Your Word a Lamp to My Feet

[Speaker 1] For another first Saturday in the month of May, another edition of our Singles Club, a program particularly targeting young men and young women. We trust the Lord again today that as we commence the meeting, linking with everybody joining us either here physically or on Telegram, we are trusting the Lord that it will be a refreshing time in the name of Jesus Christ. As we move on this morning, let us have a word of prayer. Almighty God, we are grateful unto You. We thank You for Your mercies. We thank You for Your goodness. We thank You for all that You are and You have been doing in our lives. We thank You for the month of January, February, March, April, and for bringing us into the fifth month of the year 2022. We commit ourselves into Your hands. We pray that as we go into the month, Your presence will go with us in Jesus' name. And Lord, as we fellowship together in the scriptures this morning, with the scriptures this morning, we pray, let Your Spirit work within us in the name of Jesus Christ. Our Lord, our eyes are on You. Nothing will prevail against Your purposes for our lives in Jesus' name. Thank You, Almighty Father. Blessed be Your holy name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the month of April, we considered a very important topic. We were reflecting on something that has to do with having correct priorities in our life. In the month of March, we considered "Created to be Guided." In the month of April, we considered the case of the rich young man who came to Jesus and was concerned about the matters of eternal life. But unfortunately, his prize in life is not Jesus. His prize was his riches. When the Lord told him, "Okay, this one thing you lack. Go, sell all that you have, give to the poor, and then follow me." The Bible recorded that the man became sorrowful. He became sorrowful because, of course, he has a lot of riches. And it was unfortunate that in his considered judgment, riches became a very important thing than Jesus. The desire to be rich, the desire to remain rich, the desire to sustain riches was more important than the desire to follow Jesus. And so we told young people in the month of April, remember you are created to be guided by your Creator. That was in the month of March. Then in the month of April, we concluded by telling our young men and women that look, be careful. Nothing must come before God, not even riches. Because of this desire to be rich today among the younger generation—not as if the older generation don't seek riches, but we are just looking at the surge of what is happening around us today with what is happening with the younger generation. And that topic was a target at that. That there is nothing wrong in being rich, but be careful that your desire to be rich, your desire to remain rich, and your desire to sustain riches do not stand in your way, in the way of the Lord. Be sure that the Lord comes first before any other thing. As a follow-up to our discussion in March, which was "Created to be Guided," for the month of May, we are considering a follow-up to that topic. And our topic for today is "Thy Word" or "Your Word, A Lamp to My Feet." Your word, a lamp to my feet. That's the topic we want to consider for today. And wherever you are, I want you to open up your heart to receive from the Lord, open up your heart to be instructed by Him. Of course, that quote is a very familiar quote. It's coming from a very familiar scripture, Psalm 119:105. Let's go to that scripture together. Psalm 119:105. That's where that quote is coming from. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. This is what we want to consider today. And I said it's a follow-up to our discussion on "Created to be Guided." But particularly, even though we are considering the verse, Psalm 119:105, I'm more particular about the first part of it because the second part, "Thy word a lamp to my feet," a lamp to my feet, "and a light to my path." That's the New KJV. NLT wrote in a very similar way too: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." NIV wrote exactly the same way: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." The Message wrote, "By your word, I can see where I am going. By your word, I can see where I am going through a beam of light. By your word, I can see where I am going." Your word, a lamp to my feet. By your word, I can see where I am going. The KJV translation says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." The Amplified says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Now, the first comment I want to make is to remind us of something we said in March because I said the underpinning to this May Singles Club topic is actually coming from that of March. It's a follow-up. And everything we are doing for 2022 is under the theme, the broad theme, "The Lord Our Shepherd." Don't forget that was where we started from in January, "The Lord Our Shepherd." That if the Lord can be our Shepherd, then we can be sure that we will have everything we need. We will not lack. And it's under that umbrella of "The Lord Our Shepherd" that we are considering several topics. The Lord Our Shepherd. And He says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet." I said the first comment I want to make is to remind us of something we said in March from the book of John. John 1, beginning from verse 1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." We noted something in the month of March that it is important for every one of us to realize