Headed For Destruction?

Tonight I am making minestrone and i spent about 15 minutes looking for extra ingredients to make it taste that much better. I finally ended with salt and a dash of pepper.  I decided to use the recipe and measurements it gave. As I was cooking I thought about all the years I would measure my success by other peoples standards and yet somehow I would always come up short.  when I began to embrace the freedom I have in Christ that measuring stick went into the trash can.  I desire to be who God created me to be. I recently read in Joshua and I was reminded of a passage that made me think about how many times I have ended up in the hands of the enemy and asked God what in the world was going on and often questioned His sovereignty in my life. What a brat I am...

Joshua 7: 12 that is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. 13 "Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies UNTIL YOU REMOVE IT."

Removing things in our hearts that will lead to destruction is a painful process.  I have taken God off the throne and replaced it with food along with other things for many years.  I begged God for years to give me freedom and victory but it wasn't until I admitted it and then surrendered it to my Father in Heaven that I could feel the release it had on my heart.  For some maybe its your job and the pursuit of "success" that your devoted to and it consumes your time and causes you to miss out on life. For some its your weight,body image and appearance you are devoting every single thought to and the desire to look and feel a certain way. I had to remove the things I was devoted to in order to stand before my enemy and embrace the freedom my heart longed for. Today what needs to be removed from your heart in order for you to claim victory and avoid destruction from the giants in your life?