Scripture: Psalm 139: 1-2, 23-24

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. ² You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. ²³  Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Scripture Commentary: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

We have a built in device that we use as a protection to keep people from penetrating our personal space. There is no device that will block God from knowing our thoughts because He created us. He knows what we think and what we do.

He knows everything from the time of our birth, the number of hairs on our head, and the date we will depart this earth.

God is with us through every situation.

He is with us in our trials and tribulations, and He protects us and guides us. God is omnipresent; we are never lost from His presence. This is good news to His followers because no matter what we do or where we go, God is always there.

When we ask God to search us as David did, we are really asking for help.

We aren’t aware of our true self but God. Ask God to change the wrongs in you; He will.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Psalm 139

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Psalms:

Blessed Is the One Who Trusts God

Take Shelter in the Lord for Every Storm

Scripture: James 4: 7-10

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Scripture Commentary:

The earth holds the devil and we have to deal with him. God sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to protect us and guide us to His salvation. Humble yourself. Don’t become self-centered which leads you to think you deserve all you can see, touch or imagine. It creates greedy appetites for far more than you need.

Get released from your self-centered desires by humbling yourself before God. Realize that you need to follow Christ. When the Holy Spirit fills you, you will see that this world’s seductive attractions have nothing to offer.

God defeated the devil (Revelation 12: 10-12). When Jesus returns, the devil and all he stands for will be eliminated (Revelation 20: 10-15).

The devil’s days are limited and he is trying to do everything he can to possess as many souls as he can. Although we don’t deserve God’s favor, He reaches out to us in love and gives us worth and dignity despite our human shortcomings.

Live for God all your remaining days.

Read the Entire Chapter Of the Scriptures Referenced:

James 4

Revelation 12

Revelation 20

Read Other Commentary From the Book of James:

To Know the Gospel is Different From Living It

Tame Your Tongue – Watch What You Say

Scripture: Hosea 6: 4-7

The Lord says, “Israel, what should I do with you? Judah, what should I do with you? Your faithfulness is like a morning mist, like the dew that goes away early in the day. ⁵ I have warned you by my prophets that I will kill you and destroy you. My justice comes out like bright light. ⁶ I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices. I want people to know me more than I want burnt offerings.⁷ But they have broken the agreement as Adam did; they have been unfaithful to me.

Scripture Commentary:

Parents can relate to this passage. How many times have you shaken your head in exasperation and asked, “What should I do with you?” In this passage God repeatedly tells His children to turn from their sinful ways and return to Him.

As a parent you tell your children every week to clean their room and every week it’s the same battle. They know that it wouldn’t be such a job if they kept things neat all week long. Yet every week the same battle goes on.

This is the same experience God is having with Israel. It’s the same experience God is having with us today.

In Hosea 6: 4-6, God is saying that He’s told us many times to turn from our sinful ways and return to Him. God is expressing grief at His people’s foolish hard-headedness.

The people’s love was like the “morning mist” and the “early dew that disappears.” God’s people knew His expectations just as we do today. God desires our loyal love.

Is your obedience to God like the morning mist? Does your love fall short? How would you describe your devotion to God?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Hosea 6

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Hosea:

The Rebellious Will Stumble

Return to the Lord Your God

Scripture: James 4: 7-10

 So give yourselves completely to God. Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you. ⁸ Come near to God, and God will come near to you. You sinners, clean sin out of your lives. You who are trying to follow God and the world at the same time, make your thinking pure. ⁹ Be sad, cry, and weep! Change your laughter into crying and your joy into sadness. ¹⁰ Humble yourself in the Lord’s presence, and he will honor you.

Scripture Commentary:

The earth holds Satan and we have to deal with him. God sent His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to protect us and guide us to His salvation. We are to be humble and not become self-centered which will lead us to think we deserve all we can see, touch and imagine. It creates greedy appetites for far more than we need.

Humble yourself in the Lord’s presence.

Realize that all we need to do is to follow Jesus Christ. When the Holy Spirit fills us, we see that this world’s seductive attractions have nothing to offer. God has defeated Satan (Revelation 12: 10-12), and when Jesus Christ returns, the devil and all he stands for will be eliminated (Revelation 20: 10-15).

Satan’s days are limited. He is trying to do everything he can to possess as many souls as he can. Although we do not deserve God’s favor, He reaches out to us in love and gives us worth and dignity despite our human shortcomings.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

James 4

Revelation 12

Revelation 20

Read Other Commentary From the Book of James:

The Tongue Can Defile the Whole Body

Can A Man Have Faith Without Works?