that if you remove the Word of God, if you remove the life of God, then man don't have light. If you remove the Word of God—it says in that Word was life, and that life is the light. That's the light for man. So when you remove the Word of God and the life that emanates from the Word of God, the truth is that a man's life is in darkness. A man's life is in darkness. What that simply means, we can look at it very literally because the Bible says the invisible things of God are made known by the visible things that we see. So just try to look at it physically that a man is in darkness. That man, of course, will be able to do a lot of things in that darkness, perhaps, but you can be sure those things will not be at their best. Those things will not be excellent. Imagine a man trying to pick color blue from color green inside a dark room. You can be sure it's going to be a game of luck and a game of chance. It can't be a game of certainty. But in light, a man can be certain. In darkness, it will be a lot of uncertainties. That is why life is full of uncertainties today. One dimension to darkness is the uncertainties that surround life. You want to marry, you are not sure of how it is going to turn. You want to pick a course, you are not sure of how it is going to be. You want to embark on a particular undertaking, you don't know how it is going to turn out. You want to get a business partner, you don't know how it is going to be. You just, you know—and that is why you see that generally, people run from one herbalist to another herbalist, those that believe in black power, to go and consult oracles to get at least, just to handle the uncertainties of life. Those who don't do that, some run from one prophet to another prophet trying to get direction. "I want to marry this person, I want to embark on this journey to the US. Please, prophet, help me find out if it's going to work out well. Can you give me some light into the future?" And so you find all of these. And for us who are believers, it ought to be as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. We should be led by God's Spirit. So one dimension to darkness is uncertainty, the uncertainties that surround the matters of life. Another dimension to darkness is how to take appropriate decision and at the appropriate time. Appropriate decision at the appropriate time. Beyond that, another dimension to darkness is the concern for the future. The concern for the future. Another dimension to darkness is decision making. What the Bible makes us see in all of these is ordinary man cannot handle these things by themselves. Another dimension to darkness is has to do with wickedness, sin, forbidden, the world of unrighteousness, unholiness, iniquity. That's another dimension to darkness. Immorality. Just count all of those things. Now, the Bible is saying that in Him was life, and the life was the light of man. It means when you remove the Word of God and the light of God, I want you to see where the life of man is. The life of man is uncertain. Man cannot handle the future. Man cannot take appropriate decision at the right time and at the appropriate decision and at the appropriate time. It becomes a very big problem to handle uncertainties. It becomes a very big problem to handle how will the future turn. It becomes a very big problem to have victory over the matter of sin. So the Bible is trying to make us see that actually, when you remove the Word of God and the light of God, the truth is that the life of a man is in darkness. The life of a man is in darkness. The life of a man is surrounded by so, you know, he is surrounded by so many abnormalities. So if we go back to where we are coming from, the psalmist, hundreds of years ever before the New Testament was written, the psalmist, the Word of the Lord is making us to see something that men who had correct walk with God, something that they realized by the inspiration of God. What did they realize? It's what we just read in Psalm 119:105. That Lord, Your Word—if not for Your Word, oh, my feet will not have a lamp. Thy Word is a lamp to my feet. And when we talk about feet, we are talking about taking step. We are talking about taking step, taking step one after the other, stepping. Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, taking step when I want to step. I need Your Word to take steps. Now, it is after I'm taking those steps in His Word that eventually it now becomes a light to a path. I now see exactly correctly where I am going. So my concern today is about first taking a step. That's my concern this morning, that's my focus. Because once the steps are not properly taken, then forget about the path. Forget about the path. The first thing is a lamp to my feet, to take step. I must first be able to step correctly before I now know the path that I'm going. And the same way, once my steps are not right, by the time I will realize the path that I'm going, sometimes it might be too late. Sometimes it might be a serious regret. So what brings about a path is first and foremost the step that you are taking, the nature of the step. Are you stepping rightly or are you stepping wrongly? So Thy Word, a lamp to my feet. A lamp to my feet in taking step. Thy Word is the lamp. Now, the implication is this. If you are to be in a—if you are to imagine people wanting to walk in the night, I don't know if you have experienced that. Just imagine that they want to walk in the night and there is no light at all, there is no street light and the neighborhood, I