James 3:14, 16 says, “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”

Verse 15 described that kind of wisdom. It says, “This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.”

Contrast the above wisdom with God’s wisdom. Verse 17 says, “But wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

Our flesh cannot participate in any shape or form with God’s wisdom from above. Earthly wisdom and God’s wisdom are like oil and water. They cannot be mixed. 

Bitter envy destroys the bones. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.” Could it be that envy is the root to bone disorders? The Hebrew for ‘rottenness’ is decay. 

Psalm 37:1 says, “Do not fret because of evil doers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.” Verse 7 says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way…” The word ‘fret’ means to gradually wear away something by rubbing or gnawing. 

To fret about something is to worry or be anxious. Verse 8 says, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.” How does bitter envy and anger relate to fretting? It is a constant chafing in our spirit. We are rubbing our negative thoughts one against another. 

Here is a picture of fretting and its effects. Psalm 73:2-3 says, “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped, for I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Verse 21 says, “Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind.” Fretting torments. 

Think about what else torments. Unforgiveness. Matthew 18:34-35 says of the one who refuses to forgive, that our Father will turn us over to the torturers. Verse 35 says, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Jealousy is a cruel taskmaster. Song of Solomon 8:6 says, “…jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame.” What else is a fire? James 3:6 says, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity…sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”

The wisdom of this world is sensual and demonically empowered. Think about our nation’s present state. Words are being thrown out as truth when they are satan’s propaganda. There is no purity, peace, gentleness, willingness to yield, extending mercy, bearing good fruit, giving preference, or speaking truth. The wisdom of this world radically opposes God’s way.

The antidote to envy is gratefulness. When we are grateful for what we have, it strengthens our spirit. It helps us to walk in humility. It is God’s will according to 1 Thessalonians 5:18. At any moment when we are tempted to envy, we make our next thought one of gratitude. 

The Holy Spirit taught me years ago that an attitude of gratitude dispels negativity. Gratitude is like a sponge that soaks up the negative atmosphere that is ripe for fleshly reactions. Gratitude defeats covetousness which is a cousin to envy.

Proverb 27:4 says, “Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy?” Think of Sarah and Hagar. Let’s recall Joseph’s life. Genesis 37:4 says, “But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.” Beware of any envious thoughts that pop up. They are fiery darts targeting your interpersonal relationships. Practice contentment through gratefulness.

In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus was quoting Isaiah 61:1-2. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

The Amplified defined oppressed as, “…(who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity).” Proverbs 17:22 says, “…a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression…” Proverbs 15:13 says, “…by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

Do you hear the cries of buried emotional pain in those verses? I do, because I lived it. In my years of counseling I often have heard the cries. The Lord heard the cries of the children of Israel in their bondage. Exodus 2:23 says, “…Then the children of Israel groaned because of their bondage; and their cry came up to God because of their bondage.”

He hears our cries. Psalm 34:6 says, “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Isaiah 5:13 says, “Therefore My people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge…”

Our inner freedom comes through our knowledge of the Lord. The more we are acquainted with His character, the more we can be a partaker of it. 2 Peter 1:3 says that it is through our knowledge of Him that we learn to walk in His resurrection power. 

Job 22:21-22 says, “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart.” 2 Peter 1:4 says that it is through His exceedingly great promises that we become a partaker of His nature. 

What promises are you not standing in for your inner healing? Captivity to the lies of the enemy keeps our hearts bound in darkness. Until we are willing for the Holy Spirit to finger our buried emotional pains, they will continue to affect every aspect of our lives.

Psalm 107:20 says, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Have you ever considered that your sickness was the result of wrong thinking? That is why we need to listen to the words that come out of our mouths. All negative words oppose God’s way. His word brings healing. 

Psalm 119:25 says, “My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.” Verse 28 says, “My soul melts from heaviness, strengthen me according to Your word.” Verse 45 says, “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.” 

Verse 67 says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.” Verse 92 says, “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.” Verse 107 says, “I am afflicted very much, revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.”

