Delight in The Light

How do you feel about God’s Word? Assuming your answer is something like, “I love God’s Word!” let me ask: Do your actions support that answer?

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Transcript

How do you feel about God’s Word? Assuming your answer is something like, “I love God’s Word!” let me ask: Do your actions support that answer? We should always be able to say along with the prophet Jeremiah “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight.” (Jeremiah 15:16 NLT) We should repeat the words of the Apostle Paul when he exclaims, “I love God’s law with all my heart.” (Romans 7:22 NLT)

Welcome to the Point of Purity Podcast! I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #179. This week’s Episode we will learn how to “Delight in The Light”

In Psalm 119:15-16 David writes, “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” (NIV’84) Then in verse 35 he says, “Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.” (ESV) In verse 92 he declares, “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” (ESV) And a couple of verses later, in verse 97 he exclaims, “Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.” (NLT)

In the opener for this episode I asked, “How do you feel about God’s Word?” Assuming your answer is something like, “I love God’s Word!” let me ask: Do your actions support that answer? We should always be able to say along with the prophet Jeremiah “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight.” (Jeremiah 15:16 NLT) We should repeat the words of the Apostle Paul when he exclaims, “I love God’s law with all my heart.” (Romans 7:22 NLT)

The psalmist David writes that the one who is blessed, the one who is genuinely happy is the one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2 NASB’95) So, to experience true happiness, contentment, and fulfillment – to be blessed of God – we need to choose daily to “delight” in the law of the Lord. Notice that God does not say you will be blessed when you appreciate His Word, nor if you merely have a respect for it. You are to delight in it. So, what does it mean to delight in God’s Word, and how do I do it?

To “delight” is to find great pleasure in something to the point where you are longing for it constantly. I can remember back in college when my wife and I were dating. As I got to know her, I found myself constantly thinking about her. Every moment we were apart was sheer agony. I couldn’t wait until class was over so I could be with her again. The long walks with her across campus was pure heaven. I clung to her every word. The more I learned about her, the more I wanted to know; and the more I wanted to be with her. I truly delighted in her.

Even today I can honestly say that every moment we’re apart my heart aches. Every time she texts me or calls me my pulse increases. I cannot wait for the workday to be over so that we can be together again. I look forward to sitting at the dinner table and listen to her as she tells me about her day. Even today, after so many years together, I am still learning things about her. The more I learn, the more I want to know and the more I want to be with her for the rest of our lives. I am so privileged, honored, and humbled to be able to say I still delight in my wonderful wife!

God says you are blessed when you delight in His Word. You should long for the time each day when you can sit down with your Bible and listen to your Heavenly Father speak to you. You should go throughout each day anxiously looking forward to the moments when you can sit down again with your Bible and cling to his every word.

Psalm 112:1 exclaims, “Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands.” (NLT)

A few years ago, this truth became very real to me. There was a time in my life when I turned my back on God. I chose to pursue the pleasures of sin, not wanting anything to do with God. Because of that choice, I nearly lost my family and even my life. During those dark days, my wife and I went to numerous “Christian” counselors, but because I had a hard heart, nothing was helping. That is, until we began meeting with a godly couple from our church named Roger and Carol.

This couple, who have now become dear friends, began taking us deep into the Word of God. Each time we met, we invested that time in discovering what God had to say about our situation and how He had the answers we were searching for. We were weekly challenged to read the Scriptures and were given Bible verses to memorize.

During those weekly sessions, the Holy Spirit awoke within me a deepening desire to study my Bible every day. I began to experience a hungering and craving for more. I relished every moment I could invest in reading God’s Word. I discovered verse after verse that spoke to the issues of my heart, and I committed them to memory. I also found myself looking forward to the times each day when I could focus my thoughts in prayer and talk with God about the things He had revealed to me.

Today I am thrilled to say that I am still excited about the Word of God. I am continuing to develop a deepening passion for reading God’s truth and hiding His principles in my heart. I am delighted every time the Holy Spirit shows me another precept, which in turn drives me to dig into my Bible to compare Scripture with Scripture. I submit: This is what it means to delight in God’s Word.

It wasn’t until I began truly digging into the Word of God, studying the Scriptures, meditating on them, and memorizing them, that genuine change started happening in my life. Digging into the Word of God and getting to know the God of the Word more required definitive action on my part. No one else could to it for me. It was personal. It still is. This podcast series you have been listening to is a direct result of the journey God has been taking me on. This isn’t just a series of lessons for me to teach, I believe what I’m sharing with you with all my heart. My story is a living testimony of the truth of Psalm 119:92. “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” (ESV)

Had I not made the daily choice to study, memorize, meditate upon, and seek to obey God’s Word – and if I don’t continue to do it even now – “I would have perished in my affliction.” Delighting in God’s Word means you are choosing to invest your time in it. You are choosing to daily study and faithfully memorize and meditate upon it, as well as willingly walk in obedience to it always. As a result, you will find great peace and direction in the midst of your greatest conflicts. That’s God’s promise!

Job 23:12 says, “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” (NASB’95) In Psalm 119:103 David writes, “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (NASB’95) And in Psalm 19:9-10 he says, “More to be desired are (God’s Words) than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.” (ESV)

The pressing question we must face here is this: How do we get to that point? What must we do in order to daily experience true delight in God’s Word? It begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The fact is, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19b ESV) Without Christ, the unsaved person does not care for the God of the Word. As a result, they do not care for the Word of God either. They cannot comprehend the need for it. They don’t understand it.