mean there is no security light that is on and they want to walk on the street. Imagine this person trying to walk on the street without light at all. What are the possibilities in taking step? You know, sometimes you will not even know that there is a pothole. Sometimes you may not know that there is a pothole that has water. But when you step, sometimes, "Ah! Water!" Then you remove your feet again. Removing your feet again, you may step again into another water because you are not seeing properly. So you notice that when people want to walk in the night where there are no street lights and no security lights from houses around, you will notice they will put on the light of their phone or they will have a flashlight. Why? So that they can be seeing where they will push their feet. They will be putting it on the ground to see where they will put their feet. They are going to a particular place, but they need to know where to put their feet on the road. The Bible is saying that for us to know where to put our feet, the Word of God is the lamp to our feet. For you to know where to put it, for you to know how to step, so that you don't step—I was just discussing a week, just last week, I saw a friend and the person seemed to be limping on one of the feet. So I approached her, I said, "Ah, what happened?" She said, "Oh, sorry, I was walking somewhere and I didn't see this sharp broken bottle, so I stepped on it." So you see that because the step was on the wrong thing, there was a problem. So the Bible is trying to make us see that if we will not step on the wrong thing, number one, or if we will not step into the wrong things, number two—stepping on the wrong things or stepping into a wrong thing—you need the Word of God. You need the Word of God at the level of your steppings. Because once your stepping has problem, forget about a path. Forget about a path. The first thing is about your steps. So if you imagine that those some group of people or an individual is walking in such a night, no street light, no security light from houses, the person definitely needs something to guide the steppings. So I want you to look at your life like that. So that if you don't have the Word of God as a young man, as a young woman, the implication is that your steppings are going to be either stepping on the wrong things or stepping into the wrong things. Stepping on the wrong things or stepping into the wrong things. Because if you imagine it without that light, people will be walking and then afraid, not—you know, the movement again, you will notice will be slow. Many times people don't know that a lot of things slow them down when they don't have the Word of God. Do you know that sin can slow down your life? Do you know that disobedience can slow down your life? I just remember one day when a parent came around—I'll just give you an example so that you can get it right. A parent came around and wanted to check the result of his son, an undergraduate. So we began to check record. The long and short of that discussion was that the young man registered last in his 100 level. Now, he was supposed to have a five years program. He was on his seventh year in the school. That was why the parents were wondering, say they had not computed my result, some people have gone to serve. So the parents became worried, that's why they came to investigate. Only for them to now realize that all the while when the young man was collecting money from them, he was collecting money for every section. He registered last in 100 level in the first year when he came in. The remaining of that year, you had not registered. Yet, he was collecting money, he was living fine. Now, it was seven years. By the end of the fifth year, his mates had gone to serve. By the seventh year, the parents came. Of course, the mother was completely demoralized. The father was virtually weeping. But I want to ask, whose life was slowed down? The young man's life has been slowed down. They are now making arrangement for him to go to another institution or how they can do some condonation, how he can start again. Even if he eventually come back to start, look at the gap between him and his contemporaries. So what I'm trying to make you see is that when a man is in darkness, people don't realize it also slow down people. When there is no light, you will notice that when they are walking, they will be walking very slow. They will not be able to walk normally because they are not sure of what they will step on. I'm showing you the implication of not having the Word of God in your life. You can step into the wrong things, you can step upon the wrong things, your life can be slowed down. Another thing I want to show you. If you also look at those people walking inside that darkness, you will notice something. They will be apprehensive because they are not sure of what they are stepping on. They are just trying to manage through the darkness. They are trying to manage through the darkness. They will be walking with some measure of apprehensiveness. I'm trying to make you see why the Word of God is such in our life. You will notice a life full of anxiety, a life full of all kinds of anxiety. Anxiety over this, anxiety over that, anxiety over the state of this, anxiety, anxiety, anxiety in such a life. I'm talking of—I'm trying to explain to you this matter of "Thy word a lamp to my feet." So I want to look at those four directions this morning. That the Word of God as a lamp to our feet is the guarantee that number one, we will not