Affliction means something that causes pain or suffering. Our affliction is what causes us to cry out. I love Psalm 61:1-2. Do you ever feel overwhelmed? David did. Here are his words. “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You. When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Capture these two verses and write them on the wall of your heart. Psalm 17:6 says, “I have called upon You; for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.” Psalm 62:8 instructs our heart. It says, “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” It is time to acknowledge that He came to set you free from your captivity to emotional pain.

“Do You Hear What You Are Thinking?” was the title of a book given to me in 1983. Up to that point, I never thought about my thoughts. They were just part of who I was. Were they really inconsequential? Our thoughts are made up from our experiences. In my first book, “Freedom! From Past Hurts” there is a chapter entitled Belief Systems. The first sentence describes a belief: it is a decision made within ourselves whether something is right or wrong

Our thoughts are a composite of what we believe. Every experience we have ever had is recorded in our brain. If you wonder why you are behaving as you are, think of this key: experience, belief system, motive, thought, attitude, action, habit. What we put into our minds controls our actions.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is  a  discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” God’s word is the scalpel that can set us free from wrong beliefs. Its precision is an inner heart surgery that only our Great Physician can perform.

Think about when your mind wanders. 1 Chronicles 28:9 were David’s words to his son Solomon. He was encouraging him to know the Lord and serve Him with a blameless heart. The Amplified says, “…For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts…” 

Behind every thought is a motive. Behind every action is what we believe, which drives us through our motives, that impacts our thought processes. Think of a braid. Now name each of the three strands: mind, will, emotions. Always the mind leads off first, then our will and emotions follow. Therefore any negative behavior can be changed by changing the belief behind it.

Psalm 139:1-12 helps us understand clearly how involved the Lord is in our lives. Verse 4 says, “For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” Verse 12 says, “Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.” Our darkest thoughts are known to the Lord.

Hebrews 4:13 Amplified says, “And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.” This is a very comforting verse to me. I used to stuff things. After ignoring them for years they didn’t exist in my mind. At least that was the lie I believed. Ignoring them does not make them go away.

The emotional pain that we bury, continues to seep into every aspect of our lives through our thoughts. We are not consciously aware. Emotional pain lies buried in the dark corners of our hearts. Think of it as a dungeon. Your emotional pain cries out to be released. I want to encourage you to take your negative behaviors before the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to lead you into the light of truth that will set you free.

Think of a kaleidoscope. When you turn it just a smidgen, the whole entire scene changes dramatically. That is what happened yesterday when the Holy Spirit took me back to James 3:6. He gave me a whole different application. It says of the tongue, “..is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body…” 

This time think of ‘members’ and ‘whole body’ in the setting of a family, church, or job interconnections. Words can heal or they can wound. They can bring life or they can bring defilement through dissension, offense, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Words are first thoughts.

Interconnections thrive when our thoughts are righteous. As we walk in the fear of the Lord, our thoughts, purpose, and actions will enhance our relationships. They will keep us from thoughts that bring inner defilement. They will give us words that build up and not tear down. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

The worldwide pandemic has changed everything. Interpersonal relationships have been tested. Hidden dross has surfaced. It created something like volcanic action. Old hurts have festered, tempers have shortened, greed has surfaced. Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”

Micah 6:8 says, “He has show you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Close quarters with animosity is like a powder keg about to go off. Colossians 3:12-13 says, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another…” How do we do that? Verse 13 continued, “…forgiving one another…”

When we wake up each morning, we need to set our heart to forgive. That will position us to offer the same forgiveness we received. Verse 13 documents that. It finished with, “…if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” We need to see this as a command. Forgive AS you have been forgiven.

James 3:13 Amplified says, “Who is there among you who is wise and intelligent? Then let him by his noble living show forth his (good) works with the (unobtrusive) humility (which is the proper attribute) of true wisdom.” Where do we get this kind of wisdom? Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

David’s Psalm 34 gives us the instruction we need to walk in the fear of the Lord. Verses 11-14 says, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

James 1:26 says, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” The Amplified says of religious, “…(as  piously observant of the external duties of his faith)…” The word useless means futile, fruitless, empty, ineffectual, void of results, and worthless.