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the apostle Paul tells us that “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” (NLT)

God wants “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in [Christ].” (Acts 26:18 ESV) Until you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you cannot recognize the Truth of God’s Word nor realize the power of God’s Spirit at work in your life.

Listen closely to these three verses from Scripture. “Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” (John 3:36 NLT) “... each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27 NLT) And Romans 6:23 tells us that “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (ESV) Now, let me ask you the most important question you will ever be asked in your entire lifetime. Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Do you know for certain where you will spend eternity? 

Before we can every truly delight in God’s Word, we must also understand that the Bible is not just another book. It is not some novel you pull off the shelf and read all the way through in a weekend. It is not a storybook, although it tells the amazing story of God’s redemptive love for mankind. It is not a romance novel, although it shares the miraculous account of how God demonstrated His unfathomable love for you and me by sacrificing Himself on our behalf. It is not a history textbook, although it does tell the history of man from creation to his eternal destination. Nor is it a how-to book for do-it-yourselfers, although it definitely shows us precisely how to live a life that always brings glory to God.

The Bible is God’s Word written to you and me to show us who God is and who we are before Him. It also shows our need for a Savior, and God’s provision of salvation through the person of Jesus Christ. Throughout all of Scripture we see God’s desire to have a personal relationship with us – and within its pages God shows us how we can know Him, not just as our Creator and Judge, but as Savior, Father, and friend. The Bible teaches us how to live lives that are consistently holy and pure. It shows us how to say no to sin and yield our lives in full and complete surrender to God in a way that truly honors and glorifies Him. Oh, my friend, it is vital that we invest our time in the Word of God daily.

I challenge you right now to take a close, introspective look at your life to date. Consider both its ups and downs, both the blessings and the trials. I’m sure you’ll agree that life can be hard at times. God has given us His Word to help us cope with every issue, every trial, every testing, every temptation, and every trouble you will ever face. As you choose to “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” (Galatians 5:16 NLT) The Bible is the instrument God uses to provide you with “His divine power” (2 Peter 1:3) as well as wisdom, knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6 & Psalm 119:98). Within the pages of Scripture, you will find life and food for your soul. Can you begin to understand why we need to delight in god’s Word?

Bible study, in and of itself, does not automatically cause you to glorify God in your daily living. You won’t spontaneously glorify the Lord simply because you increase your knowledge of Scripture. Along with daily studying of God’s Word there must also be an open and willing heart to surrender to the message of God’s Word and the will of the One who wrote it. You must not be merely a listener, but a doer of the Word as well (James 1:22). You must choose to not only open God’s Word and study it, but also daily choose to submit to God as the sole Leader and Lord of your life - walking in full surrender and total obedience to Him at all times. This is what is life changing.

Let me ask you this: Do you want to glorify God in everything you think, say, and do? Then choose to live daily according to the Word of God (Psalm 1119:9). Do you want to live a life that is sin-free? Choose to not only read God’s Word daily but memorize key verses of Scripture (Psalm 119:11). Do you want to find strength and encouragement during times of stress, suffering, and sorrow? Choose daily to open your Bible, read God’s Word, and let it uplift you (Psalm 119:28, 50). Do you sometimes feel lost and need a sense of direction? Choose daily to open your Bible and let God guide you (Psalm 119:105). Are you looking for hope and protection? Choose daily to fill your mind with Scripture (Psalm 119:114, 147). When you see God’s Word in this light, you can say with the psalmist, “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (Psalm 119:16)?

Looking again at Psalm 1:2, we note that the blessed man delights so much in God’s Word that he “meditates” on it day and night. Not only does he long to open God’s Word to read it, but he is also thrilled to think about what he has read all throughout the day. The one who is meditating on God’s Word is feeding his soul upon it by choosing to bring it back up again later to “chew” on it some more. He is choosing to think deeply about what God has said and how it applies to his life. When you are truly delighting in the Word of God, you are doing more than just reading it – you are meditating upon it, and you are endeavoring to apply its truth and principles to your daily living.

By the way, the word “meditate” in Psalm 1:2 is written in the imperfect tense, meaning it is an action that is not yet completed. It is something that must be repeated again and again. When you choose to delight in the Word of God you just can’t ever get enough of it. Listening to it just isn’t adequate. Reading it doesn’t suffice. You find yourself meditating on it throughout the day. You think about it again and again, praying about it, speaking it, longing to understand its depths. To be prosperous and successful in your Christian life you need to choose daily to delight in and meditate upon the Word of God. 

OK. Let’s hit the pause button until next week’s episode as we continue our miniseries on How to Glorify God. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry (what we do to help men across the globe find freedom and victory over sexual sin), be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com.

One of those resources I would like to highlight for you here is my book entitled “Extreme Mind Makeover: How to transform sinful thoughts and habits into patterns of life pleasing to God.” This book takes you on a journey through the Bible to examine what God has to say about how your thoughts, words, and actions influence and impact your heart.

If you’ve followed this Point of Purity Podcast for any length of time, then you’ve heard me emphasize the fact that what you think becomes what you do. When you train your mind to think godly thoughts, the things you say and do day in and day out will be godly. On the flip side, when you allow your mind to think sinful, fleshly, ungodly, King Me centered thoughts, the result (your daily attitudes and actions) will be ungodly. So, how do I change the way I think? How do I change the things I do? How do I successfully and effectively guard my heart? This book, “Extreme Mind Makeover” takes you into God’s Word to help you answer those questions.

So go to our website, ThePurityCoach.com, and check out our resources page, or go directly to Amazon.com and purchase your copy of “Extreme Mind Makeover” today.

And if you haven’t subscribed to this podcast yet, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!

So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, Certified Professional MentorTM and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.