Overcoming Being Spiritually Tender-footed

Introduction

Because I played so many sports growing up and into my adulthood and not taking care of myself the way I should, I have had many problems with my feet over the years. I have several surgeries but I have come a long way where I can walk and do things that I could not do several years ago. However, I can’t walk barefooted much because my feet are tender. I guess you might say I am tender-footed!

Sometimes, I feel that we as a people become spiritually tender-footed and perhaps we try to walk in areas that we should not.

The Book of Psalms is a beautiful book on how you and I should walk and act as people of God. In fact, the whole book is about the relationship that you and I can have with an Almighty God. It has been called a textbook for the study of worship.

I find it very interesting that the very first chapter of this phenomenal book gives us an instruction concerning good and evil, life and death, the blessing and curse that we may take the right way which leads to a life of blessedness and avoid that which leads to misery and ruin.

Look at this closely with me:

Psalm 1:1–6 NIV84

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1:1-

The introductory comments in verse one show us the admonition and the writer then gives us in the rest of the chapter three areas to help us in our approach to help us overcome being spiritually tender-footed.

Understanding My Foundation

Psalm 1:2 NIV84

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

This verse reminds me that I can get my foundation from the Word of God! I can get here the truth of that I can find my DELIGHT in God’s Word.

What gives you delight? Delight simply means a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment or joy.

What is gives you your greatest delight? Here, the Psalmist writes that the person that is BLESSED receives his or her delight in the Word of God.

Our Bible is made up of the 66 books written by 40 different authors over a 5000 year period.

It contains:

Historical Works

Legal Documents

Poetry

Biography

Prophecy

Personal Correspondence

It is UNIQUE in its amazing consistency and unity!

2 Timothy 3:16 NIV84

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

2 Timothy

The Bible’s reliability is attested by thousands of ancient manuscripts.

It will not take one long to find the amount of archaeological evidence to support the writings of the Old Testament.

One writer has said just of the New Testament alone: “It was so often quoted by the early church fathers in the 1st and 2nd centuries, that the entire New Testament can virtually be reconstructed from their quotations alone!”

You see, the Word of God is worthy of you and me studying it! It is worthy of our time and attention. If we UNDERSTAND IT AS OUR FOUNDATION, we will want to meditate on it day and night. We will find great delight in doing so!

Not only must I be UNDERSTANDING IN MY FOUNDATION, I must be

Secondly,

Unwavering in My Focus

Last night we were driving home and were on 421 and I came up behind this little white car. I checked over my mirror and gave my left turn signal then proceeded to move over into the left lane to pass this car. I noticed that this car was starting to drift over a bit and so I was watching them closely. I thought they might be intoxicated so I need to be careful passing them. We pulled up beside them and there were 2 elderly people in that car. Both of them had burgers in their hands that were HUGE and they were so focused on those burgers that we they weren’t paying attention to the road.

You and I need to be like that to an extent! We must be unwavering in our focus!

Psalm 1:3 NIV84

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

If I am UNWAVERING IN MY FOCUS, I will be

PLANTED AND I WILL BE

FRUIT BEARING IN THE SEASONS

Remember the parable Jesus told of about sowing seeds?

Luke 8:4–8 NIV84

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Luke 8:4-

Where are you planted? Are you planted in a place that want grow and mature? Are you planted along a worn out path, rocky soil, a weedy garden, or in the nurturing rich soil of what God intended for you and I.... so that we can yield fruit in seasons, have leaves that will not whither and be allowed to do things that prosper?

If I am UNDERSTANDING MY FOUNDATION, UNWAVERING IN MY FOCUS, THEN I WILL BE

THIRDLY...

UTILIZING MY FAITH

Psalm 1:6 NIV84

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

You see, God promises us that He watches over the way of the righteous.

If I am UTILIZING MY FAITH, I will be practicing some things that will encourage and enhance my faith journey. We have talked about the importance of spending time in God’s Word but there is also the importance of practicing prayer. Hopefully soon I will be spending some time preaching on the gift of prayer that we have and how we can utilize that more in a daily lives.

How do you utilize your faith?

Do you practice what you preach?

Do you spend time in prayer and pray more than just getting from one crisis to another?

Do you believe that the Lord watches over the way of the righteous?

Are you righteous?

I am convinced that we should be examining ourselves constantly to make sure we are not spiritually tender-footed and that we are able to boldly stand for our Lord Jesus Christ! In fact, we called to remember that the body of Christ was broken and His blood was shed for our sins.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NIV84

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Paul in that same chapters gives us very strict instructions about doing the practice of the Lord’s supper:

1 Corinthians 11:27–28 NIV84

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.

1 Corinthians 11:27-

TIme of examination

Breaking of the bread

Understanding the Blood

Communion