EXPAND TO READ: JEREMIAH 51 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 46): Father, I often live in an attitude of cowardice and fear when it comes to fulfilling Your will for my life. Please forgive me for this wrongful way of living. Help me to become braver and more willing to do Your will for my life, Father. Help me to dissipate the fear that often comes to me when I feel like You are pushing me in a certain direction. Remind me that You are always with me, Father, and that with You all things are possible just as Matthew 19:26 tells us.
PROMISE (verse 24): In this verse, You made a promise to Babylon and Chaldea that You would repay them for all of their evil against You in Zion. You fulfilled this promise as the remainder of the chapter prophesied. Thank You for staying faithful to Your promises, Father, even though there is some suffering and destruction that is necessary as a result.
ATTITUDE (verse 17): I have lived my life since coming to faith almost always in my own stupidity and ignorant natures, Father. I do not want to walk with You like this anymore. I do want to be humble in this walk, so that I do not let my pride and ego become a dominant factor ever again. Help me with this, Father. Help me to no long walk in faith with You in stupidity and ignorance. Help me to be spiritually smart and discerning when it comes to my thoughts, actions, and just general living in this life, Father, so that my attitudes and actions align with the way You want me to be.
COMMAND (verse 12): In this verse, You tell us that You will and have both planned and accomplished all You have threatened. Destruction is en route for Your enemies and You will always succeed based on Your plans. Help me to remember to always live in a way that does not require this type of destruction towards me, Father. Help me to remember to live in a way that I am obeying Your commands so that I do not upset You in the way You speak of in this Scripture, Father. If I do stray, help me to quickly return to Your chosen path for me, Father.
EXAMPLE (verses 51-52): In these two verses, Your people say they are ashamed because of insults that have come against them and humiliated because they have allowed so many foreigners to essentially take over the Lord’s temple. In the very next verse, You say You will punish those who go against You severely for their actions against You. Although this was directed towards Babylon, I do feel that it’s also a glimpse into the judgement we’ll receive when we come to Heaven. Yes, our sins are forgiven if we ask for forgiveness, but how many sins have I committed that I have not asked for your forgiveness for that I don’t even remember about anymore? How many times have I committed a sin that I have not approached You for forgiveness for? I need to be judged and disciplined for these and I feel the day will come, as I approach Heaven’s gates, where I require judgment and forgiveness for all of those.
*DAILY NOTE: I struggle a lot in my faith walk with You, Father. I struggle with listening to You frequently, I struggle with staying in Your will for my life, and I often struggle with even knowing what Your will for my life is, Father. I know that Your ways are better than my own. I know that my faith and belief in Your Son covers all of my sins, but I often struggle with understanding why some things happen and others don’t. I struggle with the fact that Your timing and Your grander view of things in this life are far greater than my own. I guess my main struggle, now that I think about it, is really my attitude of needing to be in control of certain circumstances and outcomes. I struggle with wanting to see things happen a certain way and fail to remember that all things happen for a reason and that reason will not be known to me until I join You in heaven. Help me to be better at understanding and embracing this mindset, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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