I have heard the words over and over again, Happiness comes from Obedience! Yet, I also think and pray to myself Lord, so much of the Bible seems hard and way too confusing, and that has made me put it down and become discouraged.
My mind has a tendency to follow one too many rabbit trails and things that are moving me further and further away from the perfect heart of God. My fervent desire is to submit my whole mind to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit and then I can hopefully stay closer to the practical application of God’s truth.
Now through my further efforts to stay true to God, I ask God to forgive me for that horribly bad decision. Holy Spirit, Come! Create in me a fresh desire for remaining true to Your Word, and grace for an understanding far beyond what I knew before. Jesus, teach me and guide me as I read and study. I know now that our true happiness is found in Your instructions, and I simply want to dive into a significantly deeper relationship with God from now on. For Jesus’ sake alone!
Psalm 119:33-40 Names of God Bible
33 Teach me, O Yahweh, how to live by your laws,
and I will obey them to the end.
34 Help me understand so that I can follow your teachings.
I will guard them with all my heart.
35 Lead me on the path of your commandments,
because I am happy with them.
36 Direct my heart toward your written instructions
rather than getting rich in underhanded ways.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things.
Give me a new life in your ways.
38 Keep your promise to me
so that I can fear you.
39 Take away insults, which I dread,
because your regulations are good.
40 I long for your guiding principles.
Give me a new life in your righteousness.
The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
John Wesley traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, averaging twenty miles a day for forty years; preached 4,000 sermons; produced 400 books; he knew well ten languages. At the age of eighty-three he was annoyed that he could not write more than fifteen hours a day without hurting his eyes, and at eighty-six he was ashamed he could not preach more than twice a day. He complained in his diary that there was an increasing desire to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning. (Source unknown).
What drives us to such a length of devotion? Such a deep desire to be obedient?
Answer? Understanding born of the Holy Spirit! Knowledge born of the Holy Spirit! God’s leadership through His Word is the pathway to personal revival. God’s Word is not a document to be learned but a path to be followed. He does not promise His route to be the smoothest but the direct route to His blessings, to our true place of indescribable Shalom, our genuinely abundant happiness.
Reading and re-reading, study and more study, praying and fervent praying without ceasing, our thoughts ever more focused on God in Christ Jesus above, making sense of the ever our changing morality and politically defined ethics, to seek more and more of the desires of Lord alone in the way we should go. I have this constant battle within myself to try and comprehend “God’s desires.”
God’s desire is to capturing our minds (vv. 33-34).
God’s teaching ministry is essential for obedience. “Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end” (v. 33)
God’s enlightening ministry is essential for our desiring greater obedience. “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law…” (v. 34).
God’s desire is, through our obedience, to be channeling our hearts (vv. 35-37).
God directs our will. “Make me go in the path of thy commandments…” (v. 35a).
God, through our obedience, directs our emotions. “…for therein do I delight.” (v. 35b).
God, through our obedience, directs our heart. “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies.” (v. 36)
God, through our obedience, directs our eyes. “Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity. (v. 37).
God’s desire is, through our obedience, to be directing our focus (v. 38-40).
God, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, through our obedience, focuses us to understand His Word. “Stablish thy word unto thy servant…” (v. 38a).
God, through our obedience to His Statutes, outlined through His Word, focuses us to not be fearful of men …“who is devoted to thy fear.” (v. 38b).
God, through our raised spiritual awareness, discernment and understanding, focuses us to turn from our sinful ways; “Turn away my reproach.” (v. 39).
God, through our raised spiritual awareness, discernment, and understanding, directs us, focuses and refocuses us to be obedient to His Word. “…I have longed after thy precepts.” (v. 40).
The ability to understand and minister from the Bible is something which God, through the Holy Spirit, gives to us. Awareness, Discernment, Understanding are spiritual gifts from God, not something we conjure from within ourselves.
As Christians we have the ultimate opportunity in life to have God, by the Holy Spirit to give us perfect counsel and direction. He has a perfect knowledge and an understanding of what is best. He has perfect knowledge of what works and what will have poor results. He is so far superior to everyone else combined that no one has anything, even some small discovery, for which they can teach God.
To receive these gifts of awareness, discernment and understanding we need to read, pray, recognize our position as Christ’s servant who needs understanding. In order to properly understand and draw insights from stories in the Bible, we need the ministry of the Holy Spirit working within us for God’s understanding.
We cannot arrive at the same understanding that God has through intellectual reasoning. God gives us understanding when we ask Him for it, but we can not get it on our own or buy it through a college education. Spiritual understanding requires the Holy Spirit not the intellect, in order to have it and to understand it. However, we have to first PRAY, to ask God to give us understanding and then study the Bible diligently to find the understanding that God has for us to know.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now engage the living, ever transformational word of God in a time of prayer, meditation;
God, teach me lessons for living
so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
I love traveling this freeway!
Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom,
and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me—
promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics—
but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
preserve my life through your righteous ways!
In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 