Day 2 of 40:

02 January 2014, Thursday, 1140 a.m.

An Opening Prayer

Lord, guide me. Today is your day. You have a purpose for me this day. After all, today is Your day, not mine. Help me to live it as such. I want to live Your will and not mine. God Almighty, help me not to get too far ahead of You or too far behind. Guide my steps and help me stay on Your path alone.

Also, help me not to get distracted and focus on You and on You alone.

Psalm 90:12 NOG

Today’s http://BibleGateway.com Verse of the Day is: Psalm 90:12 NOG

12 Teach us to number each of our days

so that we may grow in wisdom.

-- NOG: Scripture is taken from NAMES OF GOD BIBLE (WITHOUT NOTES) ®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

Wow. What a wonderful verse for the start of a new year, a new prayer journal, and a new Devotional Bible Study series.

Lord, teach me to number my days and each of my moments. Show me how to do this. I do not want to take one moment for granted. I know I do, but I really do not want to do so. I want to live for You and Your will alone, so I can bring You glory. Help me to think of this often and throughout the day and night.

My M’Cheyne One Year Reading Plan for the Day:

Genesis 7, Matthew 7, Ezra 7, Acts 7

Genesis 7:

Verse 1 talks about how when everything was prepared and ready, then God spoke. Verse 1 in some versions starts with the word, “THEN.”

When does God speak? When we do everything He says, and when everything is ready. Then, He speaks. He speaks when the time is right and best. He does not speak until then.

How many times do I expect God to speak to me now—and not wait? How many times do I want my timing, after all, I know the best timing, right? Hah! Wrong. But, I catch myself trying to get God to move along to my pace. Then, it hits me what I am doing, eventually, and I realize, how wrong I am. God’s timing is always best. Always. Without fail.

More on Genesis 7:1: God tells Noah how He has observed how only Noah is righteous on earth and in this generation. Noah was in right standing with God. He was upright.

Lord, how many times have I said to my husband, “Is there one, besides the very few we know, who are Christ-followers?” I wondered this regarding Christians and unbelievers both. Too many times. The presidential elections of 2012 really hit me in the stomach like a fist. I’m still reeling from it and it’s been over a year. It let me know how few of Christians are truly informed and are in the Bible. I firmly believe this nation would be radically different if we did (I’m looking in the mirror).

How many Christ-followers are really here on earth?

And, then, I remember… WHO AM I to judge? It’s, frankly, none of my business. Their spiritual lives are their choice, not mine.

But, then, I remember how not everyone has had the same advantages as me. Not everyone realizes they have the time to be in the Word and in prayer all day long, for they weren’t taught how to do so. Moreover, not everyone has read the Bible all the way through as many times as I have. Nor has everyone studied the Word like I have. So, what does this mean?

God’s given me the spiritual gift to teach. Hence, that’s what I will do, rather than judge or question. I will love people instead. I will walk with them instead as well.

Moreover, most importantly, I will look in the mirror first and foremost. Period. I have a lot to learn. A lot, a lot, a lot.

Lord, am I acting like Noah in Genesis 7:1? Am I following the Bible? Am I living in the middle of Your will God, and not mine? And, am I doing so 24/7/365?

Answer: Hardly.

How many times do I get distracted and sidetracked and jump, not just step, off Your path, Lord? This is truly my thorn.

Break

My hubby came home early, so we went out to eat and then ran to Target. Now, I’m back home and will continue with my Bible reading of Genesis 7.

Genesis 7, Part 2

How many each of the animals did Noah take on the ark? Hah. That’s a trick question. Most people answer this one incorrectly., after all. The answer is found in Genesis 7:2-3. Seven pairs of every clean animal.

Verse 5 is another verse I want to live by:

Genesis 7:5 NLT

5 So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.

-- NLT: Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Lord, I want to do everything You command me to do—without hesitation and without questioning. Teach me how to do so and help me to be mindful thereof.

Matthew 7

The entire chapter is a good one. I could stop and spend several days contemplating and focusing on those verses. All of it is applicable to life.

Ezra 7

Ezra 7:6 talks about how Ezra knew the Law of Moses well. He was well-versed, skilled, and an expert in it. For a Christian, the Law of Moses refers to the entire Bible, as well as Genesis through Deuteronomy.

Lord, may that be said of me one day. I hope to be well-verses, skilled, and an expert in Your Word—and will spend my lifetime trying to achieve this goal. Verse 10 is another one I want to apply as well and goes right along with Ezra 7:6, along with Ezra 7:11.

Acts 7

Acts 7:1-50 is a nice summary of the Old Testament.

In Acts 7:51-60, Stephen is stoned for speaking truth.

Reading Through Psalms and Proverbs in a Month

Psalm 7, 37, 67, 127. Proverbs 7. 