step upon the wrong things. Number two, we will not step into the wrong things. Number three, our life will not be slowed down. Number four is that we will not live a life of uncertainty, apprehensive, not knowing where to put our step. You are not confident about life, you are not courageous about where you are going, you are not too sure—even though it looks as if things are working, there will be this apprehensiveness. You are apprehensive. What a great difference if a man is to start a project and somebody can declare the end of that project for him. The Bible says God declares the end from the beginning. How does it look like if you want to start something and the Lord says, "My daughter, this is the end of it, go on." Do you see how much that person will be at rest? Do you know how much that person will be at rest? I remember an incident when we were trying to relocate from one part of the country to another, moving from the north to the south at a particular time in our own history. And as we were putting things together, the Lord said, "Go. Your soul will dwell at ease and your seed will be established upon the land." You know, that gave us this kind of confidence and rest. People spoke about so many things, "You don't know how it's going to look like, you don't know how it's going to be." We just told them our soul shall dwell at ease. "Are you sure?" Because there was the Word of God. So I'm talking about this, I'm looking at these four directions today for your life as a young man, for your life as a young woman. The Bible says Thy Word is a lamp to my feet. It's a lamp to my feet. It's a lamp to my feet, and as a lamp to my feet, eventually it becomes a light to my path. Thy Word. Now, when the Bible says, "Thy word, Thy word is a lamp to my feet," the Bible is making us to see that while there may be so many things that people may use as a point of decision making, guidance, and direction, the Bible is making us to see one very, very, very important thing about ourselves as human beings. The Bible is making us to see the importance and the place of the Word of God in our life. The importance and the place of the Word of God in our life. Now, when we look at this matter, I want to put two things together in considering the statement I just made. Can we look at Psalm 1? Psalm 1. The book of Psalm chapter 1, from verse 1. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way, in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." I want you to look at something there. And in looking at that, I want you to relate it to the way the Amplified put it. We'll now compare it with the way the Message put Psalm 119:105. It says, "Happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable." Happy, fortunate, prosperous, enviable. May this be our life in the name of Jesus. It says that is trying to explain the word "blessed." To be blessed is to be happy. To be blessed is to be fortunate. To be blessed is to be prosperous. To be blessed is to be enviable. Is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly, that is, following their advice, their plans, and their purpose. Happy, fortunate, prosperous, enviable is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly, that is, not following their advice, not following their plans, not following their purpose. Nor stands, that is, submissive, inactive, in the path where sinners walk. Nor sits down to relax and rest where the scornful and the mockers gather. Instead, look at what the Bible says. Instead, for that man, his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. So the Bible is showing something. When it says "Thy word is a lamp to my feet," the Bible is making us to see that there are two categories of people. One category is the category that their delight is not in the law of the Lord to meditate on it day and night. They have not seen a reason to meditate on the Word of God day and night. It is not their delight. They have not found it as something that is glorious, something wonderful. And so because they don't delight in the law of God to meditate on it day and night, to find pleasure in it, to study it, to know it, so that they can put it into practice, their way is that they walk in the counsel of the ungodly. They sit in the seat of sinners. They also stay in the path of the scornful. That's where they stay. Because their delight is not in the law of the Lord. Because they do not follow the plans and the counsel that comes from the Word of God. They do not follow the dictates, the teachings, the instructions that come from the Word of the Lord. There are instructions in the Word of the Lord. That's what we are seeing in the book of Joshua. Joshua 1:8-9. "This book of the law should not depart out of your mouth, but do everything to meditate on it day and night so that you can observe to do what is there." Anybody who don't make the Word of God a delight cannot know what is there, not to talk of observing to do what is there. So the first thing is to meditate on it, to find delight in it, to meditate on it day and night, so that you can even know what is there, so that you can put into practice what is there. That was what he told them. Now, when a man don't do that, the problem with such a life is that that life will walk in the counsel of the ungodly. That life will stand in the path of sinners. That life will relax where mockers gather. So you are seeing two lives. For one life, the Word of God is the delight. The Word of God is his meditation day and night. You are seeing