Established

January 28

established 

The room was a disaster. Desks appeared tossed about, popcorn littered the floor, and the whiteboards bore a conglomeration of abstract artwork. My classroom had served as an area for some elementary school-aged actors to rest and stay entertained between their few scenes in the high school musical. Now that the final curtain had closed, I surveyed the damage and went to work sweeping and cleaning. As I folded back the large rug I keep at the front of the room, the words on its underside caught my eye.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. —Psalm 119:105 NKJV 

Then I remembered. At the beginning of the school year, I had written that verse on the bottom of the rug as a symbolic declaration of my true calling. Amidst the piles of paper on my desk, the duties to perform, and the lessons to plan, my primary responsibility was to stand in the truth and authority of Jesus. Regardless of what life brings, we can simply try to survive or truly thrive. The key is in the positioning of our feet.

Jesus told us that each day would hold its own challenges (Matthew 6:34), but He also declared His sovereignty over any situation we face (John 16:33). Being established in God’s Word isn’t simply a Christian cliché. It requires a decision to believe what God says above anything else we read or hear. Moreover, it’s a decision to believe that Jesus—the living Word of God (John 1:1-4)—is more powerful than anything we’ll encounter.

Far beyond a recitation in a Sunday service, our declaration of faith is a decision to stand firm and follow the truths of God’s Word (Psalm 105:11-12; 1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Corinthians 1:21,24). —Regina Franklin

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Psalm 119:105-112

You must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News (Colossians 1:23).

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Read Psalm 33:1-18. Identify five declarations of faith we can make that are based on this passage.

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If given the opportunity, what verse would you write on the floor beneath your feet? What does “thriving” in the midst of challenges mean to you? 

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