Moses had died and the Lord has selected Joshua to be his successor. Now he would lead God’s people to the Promised Land. In order to do that job successfully, he had to do two things; study and obey the Word of God. The Lord was not asking for much, right?  Just ponder on what He said and then do what He said, in that order.  Joshua was faithful to keep the commands of the Lord. As a matter of fact, he tells the Children of Israel, in Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”Now in Joshua’s time, they had just the first five books of the Bible.

In this time though, we are truly blessed. God has given us a succinct insight into the past, present and future.  We are granted an understanding about the very character of the Tri-une God and of man; of us!

How do we then, begin a vibrant devotional life?  Well, glad you ask!  Actually, the rule has not changed.  2 Timothy 2:15 says, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  We read, study, ponder on the Word of God, we allow the Holy Spirit to convict us, to direct our path, we obey the Word. 

First, we need Time to study the Word of God.  Growing and nurturing in our walk takes time.  In order to become like Christ, we need time.  We have to set aside that special time, just me and my God, to commune together.  Secondly, we need a Bible.  There are a few great study bibles.  I recommend the John MacArthur Study Bible.  He gives a synopsis of the time period and the author.  He also gives an outline of the Book, and then further breaks down the chapters, verse by verse.  Ultimately, the Holy Spirit gives knowledge, directs and He convicts.  We must allow Him to do His complete work in us.  Next, we must also pray.  We have to seek the Lord, and invite Him into our day, whatever that may look like at the time.  We ask Him to show us His will, to give us wisdom as we make decisions.  We talk to Him and give over our burdens to Him.  Our Heavenly Father is great and powerful, He can handle it all.  I also use a journal.  The purpose of the journal is to keep track of my walk with the Lord.  I write what He reveals to me through His Word, I write my prayer requests and the answers to those requests.  I write my struggles and my desires.  I write to remember, because I am prone to forget His faithfulness, when tough times come my way.  Keep a journal; we have an enemy whose job is to derail our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  And finally, we must be prepared to surrender our will.  It has to be voluntary; we have to be willing to obey.  In order for there to be change, we must choose to do what the Word of God says, in its entirety.  We cannot pick and choose.  The Word of God is complete.  If you have neglected your time with the Lord, you should know that Your Heavenly Father desires that relationship. Ask the Lord to forgive you and start now.