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Daily Devotion: Psalm 5:8-12

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Psalm 5:8-12    "Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.  (9)  For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.  (10)  Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.  (11)  But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.  (12)  For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield."

"Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies."  Why is it important for us to seek the Lord's leadership in our lives?  There is a fact that cannot be avoided or ignored:  There are people in the world who only seek to bring accusations against the Lord's Church and His people. Without the Lord's leadership, we all are prone to take the wrong path in life.  Our minds might tell us we are fully capable of making our own decisions; yet, the truth remains that we are not. I admit to all who have read this far into the devotion: I'm not smart enough to make proper decisions on my own. I need the help of the Lord.

There is no faithfulness in those who are enemies of God and His Church; therefore, my desire is to be the vessel wherein the light of Jesus Christ can be seen.  I make many mistakes, but my heart's desire is to be that "peculiar people" (different from the way of the world) of whom Peter wrote. I used this verse a few days ago, but I feel the need in my life to be reminded over again. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." (1 Peter 2:9) God has chosen each one of His people to be the difference in this world. This is what David was writing in Psalm 5.  We are to be different in that we show forth the praise and glory of our Lord in our everyday walk. He called us out of that darkness into His light and we are not to turn back to the darkness.

There is no faithfulness in the enemies of God; therefore, for me to be faithful, I must live life according to God's leadership. One of the parts of the fruit of the Spirit is temperance, or self-control.  Much exercise is required in order to refrain from jumping into the fight that the ungodly are attempting to rage against us. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)  Much self-control, or better said, much "God control" is needed in our lives in order to be that different people in a world of darkness. "Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies."  Please Lord, help me that I would not be a part of the offense against you and your church.

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