9 Ways to live an Unshakable life | via Psalm 15
I don't know about you, but I want to live the kind of life that no matter the circumstances that come my way, I won't be shaken and taken off course from God's plan for my life. In Psalm 15 we find a list that helps us build that kind of life.
Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken. (Psalm 15:1-5 NIV)
What a powerful lineup of verses and what an incredible promise of an UNSHAKABLE LIFE! Lets breakdown this chapter of Psalms so we can live an unshakable life in often shaky times.
HOW TO BUILD AN UNSHAKABLE LIFE | VIA PSALM 15
1. Live with Integrity | "Walk is blameless" "Don't accept a bribe"We start off the list and end the list with a call to walk with honesty and integrity before God and others. I like it says, your walk is blameless. I'd like you see this saying that everywhere you walk needs to be right with God. Don't just think of honoring God or integrity being when you are in the Church building but in every area of your life. Integrity needs to be a way of life.
2. Make wise Choices | "Do what's righteous"This is about Doing the right thing no matter what. I think we all want to make the right choices, but we don't always do it. To help you make consistently better choices try getting better input into your choices and spend more time reading God's word. It's pretty near impossible to do what's right if you don't know what's right. Then once you know what's right, listen and do it.
3. Speak Truth | "Speak the truth from the heart"In a world that dodges truth and avoids needed confrontation, we need to be people who are honest. Speak the truth in love. If you want to be a true friend we'll speak the truth but we'll also do it in a way that expresses love for people. You'll get ahead by speaking truth not avoiding it.
4. Avoid Gossip | "whose tongue utters no slander"Not "slandering" others is about avoiding gossip. Use what's said behind closed doors to be constructive and add value to people not to tear them down. Gossip destroys your life. A great rule of thumb is, if you're not able to be a part of the solution than you shouldn't be talking about it.
5. Respect Others | "does no wrong to a neighbor"The classic golden rule of treating others you would want to be treated comes into play here. When you treat others with respect you will invite and reciprocate the same respect back into your life. Remembering that it's not just what we say but also how we say it that communicates respect for people.
6. Encourage Others | "casts no slur on others"In a world that is often discouraging and dragging us down, be that friend or coworker that chooses to use your words to speak life into others. Don't tare others down but build others up with what you say. Like the Bible also says, the power of life and death are in the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.
7. Align Yourself with the Right People | "despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord"Don't settle for key relationships that you know aren't going in the direction that you are going. Who you surround yourself will determine your direction. And what you honor determines what you attract. So, honor God and you'll attract those who honor God in their lives.
8. Live with commitment | "Keep an oath even when it hurts"Commitments and decisions move us forward. Often in the world we live in no one wants to make a commitment because they feel like they're gonna miss out on "the next best thing" that may come along. But true fulfillment comes from total commitment. And the Bible says that a "good name" is better than riches, and a good name is built through keeping your commitments even when it hurts. Often the rewards of commitments aren't experienced until we get past the point that it hurts as well. It's true in a physical workout and it's true in life.
9. Be Generous | "Lend to the poor without interest"God himself has given us grace and forgiveness and we are expected to give and love in that same way. Lets not only give when we can get a return. Lets serve and love those around us no matter if we can get a profit from it or not. Every part of our lives gets better when we apply generosity. Like the Bible says,
The world of the generous gets larger and larger! | Proverbs 11:24 (MSG)
