Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:12-14.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
How do you live a perfect day? Don’t look back, do not fear, keep on track, and trust in Me. I am with you, I go before you, and I am your rear guard. Isaiah 52:12.
Do not feel discouraged if you feel that so far in your life you have never even lived one day where you did everything perfect, just remember that My Word tells you that a righteous man falls seven times, but he rises again. Proverbs 24:16. As long as you live among people there will be things you say or do and things they say or do that will cause you disquiet and spoil your “perfect” day of walking with Me in perfect charity. But refuse to fear, entrust your life to Me and go forward, for the steps of a man are established by the Me and I delight in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because I AM the One who holds his hand. Psalm 37:23-24.
Do you desire life and love length of days that you may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:12-14. The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the perfect day. Proverbs 4:18.
Now read what My apostle Paul wrote and match it up with what I told you: “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:12-21. He is telling you to not look back and let your sins stop you, for your spirit is willing but your flesh is weak, not to fear, for I have called you higher and will complete the good work I have begun in you, go forward to what lies ahead, and trust in Me to get you where you should be. I am faithful and I will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.
I am present as your helper, not as your judge, and I will help you and take hold of you by My strong right hand. But you have to be willing to go. You have to be willing to go forward in faith. I got the Israelites to the border of the Promised Land but they would not go across it due to looking back and to fear. But this all came down to that they did not trust Me when they could not see to the end from the beginning. But I do.
They saw My works but they never learned My ways. They never got close to Me to find out who I was. Moses did and he trusted Me, but the people refused to enter into My presence and thus, into My rest. They preferred to grumble and complain and blame Me for everything that happened in their lives due to the circumstances and disobedience to My Word. But that will never get you into your promised land and you will never get free from your failings in that way.
It is not to point fingers at others, or even at yourself so much, it is to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles you, and run with endurance the race that is set before you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at My right hand. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3.
I have good news for you. Jesus has made you perfect before Me and there is nothing in your past now that is slowing you down and holding you back. Even things you did this morning in a moment of inadvertence or weakness. And if you let go of your anger before the sun goes down, I can go to work during the night to straighten things out for you. Each morning My mercies are new, great is My faithfulness.
Paul explained how he let go of his past, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:12-17. And before the Sanhedrin, he said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” Acts 23:1. And he wrote to the Corinthian church, “I care very little, however, if I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:3-5.
How did Paul get such a clear conscience when he had sinned? By the redeeming Blood of Jesus. For he knew what was in him without Jesus. He wrote, “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:21-25. And you may feel like this, but how did he resolve this to a clear conscience? Let him answer: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1-4.
His conscience had been cleansed from dead works by the Blood of Jesus. And so has yours. “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10.
I love you. In My eyes, you are holy, blameless, and beyond reproach for I see you clothed in Christ and I made peace through the Blood of His Cross. 1 Colossians 1:20-22. For by the one offering of Himself, He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Hebrews 10:14. Don’t look back, do not fear, keep on track, and trust in Me and you will find that your days are getting brighter and brighter until you reach the perfect day.