God's Word Keeps Me from Sin

(The following is post 2 of 5 on Five Personal Benefits of God's Word)

John Bunyan had the following sentence written in his Bible: ‘Either this book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book’.   The Psalmist also wrote a similar thought in Psalm 119:11, when he said, ‘Thy word have I treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee’.  Saturating our minds with scripture is the key defeating sin in our lives.  The Word of God is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal as we engage in the daily battle against sin!  

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil in Matthew 4, He didn’t respond with some cleverly crafted spur-of-the-moment argument.  He replied to the devil by using scripture. Jesus got out the sword of the Spirit and began to wield it, cutting the enemy down to size.  What was the result?  The devil ‘left him’ (Matt. 4:11).  Jesus had a reservoir of scripture on the tip of His tongue, ready for the brutal assaults of temptation. 

Think about the times you are tempted to sin.  The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that every temptation has a way of escape.  He says, 

“No temptation has overtaken you but such is as common to man; and God is faithful,  who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it”.  

Paul says temptation is common!  But with each temptation, God has provided a way to escape it.  He’s saying that we don’t have to succumb!  

Interestingly, just a few verses before this passage, Paul describes the experiences of Israel’s past are examples for us to learn from.   Things written about in the Old Testament (God’s Word!), were written for our instruction (1 Cor. 10:11).   There it is!  We look into God’s Word and see consequences of sin in the lives of various people and we use that as a roadmap in avoiding the same sins that they committed.  We see certain signposts along the way when we read scripture, and they are giving us direction as we travel.  If we are willing to follow God’s roadmap, then certainly His Word will keep us from sin. 

Consider the following short verses:

• Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matt 6:33). 
• Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good (Rom. 12:9). 
• Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth (Eph. 4:20).
• Wives, be subject to your husbands... husbands love your wives (Eph. 5:22;25). 
• Children, be obedient to your parents (Col. 3:20). 
• Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger (James 1:19).
• Humble yourself in the presence of the Lord (James 4:10). 
• Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18).

Simple obedience to these verses, and ones like them, will keep you from sin.  If you ‘treasure’ these kinds of passages in your heart, they will be effective in keeping you from sin. 

Response:

What are your Bible reading habits like?  Is reading and studying the Bible a mechanical exercise?  Are you reading ‘just to get it in’?  Or are you looking for passages that will heighten your sensitivity to sin?

What specific things can you do to apply verses that will cause you to sin less?

Write a brief prayer of confession to the Lord.

Memory Verse:

Thy Word have I treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.  - Psalm 119:11

God's Word Produces Reverence

(The following is post 1 of 5 on Five Personal Benefits of God's Word) 

Reverence toward God is often seriously lacking as we approach Him.  We saunter up to him in prayer or worship without regard to His holiness and splendor.  Sometimes we have not the faintest thought that He might possibly reject our offering, like he did Cain, because we’ve not taking him as seriously as He requires. 

Reverence means that we’re treating God with the deepest respect that He deserves.  It means that we are in awe of Him and holding Him in the highest regard.

The best way to learn reverence toward God is to not just know concepts about Him, but to really KNOW Him.  God has told us everything He wants us to know about Himself in His Word, the Bible.  In the Bible we learn of God’s character and His nature.  We learn about His love for us and how He works in our lives to restore us to Himself through His great plan of salvation through Christ Jesus.  It is only when we have begin to intimately know God, that we begin to have great, high and lofty thoughts about God.  

Once we have a proper high view of God, we should be able to clearly see that, by comparison, we as humans fall woefully short in every area.  When we look at our own weaknesses as frail men, and then gaze at God’s position as Creator and Sustainer of the universe, ‘reverence’ toward God is really the only proper response.  When we are thinking clearly about who God really is, and who we really are, then we begin to approach Him in the state of awe and wonder, respect and reverence that He desires. 

Establish Thy word to Thy Servant, as that which produces reverence for Thee.

In Psalm 119:38, David is making a request to God.  He knows that reverence is a necessity and so He is crying out in prayer, asking God to produce it.  David knows that the means to a reverent spirit is through the Word.  He’s asking God to ‘establish’ it in His life, that is, to build it up, make it fixed and make it stand powerfully firm. 

In the scriptures we read of people who ‘feared’ God with a reverential fear.  We would do well to learn from their examples. Take a moment to read about a few in the following passages:

• Nehemiah (Neh. 5:15)
• Job (Job 1:8)
• Cornelius (Acts 10:1-2)
• The Church (Acts 9:31)

There are also accounts of people who were NOT reverent toward God.  These people did not take God very seriously.  Take note of the outcome as you take a look at these scriptures:

• Merchandisers in the Temple (Matt. 21:-12-13; Mark 11:15-18)
• Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1-3)

If we know about God, but don’t really KNOW him, we cannot render the proper reverence that He commands.  In the examples stated above, some of the people took what they knew about God and applied it in their lives, translating their knowledge into love and awe and reverence for their God.  Others did not, and the consequences were devastating! 

Response:

Is there anything in particular about God’s Word that will help you in your quest to show reverence toward the Lord?

How is your prayer life?  Do you rush in and out of God’s presence?  What do you think God feels about your hurried relationship with him?

Write brief prayer regarding your own attitude of reverence toward God.

Memory Verse:

Establish Thy word to Thy Servant, as that which produces reverence for Thee.  - Psalm 119:38

Personal Benefits of God's Word

Wouldn't it be great to own a few heavy chunks of gold?!  Today, the price of gold was $1357 per ounce!  

