12 | 26 | 2012 : Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Well let me start this off with two things: 
1) I hope you had a wonderful Christmas day and a great first and second days of the Christmas season! My family got together and exchanged gifts today since peoples' schedules clashed with one another, but it was wonderful. We're all sitting around, watching Duck Dynasty and drinking hot cocoa. I'm happy.
2) I think it's just gonna be a normal thing for me to not post on these things for weeks at a time. I need to change the blog title from daily devotionals to whenever-I-can-find-the-time devotionals. Apologies!


So I would just use bits and pieces of this passage, but really all of it is important for me to expound upon it. I love this passage so much, it's so uplifting when I'm not doing well and need some encouragement!

So here's basically what's going on. Moses was originally leading the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan, the land promised them by God. But then Moses dies. So basically God is like, "Hey Joshua, you're the man now. Time to step it up." He explains what is needed of him which, to me, would overwhelm me and I'd probably be weary of accepting the call. But then He says, "Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you." What a simple yet powerful relief that is. Just as God was with Moses through all he did, so He would be with Joshua to be with him and guide him. He goes on to say that He will never leave him nor forsake him. And that is also true to us today! Just as God was with Moses, with Joshua,  and everyone else in the Bible and in the past, so He will be with us, leading us with strong hands. I find it notable that He tells Joshua to be strong and courageous three times in this passage.
The latter part of this passage is just as helpful and just as applicable. He reminds Joshua to meditate and store the Law in his heart in order to be prosperous. Though the Law talked about in this passage is not exactly what our Law is today, it still holds true. Holding fast to the Word of God and filling our hearts with it will ensure success and prosperity. Simply put, Psalm 119:11 says, "I have stored up Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You." Knowing what is within the pages of Scripture is a powerful weapon against darkness. Devotionals (not like this one, haha) can really help you to organize what you're reading daily. On the most popular Bible app developed by lifechurch.tv, there is a Plans option where you can do topical daily devotions that even notify you if you tend to forget to read one day! Do whatever you can do to get the Word hidden in your heart!
God's hand will never leave us. HE will never leave us. Rely on Him for your strength and your courage. He will never fail!

Once again, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!

11 | 2 | 2012 : Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

Every single human being possesses some form of pride. Whether it be in our appearance, our boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse, our skills, or our possessions, we all have some sort of pride deep within our hearts that we desperately need to be cleansed of.
God explicitly expresses how much He dislikes pride (Proverbs 16:5, Isaiah 2:12, Leviticus 26:19, etc.). Some say that all sin stems from the sin of pride; We are too proud to trust God over ourselves, so we choose our will over His and take our lives into our own hands. As C.S. Lewis describes it,

"It was through Pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."

Over and over, Scripture describes how terrible the sin of pride is, encouraging humility instead. God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud (Proverbs 3:34). Being humble, as described in Proverbs 11:2, produces wisdom and is something to pursue on a day-to-day basis.
As someone whose pride is the utmost struggle, I know how hard it is to resist being proud in an argument, when I'm feeling righteous, when I don a cute outfit, etc. My pride follows me around constantly and I have to keep batting it away for the sake of Christ.

God is greater than our sin, whether it be pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, and/or the like. He is willing and able to overpower all of our desires so long as we cease to hold fast to them. In the end, God will humble the proud (Isaiah 13:11), and the humble will be rewarded (Proverbs 22:4)

We must humble ourselves before the Lord and consider others as better than ourselves. Pride may be  the root of sin, but God is not slow to forgive and help you with your struggle.

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." - James 5:16

I realize this isn't a devotion of sorts like I normally have on here, but I felt this needed to be said. James tells us to confess our sins so that we may be healed of them, so I am doing just that.

I didn’t just come to this great realization today, I’ve known I’ve carried this sin for a long time, but I have just been hit with it after hearing some advice that was hard to take today.

I have a prideful heart. Hearing that I had pride today was initially only in my hair, but after some thought and prayer, my pride is not only in my hair, but in much more than that.
I am prideful over my knowledge theologically. I am prideful over my knowledge in general. I am prideful of my morals when compared to others. I am prideful of the way I look and the way I dress. I am prideful in what I believe. I am prideful in the way I act. I get offended when people try to tell me what to do or when they express their opinion of me that isn’t exactly what I want to hear.

I even remember going over The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector the other week and thinking that I had nothing to worry about and that I could never be prideful like the Pharisee. But even in thinking that, I was being prideful. I’ve realized that the thing I have been totally against has been the same thing that has flown under the radar and infected my life.

I just ask for prayer from those of you reading this who pray, as I myself will be praying vehemently to be humbled daily so that I may overcome this. I am dust.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

07 | 23 | 2012 : Proverbs 19:21

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

Too often I think we as Christians forget to take God's will into consideration when choosing to do this or that. We make plans and organize our days sometimes without really thinking about what God may have for us.

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'" - James 4:13-15 ESV

We are so insignificant in comparison to the everlasting God. How can we be so naiive and say that we are in control of our own lives when we have forfeited our lives to our Creator?

This doesn't mean that we shouldn't make plans, however, it is a reminder that we should put everything into God's hands and that we should not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (Matthew 6:34).

This is also something I struggle with. I can conjure up a to-do list as long as my arm, yet I seldom take into consideration that God is in control. It is a struggle to constantly remind myself that the Lord wills everything I do, and that my life is but a vapor. Reading that Scripture is such a pride-shattering realization.

Lord, I pray that you will help us, including myself, to trust and humble ourselves before You. You know what we need and what Your plans are for us, and I pray that we truly hand over our whole lives to You so we may see what you have in store.

"But we're not supposed to judge!"

