1 00:00:02,730 --> 00:00:06,730 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,790 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening 3 00:00:13,570 --> 00:00:18,459 Speaker 1: to Daily Devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stonge, and 4 00:00:18,500 --> 00:00:22,740 Speaker 1: today's devotion is inspired by Psalm 40, verse 8, which says, 5 00:00:23,860 --> 00:00:27,220 Speaker 1: I delight to do your will, O my God. Your 6 00:00:27,340 --> 00:00:33,010 Speaker 1: law is within my heart. One of the great blessings 7 00:00:33,050 --> 00:00:36,570 Speaker 1: that we experience as believers in Jesus Christ is the 8 00:00:36,650 --> 00:00:40,450 Speaker 1: presence of the Holy Spirit within us. At the moment 9 00:00:40,470 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: of our salvation, we were indwelled with the Spirit, and 10 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 1: He counsels, instructs, encourages, and directs us every day of 11 00:00:49,659 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: our lives going forward. As we walk with the Spirit, 12 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:58,670 Speaker 1: our manner of thinking is gradually transformed. Before coming to 13 00:00:58,710 --> 00:01:02,610 Speaker 1: know Christ, we operated like creatures of instinct, We were 14 00:01:02,690 --> 00:01:07,090 Speaker 1: prone to overemphasize our selfish desires and elevate our will 15 00:01:07,330 --> 00:01:12,209 Speaker 1: above the Lord's. But that's been changed. We see things differently. 16 00:01:12,870 --> 00:01:16,530 Speaker 1: We've been granted the mind of Christ, and the desires 17 00:01:16,590 --> 00:01:20,250 Speaker 1: of our hearts are being brought in line with His will. 18 00:01:21,410 --> 00:01:23,730 Speaker 1: At one point, we would have balked at the idea 19 00:01:23,850 --> 00:01:28,970 Speaker 1: of following God's will or obeying God's law. Now, He's 20 00:01:29,020 --> 00:01:32,290 Speaker 1: blessed us with a longing to do both, As we've 21 00:01:32,330 --> 00:01:35,270 Speaker 1: learned to trust Him, we've also learned that what He 22 00:01:35,330 --> 00:01:40,750 Speaker 1: makes known to us is accurate, true, and beneficial. Once 23 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 1: we taste and see how good the truth of His 24 00:01:43,380 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: Word really is, we begin to crave it more and more. 25 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:53,460 Speaker 1: The law of the Lord isn't burdensome. Rather, in His teaching, 26 00:01:53,780 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: we find freedom from the deceptive beliefs that we used 27 00:01:57,060 --> 00:02:01,570 Speaker 1: to embrace. He grants us new clarities. And the counsel 28 00:02:01,650 --> 00:02:05,990 Speaker 1: He has blessed us with continually points us toward Him. 29 00:02:07,830 --> 00:02:12,780 Speaker 1: Let's pray. Lord, we thank You for Your Word. And 30 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: we thank You for the privilege that it is to 31 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: be able to read this portion of Scripture from the 32 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,540 Speaker 1: book of Psalms today. And Lord, as we look at 33 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,619 Speaker 1: this portion of Your Word, we see a verse that 34 00:02:22,700 --> 00:02:27,590 Speaker 1: reminds us that You have changed our desires. You've caused 35 00:02:27,669 --> 00:02:31,030 Speaker 1: us to delight to do Your will. You've written your 36 00:02:31,110 --> 00:02:34,900 Speaker 1: law within our heart, but that's drastically different from what 37 00:02:34,940 --> 00:02:39,060 Speaker 1: we were born experiencing. There was a season of our 38 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:43,060 Speaker 1: lives where we rejected your will and we rebelled against 39 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,780 Speaker 1: your law. And if you said something, we set our 40 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,579 Speaker 1: minds to do the exact opposite. Scripture tells us we 41 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:53,810 Speaker 1: were living as your enemies. And Lord, we're grateful that 42 00:02:53,830 --> 00:02:57,530 Speaker 1: that's not the state you left us in. Thank you, Lord, 43 00:02:57,570 --> 00:03:01,250 Speaker 1: for changing our thinking. Thank you for changing our perspective. 44 00:03:01,830 --> 00:03:05,790 Speaker 1: Thank you for indwelling us with your Holy Spirit who 45 00:03:05,930 --> 00:03:09,390 Speaker 1: points us to the truth, who creates a new desire 46 00:03:09,470 --> 00:03:14,350 Speaker 1: within us, and who helps us to value your will. Lord, 47 00:03:14,389 --> 00:03:16,530 Speaker 1: we're grateful for the fact that you've opened up our 48 00:03:16,669 --> 00:03:19,590 Speaker 1: eyes to see the truth and that we can live 49 00:03:19,669 --> 00:03:23,510 Speaker 1: our lives now truly aware of of the good things 50 00:03:23,550 --> 00:03:26,210 Speaker 1: you have in store for all those who know you 51 00:03:26,370 --> 00:03:29,850 Speaker 1: and love you. Again, Lord, we're grateful for this reminder 52 00:03:29,889 --> 00:03:32,900 Speaker 1: from your word today. We pray that we would truly 53 00:03:33,020 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: delight in you in all contexts of life, that we 54 00:03:36,780 --> 00:03:39,420 Speaker 1: would delight to do your will, and that we would 55 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: welcome your intervention in our lives and your transformation of 56 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,980 Speaker 1: our hearts. We thank you for all of these things 57 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:50,110 Speaker 1: in Jesus' name. Amen.