Keys Storehouse

Keys to the Storehouse – Which Bundle are you Choosing?

by

A train of cars was shown me, going with the speed of lightning. The angel bade me look carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the train. It seemed that the whole world was on board, that there could not be one left. Said the angel, ‘They are binding in bundles ready to burn.’ Then he showed me the conductor, who appeared like a stately, fair person, whom all the passengers looked up to and reverenced. I was perplexed and asked my attending angel who it was. He said, ‘It is Satan. He is the conductor in the form of an angel of light. He has taken the world captive. They are given over to strong delusions, to believe a lie, that they may be damned. This agent, the next highest in order to him, is the engineer, and other of his agents are employed in different offices as he may need them, and they are all going with lightning speed to perdition.’

“I asked the angel if there were none left. He bade me look in an opposite direction, and I saw a little company traveling a narrow pathway. All seemed to be firmly united, bound together by the truth, in bundles, or companies. Said the angel, ‘The third angel is binding, or sealing, them in bundles for the heavenly garner.’ ” Early Writings, 88, 89. [Emphasis supplied.]

“The wicked are being bound up in bundles, bound up in trusts, in unions, in confederacies. Let us have nothing to do with these organizations. God is our Ruler, our Governor, and He calls us to come out from the world and be separate (11 Corinthians 6:17). … If we refuse to do this, if we continue to link up with the world and to look at every matter from a worldly standpoint, we shall become like the world. When worldly policy and worldly ideas govern our transactions we cannot stand on the high and holy platform of eternal truth.” Last Day Events, 116.

In which bundle are you being bound? Is it the bundle or company that is obeying God as He calls us to come out from the world and be separate? Or is it the bundle or company that stands on the wide road with the whole world and following after worldly policy and ideas? We are known by our fruits. What are your fruits showing?

Even Abigail, the wife of Nabal, knew at that time about the bundles of life and gave the warning to David who was in danger of making the wrong decision and being bound into the wrong bundle. What decisions are you making today?

“And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. … Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.” I Samuel 25:23, 29.

Oh Lord, Give me the strength to step from that speeding car, the world, which is encircling me and destroying my spiritual, mental, and physical health. Deliver me from the whirlwind of deception and error. Hold up my goings in Thy paths only, that my footsteps slip not so that I may be bound into the bundle of life with others. Amen.

Keys to the Storehouse – Strong Man Armed

by

“How can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.” Matthew 12:29.

For the longest time I had a hard time understanding the meaning of this verse and how it applied to my life. Before I made my commitment to the Lord Jesus, there was a strong man who had control of my house and all the goods it contained, the talents and gifts given from the Lord. I thought all was well because, “When men give themselves over to be the slaves of Satan, he does not manifest the enmity toward them which he does to those who bear the name of Christ, and give themselves to the service of God. … Satan will permit those to have a degree of rest who are bound as slaves to his chariot, for they are his willing captives.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 299.

This is what we need to understand. “When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace.” Luke 11:21. As bond slaves, we think we are at peace!

When is it that the anger of the strong man is raised and our so-called peace is shaken? “His enmity is aroused when the message of mercy reaches his bondslaves, and they seek to wrench themselves away from his power, that they may follow the true Shepherd. Then it is that he seeks to bind them with additional chains to hold them in their captivity. The conflict between the soul and Satan begins when the captive begins to tug at the chain, and longs to be free; for it is then that the human agent begins to co-operate with heavenly intelligences, when faith takes hold on Christ.” Ibid.

When the Holy Spirit moves upon our hearts and we begin to yearn for freedom in Christ, this is the time when Jesus can enter into the strong man’s house and spoil his goods. “Then it is that the Stronger than the strong man armed, is the helper of the soul, and the poor captive is strengthened by the Holy Spirit to obtain his freedom.” Ibid. Praise the Lord!

