John Stanko

"Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me" - Psalm 119:133.

Psalm 119 contains many verses that make wonderful prayers you can pray for yourself. Today's verse is a good example. The writer was asking God to guide him and keep sin from having dominion over him. Who should not be praying that prayer? God is able to guide your steps, and you may not even be conscious He is doing so. The safeguard against deception is to make sure all the guidance you "sense" is consistent with God's word. What's more, He is protecting you from things so subtly that you are often not aware of His protection. The Amplified Version of Proverbs 16:3 is a wonderful paraphrase of how God will often guide you: "Roll your works upon the Lord—commit and entrust them wholly to Him—and He will cause your thoughts to be agreeable to His will, and so shall your plans be established and succeed." Have you made a commitment to do God's will before you know what it is? Then you can count on God directing your steps by directing your thoughts. What ideas do you have that you can assume are from the Lord because they are not contrary to His word, and upon which you need to act in the coming year?

Today's reading - Psalm 119