FOUR STEPS TO THE WAY EVERLASTING

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of You with evil intent; Your adversaries misuse Your name. Do I not hate those who hate You, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against You? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:19-24

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As followers of the Lord Most High and receivers of His salvation promise as provided through His Son Jesus Christ, we are called to be obedient to a litany of commands and expectations intended to lead us to behave in a way that pleases and honors the One who fashioned us with His hands, ordained every day of our life, and shares His very thoughts through the power of the Holy Spirit abiding within us.

How do we know we’re conforming to the standards God has set?

David gives us a four step approach to accountability in the final verses of the 139th Psalm. Look at these words:

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Step 1: Ask God to search you and know your heart.

The first step in dealing with any problem is acknowledging that you have a problem to start with. When we ask God to search us and know our hearts, we are willingly asking for Him to help expose the sins we know are in us, much like an anti-virus searches a computer to root out and eliminate anything that might be lurking to damage and destroy it. We are all sinners and none of us can deal with our sin problem without the Lord’s help.

When was the last time you asked God to search and know your heart?

Step 2: Ask God to test you and know your anxious thoughts.

Sin is an issue. So is not trusting God when we should. When we get anxious over something, we are essentially stepping away from our faith in the God who can do all things. David asked God to test him and root out any anxious thoughts. We need to do likewise.

Step 3: Ask God to see if there are any offensive ways in you.

When we ask God to search our hearts and test us, we should want Him to find anything that He finds offensive and then help us eliminate it. We can’t serve sin and God at the same time. It doesn’t work that way. There is only room for faithfulness to God and so we need to get rid of anything that disrupts our relationship with Him. This step needs to happen before we can hope to get to step 4.

Step 4: Ask God to lead you in the way everlasting.

After God searches and tests our hearts, rooting out our offensive ways, then and only then are we ready to be led in the way everlasting, the way of righteousness and holiness. The first step toward finding and following this way is placing all your hope and trust in Jesus Christ, the One who is the way and the truth and the life, the only One who can bring us salvation and get us to God the Father forever. Repent and turn from sin and unbelief, place your faith in Jesus and become a Christian, and you will be well on your way to walk the narrow path the Lord expects for your to travel upon.

Friends, my prayer is that you are currently walking in the way everlasting. If not, thanks be to God for the words of David and the four steps he provided to help us get on the right path.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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