Consider your life

Scripture

I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws. (Psalms 119:59 NLT)

I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies. (Psalms 119:59 NKJV)

When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; (Psalm 119:59 ESV)

I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. (Psalm 119:59 NIV)

I consider my ways, and I turn my feet to Your testimonies. (Psalms 119:59 MEV)

Observation

1. I am to ponder, think about, and consider my ways, the direction of my life.

A. Ponder- to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate (often followed by over or upon ).  To weigh carefully in the mind

—verb (used with object)

B. Think- to have a certain thing as the subject of one's thoughts: I was thinking about you. We could think of nothing else.

C. Consider- to pay attention to; regard:

2. I am to turn my feet to follow your laws, your testimonies, and your statues.

Application

I am to consider my life deeply, to weigh my life in my mind.  To pay attention to my life and have it as the subject of my thoughts.

I, at times, need to evaluate my ways, the direction of my life.   Where I have strayed from God's word, I need to make a course correction, what I am following God's word, I continue forward.  

I do not live life aimlessly or directionless.  I consider my life and adjust it according to the word of God.  I do not adjust God's word to me, but me to it.

Prayer

Search me and see if I have strayed from your word.  Bring me into compliance to your ways.  I desire to walk a narrow road that leads to you.

Never be put to shame

Scripture

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. (1 Peter 1:13 NLT)

Therefore guard your minds, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13 MEV)

For also it is contained in the Scripture, “Look! I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes in Him shall never be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:6 MEV)

As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” (1 Peter 2:6 NLT)

Observation

1. Guard my mind.

Don't allow for fantasies.  Guard the eye gate and mind gate.

2. Exercise self control

Self control is produced in me by the Holy Spirit.  He gives me the power to control my passions and appetites.

3. Put all my hope in Jesus.

I am inadequate to live a pure and holy life.  I cannot hope in my will power but in the power of the cross.  He is my enabler.

4. I put my trust in Jesus knowing I will never be put to shame.

He will not let me down.  He will give me the victory.

Application

1. Guard eye and mind gate.

2. Depend upon the Holy Spirit throughout the day.  Pray in the spirit continuously.

3. Believe that the one who died for me will bring me the victory.

Prayer

Father I desire to live in holiness and honor not for my pride but to be pleasing to you.  Sometimes I think my motives are wrong, I want to be able to say that I am somebody.  That the sin is all about me and what it does to me, but it is all about God and the grief in causes him.  May I truly mourn over my sin.  May I desire to please you above all.

Love, Learn, and Live the Word

Scripture

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. (Psalms 119:18 NLT)

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. (Psalm 119:18 NIV)

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Psalm 119:18 ESV)

Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. (Psalms 119:18 NKJV)

Observation

1. It is not automatic that I will understand the word.

2. I pray that God I will open my eyes to see.

My eyes can be closed or my eyes can be open but not see.

3. There are wonderful truths in God's word but I can miss them.

4. The Holy Spirit is my teacher, he teaches me the truths that are in God's word.

5. I can conduct my life according to the word.

Application

Bible study be more than a study but an encounter with God.  The Holy Spirit reveals truths from God's word that I live my life by.

1. Love

2. Learn

3. Live

The Word

Waiting on God

Scripture

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. (James 5:7-8 NLT)

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. (James 5:7-8 NASB)

Observation

1. Be patient until Jesus comes.

2. Example: farmer patiently waits for the harvest.

3. I must be patient.

4. Strengthen my heart and take courage

5. The coming of The Lord is near

Application

I want God of do everything now.  I do not like to wait but God does not operate in a microwave but a slow cooker.  Food in a slow Cooker tastes better and God 's will in God's time is best.

Prayer

Give me the patience to allow you to work in me.

Drawing near

Scripture

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:7-10 NKJV)

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. (James 4:7-10 NLT)

Observation

1. Submit to God.

He is the supreme authority over my life.  Lower myself before him.

2. Resist the devil

He will flee if I persist in resisting.  I have to take a stand against the devil's schemes.  Example is Jesus temptation, he resisted the devil with the word of God and satan fled.

3. Draw near to God and He will draw near to me.

Come close to God, go near him and he promises to respond to me.

4. Purify and cleanse my hands and my heart.

Truly mourn my sins.  This is more than guilt, it is repentance.  It is more than wanting forgiveness, it is wanting cleansing and transformation.

5. Humble myself before God and He will lift me up.

Application

Submission

Resisting

Drawing

Purifying

Humbling 

Prayer

I humble myself before you and submit to your authority over my life.  I resist the devil's advances but I come close to you, I respond to your wooing.  I repent of my sins and ask for your forgiveness and cleasning, I acknowledge my complete need of you.  

Wisdom

Scripture

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. (James 3:17 NLT)

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. (James 3:17 NKJV)

Observation

The characteristics of God's wisdom:

1. Pure

2. Peaceable or loves peace

3. Gentle

4. Willing to yield

5. Full of mercy

6. Full of good fruits or deeds

7. Without partiality, does not show favoritism

8. Without hypocrisy, is sincere.

Application

I can distinguish the wisdom of God from the wisdom of the world by its characteristics.  God's wisdom will have his character in it. He  will never lead me to do something that is outside of his character.  So his wisdom is always gentle, God's emotions are always under control,  his wisdom always seeks peace because God is a peacemaker.  His wisdom never holds grudges because He is a God of mercy, etc.

I must evaluate the advice or wisdom I receive against the character of God.

Prayer

Father give me your wisdom. Give me a discerning spirit.  May I know the difference between the wisdom of God from the wisdom of the world.

Faith is not enough

Scripture

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:17 NKJV)

So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. (James 2:17 MEV)

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. (James 2:17 NASB)

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17 NIV)

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:17 ESV)

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. (James 2:17 NLT)

Observation

1. Faith cannot be alone.  It is inadequate by itself.

2. My beliefs must produce action.

What I do reveals what I believe more than what I say.

3. Faith without action is dead.

It does not produce anything,

Application

I have to act in faith.  Faith is not inaction but acting based upon a promise of God.  I believe in God's character to keep his promise and I act on that belief.  It is not ask then wait and see but it is ask and then act.

Prayer

Father, build my faith.  May  I act upon your promises because I believe in your character.