Let’s connect this verse with James 3:2. It says, “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” We know from verse 6 that our tongue, “…is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body…”

We can either bridle our whole body, or we can defile it. This is strong truth that we need to heed. What we think becomes words. Matthew 15:18 says, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.” What kind of thoughts? Verse 19 says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts…”

Let’s classify evil thoughts. Any negative thought goes against Who God is. Our negative thoughts against ourself, others, or our circumstances oppose the Lord. Whew! Let’s remember Isaiah 55:8-9. It says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

We certainly prove this truth when we view our trials as intruders. Yes, they stop us in our tracks. Yes, they change everything. However, they are stamped with His divine purpose. I love Ephesians 1:11. It says, “…being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

James wrote so graphically about the tongue. In James 3:3 he used the illustration of a bit in the horse’s mouth, “…that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.” In verse 4 he used the picture of a ship’s rudder, “…although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.”

Have you considered that the Lord gave us our tongues for a specific purpose? We walk away from His purpose when we use our tongues negatively. Verse 9 says, “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.” 1 Peter 3:9 instructs us to, “Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, know that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

James 3:11-12 clarifies duplicity. It says, “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.” Matthew 5:37 says, “But let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

Isaiah 43:7 says, “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory…” There is our God’s purpose clearly defined. Our speech is to glorify Him, as is every aspect of our lives. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” 

Proverbs 18:4 says, “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.” What flows out of your mouth when your will is crossed? What we think in our heart, will be expressed through our words and our body language. Proverbs 16:23-24 says, “The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

Psalm 149:6 says, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.” We are called to praise the Lord in all circumstances, and speak His word to our mountain-obstacles. Nothing is impossible for the Lord. He takes great delight in praising lips. Hebrews 13:15 is our way to please His heart as we endure our trials with joy. It says, “…let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving  thanks to His name.”

James 1:17 says, ” Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights…” The Amplified says, “…with Whom there can be no variation (rising or setting) or shadow cast by His turning (as in an eclipse).”

It is good to remember that everything (put it in caps in your mind) is from our Father. Our trials are His good and perfect gifts. Romans 8:28 is not a tag-on verse. It has eternal meaning in our present. It says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

The verse says that we know. We can know this intellectually, but it doesn’t affect our heart. The word ‘know’ in John 8:32 means: to perceive, understand, recognize, gain knowledge, realize, and come to know. There is a beginning grasp of the concept. A progression follows as we gain deeper understanding. Then it becomes ours by personal experience.

The verse says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” It requires us to first gain knowledge and then to make it personal. The truth that we know is lived out in our thoughts, purpose, and actions.

I want to insert another verse. John 1:16 Amplified says, “For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received (all had a share and we were all supplied with) one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift (heaped) upon gift.”

It is easy to lose sight of the good and perfect part of every trial. Especially when they are really hard. Our mind wants to trail off into the negativity of complaining, fear, or worry. That is a futile exercise. If we follow it into a mental dialogue, we will be like the hamster in the wheel. There is lots of mental activity, but it is all futile, and only causes emotional fatigue.

For myself, I redefined the word ‘good’ as it relates to my own trials. Since all trials are of His orchestration, they are essential components of our progressive sanctification. They are necessary, beneficial, crucial, rare (as in value), exquisite, uniquely individual, and excellent. Trials are assets. If you read my book, “He Drew Me Out Of Deep Waters: encouragement for hard trials” then you know that I consider my brain injuries an asset.

Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Trials purify our faith by causing the dross to surface. Dross is anything that tarnishes our lives from reflecting the Lord to others. As our faith is tested, so is our trust. Will we trust that this trial from the Lord is truly for our best?

Do you believe Psalm 145:9 for yourself? It says, “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” We are His work as He works His righteousness into our heart through His word. Trials cause us to prioritize in a new way. The result is like Psalm 63:8 in the Amplified. It says, “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.”

Psalm 107 is very unique. It starts out in verse 1, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” There are sections of the people’s resistance to God’s way. Yet, at the end of the sections, the verse will say, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” You will find this is verses 8, 15, 21, and 31.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Remember Abraham. His faith was strengthened AS he thanked the Lord in the midst of his complex impossibility. Romans 4:20 Amplified says, “No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.”

It does no good to make a list of temptations. There are myriads. I think that might be what Paul was thinking when he wrote Ephesians 6:11. It says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Wiles means schemings or strategies.

