On Guard!

On Guard!

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:11 KJV

The longest chapter of the Bible, this psalm 119, is not attributed to anyone, but its message is appropriate for our time now. We live in an age where we mistake head knowledge for God's wisdom. We assume that because a man can speak and quote it from memory, he must have the inspiration and backing of God's Word. We forget that there is a worldly kind of wisdom, which works well for those who are under its control, but has no value for those who are subject to God's kind of wisdom. In the same way, there is a kind of wisdom that the Word of God gives, and it is also only available and accessible to those who are subject to its control and influence. You can't fake the process; in the process of time, that which you are subject to will be revealed in your daily and regular life offering. Which one am I subject to: the Word or the world? 

Every day that God gives me, I have a choice of submission to make. I can't sit on the fence as there is none; not making a decision is itself a decision. I have to decide what I will do with the Word of God: discard or obey. The choices are as simple as these. Everytime God's word goes out, it is a seed seeking fertile ground in which it can be planted, germinate and bear fruit. And as you know with a seed, the process from planting to fruiting takes time and effort. Most of the work done between planting and fruiting is not visible and cannot be tracked by human eyes. We put the seed in the ground, and make sure the ground is nurtured and kept free of weeds. The work that leads to fruit then happens, and one day, we come to the seed that was put in the ground, and we are able to take of its fruits. Nobody can point to the hidden process, but the evidence of the work done cannot be ignored. That is how it is with the seed of the Word of God. 

The seed of the Word of God is planted in the hearts of men. Until it touches ground in the heart, it does not have the capacity to bear fruit. That is why men can be excited and elated about the word they hear, yet as they stand up to leave, all is forgotten. It was all about the emotions; it was not allowed to touch the heart. Excitement can never replace the need for the seed of God's Word to touch our hearts; men have been moved only by what they heard, but their lives did not experience any change because there was no touch on their hearts. No wonder the bible also says that though all heard, it came down to those who had prepared their hearts to receive and process the seed of the Word: For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Hebrews 4:2 KJV. God will keep providing the Word; I have the duty to ensure that when it comes, it finds suitable ground. 

This then means that the work to be done is mine and mine alone. I cannot demand that my pastor do it for me; it is a personal responsibility. I cannot go to heaven on your behalf, and by the mighty grace of God, I will not go to hell on your behalf. It is first and last a personal walk; there is a place for corporate anointing, where we all share in the common grace of fellowship, but as soon as we part, it all comes down to my walk with God. Can God trust my heart to receive his word and to profit by it? This is why the heart is the battlefield; it's the place where the value of the seed is either expelled or enhanced. It is also the processing centre of emotions, but it has to come to a decision: what do I do with what I have just heard? That is the question with both earthly and eternal consequences. The heart is that secret safe from which all things are kept for the day of revelation. No wonder today's extract uses the word 'hid' because the heart is that place, away from public eye, but which its contents are made known by my daily action. 

I can pretend for a while but it will eventually be revealed. The writer here made a decision to hide God's word in his heart, so that that word will be the constant reminder of God's standard. If I do not have anything to provide guidance, I will definitely make mistakes. If I do not have standards, anything becomes acceptable. The reason why this writer would place importance on God's Word was because he did not want to sin against God. It takes a heart that God's word is working in to hate sin the way God does. You cannot give room to the Word of God and still have room for sin at the same time. 

If God's word is my daily guide, it will gaurd my path from sin. If God's word has no room in my heart, there will always be another guide in place, as nature abhors a vacuum. I need to take stock of my life right now, and sort out my allegiance without delay. Eternity hangs on my decision. His time of favour is here.