“Jesus is stronger than the strong man armed, and will rescue from the power of Satan every soul that relies wholly upon him. Although we may be weak and helpless in ourselves, yet all the forces of heaven are at the command of the believing child of God, and the hosts of hell cannot make him depart from the right course if he clings to God by living faith.” The Review and Herald, May 20, 1884.

“He who unites himself with Christ will gather to himself the graces of Christ. … By cooperation with the Saviour, he becomes the instrument through which God works. Then when Satan comes and strives to take possession of the soul, he finds that Christ has made him stronger than the strong man armed.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1092.

Heavenly Father, I now understand that the strong man armed was Satan in control of my life and all of its talents. I am so thankful that I invited Jesus into my heart and that He is stronger than the strong man armed. I am so thankful that through Him I am free and that the doors of my heart are open for the Holy Spirit to use all of the gifts and talents You have bestowed upon me to Your glory in turning others heavenward. I cling to Thee so that the strong man armed can no longer use me to turn others earthward. Thank You for freedom from the strong man armed. Amen.

Keys to the Storehouse – The Serpent’s Meat

by

Satan is filled with wrath against anyone who professes to be a follower of Jesus—the Christian. Many of us have too well felt his wrath. The only way that Satan can wound the Saviour is by ruining the souls of His saints through his deceptive devices. We need to recognize temptations in order to resist them and endure the trials.

Satan, the serpent, spreads an attractive table to lure the unsuspecting away from the Lord’s table to eat his meat. The world-loving majority is attracted by the delicacies offered there, but at what cost?

“Shall we allow ourselves to be separated from Christ, and thus lose the eternal reward, the great gift of everlasting life? Shall we not accept the enmity which Christ has placed between man and the serpent? Shall we not eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, which means to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God? Or shall we become earthly, eating the serpent’s meat, which is selfishness, hypocrisy, evil-surmising, envy, and covetousness?” Manuscript Releases, vol. 18, 344. [Emphasis supplied.]

We all have a choice to make. Will we eat and grow in grace at the Lord’s table, living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4)? Or will we gorge on the serpent’s fare, developing characters fit only to be tied into bundles ready to be burned (Matthew 13:30)? If you find yourself at the wrong table today, don’t finish that meal! It may be sweet in the mouth, but it will be bitter in the stomach and be the cause of much spiritual sickness, sorrow and hurt to all around you. The serpent serves morsels of profession that come to naught—the soup of evil surmising which sours all around you, stones of self-indulgence, greed, self-centeredness and unkindness with chunks of impatience, resentment, spite, grudging and discontentment.

This is the meat that the serpent provides to entice you to feast upon. Feasting at this table pleases its Satanic host, while causing untold suffering to Jesus and darkening the lives of all around. Please do not finish that meal!

“Satan is filled with wrath against Jesus. But he cannot hurt the Saviour except by conquering those for whom Christ died. He knows that when through his devices souls are ruined, the Saviour is wounded.” Ibid.

We want to resist the temptation to chew on anything that the serpent may want to offer, whether it be impatience, complaining, murmuring, selfishness or anything else that may be sour or distasteful. We are being watched to see at which table we are seated when temptations come.

“The heavenly universe is watching with the deepest interest the conflict between Christ in the person of His saints, and the great deceiver. Those who recognize and resist temptation are fighting the Lord’s battles.” Ibid.

Oh Lord: Rescue me from the serpent’s meat if I should ever thoughtlessly sit at his table and cause sorrow and heartache to all around. I choose to sup with Thee. Fill me to overflowing with heavenly fruits that I will have no room to drink the soup of evil surmising which is very sour to all around, or to crunch on the stones of self-indulgence, greed, self-centeredness, unkindness or to chew on the chunks of impatience, resentment, spite, grudging and discontentment. I come to Your table asking You to feed me and nourish me to overflowing so there will be no room for the serpent’s meat. Amen!

Keys to the Storehouse – Heart Longing

by

There are times that many have a heart-longing that just does not seem to be satisfied by home, family or friends. It is a longing, a desire, for spiritual fulfillment which only God can supply. At the moment of this longing there are no words to express it to our heavenly Father.

