EXPAND TO READ: DEUTERONOMY 7 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (conviction): Today, Father, I stand before You convicted in my heart, not by the verses I’ve read today in Deuteronomy 7. I have had some anger in my heart today and have not reacted to my children the way that You want me to react. I have been snippy with them, I have been somewhat mean at times, and I have allowed their attitudes today to drive my own attitude towards them. Please forgive me for my weakness today, Father. Help me to be the man You expect me to be towards children, especially as I go into VBS this week in our church. Help me to be the kind, loving, and understanding man You have made me to be towards children. Help me to open my heart to them instead of close it off, Father.
PROMISE (verses 7-8a): In these verses, You tell us why we are the chosen people. It has nothing to do with our numbers nor who we are exactly. You promise us that the reason You are so devoted to us and have chosen us is because of Your love for us. Help me to remember this always, Father. Remind me that I am chosen because You loved me first and not because of anything I’ve done. Thank You for this promise, Father, because without Your love for me I would truly be lost in this crazy world.
ATTITUDE (verse 12): I do struggle with these two attitudes described here quite a bit in my life, Father. You tell us to listen to and be careful to keep Your ordinances. I struggle with listening and caution quite a bit in my life. Oftentimes I get frustrated and just give in or completely block out anything anyone else is saying. That is not what You expect of me, however. You expect me to always listen and to always be cautious so that I may abide in Your will for my life. Help me, Father. Help me to abide in these attitudes always, so that I may be pleasing to You in all that I am.
COMMAND (verse 18): Your command here is a simple one, yet one that I do find quite difficult to follow through with fully in this world. You tell us to not be afraid and to always remember the things You have already done so that those give us the strength to overcome our fleshly fears. I know I have given into fear quite a bit in my life, Father, but I also know all of the great things You have done. I do not know why I still struggle with fear, but I know that in those times that I lean on You through the fear I come out a stronger, more Godly man afterwards. Help me to be more consistent with this, Father, so that I may always go to You through my struggles instead of to my fleshly desire of fear.
EXAMPLE (verses 25-26): This is an example about false gods and how You detest them. You say that they are abhorrent to You and that we must truly detest them and destroy those false gods and false idols. I have, at times, put some things over You as a false idol and I am not proud of that. I have, at times, given into the world’s way of living instead of Your way of living and I am not proud of that. You are THE way of living and I am sorry that I need constant reminders of this fact, Father. Please continue to help me to be better for Your kingdom, Father, so that I may be an example to all I encounter in my life, especially my family.
*DAILY NOTE: I am definitely struggling a bit today with irritability and a little bit of anger, Father. I am grateful for the conviction You put on my heart about this. I am sorry it took me until the afternoon to get to my quiet time today. I kept making excuses of things I need to do which kept deterring me from getting into conversation with You this morning in my quiet time. Help me to be better on days like this, Father, so that when I am struggling I immediately go to You instead of making up excuses not to. Remind me on days like today that the more I am struggling, the more I truly need to lean on You in those moments for Your peace and calming. Please bring me Your peace and calming today, Father, so that I may be a better man for the remainder of the day than I was for the first half of my day.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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