#42 - What God's Word Actually Does in Your Life | Psalm 119 Devotional

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Welcome to the Mind and Faith Matters podcast.

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I'm the host, Dr. Cory Potter, and today we're

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going to spend some time reflecting on Psalm

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119. But before we get into the show, I want

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to talk about something real. Most of us want

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similar things in life. We want clarity when

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things feel confusing. We want strength when

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we feel worn down. We want peace when everything

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feels loud. We want direction when we feel stuck.

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Psalm 119 speaks directly into those situations

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and even if you're not sure about what you think

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on the Bible or you don't feel naturally drawn

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to scripture, this chapter shows what can begin

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to grow in you when you trust God's truths and

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they become part of your daily life. Psalm 119

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happens to be the longest chapter in the Bible.

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And it's filled with encouragement. It's written

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as a structured poem with 22 sections, each one

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using a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

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That structure helped people to remember it and

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live with it. And as you read it, one message

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keeps coming up. A life with God is built on

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his word. Before we go deeper, it helps to know

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what God's word means in this song. It's more

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than encouraging verses. It includes God's commands,

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His ways, His promises, and His instructions

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for how to live. And the writer is not in an

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easy period of his life. He talks about things

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like grief, pressure, people attacking him, and

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feeling worn down. I want you to understand that

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God's Word and His promises do not remove all

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of the challenges of life, but He meets Him,

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this Author, in the middle of it. I've had times

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in my life like that too. Times when I feel stretched

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thin, and God's Word became the one place that

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steadied me. Let's start with the idea of relying

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on God's Word. The writer says he has stored

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God's Word in his heart so he can stay away from

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sin. That takes effort. He is choosing to remember

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what God says and keep it close. When God's truth

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is already in your mind, it can guide you in

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a moment you need it. He also says he feels worn

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down and asks God to give him strength through

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his word. He turns to God's word when he feels

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low. He looks for strength there. And when others

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challenge him, he talks about speaking truth

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with confidence. God's word gives him clear answers.

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It helps him stay steady when he speaks. So relying

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on God's word means keeping it in your mind,

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turning to it when you feel weak and when you

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feel strong, using it when you speak and make

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choices. Now let's look at what begins to grow

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in you over time when you live this way. Psalm

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119 gives a long list of results from relying

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on God's Word. These are not ideas from one verse.

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They show up again and again throughout the chapter

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in several verses. And this is not the only place

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in the Bible that affirms these truths. Over

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time, God's Word grows things like a heart that

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avoids sin. It trains your desires and helps

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you make better choices. Strength. when you feel

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low or full of grief it lifts you up when you

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feel depleted confidence in how you speak it

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helps you answer clearly and stay grounded hope

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it gives you something solid to hold on to comfort

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during hard times it supports you in stress and

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pain A clearer sense of God's goodness. God's

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Word helps you walk in line with His care. Guidance

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for daily decisions. It shows the next step.

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Wise advice. It gives direction you can trust.

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Peace! A deep peace that doesn't depend on everything

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going right. It gives you understanding. God's

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Word helps you think clearly and make wise choices.

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It gives you freedom and confidence. It helps

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you move forward without feeling stuck. It gives

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you a stable foundation. Something solid that

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does not change. It gives you a joy. that can

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exist even alongside sorrow. God's Word gives

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you focus in your life. It keeps your life from

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drifting. How about steadiness under pressure?

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It helps you hold your ground in difficult situations.

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It gives you a desire to do what is right. By

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this I mean it shapes what you want, not only

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what you do. The Word gives you steady growth.

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It helps you keep moving forward in life. God's

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Word gives you discernment and it helps you recognize

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wrong paths. Renewal, it restores your focus

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and energy. A sense of safety and security, it

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becomes a place of protection. When you hear

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all of that together, you start to see a clear

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picture. God's Word speaks into every part of

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life, your thoughts, your choices, your emotions,

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your direction, your relationships. And for the

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writer of this chapter, God's Word is not a chore

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or an obligation. He talks about it like something

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He loves, something that brings life, and He

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delights in it. He treasures it. Take a moment

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and think about this. If you are looking for

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hope it is here. If you need comfort it is here.

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If you feel stuck and need direction it is here.

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If you feel worn down and need strength it is

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here. Here are a few questions I want you to

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reflect on. What are you putting into your mind

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each day? Where do you go when you feel tired

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or stressed? What is shaping your decisions right

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now? Relying on God's Word is part of our daily

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life and for those who want to follow Him. It

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shapes how you think, how you speak, and how

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you act. Over time, it shapes what you experience.

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God's Word teaches you and changes you. As you

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spend time in it, you begin to see more clarity,

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more strength, more peace, and more hope in your

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life. Take a few minutes today to read Psalm

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119 and think about it. Even if you're curious,

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see what stands out to you. You may be surprised

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by what meets you there. Let it guide you let

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it strengthen you let it shape how you live Thanks

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for joining me today for this devotional episode

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it helps when you subscribe to the show wherever

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you listen to your podcast I want you to know

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that God gave us this word out of love and his

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promises his commitments his covenants Everything

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that he gives us in his word is out of who God

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is and God is love. God bless and have a wonderful

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week filled with God's word.