One day as this longing came upon me, I happened to be reading in the book of Colossians and the Lord opened to my eyes, and to my heart, a perfect prayer to put into words to express this longing. Please look at the scripture found in Colossians 1:9–11 (KJV).

“… and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.”

“How complete this prayer is! There is no limit to the blessings that it is our privilege to receive. We may be ‘filled with the knowledge of His will.’ The Holy Ghost would never have inspired Paul to offer this prayer in behalf of his brethren, if it had not been possible for them to receive an answer from God in accordance with the request. Since this is so, we know that God’s will is manifested to His people as they need a clearer understanding of His will.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 906.

There is no limit to the blessings you and I may receive when we pray that prayer. Paul was praying for his brethren that most beautiful prayer and I realized that this prayer spoke of the longing of my heart also. Needless to say, I transformed that prayer into my personal prayer and I have been much blessed. I share my personalized version with you, as follows, so you may be blessed as much as I have been blessed.

“God of heaven and earth: I desire to be filled with the knowledge of Thy will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that I may walk worthy of Thee unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in a knowledge of Thee; that I may be strengthened with all might according to Thy glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.”

Pray this with all of your heart and God will satisfy your longing.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word which puts prayers into our hearts that may ascend heavenward to Thy glory. Thank You for Your Word which satisfies our need and personal yearnings for a closer relationship with You. Bless us now as we personalize and put into our hearts Thy Word and then with heart yearning, send that personalized Word up to You. Amen.

Keys to the Storehouse – Danger of Shadows

by

The word light has always fascinated me. What is that light that is so important that Jesus tells us to “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”? Matthew 5:16.

We need to identify it, because “Satan is working with all his hellish power to quench that light which should burn brightly in the soul and shine forth in good works.” Ellen G. White Comments, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1179.

That light must be very important for Satan to want to quench or smother it! Once we know exactly what he is attacking, we can pray and enlist divine help to preserve it.

“What is light? It is piety, goodness, truth, mercy, love; it is the revealing of the truth in the character and life. … Every soul is to be a bright and shining light, showing forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).” Christian Service, 21.

That light is the principle of righteousness, transplanted into our hearts and radiating forth in bright beams from within. Darkness is that earthy character, which is eradicated wherever light is radiating and shining forth.

“True character is not shaped from without, and put on; it radiates from within. If we wish to direct others in the path of righteousness, the principles of righteousness must be enshrined in our own hearts. … The consistent life, the holy conversation, the unswerving integrity, the active, benevolent spirit, the godly example—these are the mediums through which light is conveyed to the world.” The Desire of Ages, 307.

That light is our consistent Christlike life, our holy conversation, and our unswerving integrity, that godly example that shines through us to touch the lives of others. This is what Satan wants to quench and to shadow.

Impatience, discontentment, sadness and gloom all are Satan’s shadows blocking out the light shining through us to others.

As we bask in the light of the Word, we learn to recognize these shadows that do not represent Christ! Resist the devil’s shadows that he may not quench the light that reflects through us to others, the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Satan does all in his power to quench the spirit so the light will go out, leaving the people in darkness. “Trials patiently borne, blessings gratefully received, meekness, kindness, mercy, and love, habitually exhibited, are the lights that shine forth in the character before the world.” Conflict and Courage, 59.

This heavenly light is the target of Satan’s attack. He failed in his attempt to destroy Jesus and all those who cling to His cross and receive power from Him will overcome him in the strength of Jesus Christ and will be conquerors reflecting the light of love and truth and mercy to all around.

“The life of Christ in the soul, His love revealed in the character, would make them the light of the world.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 39, 40.

Father, Open my eyes that I may recognize the shadows of darkness that I have allowed to destroy Your marvelous light. I pray for the character of Jesus to be revealed in my life every moment of every day. Put a song of praise into my heart so that when the trials or shadows appear and try to cover my life, they will not find a home. Thank you Jesus that I can put on the whole armour of God that will protect me from Satan and allow Your light to shine brightly through me without any shadows so that others may be blessed. Amen.