Day 10: Philippians 4:4-8

REVIEW YOUR MEMORY VERSES

Write them in your prayer journal without peeking. No cheating. See how far you get. Then, after a couple of minutes of trying to find the words, then peek and write out the rest and make corrections as necessary.

Then, prayer journal your thoughts today, right now, on those verses.

A FRESH WORD

Are you seeking to see something new and different each time you think of those verses, say them, and read them? Yes or no. Write that question and answer in your prayer journal.

That should be your goal, by the way. We have the choice of focusing on a word, or a phrase, every single time we read and re-read a verse. We can do our best to see new insights of the verse and can pray to God for this. I guarantee He will answer and will teach you wondrous things about the verse—even if you’ve said it, read it, heard it several times in the past. After all, the Word is alive and active (see Hebrews 4:12 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

“SEE THE VERSE”

I probably should have stated this long ago in this lesson and will do so now. Every single time you see any verse mentioned in this study, look it up in your own Bible. Use your favorite versions or translation. And, if I ever put, “See verse so and son,” by golly, don’t keep on reading. Look it up. Then, prayer journal about it. There is a reason why I put it there. It’s to make more of a point and is to bring you closer to God and into His Word. I guarantee, without hesitation or doubt, you will get even more out of this study if you do.

Also, look up the context of the verses I quote or mention. See the next section for information on this.

THOUGHTS ON WRONGLY QUOTING A VERSE: HOW TO AVOID IT (CONTEXT IS THE KEY)

One thing that is a major pet-peeve of mine, that spins my head on its axis, and shout (not with joy) is when people wrongly quote a verse. This, unfortunately, happens more often than not, with everyone’s favorite verses.

So, how do we avoid it?

1 Look up the verse you quote. Even if you memorized it. Look it up. What if your memory about it is wrong, even if everyone else quotes it the same way you do. That being said, make a list of all of your verses you like to quote, along with all of your life’s memory verses and do these suggestions in this section.

2 Look up four verses, at least, before and after the verse or verses you quote. Do so even if you have to look back in a previous chapter or into the next, or even if it’s a book of the bible. Just make sure to do this.

Why?

It gives you context.

KEEPING THINGS IN CONTEXT

Let me give you an example of keeping things in their proper context. Look up Matthew 5:29 or 5:30. And, just look at those verses. What they tell you to do is cut off the offending part of your body. Literally. Right? Yes. It is literal, if you don’t read the context.

While that example may seem extreme, is it? Taking a verse out of context, and quoting it wrong, can be the matter between eternity with God or in hell. And, it can mean the difference between salvation. We never want to be a stumbling block for someone else and we surely do not want to be one for ourselves.

Think about it and apply. (Sorry to be so to-the-point and blunt, but eternity is at stake. It’s something we should take VERY seriously.)

Philippians 4:4-8 NLT

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

-- NLT: Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

PITFALLS AND MIRROR GAZING

Are you ready for another pet-peeve of mine that curls my hair every single time? Remember what I said earlier about taking a verse out of context. Well, we even take something within a verse out of context. But, let me give a little more of an introduction before I continue.

Inspirational quotes tend to get to me and I am weary and leery of them. Christians should NEVER quote something by someone else, or claim it as a favorite, unless they check it first against the Bible. (That’s a simple rule of thumb about that and pretty much everything else in life.) Again, most of the motivational and inspirational quotes we like or use goes directly against the Bible—and far more importantly, against God. We must be very careful about this.

I realize we live in a very lazy and me-oriented society, where we are so busy we don’t stop and take the time to live our proper priorities. (Again, I’m looking in the mirror.) So, we do not want to take the time to check and see what others quote holds up against the Bible or if what we say does. (My reflection can sure be revolting at times. But, I still look, so I can grow in faith.)

Goodness, I sound quite opinionated, don’t I? (Go ahead and shake your head. I would.) Well, I am, I must admit. Why am I so opinionated and in-your/my-face? I’m looking in the mirror, after all. I’ve been there, done that. Not just once. But, repeatedly. I’ve fallen for taking verses out of context more often than I would care to do so. I also have taken motivational quotes and claimed them to be a life quote or one to live by—when they have gone against the Holy Bible, the Word of God. Never mind, how I have also, been too busy to open my Bible, not just for a day, but for a month or more! (Gasp. Shaking head. Feeling heart tug.) I know how slippery of a slope these things are. I know. I really, really know—firsthand the dangers of these pitfalls. (More looking in the mirror.)

WITH OR WITHOUT GOD? THAT IS THE QUESTION: A QUESTION ABOUT JOY

You’re about to see why I’ve been going on my rants and tangents about my pet-peeves. There are many of these within Philippians 4:4-8, our memory verses. I hope you’ve already figured them out since you’ve spend the last seven days repeating these verses, learning them, and allowing them to sink in down to your marrow, and have done so morning, noon, and night.