I’ve heard far too many Christians say something along the lines of that statement, throwing about passages like Matthew 7:1-6, John 8:7, and Luke 6:37. According to most, God is the only one allowed to judge. That’s it. Nothing more.

But what about verses like John 7:24, Proverbs 31:9, Amos 5:14-15, 1 Corinthians 5:12, etc? All of those tell us to judge those within the Church. God commands us to do so! But the catch is that we must judge with righteous judgment.

What is righteous judgment?
Well, first, if you’re going to judge, make sure you know all the facts. Don’t be quick to pass judgment when you barely read the Bible.
Judging fairly means to not water down the Truth for friends and strengthen it for people we don’t know or like. If we’re judging right, we say the exact same thing in the exact same manner to everyone, whether it be a family member, friend, enemy, stranger, etc.
 We also may not hold a double standard: if we’re judging other people, we need to judge ourselves with the same measure. Sin is sin, no matter who is committing it.
 We must also judge mercifully, for we will reap what we sow, and, as in what is written in Matthew, God will judge us in the way we have judged others.

 If we “aren’t allowed to judge,” then what is the point of the passages about knowing a tree by its fruit? Romans 16:7? 1 John 4:1? Psalm 37:30? I’m not saying those verses in Matthew 7, John 8, and Luke 6 are wrong. They aren’t whatsoever. They are telling us not to judge if we have not taken a look at ourselves first and are working on changes. But Scripture is very clear that we should make judgments righteously and biblically, without favoritism, harshness, or holding double standards.

God is the Judge, but that does not mean He is the only one who judges.

5 | 15 | 2012 : Hebrews 13:2

Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it.

 The Bible not only says we should do good to everyone because that's what true Christians do, but because we may be doing them for angels in disguise! I don't know about you, bu that makes me go, "Oh crap. How many times have I not been a good Christian to an angel in disguise?" I go back on all the times I wasn't hospitable, or kind, or Christlike to other people. It upsets me! I wish I could have known this verse back when I was a crappier Christian.

The Bible also talks somewhat about this on Judgment Day when God separates the sheep from the goats:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’   

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. ”

 God is not saying He is every single person you have helped or not helped. He's saying that you either do something for God or you don't do something for God. Just as simple as it is saying there are two types of people in the world: the sheep and the goats (saved and not saved). It doesn't matter how "good" you are, you'll still be a goat if you're not a follower of Jesus Christ.

We must be kind to all, for we serve the Creator of the universe.

Lord, I pray that You will remind us of these verses every day so that we will know that all that we do is representative of You.

3 | 26 | 2012 : Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Love: This aspect pretty much sums up all of the fruits of the Spirit. You see love talked about all throughout the Bible, but probably the most prevalent of said verses is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, the Bible verse that all Christian couples put as their Facebook status (the one that starts off with "Love is patient, love is kind"). Just a few verses later, in 1 Cor. 13:13, Paul states that out of faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love. Love encompasses all of the fruits of the Spirit, for out of loving comes the rest.

Joy: When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are filled with joy and thanksgiving. The presence of God should make us want to dance with happiness. The fact that God still loves us, even throughout all the sin that has once taken up our lives, should make our hearts burst with happiness and admiration!

Peace: Not only is Paul talking about peace among other people, but also about peace within ourselves. In this day and age we are all jumping busily from here to there, often becoming stressed out and frustrated. But when the Holy Spirit is within us, our souls find a place to rest and become at peace.

Patience: Probably one of the hardest fruits to live by. Again, in today's America, we are so accustomed to the fast-paced society and the "now" mindset. We don't have time to sit and wait, we need to be occupied with something at all times. Being patient and forgiving with one another is important to build relationships with one another. Patience also comes in handy when you're waiting on God's direction in your life. It can be terribly frustrating, but we have to realize that God does not work on the same time frame as we do.

Kindness: This quality goes hand in hand with the first quality of love. Once God's love starts to flow through you, you will find that it is much easier for you to be kind to one another.

Goodness: You may think that this aspect is the same as kindness, but it is different in the way that goodness draws people in. Start being good to people, and they will notice. They will start to wonder why you're showing so much goodness to people. This is a perfect witnessing tool. The Bible says that God's goodness can lead sinners to salvation (Romans 2:4), and He has given us that attractiveness as well when we incorporate goodness into our lives.

Faithfulness: Having faith and staying loyal is not something you see running rampant in today's society. When you enter into a relationship with Jesus, you are expected to stay strong and faithful in Him. Out of this faithfulness in God comes faithfulness in your everyday relationships. God wants you to be someone that people can depend on so that you can show Him to them.

Gentleness: Sometimes we have such little patience when dealing with people that we forget all about this quality. We live in such an up front and rude world that even one gentle word or touch from you can brighten up someone's day. You can see during Jesus' life on earth that he possessed a ton of gentleness, but sometimes you can see him sternly setting people straight. Once you start walking with God, you'll know when to be gentle with someone and when to lovingly set them straight.

Self-control: Probably the hardest thing for a teenager to possess is the ability to control yourself. Our world is starting to widely accept and even advertise things that Christians absolutely should not take part in. With peer pressure, propaganda, and raging hormones, it almost seems impossible to have self-control. When you let God take control of your life, you'll begin to notice the urge to give into these temptations disappear. Prepare yourself, however, for a constant battle between Holiness and sinfulness. Pray during times of temptation that God will give you the strength to overcome your fleshly desires.

We can see through Jesus' life that attaining these nine fruit of the Holy Spirit is not impossible. Once God has taken control of your life, you cannot help but let these things come into practice. Letting God sanctify you opens up doors to help bring other people to Christ or to help a struggling believer in their walk.

Lord, I pray that You will help me and other believers to incorporate these qualities into our daily lives so that we can be more like You. Let Your light shine through us in all that we do so that You may be glorified.