Sunday, 16 April 2023
GUARD YOUR HEART WITH THE WORD
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness (2 Peter 3:17).
Notice some cautions and exhortations to the saints, given by the Spirit through the Apostle Peter in the verse we just read. When you study this same verse from the New International Version, it says, “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.” Peter, by the Spirit, calls it the error of the lawless.
The Living Bible renders it slightly differently. It says “I am warning you ahead of time, dear brothers, so that you can watch out and not be carried away by the mistakes of these wicked men, lest you yourselves become mixed up too.” Here, it’s called the mistakes of the wicked: their miscalculations because of their ignorance.
Then, the Bible also talks about an evil heart of unbelief which comes from disobedience: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). The Greek word for unbelief is “Apistia” which means disbelief, or arising from disobedience.
Then it says in the 13th verse, “…exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” How do we exhort one another daily? It’s with the Word. The Word is the only material to help us grow and be shielded from the error of the lawless and the miscalculations of the wicked.
With the Word, you can diligently guard your heart against unbelief and anything that tries to change or destroy the excellence that God already programmed in you. Study and meditate on the Scriptures until your whole spirit, soul and body are programmed to only think God’s thoughts and infuenced only by His ideas and opinions. Hallelujah!
CONFESSION: Dear Lord, I delight in your Word and yield to it for exhortation, doctrine and counsel. In your Word, I've found life, peace, righteousness and everlasting joy. As I live in your Word, your glory is revealed in my life; I'm constantly transfigured from glory to glory, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
2 Timothy 3:16-17; Colossians 3:16; 2 Peter 3:18
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Luke 15:11-32 & Ruth 1-4
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Mark 2:23-28 & Leviticus 16