Psalm 119:15 I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.

Verse 11 is justly famous, and I memorized it at a very young age, but this verse too is important in the objective stated in verse 9, a young man keeping his way pure. For that matter, it applies to older guys, too! This verse deals with visual temptations, and the world is full of those today to a degree that would have been unimaginable when this Psalm was written. Pornography is a major scourge, and the electronic means to proliferate it continue to expand. On top of that, modesty seems to be a forgotten concept in many corners, so exposure to visual temptation is unavoidable. This verse gives two important clues for resisting all that. The first is meditating on what God has said. The Japanese term for “meditate” used here is very interesting. It literally means, “to dye thoughts.” Fabric is dyed by letting it soak in a coloring solution. When we let our thoughts “dye” in God’s Word, we are very well protected against the mental temptations that are the starting point for the majority of sins. The second point is literally what we choose to look at. (Translating that “consider” seems to weaken it, to me. The Japanese says, “fix my eyes on.”) In the world today, visual temptations are unavoidable, as I’ve already mentioned. However, there’s a difference between seeing and looking at something. We are to be aware of our surroundings, or we might as well be blind. However, we choose what we fix our attention on. Both my desktop computer and my cellphone sometimes flash screens at me that, if clicked on, would lead to pornography, with my having done nothing to invite such. That’s the world we live in. The solution is to fix our eyes on the way God lays out for us.

As I have already indicated, this is personal for me. Even age 76, I’m still a man! However, as verse 11 says, I have stored up a lot of God’s Word in my heart, and the more I let that color my thoughts, the more secure I am. I am concerned for my sons-in-law and my grandsons, and I pray for them. Life in this world is a constant spiritual battle! Part of my calling as a pastor is to equip believers with the armor God provides, (Ephesians 6:11-18) training them to fight as God intends. Jesus is already the Victor, and in Him we are more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that when I do as Your Word says, I am secure. Help me be a faithful coach and guide to those around me, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!