I woke up this morning to my audio Bible saying emphatically “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous…” I knew immediately that the Lord was talking to me. He doesn’t want me to end another year without completing a specific assignment. This section of His Word has already been on my heart (interesting that I started my audio Bible on Deuteronomy 1 and woke up right here.)

“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.” ~ Joshua 1:8 ESV

I’ve been considering this chart from Renewing the Mind. I think this summarizes this scripture perfectly. The Body of Christ needs to learn how to learn and apply God’s Word to education, of course. And in this process we learn how to teach and how to apply His Word, His will, His Way to every area of life, giving us great success.

Even the concept of “success” needs a Bible study to be sure that we understand God’s standard and concept of success. From the Hebrew, from the Key Word Bible, success means “to act with insight, to be prudent, to give insight, to teach, to prosper, to consider, to ponder, to understand, to act prudently, to act with devotion”.

This does take courage, doesn’t it? Immediately we realize that we are going the wrong way in so many areas. Frequently that realization is not accompanied by the revelation of How Should We Then Live? As I was coming into biblegateway.com to research this morning, I was confronted by Isaiah 1:16-17 ESV: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

Even when our heart is to obey, these things are presently being done by our government, when God’s Way is for us to do them… This will take time. It starts with meditating in God’s Word as our founders did.

My favorite story from His Story of America is of Rev. Thomas Hooker teaching his men Biblical concepts of civil government from Deuteronomy 1:13. Those men then wrote the first state constitution, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. They created such a stable form of government that Connecticut dodged some of the difficulties that the other colonies suffered through the American Revolution and then contributed these Biblical concepts to the Constitutional Convention to forge a Constitutional Republic based on God’s Word.

Father, we ask for a Supernatural anointing this year to meditate in Your Word. Teach us how to deduce doctrine from scripture. Teach us Your Word, Your will, Your Way. Let us use the method that Rev. Thomas Hooker used, the same one that the Pilgrims used: Text, Doctrine, Reasons, Uses. Help us be very strong and courageous in following You and Your way, despite the opposition and offense that may come our direction. May our hearts beat for our audience of One. May You be our Lord, our Savior, our King in all that we do. We dedicate this year to You and for Your glory. We can hear You say:

“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.” ~ Joshua 1:8 ESV

And we say, “Yes, Lord!” Amen.

If you are curious about the Principle Approach, or want to re-take it, we start a new class this Thursday January 9th, from 6-7:30 pm EST. Please join us here!

For His Glory!

Dr. Brenda MacMenamin, Teaching every subject delightfully from the Word of God!

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“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 NIV

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