February 3rd
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, 5Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race. 6Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.
12Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. 13Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. 14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19 NKJV
Psalm 19 gives us an awesome look at the transforming power of God and his word. This transforming power is something we need to have if we hope to follow Jesus.
Verses 1-6 prepare a worshipful introduction that declares the glory of God’s creation. All around us we see evidence of God’s magnificent power and creativity.
Verses 7-11 are applicable to the healing process from “sin-addiction.” Sex addiction is a sin addiction. The Bible, as the collection of God’s laws and statutes, is perfect, sure, right, pure, true and righteous. When we read it and load it into our minds, it releases God’s healing power in our minds and hearts. Specifically, it:
· Converts the soul
· Gives us wisdom
· Rejoices our heart
· Enlightens our eyes
· Warns us about the paths of evil
· Gives great reward if we keep on the path of righteousness
Notice how the above aspects of God’s power work in the areas that are damaged by sex addiction – the soul, mind, heart and eyes. As we study and meditate on God’s word, it will restore us, heal us and enlighten us with truth. It will help transform us into the people God created us to be. Additionally, when we apply God’s word to our lives and obey his commands, God promises that we will have “great reward” (10).
Questions for further thought:
Please list at least three things that God’s word does in you.
How does God’s word detoxify us from the evil things we have watched or heard about?
How often have you read your Bible during this past week?
If less than daily, what steps can you take to make reading the Bible a higher priority?
Prayer: Verses 12-14 make an excellent repentance prayer from our secret sins. Verse 13 addresses presumptuous sin (“overstepping due bounds” Webster’s), which I think captures the essence of sex addiction. Presumptuous sin will rule our lives if we let it. Just as David asked God to not let the presumptuous sin have dominion or rule over him, we can make the same prayer. For example, we can pray:
“Father in heaven, please forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from secret faults. Thank you for washing me clean with the blood of Jesus. Please keep me back from presumptuous sins and do not let them rule over me. Please help me to feed my mind daily on your word in the Bible. Please use it to bring healing to my mind from the memories of sin. Father, if I am tempted to think on impure things today, please convict me and help me direct my thoughts toward pure things. Lord, You are my strength and my Redeemer. I praise you now and forever. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight. Amen.”