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Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Devotional thoughts/prayers from Deuteronomy:

Deut. 4:1. Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgements which I am teaching you to perform, in order that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

- Give me a wise and discerning heart that mines for Your truth, hears the words of Your instruction, and guides me toward choices that honor You fully and bring about Your greatest blessings. Show me what You have for me. Open my heart so that I do not reject whatever You give, for Your gifts are always good, even if they’re not always easy. Help me to be diligent and faithful about hearing Your word and obeying it. Don’t let me neglect the land You have given me to keep in my hasty pursuit of my own desires. Show me the way of blessing and help me stick close to it.

Deut. 4:5-7 See, I have taught you statutes and judgements just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. So keep them and do them  for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?

- Make me a wise and understanding person that lives by the way of the righteous. Let my life be a testimony of Your power, Your love, and Your interest in the lives of Your children.

Deut. 4:9 Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and grandsons.

- I will do everything in my power to keep my soul diligently and not forget Your kindess to me, O God. I will teach my children of Your goodness and truth.

Deut. 4:10-13 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God..You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom. The the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form–only a voice. So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments.

- I came near to You with my brokenness and You spoke life and restoration to me. I did not see Your face, but somehow I know the kindness of Your eyes and the tenderness of Your voice. You have kept Your promises to me, O God, and I will keep my promises to You.

Deut. 4:23-24 Watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, for the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

- I will not forget. Keep consuming my heart with Your holy fire, and in Your perfect jealousy, set me and all my affections apart for only You.

Deut. 4:29-30 Seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.

- With all my heart I seek and search for You. In my distress, I do not fret, for I hear Your voice and I trust You.

Deut. 4:31 For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.

- I have seen Your compassion and I am convinced that there is no end to it for those who long for You.

Deut. 4:35-36 To you it was shown that you might now that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him. Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on the earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire.

- There is no other besides You and no other like You. Discipline me and make right my ways, even when I feel weak. I know that in my weakness, Your work is perfected in me, and wholeness is upon me.

Deut. 4:37-38 Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and give you their land for an inheritance.

- I will live as one chosen, acknowledging that You are great, powerful, worthy, and kind. I will not give away nor squander the inheritance You have given, and I will multiply it for my children after me.

Deut. 4:39 Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may live long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.

- I will keep Your commandments, O God, as perfectly as I am able, and for the ways in which I fail, I will lean on Your unending compassion.

Deut. 13:4 You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him and cling to Him.

- I will follow You wherever You lead me. Through the valley, through the dark of night, through the fire. I will not shrink back, and I will not close my ears, for Your words are life to me. I will continually spend myself on Your behalf and come near to You in times of trouble and times of abundance. You are my love.

Deut. 20:3-4 Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before your enemies, for the Lord your God is the One who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

- I am not afraid. I know that You are all-knowing and all-powerful to fight for me and lift me up.

Deut. 26:16-19 This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice. The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that he Shall set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken.

- I smile to know that I am Your treasured possession. I will always be about Your praise, Your fame, Your honor, and Your delight. Let me be one who delights Your heart at every turn.

Deut. 281-12 Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the offspring of your body, and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way and shall flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you will put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you will keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. So all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body, and the produce of your ground…The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand.

- I am blessed because I am hidden in You and You are the source of all blessing. My children are blessed because they are Your own, and I will not stand in the way of Your plans to draw them close to Your heart, discipline them and teach them the way of truth, and rightfully respond to the unique call You have on each of their lives. Let Your abundant storehouse be open to me and my children, that we will forever be a people that fear You and bring You great joy.

Deut. 31:6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

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Listen to the instructions I give to you so that you may live to your fullest potential, and so that I may bless you with blessings that you cannot give to yourself by way of your own plans. I am the One who gives good gifts, and I alone choose whether to prosper a man or withhold My favor from him. My eyes search high and low for the hearts that are completely Mine, for My children who hear My voice and obey My commands. Give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life. If you forget what I have done, you will also forget Me, and you will no longer teach your children My ways. My desire is to bless you, but if you are not near to Me, you will miss the blessing, for I, Myself, am your great reward.