Hidden...

Happy Sunday!

Psalm 119:11 says, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."(KJV).  Have you ever wondered why we need to hide the Word?  I would think the Word could be left out in the open anywhere.  Didn't your grandmother have that 16 pound family Bible out on the coffee table?  We generally hide our valuables, our money, and our secrets.  The Message Translation of this same scripture says, "I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt."   That's so good!

In Matthew 13, Jesus taught the Parable of the Sower.  He described how quickly the enemy comes to steal the seeds of the Word before they can germinate in the soil of our hearts.  Our enemy knows that "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."(Romans 10:17, KJV).  He does whatever he can to keep us from hearing the Word, and if we do hear it he causes distractions, and tries to keep us from understanding it.  Think back before COVID-19 and restrictions on large gatherings.  Can't you recall being in church, and the Word getting really good and interesting?  Then all of a sudden and baby starts crying, your neighbor decides to get up and go to the bathroom, or a late comer to the service is ushered to your row?  I can remember so many instances like this.  That was the Devil distracting you from the Word you needed for your well-being.

Thank God for CDs, DVDs, and Streaming Services that allow us to go back and hear what we missed, and listen again, and again.  I have so many little notebooks with years of sermon notes.  They still bless me.  I can pick them up and go back years and the Word is always still relevant.  Our enemy is a liar.  He is like most proficient liars, he does a very good job.  Our only defense is the Truth.  Jesus prayed for us, and said, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."(John 17:17, KJV).  Don't miss this!  The Word of God is the TRUTH.  Truth is the only antidote for lies.

Get the Word, hide it in your heart, then guard it like you guard your precious jewelry.  Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life."(Voice).

Love and prayers, Cynthia