“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
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
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It has 22 sections, each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It was written to be memorized and carried in our hearts. The Lord instructs us to learn these things, remember them and teach them to our children. The theme throughout this psalm is that God’s word is good and true, pure and wonderful. God’s word will keep you and stick by you, if you stick to it and stay true through the bad times; through the challenges and hard times; no matter how bad the rest of the world becomes. The only way to be truly happy is to obey God’s commands.
HOW DO I STAY PURE?
How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed and keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to it]. Psalms 119:9 AMP
The world is becoming more and more filthy and impure. There are temptations everywhere. How do we keep ourselves pure in the middle of all this? We cannot do it on our own; we don’t have the strength in ourselves to stay pure. We find the strength to overcome temptations in God’s word and by doing what it says. Psalms 119:11 AMP says, “Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” It is not enough to just memorize His word; we must act on it and live and conduct ourselves according to it.
BLESSED BOUNDARIES
Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes. 13 With my lips have I declared and recounted all the ordinances of Your mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways [the paths of life marked out by Your law]. 16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. 17 Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live; and I will observe Your word [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it]. 18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law. 19 I am a stranger and a temporary resident on the earth; hide not Your commandments from me. 20 My heart is breaking with the longing that it has for Your ordinances and judgments at all times. 21 You rebuke the proud and arrogant, the accursed ones, who err and wander from Your commandments. 22 Take away from me reproach and contempt, for I keep Your testimonies. 23 Princes also sat and talked against me, but Your servant meditated on Your statutes. 24 Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors. Psalms 119:12-24 AMP
Our human flesh does not like rules or boundaries. We are naturally selfish and we want to be free to make our own decisions and choices at all times. The devil is fully aware of this and uses it to deceive and enslave us. The Word of God tells us that we are either a slave to sin or a servant of righteousness (Rom 6). Notice the terminology here: slave and servant. A slave has no rights and no choices – he is told by his master what to do and is forced to do it – however, a servant voluntarily submits to the authority of his master. It may seem to us that we are “free” when we are satisfying our fleshly desires and when we are doing what we want to do, but in reality, we are becoming more and more enslaved to sin.
Most of us are irritated by rules, thinking that we are being restricted, being controlled or missing out on something and not able to do what we want. To the natural mind, hearing the psalmist rejoicing in God’s word and saying that following it is better than silver and gold and riches, sounds strange. However, God gave us His laws and commandments precisely to make us free – free to enjoy our lives in Him and free to be all that he wants us to be! God’s laws only restrict us from all that would harm us and keep us from being our best and doing our best. God’s word keeps us on His straight path to joy and blessing and protects us from taking the paths of destruction that lead to sorrow and death.
OUR MAP AND COMPASS
Psalms 119:19 says, “I am a stranger and a temporary resident on the earth; hide not Your commandments from me.” A stranger, or temporary resident, is someone who is not naturally familiar with the terrain and needs guidance – a map or a guide. We are strangers and pilgrims in this world’s system. Our passport has been stamped, “Kingdom of God”. We are living here now, but our final destination is in His presence. God’s word is like a roadmap and travel guide in one, leading us on the safest most direct route to our final destination. It will help us to avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the way. It is our compass; keeping us on track and moving us in the right direction, as we journey on. If we ignore God’s roadmap and if we are not wise to study it, we will wander aimlessly through life and risk missing out on our true destination.
