"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
-Psalm 19:14
To say that I've been lost a few times in my life would be an understatement. I've been known for taking an overwhelming amount of wrong turns and almost always reading maps incorrectly. At times this could be a result of a lack of knowledge on my part, others it may be simply come from being distracted from the task at hand.
When I read Psalm 19, I see a road map to God. But instead of one with winding roads and interchanging directions, this one is clear, concise, and filled with truth that will never lead us down a dead-end road. This map guides us down the path to living a life that honors Him. But in order to gain a clear understanding, we must begin at the correct starting point. King David begins our journey in this Psalm by guiding us down a beautiful path of praising God for His unmatched Creation.
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."
-Psalm 19:1
This starting point is crucial to our journey. We have to know, understand, and then acknowledge who God is. It sets our hearts and eyes in the right direction. King David doesn't simply bring light to God's creation, He shows the monumental importance of understanding the truth of God's Word as well. Charles Spurgeon once said, “He is wisest who reads both the world-book and the Word-book as two volumes of the same work, and feels concerning them, ‘My Father wrote them both.’” This understanding of the beauty of all of Creation combined with the wonderful Word that was given to us by God should put our hearts in a state of awe.
"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple."
-Psalm 19:7
As I'm sure you expected, my lostness wasn't only a result of my terrible sense of direction. I have been spiritually lost. I have found myself on paths that I had no business being on. Paths that led me down dark roads filled with loneliness and despair. This path is where I woke up one morning to ask myself, "How did I end up here?" My choice of direction seemed so minute and irrelevant at the time. But all of our choices have impacts and consequences, even the seemingly small ones. One wrong turn typically leads to another wrong turn and before know it, we're lost...utterly and totally lost. David knew this well and he also knew that it was critical for God to be the director of his path and his steady help in times of trouble.
"Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me."
Psalm 19:12-13
King David knew that we were born with a sinful nature. He also knew that the only way to defeat his corruptive way of thinking and doing was to know the Lord, who He is, and to rely solely on Him. Friends this is your center. This is the place that you go back to when life tries to pull you in the wrong direction. This is the place that you go to when you have caved to sin and found yourself on an unfamiliar road. Instead of taking one wrong turn after another; go back to your center... the starting point, where you remember who God is and who He calls you to be. Begin again and rest in the fact that clarity comes by knowing God and trusting in the goodness that He offers to each and every one of us that surrenders our lives to Him. Equipped with this, you can always find your way back to Him and the path that leads to unending joy through Christ.
Sin is a tricky thing... it's deceptive.... and it often seems harmless. I want to tell you something that unfortunately I have learned from experience and something that I know with absolute certainty. SIN is never harmless, not by far. It starts with a choice that is followed by many more choices. Presumptuous sins simply mean that we are partaking in sinful behavior all while knowing that it's sinful. When we were given the gift of the Holy Spirit, we were also given the ability to feel conviction for our wrongdoings. If you find yourself on that dark path that has been a result of bad choices go back to your center; the place where you proclaim the goodness of God. Forgiveness is always found in Christ through true repentance.
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
Psalm 19:14
My prayer for you today is that you will allow your life, your actions, and your words to be a proclamation of what is in your heart. And may that proclamation be one that is acceptable and pleasing to the God of the universe. Here only, you will find the joy, peace, and happiness that walking in obedience to your heavenly Father brings.
spiritual disciplines
Spiritual Disciplines have been such a ginormous part of my growth in Christ. These disciplines changed my daily walk with the Lord and have taught me about reliance and dependence on Him! My prayer is that this space can help deepen your knowledge and understanding by teaching you to lean in closer to God. With that being said, my goal is to incorporate these disciplines slowly so that you can gain a clear picture and understanding of each one as well as learn how to incorporate them into your daily walk with the Lord. Here is a list of the 8 disciplines that we will cover. If these disciplines are already a regular part of your day, now is a great opportunity to reach out to a friend that could use some help learning and growing.
Bible Study
Memorization
Meditation
Prayer
Worship
Evangelism
Fasting
Solitude
Week 3
PRAYER
Prayer is our connection to our Savior. It allows us the opportunity to humble ourselves, sit at His feet, and enter open communication with the God of the universe. If you haven't already, spend some time this week establishing a time of prayer every day. Praise Him, Ask forgiveness from Him, Thank Him for His many blessings, and lastly, lay all of your requests at His feet.
This week's Bible Study:
**Psalm 19-22
(The reading for the week is a little shorter than the past few weeks. This was designed to help you meditate and gain a full understanding of what you are reading. Take your time and go verse by verse.)
This week's verse to
memorize and meditate on:
**Psalm 19:14
Tips and challenges this week:
Start each morning off in prayer.
Implement the ACTS Prayer Model.
Pray scripture back to God.
Train your mind to go to God in prayer FIRST for everything.
Write your prayers down.
If you are looking for a way to journal your prayers for a year, check out my Spiritual Disciplines journal. (Link at bottom of this blog post)
Private Facebook Discussion Group
Would you like to dig a little deeper into your weekly reading and spiritual disciplines? Join our Facebook group where we learn, grow and encourage one another.
Questions?
Write your prayers.thing that you don't understand, please email me your question and I will add it
Growing in God
Would you like a tool to encourage your growth in God? Check out my newly released 12-month spiritual disciplines book/journal. This journal will give you a brief understanding of 8 tangible spiritual disciplines as well as give you a space to implement these disciplines into your daily walk with God.
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