Keys to the Storehouse – The Weights, the Cross and the Yoke

by

Jesus says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23. He also says, “Take My yoke upon you” [Matthew 11:29]. What are the cross and the yoke?

“The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing—the giving up of the will to God.” The Review and Herald, October 23, 1900.

Your cross is giving up your will and yoking up with God’s will. Why is it so hard to let go of your will, your self—your life as it is? In Luke 9:24 it says, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”

In the Greek-English Lexicon, that word for life means the life you live/lifestyle—the earthly. So when you try to preserve your life/lifestyle with all of its weights of character defects, you will lose it anyway—because it will be destroyed. But if you will lose your life—destroy your earthly lifestyle and yoke up with Christ—your life will be saved.

Your self has a battle to fight, because it wants to hold on to the weights that you are to lay aside, the things that so easily beset you (Hebrews 12:1). Why would you want to hang on to weights such as envy, evil thinking, evil speaking, covetousness and eventually be destroyed? Lay those weights aside and yoke up with Christ.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1.

“[Hebrews 12:1 quoted.] … Who are the witnesses? They are those spoken of in the previous chapter—those who have breasted the evils and difficulties in their way, and who in the name of the Lord have braced themselves successfully against the opposing forces of evil. They were sustained and strengthened and the Lord held them by His hand.

“There are other witnesses. All about us are those who are watching us closely, to see how we who profess a belief in the truth conduct ourselves. At all times and in all places, so far as possible, we must magnify the truth before the world.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 934.

These weights are cumbersome and not worth hanging on to. Yoke up with Christ as that great cloud of witnesses before you have done.

“Jesus invites us to come to Him and He will lift the weights from our weary shoulders and place upon us His yoke, which is easy, and His burden, which is light. … The sacrifices which we must make in following Christ are only so many steps to return to the path of light, of peace and happiness.” Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 480.

Heavenly Father, Grant me the grace to let go of these earthly things that weigh me down, these earthly characteristics which misrepresent Your character and that will destroy the opportunity for me to inherit eternal life. Give me the strength to die to self and to yoke up with Jesus. Amen.

Keys to the Storehouse – Ye Know Not What Ye Ask

by

When you ask the Lord for patience, are you sure you know what you are asking for? How is patience gained? “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Is it not through trials and tribulations? To wait is the test for many who are impatient.

When you ask the Lord for the honor of standing with Him, do you understand what is involved? He may require you to stand and endure the reproaches of others even when you are right.

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you asked the Lord over and over for it only to find that when you received it, you found it to be a real disaster for your life?

Do you ask to serve the Lord in other areas while not fulfilling those duties before you right now? “Those who overlook the life duties lying directly in their pathway, who neglect mercy and kindness, courtesy and love, to even a little child, are neglecting Christ. …

“James and John presented by their mother a petition requesting that they might be permitted to occupy the highest positions of honor in Christ’s kingdom. The Saviour answered, ‘Ye know not what ye ask’ (Mark 10:38). How little do many of us understand the true import of our prayers! Jesus knew the infinite sacrifice at which that glory must be purchased, when He, ‘for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame’ (Hebrews 12:2). That joy was to see souls saved by His humiliation, His agony, and the shedding of His blood.” The Sanctified Life, 56.

“Jesus asked them, ‘Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can’ (Mark 10:38, 39).

“How little did they comprehend what that baptism signified!” Ibid., 57.

Jesus said to them, “ ‘Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with’ [Matthew 20:23], Christ declared—before Him a cross instead of a throne, two malefactors His companions at His right hand and at His left. James and John were to be sharers with their Master in suffering—the one, destined to swift-coming death by the sword; the other, longest of all the disciples to follow his Master in labor and reproach and persecution.” The Acts of the Apostles, 542.