it. Blessed is the man, fortunate, enviable, happy, enviable, happy, fortunate, prosperous is the man that does not instead, in taking his step, in living his life, he does not go—he does not walk or live in the counsel of the ungodly, that is, he does not follow their advice, he does not follow their plan, he does not follow their purpose. Then when it comes to sinners, he does not submit to their path. That man again, that individual, he or she does not rest, does not, you know, relax in the path of those who make light of the things of God, mockers. "Oh, we need to pray, abeg forget. You forget, we pray, let's see what to do about it." Serious things are going on in the things of God, they just make light of it. "Ah, it is important to study the Bible. Ah, we will study anyhow. Look, what things are on my mind now, there are better things to pursue for now. Anyhow, we'll be finding time for the Bible." I mean people who just make light of spiritual things. People who are not—people who don't revere the things of God, who don't reverence it. People who can only make jokes out of the things of God. A young man was to eat eba, and then he stood by the thing and he looked at it, he said, "Oh, that mountain before Zerubbabel shall become a plain." And he began to eat the eba. That is what some people can make out of the Word of God. Cartoon, laughter, jokes. I wonder what relate that scripture to the issue of the food that he wanted to eat. That it becomes a mountain before Zerubbabel, you will become a plain. And then he said, "Yes, you have become a plain before Zerubbabel." You can—I'm just trying to mockers. But the Bible says blessed is anybody whose stepping in life is not that way. His stepping is that he delights in the law of the Lord. So in the law of the Lord, he's meditating day and night. So the Word of God is the lamp to his feet. In taking his step, he's looking at the Word of God. He's delights in the Word of God. He delights in it to do what is there. The Bible says blessed is that man, fortunate is that man, enviable is that man, prosperous is that man. And I pray for you young man listening to me, may this be the characteristic of your life. May you be happy, may you be fortunate, may you be prosperous, may you be enviable in all matters of life in the name of Jesus. It's a wonderful thing if a young man, a young woman is happy. It's a wonderful thing to be a fortunate person in life. I mean in all matters of your life—academically, spiritually, maritally, financially—you are seen as fortunate. You are seen as prosperous. You are seen as enviable. "Oh, I wish my life is like this person's life. I wish my marriage is like this, so-so peaceful, so good, so wonderful. I wish my children are like his children. I wish my job—" you know what it means to be enviable. When people are trusting God that, "Lord, God, oh look at what you have done for this person, Lord if you can do the same for me." The Bible says when the Word of God is a lamp to your feet, then your life become a happy life, a fortunate life, a prosperous life, an enviable life. Why? Why will it not be like that? There is every reason for it to be like that because when you look at that Psalm where we are coming from, that Psalm 119:105, I want to particularly read this time now the Message translation of that verse. If you look at that place that we read, the Message, why will the life of the person be like that? It says, "By your word, I can see where I am going." You know, when a young man, a young woman, an individual can see where he's going, you will not step on the wrong things. You will not step into the wrong thing. I've had occasion to discuss with some people, say, "Ah, one great mistake I made in life was this thing that I did. Ah, I wish I knew this when I was younger." Discussing with one elderly man, he said, "Oh, sir, I wish I knew this when I was younger. I would not have gone the way—" Oh! You see older people having regrets. Why? Because as at the time when they were taking decision at a point in their life, they did not see where they were going. He said, "By your word, I can see. I can see that oh, there is a bottle in this place, if I step on it, it will cut my leg. Oh, I can see that oh, this—no, no, no, I should not go into this business, I should not marry this person, I should not do this part. No, I'm not supposed to do like this. No, I should do this one now. No, I should do that one. No, I can't do this to my home." You are able to see where you are going. I'm telling you, if many young men and women can actually see where they are going, they will not be doing certain things that they are doing. The young man that I gave you the example of, who after seven years it was discovered that he has not been registering at all—if he really see where he was going, would he have done that? The 24 years old, or 30 years old young man in Ekiti State who raped a ten years old girl and then was sent to jail? In Ekiti State, the judiciary was asked to publicize his name as somebody who went to jail for rape. Because that's a way to defame and to make sure that people who do such things are punished now. They not only put them in the prison, they will publish their name in the newspaper for people to see with their picture. "This person have gone to the prison in connection with this." I want to ask you, if that person can see where he was going, will he be going ahead to rape a child of 10 years, a boy of 28 or 30 years old? Will he have—you see, people can't see where they