On The Journey--Beth!

How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.
With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word. Psalm 119:9-16 NKJV

The question that was asked so long ago, should still be asked and answered in the same manner. How can people cleanse themselves (free themselves from sin)? By living according to The Word! The Psalmist is pleading with God--Don't let me go astray--help me to stay on the right path.

And then there are the declarations--He has hidden the Word in His heart so he won't sin against God. Have we hidden the word in our hearts? Have we read it enough that we remember? Have we studied enough to understand it? Do we allow God's Word to be our guide in everything we do?

Do we love to hear the testimonies of those who have experienced God in their lives? I mean real testimonies of God's miraculous intervention, like the woman with the issue of blood, being saved from a horrendous situation, or just being kept--in our right minds. Do we love to hear those testimonies? Better yet--do we have a testimony? Coming into the knowledge of Jesus Christ should be a testimony for everyone who is claims to be saved and has chosen Him to be the light of their lives.

Do we declare--with our own lips--God's goodness or are we content to share the testimony of others because we are ashamed of who we are? Do we proclaim God's Word in its entirety--the blessings and the curses--or do we simply sugarcoat The Word in order not to offend others when we need to correct them?

When was the last time we told God, "I am so happy to know Your Word and to know that it is Your Word that will keep me safe from harm?" Are blessed by knowing God's Word or do some feel inhibited or intimidated by God's Word?

Have we reached a place yet--on our journey in life--that we can say, "I will meditate upon Your Ways O God, I will always consider what You have said before I do anything or say anything to anyone else.  I will be happy and favored to study Your Word and I will share each revelation You give with others so we might have peace in the land?"

For knowing God's Word and living His Word (by everyone) will surely bring peace upon the earth since knowing Him, loving Him, means loving all. And how can we cause harm to those we say we love?

With all of the chaos and violence and killing everywhere we turn, we know that people have not yet learned Love--they have not hidden His Word in their hearts and they are certainly not living it. Perhaps, it is because we have not taken the time to meditate upon His Word and allow His Word to become deeply embedded in our souls and spirit.

If we allow Holy Spirit to guide us in all we do--after having meditated and studied The Word--He will keep us on the path of life that God has designed for us. If we don't study and meditate upon The Word in order to receive revelation knowledge--Holy Spirit won't be able to get through to us for we have not anchored The Word in our hearts.

Think about these things, calmly and meditate upon God's Word without distraction or interruption and see what He is able to show you.