LORD, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing or perform wicked acts with men who commit sin. Do not let me feast on their delicacies.     Psalm 141:3-4 HCSB

This Psalm was written by David who was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). David begins this Psalm by crying out asking God to hear him and to hurry to help him. David wants to do what is right. He asks God to keep him from saying or doing anything he shouldn’t say or do.

David actually prays for a godly separation from words, thoughts, practices and fellowship of the ungodly. He refers to fellowship when he says, “Do not let me feast on their delicacies.” This should be our daily prayer. Our goal should be to strive to be the best we can be as Christians.

This is not the only time David prayed for God to help him to do right. In Psalm 139:23-24, David prayed for God to search him and know his heart and test him and know his concerns. He then prayed for God to see if there is any offensive way in him and lead him in the way everlasting.

In Psalm 19:14 David asks God to let the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart be acceptable to God. David sought God’s help to help him do what was right.

We should strive to do the things that are pleasing to God. We should do all we can do to keep His commands. James 4:2 tells us we have not because we ask not. It goes on to say we ask with the wrong motives. Often times we may not dare ask God to keep us separated from the words or deeds of the ungodly because we don’t want to walk away from our sin.

We don’t want God to stop us from sinning. We don’t want to be nudged by the Holy Spirit and be convicted of our wrong doing. We want God to rubber stamp it and tell us it’s okay. It just doesn’t work that way, my friend. God doesn’t bless our sinful behavior.

We should pray daily for God’s protection from sin. We should pray for him to guard our mouths and our lips and in today’s world of text, email and social media even our fingers. We should ask for him to separate us from ungodly behavior.

When David says do not let me eat their delicacies, he refers to fellowship with sinners. Often times, it is tempting to associate with sinners because often times they seem to have it all. We want what they have because they are indulging in the riches of this world.

1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us not to be deceived, bad company ruins good morals. 3 John v. 11 says, “Dear friend, do not imitate evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.”  In Romans 7:21 Paul said, “So, I find it a law that when I want to do right, evil is close at hand.”

We never have to look very far to find evil behavior or wicked people, but we are warned to stay away from them.  As Christians we must be set apart. We must overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).

We are victorious conquerors of the world if we remain faithful. 1 John 5:4 says For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. We can trust in God to give us what is good. We can trust in Him to help us not to sin.

We know we will face trials, tribulations and temptations but we also know God will deliver us. He will help us get through it and will provide a means of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). We should pray daily for God to help us not to sin. In His model prayer in Matthew 6:13 Jesus instructs us to pray “bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Are you praying for God to help you not to sin and to separate your words, deeds and fellowship from the ungodly? Are you asking Him to help you to resist temptation? Or, are you happy with your sin? Have you grown comfortable in your unrighteousness?

You can overcome this with God’s help. Pray to Him to help you to not sin. He will strengthen you. He will uphold you with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). Trust in Him today.

Have a great day!