Strengthen Me According To Your Word

Psalm 119:28 says strengthen me according to your word. One of the things which I have found it to be true when I am depressed is that I do not want to read his word. Why do you think that is? Possibly because in the word is our salvation, it is our touchstone, and Satan knows it can reveal his lies and pull us back into God’s reality.

I find that if I spend just a little time reading some scripture everyday, I have at least a little ammunition against the hater of my soul. I try to do it first thing when I get up, as a part of my morning ritual. I am finding that Daily Light works very well for me, because it is a grouping of different scriptures all on a similar topic – no commentary, so God can speak whatever He wants to me straight from His word.

I know that in a spiritual sense reading the word feeds my spirit to make it stronger (just as feeding my flesh makes my flesh stronger). However, since my feelings are based on underlying thoughts which in turn are based on fundamental beliefs and attitudes, reading the word is also like putting a leash on me. It keeps me from straying too far from his truth, and substituting negative thoughts about God and my situation as the truth.

Remember, if Satan’s job is to get us to walk away from God in disbelief, he has to get us away from the word of God, because the word itself reminds us that God is true, and his word does not fail.

Joshua 23:14 says
14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

Every time we read scriptures, we are lining our minds with foundational truths that affect our beliefs and attitudes. It is like a protective barrier against the efforts of the enemy’s destructive thoughts and words he attempts to implant in our minds to discourage us. The longer we stay away from the word, the weaker and the more susceptible our mind becomes to attack.

We are no different than our Saviour, who had to respond with God’s word to Satan’s attempts to sidetrack Him (by showing and offering the world to Him if Jesus would bow down and worship Satan). If we know any of the truth of the word, we need to speak it out loud when we are under attack or tempted. We need to remind ourself of God’s truth, His promises, and His character.

Above all else, we must protect the underlying belief that God is good, God is for us, and God has a plan to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future. When we get that sick to our stomach feeling that signals our hope is fading and we are succumbing to the fear that life will always be this way, we must remind ourself of Who is in control of the situation and of our life, and His good purpose for us. If He has a good plan for our life, then no matter what today looks like, our good future is still secure in Him.

So tether yourself to the word of God, so you can only go so far away from His truth. Even if all you can do is read one verse a day, read it. Protect yourself from the enemy, and do whatever you have to do to preserve the belief that your God is good, regardless what you see with your eyes or feel with your emotions.

Penny Haynes
http://ChristianWomenWithDepression.com