EXPAND TO READ: JOSHUA 1 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 7): I often have left the path You have chosen for me, Father. I often have chosen to turn away from Your steps and have attempted to decide my own steps in this life. That is not what You’ve called me to do. You’ve called for my obedience and trust in You so that I do not turn from You “to the right or the left.” Please forgive me for my disobedience, Father. Forgive me for my constant need to be in control of things and feel like things have to be my way even when my way is rather flawed. Help me to truly align my heart’s desires with Your will for my life, Father, so that as I do continue to take steps in this life they are the steps which You want me to take no matter what my old self thinks of them. I must be better at fully trusting in You no matter the steps You wish for me to take.
PROMISE (verse 7): This promise is a rather strong one that is 100% in my control, yet I have failed often to truly get to fulfillment of the promise. Your promise here is that if we fully commit to You, without leaving Your will for our lives at all, then we will have success wherever we go. How amazing is that? All I have to do is be obedient to You, listen to You, trust You fully, and do what You tell me to do and I have will success wherever I go! I have been rather successful in my life from my own personal perspective. Has it been a perfect life? Definitely not. I’ve made a TON of mistakes along the way. Have You blessed me anyway? Yes You have and I am so grateful for the blessings in my life. Help me to be better at staying on Your path for my life, Father, so that I may continue to be successful everywhere I go.
ATTITUDE (verse 9): I am still working on this, Father. I do have doubts, I do have fears, and I do get discouraged. At the same time, I also know that You are with me wherever I go and that You give me strength and courage as I request it. My stubborn self, however, seems to think I can always do all things on my own when I know I can’t as I have proven so many times in this life. I often do things on my own out of fear and/or discouragement because I feel like I have no choice. You tell me that You are always with me, which I know to be true, but at the same time I find myself looking away from You at times to try and do things on my own instead of seeking You through those difficulties. Help me, Father. Help me to always remember that I do not need to do this alone. Help me to remember that You are always with me, even when I feel like I am all alone and struggling. Grant me Your strength and Your courage throughout this life, Father, so that no matter the obstacles I face I can do what You want me to do to get through them.
COMMAND (verse 6a, 7a, 9, 18b): You say this quite a bit in today’s rather short scripture, Father. You tell us that You have commanded us that above all we are to be strong and courageous. I don’t think this has anything to do with our physical selves, but more so with our spiritual selves. You want us to remain strong in our faith and our God-focused convictions so that nothing can break us down. You want us to remain courageous when faced with any obstacles in this life because You are with us through it all. Help me to be better at embracing Your strength and Your courage anytime I am lacking, Father, so that I may glorify You and who You are to me throughout all things I do in this life.
EXAMPLE (verses 16-17): Moses was just laid to rest and now Joshua has been appointed their new leader directly from God through Moses. Although Moses was not permitted by God to bring them through the last leg to the promised land, God ensured them that Joshua would be the one to do so. Your people in this example had such great obedience to You, that they gladly and freely moved their obedience from Your previously appointed leader of Moses to the now-appointed leader of Joshua. They didn’t question anything or raise doubts/concerns. Instead, they simply said to Joshua, “everything you have commanded us we will do and everywhere you send us we will go.” They assured him that they will obey him, because it is God’s will for them to do so as they heard directly from You and from Moses. Help me to live my life in obedience like this, Father. Help me to live my life in a way that shows I am fully willing to obey You through all things in this life, even if it means through a proxy, such as a Moses or a Joshua.
*DAILY NOTE: I wasn’t sure at first if I should just continue reading into the next book in the Bible or if you wanted me to look elsewhere after completing Deuteronomy. After reading this first chapter in Joshua, however, I know for certain that You want me to just continue reading. Thank You, Father, for the blessings that I’ve received through starting in Joshua today. Thank You for the convictions left on my heart today as well as the encouragement You’ve given to me. I look forward to seeing what else is in store for me during our daily conversations as I go through Joshua in the coming weeks. Thank You, Father!
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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