Are you able to drink of the cup? Do you know for what you are asking?

“How little do the young suffer, or deny self, for their religion. To sacrifice is scarcely thought of among them. … Self must be gratified, pride must be indulged. They forget the Man of sorrows, who was acquainted with grief. The sufferings of Jesus in Gethsemane, his sweating as it were great drops of blood in the garden, the platted crown of thorns that pierced his holy brow, do not move them. They have become benumbed. Their sensibilities are blunted, and they have lost all sense of the great sacrifice made for them. …

“Said the angel, ‘If such should be ushered into the city of God, … they would have no sense of how dearly that inheritance was purchased for them. They would never realize the matchless depths of a Saviour’s love. They have not drank of the cup, nor been baptized with the baptism. … Those only who have partaken of the sufferings of the Son of God, and have come up through great tribulation, have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, can enjoy the indescribable glory and unsurpassed beauty of heaven.’ ” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 252, 253. [Emphasis author’s.]

Father, I do not know how to come in or go out or even how to pray. I just know that I would like my name to be written in the book of life. I ask that Your will be done and that You help me to drink of the cup that will prepare my heart for heaven.

Keys to the Storehouse — The Price–Is It Too High?

by

Price means that which must be given, done, or undergone to obtain something. (Webster’s Dictionary) What is the price of heaven—what must be given, done, or undergone—and is it too high?

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12, 13.

What must be given, done, or undergone for you and me to obtain heaven?

“Given”—Have you given of yourself—Is the price too high to give of yourself in the study of the word of God so that your heart may “receive” the only begotten Son of God? Who or what is receiving of the time which God has given to you as a gift and what are you receiving in return? Are you receiving worldliness for God’s gift of time? Are you receiving destruction for the gift of health? What are you receiving for the gift of time—the price of heaven? or the price of eternal life lost?

“Done”— Receiving God’s word into your heart—Is it done? Is your heart so complete in its relationship with Jesus that it can be said, “It is done—finished”? Or is the heart wide open to worldly influences and distractions, which are the price of eternal life lost? Will you receive the words “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” [Matthew 25:12]—which is the price of heaven? Or is there an unfinished/undone work—the price of eternal life lost?

“Undergo/undergone”—The old self needs to experience or “undergo” a transformation of self. See Ephesians 4:22–24. Is your “old self” undergoing a transformation? “The old nature, born of blood and the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The old ways, the hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be given up; for grace is not inherited. The new birth consists in having new motives, new tastes, new tendencies.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1101. The new self—the new birth is the receiving of Jesus—the price of heaven; the old self is the price of eternal life lost.

In The Desire of Ages, on page 385, we are told: “The price of heaven is Jesus.”

Jesus is the price you will pay for heaven. It is the giving of your heart—your affection, your life—to receive Jesus. “Heaven is worth everything to us. We must not run any risk in this matter. We must take no venture here. We must know that our steps are ordered by the Lord. May God help us in the great work of overcoming.” Temperance, 114.

Is heaven in your future or is the loss of eternal life your earnings? “It is eternal loss if we gain the whole world, with all its pleasure and glory, and yet lose the soul. Heaven is cheap enough at any cost.” Confrontation, 78.

Father, I pray that I may not shrink from trials, but bear them with patience. I yield my heart fully to the transforming grace of Thy Holy Spirit that I may be able to give, to do, and to undergo all that is needed to receive the price of heaven and not the price of eternal life lost. Amen.

Keys to the Storehouse – I Would Never Deny My Lord, or Would I?

by

Over the years the devil has fooled many, including me. Even today, by our words or our actions we may be denying our Lord. How the devil would rejoice and love to keep this knowledge hidden from us and keep us in darkness. If we have not sorrowed over or confessed these actions, we will be just where the adversary wants us. This is not the time to sleep, but to watch.

Those losing spiritual consciousness are no longer alert to the lurking danger. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” I Peter 5:8. He is seeking whom he may destroy spiritually.

