Psalm 119:71
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
I Googled the definition of “decree,” and here is what it said the Biblical definition was: In Hebrew, decree means “to divide, separate, and destroy.” For example, when we decree, “I am blessed” (based on Psalm 112:1), we establish blessing while separating from anything purposed against it by the enemy.
By this definition, the afflictions we go through can separate us from this world and draw us closer to God! What a beautiful blessing to know that God uses the things we are going through not to destroy us or tear us down but to draw us closer to Himself and further from the enemy. But we have to be open to Him and this for it to work. If we walk around with “woe me’s,” then we’re gonna miss it. Let me give you a personal example.
Right now, I’m in a season of transition and waiting. Some days are easier than others, but all of them are beneficial. Through this season (which has not ended yet), the Lord has given me words of encouragement and also edification. He has used it to show me things in my heart that shouldn’t be there and need to be gone or addressed before He takes me into the next season. So, I have a choice: do I ignore it and bury my head in the sand, sighting all these reasons why it’s hard or why I don’t understand? Or do I cry out to Him, lean into His perfect love, listen to His voice, and ask Him to search me and help me to crucify the flesh and walk in the Spirit today? I chose the latter.
Our God is not a mean kid on an anthill waiting to fry us with a magnifying glass but rather a loving, merciful, righteous, sovereign Father who wants the best for His children and proved it by giving His precious Son for the sins of the world. Trust in His unchanging character, not the storms around you!
James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
God bless! I love you all! Glory, Honor, and Praise forever and always to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
Psalm 119:72
The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Yesterday, my mom was doing a Facebook Live, and as she was speaking, I was looking at her Bible. I could feel all the time she has poured herself into that Bible and how it has returned the favor! I could see how much love, peace, strength, and wisdom she has gained from reading it, and it encouraged me to share it with you! It’s so crucial that we stay in the Word daily. It draws us closer to the Father than I realize!!
God revealed this to me earlier while I was praying. He said, “Jesus is the Word, yet He still read the Word!! When Jesus grabs the scroll and starts reading to the people, it’s not because He doesn’t have it memorized or know exactly what it says. It’s because He knew the intimate connection to God from reading His Word!!! This isn’t just a book. It’s our playbook for life!!Are you struggling with something? The answer is in there!!
We live in a digital world, and if the only way you can read your Bible is on a device, then I’m all for it. I can’t – LOL! My ADD kicks in, and I get lost in the sauce!! So, if you are like me, then I challenge you to read the written word for the next 30 days and see if your relationship with God doesn’t grow deeper or closer!!! If all anyone saw was your Bible, then could they tell if you read it???
I love you all, God bless, and Glory to God!!!!!
Psalm 119:105
Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
In these days of darkness, I am desperate for His decrees! I love the Bible; it is truly a lamp for my feet and a light on this path of life. It reveals the way and the Way! It shows us how to step and where to step each day, and it never leads us away from God but always towards Him! The darkness may swirl around us constantly, and yet the light it gives is never extinguished nor dampened. The truth it holds is never broken, nor does it falter.
His Word reveals not only the path before us but also the heart within us. It amazes me that one can read the Bible and learn more about oneself than all the counselors in the world could tell us. That’s not to say that the Bible is about us, but rather it is for us!
The Bible points us to the heart of our God, the depths of His love, the richness of His mercy and grace, the power He wields, and the humility He came with in obedient surrender to save a wretch like me! I would be lost without the Word of God, the Living Word Jesus Christ, and the written Word of God. We come to Christ first. He is the Word that saves us, but then we must turn to Him in the written Word to sanctify us! Sanctify is a big word, but it basically means to grow more and more like Christ each day.
The written Word helps us to grow in many ways to look more like the Living Word, and its all for God’s glory! But we must be reading it and applying it through the Holy Spirit, or else we are in danger of falling away. Being steadfast in our quiet times with God produces a strength not of this world but of the spirit. Each of us must carve out a time each day to meet with Him, for if we don’t make it a priority, then it may or may not get done.
Have you spent some time seeking the Living Word in the written Word today? Christ made the cross His priority and, in doing so, set many captives free and brought many sons to glory! Can we make Him as much of a priority in our lives as He made us?
John 17:17- Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth.
Hebrews 2:9,10- But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He suffered.
God bless! I love you all, but His love leads the way! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
Psalm 119:76
I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.
Who seeks and saves the lost sheep? None other than the Good Shepherd, our King and Savior Jesus Christ! He is the only One who can track down and bring back those who have gone astray.
Psalm 119 is filled with powerful verses of the psalmist's love for the Lord and His Word. Beautiful verses of God’s devotion and this man’s devotion to God’s Word and yet the very last verse is a cry for help! This teaches us that no matter how much we love God and His Word, we still need His help. We never outgrow needing our God. I know that sounds funny, but hear me out. The Pharisees, in a sense, outgrew needing God. They had the Law, they had their understanding, and they had their way of life, and when God came in the flesh, they had no need nor any room for Him in their lives. They had become too self-reliant, self-serving, selfish, and stopped relying on God for all their needs. Though they honored God with their lips, their hearts were far from Him!
We, too, must be wary of this trap, one that says you got this, your strong enough, just go ahead and take care of it for the Lord! We will fall if we lean on our own strength, understanding, knowledge, and love. We need Him and all that He is in every way and in all situations. The psalmist's devotion to the Lord’s Word never wavered, yet He still calls out to Him for help; will we? Today, let’s humbly ask the Lord to reveal, forgive, and help us in those areas where we have relied more on ourselves than Him. Never stop loving His Word and never forget Who wrote it! Forgive me, Lord, for relying on myself instead of running to You!
Matthew 15:8- “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Proverbs 28:13- Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
God bless! I love you all, but His love means more! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
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