Our defense starts with a heart-felt acknowledgment of where we are weak. We are well equipped through God’s word to handle any wily temptation. Yet, if we know that we are prone to a particular temptation, we need to fortify our faith in that area. 

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man; but God is faithful…” Another way to say this is that we are not the only ones who have ever been tempted. Remember Eve. From there we could take many characters in the Bible and point out a temptation that they faced and conquered or were conquered by them.

We are not alone. It is essential to remember that Jesus understands our temptations. He went through them. Hebrews 4:15 says, “…but was in all points tempted  as we are, yet without  sin.” Let’s make this really clear. We do not have to sin.

Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Verse 11 is our key. It says, “…reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Dead things have no ability to respond to any stimulus. That is how we can be to the devil’s temptations when we stand in God’s word. Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

That ‘evil day’ is any time that the enemy of your soul has set his wily trap for you. Romans 12:2 J. B. Phillips says, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”

1 John 1:6 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” Psalm 119:3 says, “They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.” When we fall for satan’s temptation, we have veered off God’s path, and iniquity is the fruit. Verse 4 says, “You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently.” Are you keeping them?

1 John 2:3 says, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” Here is the key to our spiritual growth. Verse 5 says, “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.” To ‘keep’ His word means to hide it in our heart so that it is a ready arrow in our hand. Think of David. He had the stone ready. God’s hidden word is our stone to slay the giant that opposes God’s will through satan’s wily temptation.

To ‘know’ God’s word also means that we are living it out experientially. Ephesians 3:19 Amplified says, “(That you may really come) to know (practically, through experience for yourselves) the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience); that you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself)!”

It is the truth that we read, observe, and apply it to our daily lives that works to set us free. It is never the print on the page. It is the living word that makes our spirit thrive. Jesus is that word that dwells within us. It is only through His word that we can know Him intimately. It is Heart-to-heart communion.

Think about what tempts you, or what is your weakest area of resistance. There are some temptations that we can easily dismiss. Others are not quite so cut and dry. Food has not been an issue for me. Some folks battle certain food addictions daily. Any type of addiction has to be fought through a resolve in the heart before you face the temptation. Temptations are hard to resist when our spirit is weak.

Think about what Jesus said to His disciples. Luke 22:40 says, “…Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Verse 46 was in reference to them going to sleep when He asked them to pray. It says, “…Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” If we are not alert, a temptation will suck us in before we realize it.

1 Peter 5:8 is our warning. It says, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Verse 9 is our key. We can resist all temptations through faith in God’s word. It says, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith…”

Yesterday morning the Holy Spirit spoke something to me that brought instant conviction. How do these words affect you? All grumbling gratifies the flesh. Numbers 11:1 says that the children of Israel’s grumbling displeased the Lord.

I have certain necessary chores that I do not like to do. When it is time, I am tempted to delay the inevitable. Like right now. I have to stop typing and go do them before it gets dark. Alright they are done! It really helped this time to sing while I was choring.

It is essential to have motivator verses. They are verses that are hidden in your heart that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, like a farmer prods a mule. One of my resident ones is James 4:17. It says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Resisting temptations, any kind of temptation, takes inner discipline.

Daniel resolved in his heart long before the temptation was set before him. Daniel 1:8 says, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…” We see his resolve at work again in chapter 6. He was set up through jealousy. Look at God’s commendation in verse 3. It says, “Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him…”

Let’s go back to 2 Peter 1:5. Peter admonished his readers to add certain graces to their faith. The first one was virtue. It means moral excellence. Daniel had added moral excellence to his faith. When the decree went out that anyone who petitioned any god or man, other than the king, would be cast into the lion’s den.

Daniel 6:10 says, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”

Daniel did not fall for the temptation to not openly pray. Even in the face of impending death, he remained steadfast in his faith. Remember, all temptations are aimed to destroy our faith. Therefore we have to increase and fortify our faith through hearing God’s word. We do that by quoting it to ourselves when we are tempted.

We need verses in our quiver. A good warrior has his quiver full of sharp arrows. All he has to do is pull one out when the enemy approaches. Our enemy comes through fiery dart lies. All temptations are a lie to pull us off track. They are set before us to derail us from God’s purposes. Do not listen to the tempter. Do not give his temptations another thought.