are going. That is, they could not see the end, they could not see the consequence, they could not understand, they could not put all of these things together without the—the Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. They cannot see everything through. The Bible says through wisdom a house is built. They cannot see everything through. But he said, "Your word help me to see." "Ah, this road!" It was like some three days back myself and my wife we were driving. Immediately we entered into the junction of a particular road, my wife just raised up her hand and said, "Oh! We are not going to take this road." I said, "What?" I didn't see. "Can't you see?" And then she— "Oh!" I said, "Okay." They are constructing a bridge now, so they have blocked the road. So quickly, before we turn into that road, we now have to ask somebody, "Please, we are going to that other side, is there any other road to pass?" "Yes, go the other way round." It was because we could see it. May you be able to see afar in the name of Jesus Christ. Look at how the Bible puts that matter of seeing. You see, sight is a very, very powerful thing. That's what most young people don't know—sight. I'm not talking of just your physical eye, I'm talking of being able to see what is coming, being able to see particularly what God is doing. I want to read a particular scripture for you again in Proverbs 29:18. I would like to read it again in the Message translation. It brings it out very well. Proverbs 29:18. "If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble over themselves." If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble over themselves. But when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed. When they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed. Sight is a very powerful thing. What helps you to see what God is doing is the Word of God. I'm just primarily talking about meditating on the Word of God and obeying scriptures. That's what I'm talking about. It says, "But when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed." When they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed. They are most blessed. So the point about sight—he said, "By your word, I can see where I am going." I can see. I can see how this matter will end. I can see how it is going to be. Ah, even when it looks like, "Ah, this thing, how is it going to look like?" Your word makes it certain, makes it certain that this is how it's going to be. I can rest on Your word. And if you go back to that Psalm 1, back to that Psalm 1 that we read, let's look at it again, that Psalm 1 that we read. After the Bible have told us that blessed, happy, fortunate, prosperous, enviable is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly, following their advice, their plans, their purpose, nor stands submissive and inactive in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down to relax and rest where the scornful gather. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. Look at the next thing the Bible begins to say. Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Look at what will happen to the life. Look at the consequence. I'm trying to make you see the consequence of making the Word of God a lamp to your feet. When it becomes a lamp to your feet, what is the consequence of it? What are the consequences? He says, "He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water." May your life, may your future be like this in the name of Jesus. I don't know if you understand what the scripture is saying in that place. Have you ever seen trees by water? What do you notice about them? You will notice that they are evergreen. They don't know change of season. When it is dry season, those things are happening, everything far away from them will be dry, they will still be green. You know what it's trying to say? It's trying to say that in all seasons, they will be overcomers. In all seasons, they will remain fresh. As they face different seasons of life, from singlehood to be married, from a marriage without children and when they begin to bear children, when they begin to bear children so when they begin to rear children, when they begin to rear children to when the children are grown up and they have left the house. Another season is when they move from young couples to older couples. Another season is different seasons of life. Different seasons of life. One time they are student, they are no more student. They become workers, they become colleagues with other people. Are you understanding me? It says they will be like tree by rivers. It means in every season of their life, they are green. I pray may this be your portion. May this be your portion in the name of Jesus. When a life is consistently green through all seasons—we pass through different seasons in life. Different seasons of life. Even with aging, there are different seasons—from infancy to childhood, childhood to pre-teens that we call adolescence, then from adolescence to teens, from teens to young adult, from young adult to adult, from adult to elderly. Like that. You see, even age, even as we age, we are changing season. But the Bible says for such an individual, they will be like tree by rivers of water. Such a wonderful life. In storm, in rain, in difficult times, on the mountain, in the valley, as they pass through different things in life—challenging time, difficult time, easy time—oh God, what you notice about this life is that they are evergreen, ever fresh. Hallelujah! I'm showing you what the Word of