Gold is a considered a precious metal.  It's economic value provides it's owners with purchasing power and people often invest in it as a hedge against inflation.  Throughout history, various coins have been made with gold. Jewelry is often made from gold because of its beauty, luster and its resistance to corrosion.   

As precious as gold may be to some people, the Bible says that God's words are to be more desired than gold, even much fine gold (Psalm 19:10).  We think gold is great to have, and there is certainly nothing inherently wrong with possessing it, but God is telling us that HIS WORDS are to be desired over the finest pieces of gold.    Gold has its benefits, but God's Word has infinitely far more benefits.

If we were to carefully look just through Psalm 19, 119 and a couple other relevant passages, we would quickly see what the Bible will do for us personally.   The Word of God is able to make us wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15)!  We will never be the same again when we grasp the reality of the impact of the Word of God in our lives.  So... what does it do for me personally?

1. Restores my soul.  (Psalm 19:7)
    
2. Makes me wise. (Psalm 19:7; 119:98)
    
3. Rejoices my heart. (Psalm 19:8; 119:111)
    
4. Enlightens my eyes. (Psalm 19:8)
    
5. Keeps me from sin. (Psalm 119:11)
    
6. Gives me counsel. (Psalm 119:24)
    
7. Strengthens me.  (Psalm 119:28)
    
8. Produces reverence.  (Psalm 119:38)
    
9. Revives and preserves me.  (Psalm 119:50; 93)
    
10. Teaches me discernment and knowledge (Psalm 119:66)
     
11. Comforts me (Psalm 119:76)
     
12. Provides understanding.  (Psalm 119:104)
     
13. Lights my path.  (Psalm 119:105; 130)
     
14. Shows me what is true. (Psalm 119:142; John 17:17)
     
15. Keeps me from stumbling. (Psalm 119:165)
     
16. Delivers me.  (Psalm 119:170)
     
17. Helps me.  (Psalm 119:175)
     
18. Builds me up.  (Acts 20:32)
     
19. Feeds me and cause growth.  (Job 23:12; 1 Peter 2:2)
     
20. Teaches, corrects, reproves and trains me in righteousness.  (2 Timothy 3:16)

Come back and visit this blog during the next week or so, because we will be zeroing in on FIVE of these amazing benefits:

• God’s Word produces reverence.
• God’s Word keeps me from sin.
• God’s Word rejoices my heart.
• God’s Word delivers me.
• God’s Word causes growth.

Blessings!

Mark

Five Ways We Can Pray for Our Pastor

The flaming arrows of the evil one are flying through the air right now, aimed at our pastor.  The enemy can be effective in his deception to destroy the credibility of the Word of God by destroying the deliverer of the message.   The Apostle Paul was acutely aware of his need for prayer when he asked the Ephesian believers to pray for him. 

"Pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” - Ephesians 6:19-20

When he spoke to the church at Colossae, Paul exhorted them to devote themselves to prayer, keeping alert in it...  praying that God would open doors for evangelism (Colossians 4:3).  And in First Thessalonians he simply says, “Brethren, pray for us” (5:25).  

If Paul needed the prayers of his fellow workers in the faith, then certain our pastor needs them.   This is an urgent call for all of us to get on our knees and humbly pray for Pastor Jeff.   There are numerous things to pray for when we intercede for our pastor, but here are five specific items to get started: 

1).  Undistracted study time.  Pastor Jeff needs to have full concentration while he's studying scripture and preparing his sermons.  There are a million other important things that can pull him away from his studies.  So it is essential that we pray for him to get adequate quiet time to get his thoughts in order.  We should pray against the enemy using subtle distraction tactics to destroy the effectiveness of sermon preparation. 

2).  Clarity of the Word of God.    We need to pray that his studies are fruitful so that the meaning of scripture is crystal clear to him.  If his job is to clarify what the Word of God says, it is impossible for him to make it clear to us if it is not first clear to him.  There is nothing that the deceiver would like more than to confuse people by muddy preaching. 

3).  Quality family time.  Pastor Jeff’s first mission field is not the crowd of people that assemble on Sunday morning for church.  It is his family.  They need shepherded by him.  And not only that, but his wife needs her husband and his kids need their dad.  A pastor who does not spend time with his wife and children has failed. 

4).  Victory in the fight against discouragement.  Being in full time ministry has it's share of amazing blessings.  But it is also brutal.  Ministry is often a rollercoaster of highs and lows.  Ministry involves people; and while some people are a great encouragement, many will disappoint.   One of the devil's most effective methods in his toolbox of destruction is to use discouragement to ruin someone's ministry.  A massively great encouragement to a pastor is seeing the effects of the Word of God in the people he teaches.  Let’s pray that our church would not only hear what we’re being taught, but also to put into practice all of the principles we learn from God’s servant as he explains the Bible to us.  

5).  Vigilance against pride.  The tendency toward pride is part of the sinful human condition.  It comes naturally to people. Gaining a certain amount of knowledge can very easily vault someone into an attitude of superiority.  Pastors who study well are continually gaining knowledge of the scriptures and if they are not in a constant state of vigilance, they can be puffed up with pride.  This is a sin.  And so we should pray for humility. 

If we want our church to be constantly expanding its influence in the culture, we cannot let the adversary destroy the life-saving message of the gospel by the barrage of attacks on our pastor.   God's answers to these prayers will extinguish the flames on every destructive arrow the enemy can sling. 

Blessings,

Mark