“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word…Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Psalm 119:9 & 11 KJV
Titus 2:13-14 says, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
God redeemed us from all iniquity to purify us unto Himself, so why do we still sin? We choose to. Don’t get me wrong, you still drag around this old sinful flesh, but you are no longer a slave to your old nature because once you are saved, you are a new creature in Christ.
II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Our flesh is still active, and it will drag us through all sorts of ungodliness if we let it. But God has empowered us with the means to control our sinful desires. And that is through obedience to His Word.
I Peter 1:15-16 says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
God expects His children to live a life of holiness. You cannot do that if you are in sin; and the flesh draws us toward sin. So how do you counter that ungodly appeal?
Psalm 119:9 and 11 says, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way…” Basically, that means, How does a young person clean up his act? To live a holy life, you must rid yourself of any sinful attitude, thought, or deed. These are the things we must cleanse from our lives to live holy.
“…by taking heed thereto according to thy word…” To take heed means to “pay careful attention to; to obey.” According to means “in a manner corresponding to (or in harmony with).” Therefore, we cleanse our sinful and ungodly ways by obeying and living in harmony with God’s Word.
“…Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” To hide God’s Word in your heart means to internalize His truths as spelled out in His Word; to accept them, to believe them, to trust them, to make them a vital part of your lifestyle. However, before you can live by the truths in God’s Word, you must first know His Word. You must read it, study it, and meditate on it.
As you start taking heed according to God’s Word, you will also start hiding it in your heart and God’s Word will empower you to resist temptation so you don’t sin against Him.