Obeying
As we hear and receive the Word of God we experience its truth and validity first hand. These encounters with God's faithfulness to keep His word will over time cause us to grow little by little, line upon line, and precept upon precept and establishes in our hearts a foundation of love that is not tied to our fickle emotions. It is our love for God and His Word that create and sustain our inner desire to obey His instructions.
I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Your Word [hearing, receiving, loving and obeying it].
Psalm 119:101 Amplified
As I have been reading and re-reading Psalm 119 over the last several weeks, God has really spoke to me about how to keep my life on His Highway of Holiness. He has talked to me about the barriers His word puts up around our lives and the responsibility we have to live within them, not to stop us from having fun or enjoying ourselves but rather to keep us safe and under His protective covering.
I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Your Word [hearing, receiving, loving and obeying it].
Psalm 119:101 Amplified
As I have been reading and re-reading Psalm 119 over the last several weeks, God has really spoke to me about how to keep my life on His Highway of Holiness. He has talked to me about the barriers His word puts up around our lives and the responsibility we have to live within them, not to stop us from having fun or enjoying ourselves but rather to keep us safe and under His protective covering.
Our lives are a direct reflection of our choices. Because of the gift of free choice given to us by God, we are able to decide what the limits and guidelines will be for our lives. We pick and choose what can and cannot be in our lives by the grace of God.
The Word of God is another gift we have been given to help us make good choices. In Dueteronomy 30:19 God says He has set before us life and death, blessing and cursing. We get to choose. But God (I love saying that!), because of His incomprehensible grace tells us what the best choice is. He says to choose life so we can live. Sounds simple enough but then why are so many believers in Jesus Christ living broken and piece meal lives? This must mean that many people are not relying on God's word to help them make good decisions.
A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.
Isaiah 35:8 NKJ
The Amplified Bible says this Highway shall be for the redeemed, it is free from lions and ravenous beasts, and those who walk on it will not lose their way (Isaiah 35:8-10). The Word of God has been given to us to help us stay on this road. In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that the devil is always looking for ways to stop us from having and enjoying our life but He has come to not only give us life but to give us an abundant and much more life.
Isaiah 35:8 NKJ
The Amplified Bible says this Highway shall be for the redeemed, it is free from lions and ravenous beasts, and those who walk on it will not lose their way (Isaiah 35:8-10). The Word of God has been given to us to help us stay on this road. In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that the devil is always looking for ways to stop us from having and enjoying our life but He has come to not only give us life but to give us an abundant and much more life.
So how can we make better choices? Simply by making small decisions everyday that are in agreement with the Word of God. See, the Bible is not a book of do's and dont's. It is a living part of God designed and given to us so that we can not only know and love God, but also to help us make good decisions that keep us safe as we walk on the Highway of Holiness.
Choosing to obey God and live according to His Word protects us. Any time we choose to do something opposite to God's Word then we are stepping off of His road and opening our lives up to the devil and giving him an opportunity to steal, kill and destroy us.
Obedience to God is not done through blind faith. It is done on purpose and in response to the unsearchable richness of the love God has for us. Because God loves us so much, He gave Jesus to take the punishment our sin deserves so we can live with Him now and for all eternity. Because we have received that love through our faith in Jesus, we respond by making choices that follow all of God's teachings.
Remember, this is not about never messing up. We are human and we will make mistakes. God knows that. He sent His Son to take care of our weakness and failures. Perfection is not required in our walk with God. Simply do the very best that you can to follow Christ each day.
Living a God first life includes surrendering your will to God and choosing to live His way.
Heidirn
Choosing to obey God and live according to His Word protects us. Any time we choose to do something opposite to God's Word then we are stepping off of His road and opening our lives up to the devil and giving him an opportunity to steal, kill and destroy us.
Obedience to God is not done through blind faith. It is done on purpose and in response to the unsearchable richness of the love God has for us. Because God loves us so much, He gave Jesus to take the punishment our sin deserves so we can live with Him now and for all eternity. Because we have received that love through our faith in Jesus, we respond by making choices that follow all of God's teachings.
Remember, this is not about never messing up. We are human and we will make mistakes. God knows that. He sent His Son to take care of our weakness and failures. Perfection is not required in our walk with God. Simply do the very best that you can to follow Christ each day.
Living a God first life includes surrendering your will to God and choosing to live His way.
Heidirn
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