God brings into the life of a young man, brings into the life of a young woman. I'm showing you why the Bible says enviable, blessed. He's telling you why now. You are seeing why the person is fortunate. It's a person not fortunate that is evergreen, all the seasons evergreen. It said, "He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water." What do you see? "That brings forth its fruit in its season." That's another matter. Apart from being by the rivers of water, that whatever season it is green, another point is that when a life is like that, that life in its own season—you know every plant has its own season. There is the time for mango to be out, there is the time for orange to be out. In its own season, your own timing in life you will not miss it. There is a season, you also have your season, that is, your timing. Your particular timing. How wonderful it is not to miss our timing. Look at how Jerusalem missed their timing. Jesus spoke about Jerusalem. Yes, look at what happened to Jerusalem. That is the book of Luke. Let's look at something there about Jerusalem. You know, look at what Jesus said about Jerusalem. Let's see something there in the book of Luke. Luke chapter 19, let's go to Luke chapter 19 from around verse 43 thereabout. Let me take it from 41 so that it can be clearer as we try to round up this morning. Look at what the Bible say. "Now as He drew near, He saw the city"—that's the city of Jerusalem—"He saw the city, Jerusalem, and wept over it." He wept over it. You know how it is sometimes when parents weep over the situation of their children. You know what that kind of a situation, when you look up and you raise up your head, say, "Why is it like this for you?" It's like somebody who have tried and tried and tried to do something about a child but something did not go well. Are you understanding it? It was that kind of weeping that Jesus wept here. He wept. And you will see, let's see what He said so that you can understand it clearer from what I was trying to say. He said, "As He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, 'If you had known—'" oh, may that not be our portion. May it not happen to you that you did not know what you ought to know at the time you ought to know it. It's a terrible thing. You are not a fortunate person in life. You are not blessed. It's a terrible thing. He said, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that belong to your peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes." Your eyes. Your way will be hidden from your eyes. "I don't know what to do. I don't know where to turn. I don't know what—" and they begin to run helter-skelter. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" and they are crying. But look at their eyes. It—the things for their peace have been hidden from them. It's a thing that God does. I will still show you—just to corroborate this point for you. I'll be back to this place in a minute. But look at this. Let me corroborate that for you in Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1. Let me just quickly corroborate that before I move on to the next verse. Look at Romans chapter 1. Look at what the Bible say. I take it from verse 18. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth. People who ignore truth. People who suppress truth in unrighteousness because what may be known of God is manifest to them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful but became futile in their thought, and their foolish heart were darkened. Imagine to be wise they become foolish, and they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the image of corruptible man and birds, four-footed animals and creeping things. Talking about those who make idols and worship them. Look at what the Bible says. "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness." Are you seeing it? God has a way of leaving people. God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of their heart to dishonor their body among themselves. So some people don't understand. God can leave people to a situation. Having refused the Word of God, a light, a lamp to their feet, so God gave them up. Jerusalem was rejoicing in the thing that would destroy them. That was Jerusalem. Looking at Jerusalem, what was happening to them in that place? Look at verse 28. He said, "Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge"—this is the point now. Romans 1:28. "Even as they did not like"—they didn't like this. Don't forget where we are coming from. "But his delight is in the law of God, he meditates there day and night." So that man want to retain God in his knowledge. But look at these people. He says, "Even as they did not like, it is not their joy to retain God in their knowledge." Look at what God did. Look at what God did. He says, "God gave them over to a debased mind, to do things which are not fitting." Can I get a simpler version for that? NLT. He says, "When they refused to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their evil mind and let them do things, things that should never be done." So when you see people, young people doing things that should never be done—I was in one of the street walking down one day and I saw a very big mansion. And the person I was walking with started talking about one young boy among us who owns that house. "He's dead now. Ah! I don't know what happened." But they—there were some young boys among us who went into—he said he went for money ritual or whatever. And the ritual is that all he wanted that he just wanted money. "It doesn't matter, just give me money." And they told him beyond 40 you cannot have money. He said, "It doesn't matter, at least I will have gotten the money." 