision now means fewer regrets, with Eternity awaiting.
However, if we continue to disobey, this is another area of our life where we can sear our conscience.
1 Timothy 1:18-20
This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightiest war a good warfare;
Holding (keeping) faith, and ( hence) a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith (doing away with their faith) have made shipwreck of their conscious of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Father,
I come to you convicted by Your Word regarding my sins. Though I feel bad and ashamed, I know this conviction is because You love me and want to become my spiritual Dad. I’m so grateful that my sins do not lessen or deter your love for me. Thank you. According to John 3:16, I accept Jesus as my Savior and ask for forgiveness for all my sins. I ask for your Holy Spirit in my life now to walk with me. Please help me not to grieve the Holy Spirit or sear my conscience by living contrary to your will. Give me the desire to read your Bible, go to a Bible-teaching church, and make Christian friends that want to live a life pleasing to You. These are the things I need to do to grow my faith in You. Please help me to do them. Lastly, let me not become discouraged by the battle ahead of me. The devil has always hated me, but now that I belong to You, I have become his enemy. He will do his worse to cause me to denounce You. Thank you for your love that caused you to die a gruesome death on the Cross for me, something that no one else would ever do for me. Amen.
Thank you beyond words,
Arthur
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Arthur NavarretteVida4U.com is the website where all past Vida’s are archived. In addition to the weekly devotionals, the yearly inspirational writings featured in December’s House2Home Magazine are archived under “Faith Talk.” Please use this site for your benefit and refer your friends to it as well. If they would like the weekly series emailed to them, they can send their requests to Arthur@Vida4U.com.