Psalm 119:11 - How To Hide Gods Word In Your Heart.
Psalm 119:11 (KJV) Thy word have I hid in
mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
INTRODUCTION
The Bible has the power to change our
lives and protect us from spiritual harm. Second
Timothy 3:16 tells us that Scripture is
"God-breathed," which means the Holy Spirit inspired the
human beings who wrote it, and God himself
invested their words with his own breath and his own
life.
We need to be careful not to let the
Bible become a substitute for God, as though his
presence and voice can be reduced to words on a
printed page. It is possible to study Scripture
diligently and yet miss God, as the Pharisees did. But
it isn't possible to know God as fully as we
are capable of knowing him without studying
Scripture. We encounter God with certainty through his
Word. [NIV Once A Day Bible re Psa. 119:9-16]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Parents know that if they want to get a
child to drop something, they need to offer
something better in its place.
We can apply the same principle when
sinful thoughts come our way. Scottish minster
Thomas Chalmers called this, the expulsive power
of a new affection. This means that
something is so powerful that its more attractive
to us than the other thing.
In other words, we push the old stuff out
of our lives and say, I dont want that
garbage in my life anymore. I have something far
better in its place, which is knowing God.
Remember, when Satan tempted Jesus in the
wilderness to turn stones into bread, Jesus responded,
No! The Scriptures say, People do not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes from the
mouth of God (Matthew 4:4 NLT).
Then the devil took Him to a high point
of the temple and essentially said, Why
dont you jump off here, and the angels will catch
you?
But Jesus said, The Scriptures also
say, You must not test the Lord your God
(verse 7 NLT).
Then the devil wanted Jesus to fall down
and worship him. So, Jesus told him, Get out
of here, Satan. For the Scriptures say, You
must worship the Lord your God and serve only
him (verse 10 NLT).
How did Christ defend Himself against the
onslaught of temptation? He used the Word of God.
Thats why we need to know Scripture. The psalmist
wrote, I have hidden your word in my heart, that
I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11
NLT).
While its a good thing to carry a
Bible in a purse, backpack, or briefcase, the best
place to carry the Word of God is in your heart.
Memorize it. Fill your mind with it. Know the Word of
God. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Memorizing Scripture
Memorizing Scripture is so powerful
Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your
witnessing will be sharper and much more effective.
Your counseling will be in demand. Your attitudes
and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will
become alert and observant. Your confidence and
assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be
solidified.
God's Word is filled with exhortations to
implant His truth in our hearts. David says that a
young man can keep his life pure by treasuring
God's Word in his heart (Psalm 37:31; 119:9"11).
Solomon refers to this in Proverbs 4:4:
"Let your heart hold fast my words;
Keep my commandments and live."
The words hold fast come from a single
Hebrew term, meaning "to grasp, seize, lay hold
of." Scripture memory gives you a firm grasp of
the Word - and allows the Word to get a firm
grasp of you! Solomon also mentions writing the
Word "on the tablet of your heart" (Proverbs 7:3)
and having Scriptures kept within you so "they
may be ready on your lips" (Proverbs 22:18).
Now, I know you've been challenged to do
this before. But is it happening? Perhaps you
have procrastinated because you have mental
blocks against it. Maybe you tried, but you either
did not see the value or could not get beyond
the method that was demanded by some memory
program - little cards, booklets, checkup
techniques, hearers, etc. Perhaps that seemed elementary
and insulted your intelligence. I understand.
Okay forget the methods but don't
throw the baby out with the bath water. Take your
Bible, turn to a passage that's been especially
helpful and commit that passage to memory - all
on your own. Don't learn just isolated verses
here and there. Bite off whole chunks of
Scripture. That way you can get the flow of thought God
had in mind.
Here are seven things I have found
helpful:
1. Choose a time when your mind is free
from outside distractions perhaps soon after
getting up in the morning.
2. Learn the reference by repeating it
every time you say the verse(s). Numbers are more
difficult to remember than words.
3. Read each verse through several times
- both in a whisper and aloud. Hearing
yourself say the words helps cement them into your
mind.
