“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the undefiled (the upright, truly sincere, and blameless) in the way [of the revealed will of God], who walk (order their conduct and conversation) in the law of the Lord (the whole of God’s revealed will). Psalms 119:1 AMP
The theme of this series is how wonderful the Word of God is—that it is not just a bunch of controls and limitations; not just dead rules and regulations—but a living, breathing force that brings blessing into every heart and life that respects it, honors it, exalts it and joyfully and willingly submits to it.
Psalms 119:27-28 AMP says, “Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on and talk of Your wondrous works. 28 My life dissolves and weeps itself away for heaviness; raise me up and strengthen me according to [the promises of] Your word.” Not only does the Lord give us the guidelines, but He also gives us the strength, ability and power of the Holy Spirit to keep His word and walk in His ways! Our responsibility is to welcome Him to work in, and speak into, our lives and to receive and act on what He says to us.
I will keep Your law continually, forever and ever [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it]. 45 And I will walk at liberty and at ease, for I have sought and inquired for [and desperately required] Your precepts. 46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings and will not be put to shame. 47 For I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love. Psalms 119:44-47 AMP
When we keep God’s laws, we are not limited and restricted—we are set free! Set free to be all that He has designed and intended for us to be—free from bondage; free from fear; free from sin; free from guilt and condemnation; free to walk in love and free to walk in peace, joy and victory! Jesus is the Word made flesh! When we realize that the only hope for salvation is through Him, then we can stop running from God, we can stop striving in the flesh to please God, and we can humbly receive all He has wrought for us.
Oh, how love I Your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies, for [Your words] are ever before me. 99 I have better understanding and deeper insight than all my teachers, because Your testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, because I keep Your precepts [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]. 101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Your word [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it]. 102 I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me. 103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.
Psalms 119:97-104 AMP
Wisdom does not come merely with age, experience or even intelligence. Some people never seem to get any wiser, no matter how old they are or how much they go through, and they prove it by their foolish choices. Wisdom is gained only by those who yield to it and model their live after it. Because the psalmist revered, honored and exalted God’s word and commandments, and lived by them, he became wiser than his enemies and wiser than even his teachers. The more he resisted temptation and restrained his fleshly impulses, the more he saw the good fruit of it and the more he grew to love and value the power and impact of God’s word at work in his life.
Psalms 119:105 AMP says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” If you can’t see the road, if you can’t see where you are going, you are bound to stumble and fall and injure yourself. God’s word is the light that shows us the way so that we can stay on the correct course and not hurt ourselves or others, or lose our way. If we have a foundation in God’s word, we know the truth. We must study the Word of God so we will be able to see well enough to stay on the right path.
Psalms 119:125 AMP says, “I am Your servant; give me understanding (discernment and comprehension), that I may know (discern and be familiar with the character of) Your testimonies.” With the light and discernment we get from God’s word we will be able to recognize the devil’s lies and temptations; we will be able to avoid false values and philosophies; we won’t be deceived by cults or psychics or foolish friends who try to get us to do evil things with them, or any other reasoning that is contrary to the truth.
Psalms 119:160 AMP says, “The sum of Your word is truth [the total of the full meaning of all Your individual precepts]; and every one of Your righteous decrees endures forever.” God’s word is Truth, but many people get themselves into trouble when they just pick individual scriptures out of the word and base their life on it. The truth of the Word of God is found in its entirety—that is why it is so important to study the whole bible and to spend time meditating on it.
Psalms 119:113 NKJV says, “I hate the double-minded, but I love Your law.” When people are unfamiliar with God’s word, they do not know what the truth is and so they don’t even know what they themselves believe. They are swayed by contrary opinions and so they make wrong decisions that hurt both them and others. Some people just do what “feels” right at the time, but what FEELS right and what IS right are two different things.
Psalms 119:165 AMP says, “Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them or make them stumble.” Only God’s word—nothing else—can deliver GREAT peace. When you are full of and guided by His word, He will cause you to walk in His peace in any and every situation and circumstance of life!