Fight sin with Scripture

DAILY BIBLE READING:

2 Samuel 2:12–3:39 
John 13:1-30 
Psalm 119:1-16 
Proverbs 15:29-30

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 119:11 (CSB) "I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Psalm 119 is a fascinating chapter for quite a few reasons:

• It's the longest chapter in the Bible.
• The chapter progresses through the entire 22 letter Hebrew alphabet with each set of 8 verses starting with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet from the first letter (aleph) to the last (taw).
• Virtually every verse has a word for the Bible (law, your word, precepts, commands, instructions, rules, etc.)
• It's essentially the halfway point in a journey through the entire Old and New Testaments.

In our Verse for Today, the author notes that he had discovered a way to keep from doing those things that would offend his God and hurt himself - he treasured God's Word in his heart.

Psalm 119:11 (CSB) "I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you."

So, how does this work? How can we allow God's Word to keep us from sinning?

First, you've got to spend time with God's Word. It won't do you any good unless you are in it. And our exposure to God's Word really needs to be one a daily basis.

Second, it's not simply reading God's Word that helps us. We need to "treasure" it as our Verse for the Today says. That means we value it. We are enjoying it so much that we reflect on it throughout the day. It is going from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. It's going from our head to our hearts.

Third and finally, it keeps us from sinning by informing us as to what is right and wrong. It changes the way we see things because our mind is becoming more biblical. And as we see the offensiveness of sin by our regular, in-depth exposure to Scripture, we will despise it and abstain from it. When we do sin, will will quickly make things right.

But, the Bible also acts as a weapon. In fact, Ephesians 6:17 calls the Bible a sword. Whenever sin is presented to us as a temptation, the Holy Spirit desires to run to the arsenal of our minds to find a relevant Word of God that we have internalized to fight off the temptation. Jesus illustrated how this is done in Matthew 4:1-11 as He fought off temptation with Scripture.

So, to fight off sin in your life, spend time in God's Word. As a teenager, a Sunday School teacher mentioned a quote that I quickly wrote in the front cover of my Bible. It's so true:

"The Bible will either keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible." - D.L. Moody