1 Kings 8:58 “May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers.”

There are times when the office transcends the person, and for Solomon, this was one of them. Though he personally violated the laws of Moses later in life, his words as the anointed king, son of David, were true as he dedicated the temple. The truth in this verse is that only God can keep us obedient to Him. Our will must be involved, but there is no way in our human weakness that we can perfectly follow and obey God, unless He does it in and through us. As Solomon pointed out just before he said this, God’s promises are absolutely true and faithful. However, we are not, which is why we must learn to cast ourselves on God’s grace and walk in it, rather than thinking we can go it alone even for a moment. That lesson has a hard time penetrating our stubborn hearts, but God is patient, merciful, and faithful, so we are never to give up hope.

I am in the middle of an intensive lesson in this at this very moment. As much as I teach others about trusting God in every area of life, I allow financial and other pressures to weigh me down. I have just preached on maintaining an attitude of gratitude, yet I have allowed my heart to descend into a turmoil of dissatisfaction. I need to listen to my own sermons and put them into practice! This is also a lesson to me that I must be patient, gentle, and firm with the believers in their struggles. We are together dependent on the grace of God, and I must never forget that. God’s smart and I’m not, God’s faithful and I’m not, but His grace is all I need.

Father, thank You for Your grace indeed. Thank You for allowing this spiritual/emotional attack to teach me further how dependent I am on You. Help me be consistent in wearing all of the armor You provide, as well as in advancing against the enemy, because that armor isn’t for my back! Help me walk always in Your truth, not just as intellectual assent but in obedient practice. Help me receive and walk in Your righteousness, provided in Christ Jesus my Lord. Help me walk firmly and securely with my feet shod with Your good news of peace, not allowing anything to rob me of that. Help me accept the faith You provide, exercising it effectively against everything the devil lets fly against me. Help me take Your salvation on my head, as a sign of submission to Christ Jesus my Lord and to protect me against the mental onslaughts of the liar. Help me not just admire and treasure the sword of the Spirit, Your Word, but wield it effectively to cut through every snare and bondage of the enemy, setting captives free and walking in freedom myself. And help me pray in Your Spirit at all times and in every area, because only Your Spirit knows how I need to pray. Thank You. Praise God!