I have hidden Your Word in my heart

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“I have hidden your word in my heart so I will not sin against you.” These words of the psalmist in Psalms 119:11, pop out at me and cause me to question: “Is your word hidden in my heart Lord? If not, then what is?” 

What is the heart except the hidden place: the great vault of the soul where the treasures of ‘self’ have been meticulously stored: Such things as pride, jealousy, self righteousness, fault-finding and self pity, to name but a few, have all found a home and an effective hiding place in my heart. Do I not go to great efforts so that no one will see; at times, living, breathing and behaving as though God Himself does not see?: Jeremiah 17:10...so my heart must be clear, uncluttered and surrendered totally to Him: But my heart is wrought with sin! (Jeremiah 17:9) Who then, will deliver me from this body of sin that leads to death? Thanks be to Him who is the Word - who became flesh and dwelt among us; who now dwells within us; who by His own finger, writes His Law on my heart and will purge it from dead works and refine me like gold, if I would only let Him in. (Revelation 3:20)

Then I ask “Lord how will You write Your Law of Love on my crooked heart..?” But then I remember Ezekiel 36-25-26: 25 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Also Matthew 11:28-30; Jeremiah 31:33)

One thing I know: where the Word is, sin cannot be; one of them has to go. This is why I must, as Hezekiah did in the presence of God, spread out the issues of my heart before Him (Isaiah 37:14) - nothing must remain hidden: There is no room, no hiding place for anything but the Word of God. As an earthen vessel, already wrecked by sin, I must allow the Master Potter to finish the work: to mess it up so HE can remake it - completely; to tip it over so HE can re-fill it - totally. For only those who have been truly crucified with Christ; who have died to this world and it to them, can now declare with confidence and sincerity of the heart: “I have hidden your word in my heart so I WILL NOT sin against You”.

(THIS is how we overcome)

Matt. 15:17-20; Romans 7:24-25; John 1:14; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Hebrews 9:14; Revelation 3:18-20; Matt 6:24; Isaiah 37:14; 2Kings 19:14; Romans 9:20-24; Gal 2:20&6:14.

#FollowingJesus


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