I like 1 Samuel 12:21. It is one of my resisting verses. It says, “And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.” That reminds me of another. John 6:63 says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits NOTHING. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

James 1:3 says that when our faith is tested it will produce patience. Falling for a temptation reveals several things. One is that we did not take God at His word. Every temptation is set up by the enemy. We need to be very clear about this truth. James 1:13 says, “…God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”

Every temptation to sin tests what we believe about God. Will we believe what God has said in His word and stand in it? Psalm 119:1 says, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!” Undefiled is best described as heart integrity.

Romans 10:9 says that we believe with our heart. One with wholeheartedness clings to God’s word when tempted. They cannot be drawn aside. Knowing God’s word, and hiding it in our heart gives us barnacle faith.

Daniel 11:32 says, “…the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” 1 John 2:14 expressed where the strength came from. It says, “…I have written to you young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.”

Here is an example of one who did not know God. It applies to every human being ~ regardless of gender. Daniel 5 was the most unusual scene. King Belshazzar was using holy vessels that his father had taken from God’s temple. Verse 4 says that they were drinking wine and praising false gods.

All at once there were the fingers of a man’s hand writing on the wall. It shook them all up. The queen told Belshazzar about Daniel. Before Daniel gave the king the interpretation, he rebuked him with these words in verse 23. “…the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.”

That is the same indictment that Paul wrote in Romans 1:21. It says, “Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

When we fall for satan’s temptation, we sin against God. Romans 3:23 says that we all fall short of the glory of God. Sin misses the mark. That is exactly satan’s plan when he sets up a temptation. He lures us with the expectation that we will fall. God, on the other hand, has made provision for us to stand in our position of grace that He gave us at salvation.

Romans 5:2 says, “Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 8:18 is a promise.  It says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

We joyfully endure because of what is set before us. Resisting a temptation will cause our flesh to suffer. It hates to be denied the sinful pleasure of the moment. James 1:1-4 and Romans 5:3-4 says that it is necessary for us to go through the crucible of suffering in order for our faith to be purified and strengthened. Patience, endurance, fortitude, and steadfastness are fruits of the one who goes through the test to the other side ~ freedom through standing in truth and grace.

There are six verses in Psalm 119 that use the word ‘whole’ regarding our heart. Verse 2 says, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” Note the exclamation mark. Verse 10 says that when we seek Him with our whole heart we will not wander away from His word’s influence.

Verse 34 says, “Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” Joshua 1:8 instructs us to ‘observe to do’ according to what we read and meditate on in His word. Psalm 119: 58 says, “I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word.”

Verse 69 says, “The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.” We really need to inculcate this verse into our heart. It will help to fortify us as we are being bombarded with the lies forged against us through this evil concocted pandemic. Verse 145 is a good one also. Let us corporately cry out to the Lord for worldwide revival. It says, “I cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes.”

This morning I was singing a new song to the Lord. I drank in these words. ‘I am enveloped in Your love Lord.’ Go ahead and sing it to the Lord. It will lift up your heart. The Lord’s love for us has no ebb or flow like the waves of the sea. His love is consistent. Our circumstances change continually. His love is steadfast. Nothing can take us out of His love. His love is IN us. Romans 5:5 says that at salvation, “…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

1 John 4:8 says that God is love. The embodiment of Who He is characterized by love. He dwells in us in all that fullness. What did He set up for us to love Him back? John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me…” Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

We keep His word in our heart when we hide it there through memorization and meditation. John 14:21 continued, “…And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Note that His love is not predicated on whether or not we hide His word in our heart. It is simply an outward demonstration of our wholeheartedness.

Jesus manifests Himself to us through His word. Psalm 25:14 Amplified says, “The secret (of the sweet, satisfying companionship) of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its (deep, inner) meaning.” We revere and worship the Lord through keeping His word.

What are some blocks to wholeheartedness? Indifference, distractions, desire for other things, and unresolved issues involve our heart. Worry is a huge distraction. Engaging with fearful thoughts pulls us away from keeping our mind stayed on the Lord which gives peace. Unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, and hidden sin also takes up heart real estate. James 4:17 says, “Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Sin blocks our fellowship with the Lord.