20 something—no, I think it was not more than 40 years. So he was happy. So all of these things that he built, who is now going to live in it? A debased mind to do things that should never be done. Can you imagine to be rich between now and not more than 40 years? Debased mind. Debased mind. I was walking on the street one day and a lady at a bus stop was very just—I don't know how to describe it. It was just a bra. Just the breast was covered, the other remaining was out. And then something again like a pant. And she was there making calls, "Hello, this and that." Sometimes she would make some posture or whatever. She didn't—her mind was concern with herself. Is that mind not debased? Doing things that should never be done because they refused to retain God in their knowledge. So what we are saying is that when the Word of God is not your delight to meditate day and night, to do what is there, look at how it is going to go. That's why he says, "Blessed is the man that does not walk in their way, who don't take their advice." Your timing—I'm talking about your timing. Jerusalem miss their timing. God gave them up, they could not recognize their timing. Debased mind to do what should never be done. And that ruined Jerusalem. Instead of accepting Jesus Christ, what did they do? It was there they shouted Hosanna today, and after Hosanna again, they started shouting "Crucify him! Crucify him! Let his blood be upon us and our generation." Jerusalem knew what it was when they said, "Let his blood be upon us." When Titus executed that judgment and it was upon them—they knew what it was when Titus executed that judgment. Jerusalem knew what it was. So one point I'm making—one point I'm making—it's about this matter of your timing so that God don't give us up to debased mind that we begin to do what we ought not to do and then eventually we ruin our home. Look at what He said. "You could have known these things, but now they are hidden." That is God gave them up. They refused to retain God. They ought to have said, "Give us Jesus!" Instead of accepting Jesus Christ, what did they do? They requested for a criminal. They turned the Lord of life. The light came into the world but they preferred darkness. Men love darkness more than light because their deeds are evil. When you get angry, for example, your own house and you put off every light because you are angry, what eventually happens? Most of your things are broken. Look at what Jesus now told them. "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close and close you in on every side and level you"—that what happened in 70 AD—level you and your children with you to the ground, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another. Titus with his army happened to wipe Jerusalem. They took salt, and as if they should plow, they salted the ground. They were still not satisfied, still angry. They went again and took implement, they began to remove foundations out of the ground so that one block was not standing on another. But look at why! Because they refused the Word of the Lord. And that's what that psalmist is saying. That's what we are rounding up with that Psalm. That's what that psalmist is saying. He said, "That brings forth its fruit in its season." Do not miss your fruit. Do not miss your fruit. Do not miss your timing. You will not miss what belongs to your peace—the job for your peace, the wife for your peace, the husband for your peace, the financial breakthrough for your peace, the settlement for your peace, the location for your peace. Are you understanding me? That thing that is for your peace, you will not miss it. It's a wonderful thing. Honest, it's a wonderful thing. And that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf does not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper. In whatever season, whether he's a student, he's prospering. If his delight is in God, he meditates on it day and night. Oh, he will prosper in his studies. He will prosper even in his marriage. He delights in God. He delights in Him to do what is there. Oh, then he will prosper. He will not step on the wrong things. He would have entered into a relationship, a wrong relationship. He did step into the wrong things. He did step on the wrong things. He ought to have said against his master, he must be loyal to his master. He didn't step on the wrong things. He didn't step into the wrong things. His life does not slow down. When he went against his master—the young man that I gave you the example of, his life slowed down because he didn't delight in God. He didn't meditate on His Word day and night. He stepped on the wrong things. He stepped into the wrong things. This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's Word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission heat. Our regular activities are discipleship class every Monday 5:00 PM, adolescents and Singles Club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, marriage forum second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, family life seminars, regular school outrages and every day counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location, Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Very Joyful Filling Station, along Ijedare Road, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 080-3386-1136, 070-3361-3848. God bless you all.