“Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:12-14)
To stay on point with God requires we let His Spirit lead us in all things. God always has a way for us to walk in any situation. His promise: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” (Psalm 32:8)
We are apt to fall into one of two errors: 1.) We lag behind the Spirit’s guidance; or 2.) We jump ahead of Him. Both of these mean we are not hearing from God as we should. When we lag behind, the word we should have is subtracted from us; when we get ahead, the word we should abide in is added to.
Jesus was the Word made flesh, but He also lived by every word that proceeded from the Father’s mouth to Him. He did not speak of Himself. His doctrine was not His. The testimony of Jesus is one of utterly keeping step with God.
A walk in the Spirit is a careful walk. Jesus told us to learn of Him and His meekness. “The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” (Psalm 25:9) Without meekness, we are controlled by powerful emotions such as fear and anger. When these are allowed to rule, the Spirit’s promptings and checks are unheeded.
Moses was a man of God, but when he was provoked to anger, he “spake unadvisedly with his lips.” (Psalm 106:33) He went beyond what God wanted him to do and say. For this, he was not permitted to enter the land of promise.
Walking humbly and softly with God is serious business. Too many are rash and reckless and their testimony is far from that of their Master. Many others are slow and dull of heart to hear and receive the Word that God would gladly give them. We can be a combination of both these kinds. But there are consequences. Wood, hay, and stubble will be our portion if we do not diligently hearken to the Spirit who would guide us into all truth.