“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
—Psalm 119:105
AS BELIEVERS, the Word of God guides us in certain areas by giving clear and specific directions regarding how we must live. Think of the Ten Commandments; God directs us clearly and specifically with the words, “Thou shall, and thou shalt not!” In His law, God tells us what path we are not to take and what decisions we may not make in life. This is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path because what the Law forbids us to do is the very thing that our sinful nature and this fallen world wants to do.
THE WORLD, our sinful flesh, and the Devil all tell us to commit fornication, adultery, lust, covet, envy, lie, and steal, but God says, “Thou Shalt Not!” In Proverbs 6, Solomon speaks to a young man concerning an adulterous woman who seeks to seduce him and lead him astray from the path of godliness and will certainly do so unless the young man seeks the Law of God for direction. Solomon wrote, “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: to keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman” (Pro. 6:23-24).
THE LAW OF GOD is like a brilliant light on a dark, cloudy night. Therefore, Scripture must be followed. Think of a ship’s captain on a stormy, foggy night, who sees a lighthouse guiding him into a safe harbor, a harbor that is dangerous to enter because of rocks on all sides. One wrong maneuver would mean sure destruction. Think how foolish it would be for the captain to ignore the lighthouse and decide for himself the best way to get the ship into harbor. How ignorant and foolish the captain would be to use his feelings, emotions, personal preferences, or popular opinion rather than the fixed reference point of the lighthouse. The consequences of such a choice would clearly be destruction.
IT IS THE same way with every believer. We have the Word of God to tell us clearly what to do and what not to do. However, when we are foolish and do not rely upon the light of God’s Word, but seek to be guided by our feelings, emotions, personal preferences, or popular opinion, we will surely crash. Will we heed God’s perfect Word and safely avoid the temptations and storms of life or will we foolishly ignore Scripture and crash into the rocks? “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Tuesday Encouragement: July 15, 2025
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
