Staying on Track: Devotional 08/30/23

Updates on job opportunity for Ben with GDOT?

Follow up on how the past week went with cussing.

Prayer requests

Introduction:

It is important to not only know where you are going but also how you are going to get there and get there safely.

GPS is a great tool but only if you put in the correct address you want to go to and even then sometimes it leads you to an open lot instead of your preferred destination.

But God not only wants us to become more like His son, Jesus Christ, but He also has a plan to get us there safely if we follow the directions.

Body:

Psalm 17:1-5

A prayer of David.

¹ Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer— it does not rise from deceitful lips.

² Let my vindication (being justified/cleared of blame) come from you; may your eyes see what is right.

³ Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed.

⁴ Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent

through what your lips have commanded.

⁵ My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.

We need to be determined to stay on God’s tracks and not stumble.

David says, “My steps have held closely to Your paths [the the tracks of the One Who has gone on before]” (v.5a AMP). The Hebrew word for paths literally mean’s “wheel tracks.” David is absolutely determined to stay on God’s tracks.

Illustration: picture in your mind a worn out road that is so run down there is only the tracks your tires can drive in. If you try to get out of the tracks, you either slide right back into the track or it causes the car to jump and possibly get into a wreck.

Those are the kind of tracks we are talking about.

In order to stay on God’s tracks, you need to watch:

1. Your heart (what you think about)

‘Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil’ (v.3a).

Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

2. Your words (what you say)

‘I have resolved that my mouth will not sin’ (v.3c).

Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

3. Your feet (the places that you go)

‘My feet have not slipped’ (v.5b).

Romans 6:12-13: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.”

Conclusion:

What are some things I can do this week to keep me on track:

in my heart (what I think)

In what I say

In where I go

Prayer:

Lord, help me to stay on your tracks. May my feet not slip. Help me to guard my thoughts day and night. Help me not to sin against you through anything I say or do.