Mar 29

Psalm 17:1-5
Memorise Psalm 17:4
“by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer”

In this Psalm, King David says that he has avoided the ways of the destroyer. How does he manage to do it? – “by the word of thy lips”. When I read this verse, I am reminded of the Lord’s Prayer, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. Yes, every day we face many things that try to tempt us away from God, and lead us into evil.

To avoid falling into the paths of the destroyer, we can do two things:

1. Keep out of the path of the destroyer;
2. Keep close to God by reading and meditating upon His

Who is the destroyer? It refers to the Devil, the Evil One, who is behind all the wicked works of man. His aim and goal is to see the spiritual downfall of all men. His chief targets would be faithful Christians, for they are the ones who are serving God and bringing glory to Him – which Satan hates! Thus he will go forth like a roaring lion, setting up traps and snares to destroy his targets.

The wiles of the destroyed are many. It need not be something violent (like joining gangs) or the obvious (like pornography). What is more dangerous is often the more insidious temptations – like interesting harmless books that take us away from godly activities (there’s a time for such things, but we must guard our limit); or even subtle sins like pride, impatience, sloth, or a desire to be popular, to fit in with your peers. These are all temptations that Satan would place in our way in his quest to cause us to stumble and sin against God.

Each of us has our own weaknesses, and it is often difficult for us to see where our weaknesses lie (it’s much easier to see the faults in other people!). You may ask – if it is difficult, then what can we do? That’s where the Bible comes in. As we read the Word of God, do we see ourselves in it? Read the Bible, understand it, pray, and God will open your eyes to see that you may be in the path of the destroyer. Not only that, but God will give you the strength to get out of the way (resist temptations) so that you will live a life that glorifies His name!

Thought: Know the Word of God well, and learn to discern the works of the destroyer.
Prayer: Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.