While sleeping and not watching, it is so easy to be lulled into thinking that there is nothing to be sorry for or to confess. What a deception! You are being devoured! There are many ways in which the Lord is denied, instead giving glory to the devil.

“We may deny Him in our words, by speaking evil of others, by foolish talking, jesting and joking, by idle or unkind words, or by prevaricating, speaking contrary to truth. In our words we may confess that Christ is not in us. In our character we may deny Him by loving our ease, by shunning the duties and burdens of life which someone must bear if we do not, and by loving sinful pleasure. We may also deny Christ by pride of dress and conformity to the world, or by uncourteous behavior. We may deny Him by loving our own opinions and by seeking to maintain and justify self. We may also deny Him in allowing the mind to run in the channel of lovesick sentimentalism and to brood over our supposed hard lot and trials.”

“… The conversation and the deportment should be a real and visible expression of grace and truth within. If the heart is sanctified, submissive, and humble, the fruits will be seen outwardly and will be a most effectual confession of Christ.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 331, 332.

“A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them.” The Desire of Ages, 357.

Awake! Ponder the path of your feet moment by moment. Have you denied Him today in thoughts, words or actions? Be honest with yourself; confess those neglects so the devil does not win.

Today is the day of salvation. Go to the Lord, fall on your knees and tell Him your heart’s sorrow for denying Him and ask Him for forgiveness. Give not victory to the devil and lose your eternal life. Jesus is waiting in the Most Holy Place of the Sanctuary in heaven to hear from you today. Tomorrow has not come, and then it may be too late, as it may not come.

Heavenly Father, My heart is filled with much sorrow right now. I now know I have been denying You in thoughts, words and actions. Please forgive me. I praise You for showing me these things. Keep me alert to the dangers in my path that I may not lose eternal life. Amen.

Keys to the Storehouse – Ponder Thy Path

by

Do you realize how much you are loved? God loves you so much that He “gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

There is a statement in Selected Messages, Book 1, 311 that is well worth thinking upon. It begins, “The Creator loves His creatures, but …” (Emphasis added.)

That little word but alters our whole thought process.

We are told to “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:26, 27.

Have you pondered the path of your feet lately? We are told, “Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” Deuteronomy 5:32.

“Joshua, the commander of Israel, searched the books diligently in which Moses had faithfully chronicled the directions given by God—His requirements, reproofs, and restrictions—lest he should move unadvisedly. Joshua was afraid to trust his own impulses, or his own wisdom. He regarded everything that came from Christ, … as of sufficient importance to be sacredly cherished. “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 993, 994.

Have you pondered the path of your feet lately? I ask this because we are told:

“The Creator loves His creatures, but he who loves sin more than righteousness, error more than truth, perpetuates the transgression that brought woe into our world, and cannot be regarded with favor by the God of truth. The way of truth and righteousness involves a cross.” (Emphasis added.) Selected Messages, Book 1, 311.

If you love sin more than righteousness or error more than truth, you perpetuate that sin—you preserve it from extinction, and you will never be allowed into the kingdom of heaven. Are you choosing to follow the heavenly path, pondering the path of your feet so that sin is not preserved?

“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:7, 8.

“The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.” Proverbs 16:17.

When you sin, or violate the law,

  • you have chosen sin over righteousness;
  • you love error more than truth;
  • you perpetuate the transgression and preserve it from extinction.

When you want to “preserve” sin from extinction by your actions,

  • you cannot be regarded with favor by the God of truth.

“The Creator loves His creatures, but … .” If you were to place your name in the place of His creatures, would the word but appear after your name? Send up the prayer found in Psalm 139:23, 24 which says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Lord, I pray that I will always be regarded with favor by You. As I ponder the path of my feet, please give me spiritual discernment that I may see where the devil is deceiving me into preserving sin. I do not ever want to choose sin over righteousness or error over truth. Please hold up my goings in Thy paths that my footsteps slip not. Amen.