One of the most powerful gems of God’s word is in the book of Psalms, specifically in 119:11: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (NKJV). These 15 words, though seemingly simple, carry a spiritual roadmap that can guide individuals in their daily lives.
Everybody sins, including believers. But many believers desire to live for the Lord. Because we’re descendants of Adam, we have a sin nature, and we utilize it. Sometimes too much. It is then that we ask for help and guidance from Jesus. We have an inward desire to do better for our Savior—but how? Verse 11 gives us some steps to improve our walk with the Lord.
Reading the Bible is our first step because it opens our minds to what sin is in the Lord’s eyes. If you want to live better for God, you need to read His written book, the Bible.
As we read God’s word, we evaluate our lives according to its writings. The words in the Bible have a way of gaining our attention. That’s when we must decide to apply it to our lives or reject what our heart tells us to do.
The third step in this journey is to memorize scripture. We do this so that the wisdom of the Bible is always available. The Holy Spirit, our constant companion, reminds us of what we need to do according to scripture.
If we memorize the helpful verse above, it’s always with us. God even brings it to our minds at appropriate times. To keep the memorized reference in our heads, we need to review it periodically to maintain its presence.
There are always times when we fail to adhere to the principle of the memorized Bible reference. It’s personally disheartening when you fail in consistency of Bible applications. That’s our humanity in public display.
A personal warning: don’t keep beating yourself up over your relapse. You’re human and you’re not perfect. Mess-ups happen. So, what do you do? Pray, confess your sin, get up, and keep moving forward for Jesus. Our Lord knows we will sometimes fail, but He also knows our hearts’ intentions. Keep serving. Keep correcting. Keep relying on Jesus. He will enable you as you move forward. When you hear God’s word in your heart, it will keep revitalizing you. May you have His word in your heart for His glory.
