Psalm 119:11
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 

God has called us to holiness. This is clear from passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:7, Matthew 5:48, and 2 Timothy 2:21-22. We are to be holy, pure, and blameless before God. Because of His Holy Spirit within our hearts, it is possible to be holy. God has provided the power and the means for holiness, but it falls to us to take action as well.

By its very nature, holiness is only possible when sin is absent. We cannot dishonor God in our thoughts and actions and still consider ourselves to be living holy lives. The Spirit gives us the ability to reject sin, meaning we no longer have to give into temptation or only feed our fleshly desires. Instead, we can obey God.

Why, then, do so many of us struggle with obedience? If we have the God-given power to overcome sin in our lives, why do we find ourselves still playing around with it? Perhaps the psalmist can remind us that if we truly want to avoid sinning against God, we must have His Word stored within us.

Think of a squirrel that begins collecting acorns and nuts as the weather gets colder. This creature instinctively knows that if it does not store up enough food, it will be unable to last through the winter. He diligently stores up food for the days to come. He could be out playing with his other squirrel friends or lazily enjoying the sun, but he knows that if he doesn’t store up the food, he will starve during the winter.

Friends, we too must be diligent in storing up the word of God. Not just trying to memorize verses without understanding them; not simply reading a chapter a day in order to check off a list; but allowing the Holy Spirit to give us understanding. To join with Timothy, whom Paul instructed to “think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything" [2 Timothy 2:7]

Let us not be ignorant. If we do not know God’s word and, as a result, do not know what God says concerning certain thoughts and deeds, we are unprepared to obey Him or enjoy His blessings. We don’t know His character well enough, and we grieve His Spirit by our unwillingness to learn more about Him and what He desires to do in our lives. How can we rest on the promises of God if we don’t even know what they are?

Store God’s Word in your heart. Be diligent, be deliberate, be devoted, that you might not sin against Him.