4. Break the passage into its natural
phrases. Learn the reference and then the first
phrase. Then repeat the reference and first phrase
as you go to the second phrase. Continue adding
phrases one by one.
5. Learn a little bit perfectly rather
than a great deal poorly. Do not go on to the
next verse until you can say the previous one(s)
perfectly, without a glance at your Bible.
6. Review the verse(s) immediately after
you have gone through this process. Twenty to
thirty minutes later, repeat what you've memorized.
Before the day has ended, firmly fix the verse(s)
in your mind by going over it fifteen to twenty
times. (You can do this as you drive or do your
job.)
7. Use the verse(s) orally as soon as
possible. After all, the purpose of Scripture memory
is a practical one, not academic. Use the
verses in conversation, in correspondence, in
teaching, in counseling, in everyday opportunities.
Relate what you've learned to your daily situation.
You'll be thrilled with the results. [Chuck
Swindoll www.insight.org.]
Scripture Meditation
Scripture meditation in the Christian's
life, however, is as different from that practiced
in Eastern religions as chalk is from cheese.
Those who practice these other faiths advocate
emptying the mind, while the Bible advocates filling
it"with the truths of God's holy Word. [Every Day
With Jesus Bible with Selwyn Hughes devotional]
Reaching our full potential begins with a
clean heart - one that loves the Lord and desires
to obey Him. However, each of us was born with
a nature bent away from God. Jeremiah 17:9
describes the heart as deceitful and inclined towards
wickedness. Pleasing self is mans normal state.
Salvation changed our hearts and lives.
Jesus death on the cross paid the penalty for our
sin and broke its power over us. By receiving
Christ as Savior, we each became a new creation -
with a heart sensitive to the Holy Spirits
leading and a mind that strongly desires to know the
Father better. We also received the Spirits
power to deny our selfish desires and obey God.
With clean hearts, we can begin to realize the
capabilities our loving Lord has given us.
The best way to maintain a clean heart is
by meditating on Scripture. It acts like a
mirror in which we see ourselves as God does.
Through it, we discover the areas where we have been
faithful and also the places where weve veered
from His path. Expressing genuine repentance
brings Gods forgiveness and cleansing (1 John
1:9).
The heart represents the seat of our
mind, will, and emotions. When we strive to keep
it pure, we will more easily discern the
Lords plan, submit our will to His, and follow Him
obediently.
Becoming the person God planned for each
of us to be requires an intimate relationship
with Him and a desire to obey His Word. Apart
from Jesus, we cant achieve anything of
lasting value (John 15:5). Cooperating with the Holy
Spirits transforming work will help us keep our
hearts clean. [In Touch Daily Devotional by Charles
Stanley at www.intouch.org]
CLOSING THOUGHT
One August, I spoke at a conference in
Palm Springs, California, and the temperature
registered 118 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. Due to
my disability - and the fact that my body lacks
any cooling mechanism - I don't deal with heat
very well. To compensate, I have to drink gallons
of icy water. Only when I super-saturate every
cell in my body can I effectively deal with the
heat. It's a good analogy for Christians facing
the heat of temptation.
We don't have the resources on our own to
successfully deal with the hot and pressing demands of
sin. It's foolish - and suicidal - to imagine we
could! The only way we can survive is by
super-saturating every spiritual cell in our body with the
Word of God. That's why today's Scripture reads,
I have hidden your word in my heart that I
might not sin against you." So if you are feeling
the heat today, don't sip, but saturate yourself
with the Word,
Father, I really don't want to sin
against You. I don't want to lose that sweet sense
of Your nearness. I don't want to grieve the
Holy Spirit You have given to me as Counselor,
Comforter, and Friend. As I consider Your Word today,
give me a verse to hold on to - one that will
help me walk in the light. [A Spectacle of Glory
by Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry Libby]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Psalm 119:11 - How To Hide God's Word In
Your Heart.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2013/20131012-1452.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio:
https://bible.awr.org/the-warning/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug
Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