Remember earlier in the last section how I mentioned another pet-peeve of mine, that we all do or have done at one time or another? That was when I mentioned how we take things out of context—and that includes taking parts of a verse out of context from within the context of the verse itself, never mind within the chapter? Well, again, Philippians 4:4-8 are full of these blunders of taking verses out of context and parts of verses within verses out of context.

Let’s start with joy.

If I were to ask you, what brings you joy, what would you say? Or, where do you find joy? Please do not think of Philippians 4 when you answer this. And, please prayer journal your answer.

Let’s be honest. How many of us would say any of these?:

-- Joy is found within

-- Joy is a choice.

-- Joy is something we create, make, or choose?

My hair is curling. Those are wrong. Dead wrong. Those go against everything the Bible says. Nope. Try again. Now, read Philippians 4:4. What does it say about joy? Please write your response in your prayer journal.

Where do we find our joy? The answer is: IN the LORD. Not anywhere else. Not in anyone else. It’s found in God alone.

Prayer journal your thoughts.

Have you had your thoughts of joy wrong? If so, how? Answer those questions in your prayer journal, please.

I know I have had this wrong in the past and sure had it wrong recently. I forgot the phrase: IN THE LORD regarding joy. How about you?

IN THE LORD = true joy.

In the Lord is the only real, authentic, true joy. It’s found in Him alone. All other joy sources are fake and are substitutes.

Prayer journal your thoughts.

I could go on and on here. So, could we. But, let’s not. Let’s think about this all day and night until tomorrow’s reading: Rejoice in the Lord continually and always.

Prayer journal your thoughts. Take a lot of time to do this today. Spend as much time as you can, and in spurts, all day and night. Take time to rejoice in Him. 

Day 1 of 40: Introduction: A New Beginning

01 January 2014, Wednesday

MY HEART AND TREASURE PRAYER JOURNAL, Part 1:

A DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDY

I am a prayer journalkeeper and have been for over thirty years and ever since I was a little girl. It's something I do every single day and have for years and I prayer journal throughout the day and evening. Therefore, it's something that's very important to me.

Every year, and throughout the year, I try to find a better way to prayer journal since it is so important to me and my life. Needless to say, I keep an eye out for new resources and suggestions that might lead me to a better way to prayer journal. I also try to do it in several different ways and keep up things fresh throughout the year. It's always a good thing to keep prayer journaling fresh, for each journal entry is a way to connect with God, and I want to grow as close to God as possible.

I woke up this morning to one of the best blog posts, or daily devotionals, I have ever received. It got me thinking and it inspired me. The blog post, or daily devotional, was by Stephanie Clayton and here is the source:

http://stephanieclayton.org/2014/01/01/treasure-journal/

So, that's where I got the idea to do this for my new prayer journal I am starting this year.

Would you care to join me? 

News about My Heart and Treasure Prayer Journal: It's Moving

I've decided since this is my personal prayer journal others can read for inspiration and as their own Devotional Bible Study, it would be best to have its own blog and website.

This A GODLY VISION Blog is about Devotional Bible Studies for you and the other is about my time with God. Therefore, I've created its own blog for My Heart and Treasure Prayer Journal. You can find it at:

http://myheartandtreasure.blogspot.com/

Day 1 of 40: Introduction: A New Beginning

01 January 2014, Wednesday

MY HEART AND TREASURE PRAYER JOURNAL:

A DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDY

I am a prayer journalkeeper and have been for over thirty years and ever since I was a little girl. It's something I do every single day and have for years and I prayer journal throughout the day and evening. Therefore, it's something that's very important to me.

Every year, and throughout the year, I try to find a better way to prayer journal since it is so important to me and my life. Needless to say, I keep an eye out for new resources and suggestions that might lead me to a better way to prayer journal. I also try to do it in several different ways and keep up things fresh throughout the year. It's always a good thing to keep prayer journaling fresh, for each journal entry is a way to connect with God, and I want to grow as close to God as possible.

I woke up this morning to one of the best blog posts, or daily devotionals, I have ever received. It got me thinking and it inspired me. The blog post, or daily devotional, was by Stephanie Clayton and here is the source:

http://stephanieclayton.org/2014/01/01/treasure-journal/

So, that's where I got the idea to do this for my new prayer journal I am starting this year.

Would you care to join me? 

Wattpad.com Reading

I realize reading this Devotional Bible Study might be rather difficult to follow on this blog. Hence, let me offer another way to read it. You can read it here for free:

http://www.wattpad.com/33793430-40-days-of-a-new-year-and-a-new-beginning-parable