Day 49

So I knew that 30 days would be tough but now that I am nearing 50 days (I know not consecutive) things are definitely getting tougher. I really need to be in prayer more than I have been and I need to dive deeper as I want to continue to grow in God, just doing this has kinda put me in a slowly diminishing spot in which I need to find a new step to take and to more forward. I will definitely keep doing this but on a much more personal level with God, I feel that he wants more from me and I am going to give it to him. Finals week is just a few days away and I know that it going to take a toll on me if I put in the effort that I should. The only way I can make it through is with strength from God and not ignoring him when I get busy and feel that I have "more important things to do." God comes first and should always come first in my life. He will come first before my 7:30 A.M. final because it is what he deserves and I know it will be beneficial to me. He definitely needs to be first in more aspects of my life and I feel that there are ways I can do that, I just need to implement those adjustments into my everyday routine. I will keep you updated on this and let you know how I am doing because I think this is going to be an even bigger step that will lead to some drastic changes in my life. 

I do not feel the need to defend the things I am saying because I do not really have people coming against me in what I have posted in here but I thought it was interesting how Paul defends his ministry and how he approaches the people he speaks to. I think this applies to us everyday because everyone we see should be people that we can speak to and these aspects of Paul's life have some great insight. In 2nd Corinthians 10:1-6 he says, "By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you-- I, Paul, who am 'timid' when face to face with you, but 'bold' when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by standards of this world. For thought we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine powers to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete." I believe that what Paul is trying to convey to those at Corinth is that he feels that he should not have to bold when is near them because they should be familiar with his teachings and his way of life, he does not necessarily need to feel timid, but he should feel comfortable around them knowing that they know what he is all about and the lifestyle he chooses to live. He is talking about how our spiritual weapons are much greater than any weapon on earth. As a Christian, he has the power to win the argument for Christ and nothing can stand against that, no weapon formed against him shall prosper in other words! He talks about rebuking these people after their obedience is complete so that they will know never to return to their old ways.

This applies to me on both sides of the spectrum. I feel that I need to be bold in some cases and should never be timid and I should be comfortable in other situations because nothing can stand against me. I also need to learn to leave my acts of disobedience in the past and not even occasionally fall back on those acts. Staying focused is so hard to do but it is a part of being obedient. I know that my weapons are different from the Christian next to me and I have special talents that God has given me. This is why the church needs to be in step with each other just as each individual is in step with God. The Bible says we work together as the body but a lot of times we try to move without the church and we end up causing the body to weaken. It takes many muscles and signals in order for one to move a finger and in the same way it takes planning and careful instruction so that the whole church can work together. Enough about the body though. Paul says that some people think that we live by the standards of the world and this is a very big misconception and I believe that is brought on by the idea that Christians are hypocritical. The problem is just that we fail, we are not hypocritical unless we are truly living both lifestyles. The world's standards are much lower than God's standards and as long as we follow God's standards, we can never be compared to the standards on earth. In all honesty, I should strive to be compared to how the great disciples lived their life, not the person next to me who has never submitted to Christ and still follows the ways of the world. Not be perfect, but be as close to perfect as HUMANLY possible. 

hmm... I still need to listen to the sermon from Sunday because I did not go as a result of being sick.  More than likely I will do this tomorrow before my devotion and I will post some thoughts or something about the message. I hope you all have an amazing night and stay safe!

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson