Journey
The
~ Archives
April 2024
April 1
You must have a clear understanding of my meeting with Peter several days after my resurrection. I wanted the meeting to be in a place familiar to Peter…his hometown, reconnected with family and old friends, having returned to his former occupation, surrounded by that which once defined his life.
In that comfortable place so well known to Peter, the trauma of my crucifixion and his denial still fresh and raw, uncertain of my purpose in being there, he and I needed to reconcile. His work was about to begin in earnest. Though I knew the stature of his heart, in those moments he did not. The topic of that private meeting was the tension that existed between the call of his past and my call for his future. I purposely addressed him by the name of his past, Simon. My question was simple. “Do you love me?” He had a decision to make that would define the rest of his life. Peter’s answer and all that followed is known to the world. What is yours?
John 21:17
A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
April 2
Because of the agony of my death and the wonder of my resurrection, because of my sacrificial act to defeat sin and death, and because I know you believe the fact of both, you have life eternal and fulfillment in life now. My presence defines you. You need not fear anything in this life or its continuation into eternity because I purchased your freedom to stand before me. Walk in courage today with the precious reality of my gift. Keep it foremost in your mind as you engage responsibilities. Life, love, confidence, peace, wisdom, understanding, faith, hope, vision, trust, patience, knowledge…all yours by my grace.
John 21:17
…He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
John 20:31
But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
Romans 5:21
So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
April 3
Allow me to bring faces and names to your mind…those touched by your influence. Some you know well, others less so, some not at all. I have entrusted them to you along with the responsibility to guard influence carefully and use it as I direct. You communicate to each of them in various ways and times unknown to you. They see you at a distance, read your words, or hear you speak, and at each encounter, each interprets what they experience drawing a conclusion about themselves and you. You always represent me. My Spirit will raise your awareness of such influence and guide you in its use. Follow me closely in this great responsibility.
1 Peter 5:2
Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.
John 21:16
Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
April 4
My question to Peter was pointed and required him to weigh his answer. “Do you love me more than these familiar things around you, these elements that define your life?” I ask you the same question. It is the most important question I will ever ask…and the most difficult. I know your heart, and I know you want the answer to be yes, yet you assign primacy elsewhere. You correctly understand that I ask you to surrender to me that which you most fear losing. It is the challenge faced by everyone who desires to follow me. It is a question of belief, faith, and trust. At the core of the challenge is the desire of your heart, not your ability to comply. I will provide the wherewithal for compliance, but I await your decision.
John 21:15a
After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Philippians 3:7-8
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him…
April 5
Gather the dusty rough-edged stones and the splintered timbers that so frustrate you and bring them all to me. Quietly lay them down before me and release them. I know how to handle such things. I delight in making things of beauty from rough materials. Truly, I am the only one who can. Though you naturally focus on the rough edges and splinters, I see diamonds and fine threads of gold and silver. Wait quietly in my presence. Trust me. You will be amazed at my work.
Psalms 62:1-2
I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.
April 6
Know this and place your full weight upon it as you start the day. I hear and answer your call for help. I keep you safe from harm. I help and strengthen you. I know your heart’s tenderness for me and favor it. I shape your desires and grant them. I lead you to effectiveness and accomplishment. I am the source of your success. I answer your prayer. I love you more than you can imagine. I am the Lord, your God. Hold fast to these facts and step into the day with confidence, not in your ability, but in mine.
Psalm 20:1-3
In times of trouble, may the LORD answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm. May he send you help from his sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem. May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
Psalm 20:4-5
May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the LORD answer all your prayers.
April 7
When I make an assignment, I do so with purpose. The incidence of reluctance or discomfort among others or even in yourself is not necessarily an indication that you have misunderstood me. Use that discomfort as an opportunity to get closer to me...to clarify your understanding of my direction. To that point, be sure that you check the validity of my assignment with me rather than with those who show reluctance with me and my way in things. Trust me. I will accomplish what I intend. You will find all the freshness and strength needed, and my influence will be expanded.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Nehemiah 6:9
They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination.
Nehemiah 6:15-16
So on October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.
April 8
I know your heart…that unique element of my creation that bridges your will, your mind, and your spirit. I monitor it continually, for that is where my Spirit dwells. The life and promises I offer require that your will conform to mine. I urge it so, but I will not force it. To do so would violate my creation. I call. I invite. I press. I wait for you to decide what you believe about me and to discover the wonder of surrender to my faithful promise. I watch for the instant of yield and foster it by my Spirit. Thereby will you know the fullness of all I offer. You try so hard to do my will your way. It just will not work. I will teach you. Pay attention to my urging.
Psalms 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
April 9
I preserved the record of my instructions, decrees, and commandments and placed it in your hands. I placed my Spirit in you to guide your understanding. Open my book. Read it. Meditate upon it. Absorb it. I built you with a need for significance and for that need to be fulfilled in a relationship with me. But you explore so many other ways to meet that need seeking the approval of those around you while ignoring the powerful set of my instructions in your hand. Even as you struggle to grasp the allurements of your way, you sense my Spirit drawing you to my Word. Consider what I offer…revival and freshening of your being, wisdom in all things, unmistakable joy, insight for effective living. Just ask. I will give you a desire for my way and guide you in it.
Psalm 19:7-8
The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul.
The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.
John 16:13
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
April 10
I am extreme. Nothing compares to me. No human concept will come close to grasping my holiness and majesty. Only when you accept that fact will you experience the bridge that I built into your heart. You will understand reverence for me, and you will embrace all that is meant by the phrase, the fear of the Lord. You will treasure my Words and requirements. They will come alive in your heart, and you will desire them more than anything else in your life. You will know that I am extreme; that I have extreme expectations and make extreme promises; that I lavish extreme love upon you both in this life and that to come; and that I have set an extreme reward for you that will last forever. Come…lean into my extreme nature and know my love.
Psalm 19: 9-11
Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever.
The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair.
They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.
They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
April 11
I know your heart and your desire to follow me. I know the distractions that pull at you and place my Spirit between you and those things. Incline your thoughts to me…explore the truth of my expectations and promises with confidence that I am present and leading you. Keep your spirit-eyes upon me and rest the full weight of your life and responsibility in my hands. I am your source and safety.
Psalms 25:1, 4-5
O LORD, I give my life to you.
Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
John 21:17
A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
April 12
I brought you to this place in our journey with purpose. Yes...it does look like it is an impossible passage forward. That is exactly what I want you to understand. Were you alone, it would be quite impossible to go on. But you are not alone, nor have you arrived here by your power. Do you not remember the impossibilities already succeeded on our way? Your distress is due to the object of your focus. You are looking at the mountain to be scaled, yet I have taught you to look at me...to invest faith in me, in my ability, in my power, in my knowledge, in my strength. In me, nothing is impossible.
Matthew 17:20
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
April 13
Pull your eyes off the swirling dust and turn to me. Ignore the wind and seek me. I am here, reaching for you. Come close and know my comfort and my counsel. In the moment, wait patiently with confidence and courage. There is an effective way forward that I will show you. Wait for my instructions and prepare to act. Incline yourself to me. I will cause you to know what to do and when to do it.
Psalms 27:7-8
Hear me as I pray, O LORD. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me. And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.
Psalms 27:11
Teach me how to live, O LORD. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me.
Psalms 27:14
Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.
April 14
I am freshening you this morning. My Spirit wraps you in my strength and renews your hope. I resharpen your vision and restore your confidence. I bring to your mind the experience of our journey and the unmistakable points of my provision. You sense the load lift, and you know that you are in my presence. Linger here with me and allow my restoration to continue. In these moments you know that I will show you exactly how to proceed, that it will be crystal clear, and once again you realize deep trust in me that shatters every shadow of doubt.
Psalms 143:8
Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
Psalms 143:10
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.
April 15
Allow David’s progression of thought to inform yours. In the middle of great difficulty, I caused him to recall the many times I acted miraculously to rescue my people. Specifically, I brought him to the story of Moses and the sea. As David dwelt upon the power of that occurrence, his mind moved from distress to recall to confession of my holiness and power to the obvious conclusion…My road led through the sea! It was a pathway no one knew was there. I chose not to reveal the conclusion to David until he went through the process of remembering and confessing. I designed a similar conclusion to rescue David that day. In the experience of difficulty and challenge, humble yourself, linger in my presence, seek me diligently, and confess sin as I reveal it. Just as with Moses and David, I hear, forgive, and restore. Sometimes my path of restoration is the one you least expect.
Psalms 77:11
But then I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
Psalms 77:13
O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?
Psalms 77:19
Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!
April 16
You have my gift of salvation for eternity, and you are secure. Give no thought to your legacy. Your significance is in me. Focus on fostering my love and my way in your children and their children. There is the ripple effect of influence best sought. As you incline your will to me, to all that is included with surrender to me, I bring favor upon you and carry the influence of my love into the generations of your family. Tombstones slowly turn to sand and names fade from memory, but my love remains forever in the hearts of those who are faithful to me from generation to generation.
Psalm 103:15-18
Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here. But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!
April 17
My Spirit guards your heart for it contains your will and the exercise of your mind. From the inclination of your heart emerges behavior and words…things that, once out, cannot be recalled. You are my representative, and I jealously tend to the rightness of your heart and the rightness of action, working within you, guiding you to truth, and empowering your action. You will know my intent, for my Spirit in you will make it clear. You will experience my power and find that I accomplish infinitely more than you can even imagine.
Psalms 84:11
For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.
John 16:13
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Ephesians 3:20
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
April 18
The fight is being conducted in the spiritual realm, but the battleground is the world. Because you declare me as God, there will be no avoiding the conflict. You will be put upon, but you will not be defeated because I am in you and around you. I am both your shield and your inner strength. Stand firm in the confidence I provide. Be strong in your faith. I am the one who holds your head high. I am the one who answered your call. I am the one who awakened you in safety this morning. I am the one watching over you.
1 Peter 5:8-9
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith…
1 John 4:4
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
Psalm 3:3-4
But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy mountain. I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me.
April 19
You heard me accurately. I called. Come and talk with me. I know the thing that is on your mind and the concern you carry about it. I have chosen to keep it before you, and I will lead you through it. Come into my presence today and ask me about it. Remain in my presence. Reject the common distractions of your busyness. Listen to my thoughts and receive my instructions. Follow closely as I lead you.
Psalms 27:7-8
Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
April 20
Ask me to increase your belief and your faith. I will build these treasures in you refreshing your mind, giving you resolute hope, accurate insight, and clear understanding. Stand upon belief. Hold to faith. Trust the surety of my promises. Act obediently to the urging of my Spirit with the unshakable conviction that I am imparting my will for good on your behalf and that my way forward will be revealed at exactly the right moment according to my purpose.
Psalms 77:19
Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
April 22
Our relationship and my action to refine it is always about the condition of your heart…that unique combination of will, thought, belief, faith, and their unrestricted tuning to me. I am using this time to purify what I saw to be an encumbered heart. As you stomp your boot upon a rock to knock off dried mud, so I have used these circumstances to shake off layers of pride, self-indulgence, and complacency that I saw accruing around what must always be a pure, yielded, and responsive heart. You are aware of the trial presented by my refining process and the troubling emotions it engenders. Embrace it. You will survive intact, and you will find that following me is easier without the drag.
Proverbs 17:3
Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
Zechariah 13:9
I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘“These are my people,” and they will say, “The Lord is our God.”
1 Peter 1:7
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
April 22
Closer…come closer. You have my promise, and it will never end or fail. I will never stop loving you and providing for you. Thoughts of the assignment have distracted you, your desire to worship me has cooled, and you have drifted out of position. Turn your mind to me and release the tasks into my hands. I will rekindle your desire, worship will emerge, and the tasks that have seemed so tiresome will unfold easily before you. Following me is all about closeness.
Jeremiah 32:40
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me.
Isaiah 43:13
From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.
Isaiah 43:18-19
But forget all that (the past evidence of my promise and power) — it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
April 23
You asked about the opportunity that I placed before you. You doubt your ability to handle it properly, yet it meets all the criteria by which you have tested it. I have not yet assigned it to you, so testing and talking to me about it is exactly the right thing to do. Should I direct you to accept it, I will make it clear. There will be no doubt. Your next act is to stand up and go...even if you do not fully understand my purpose in it. Know this, I will have already created in you the ability to do the work.
Luke 5:24-25
So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.
April 24
The future belongs to me as do you. Dwell upon my goodness and mercy and power. These virtues are stored up and lavished upon you in response to your unreserved trust and dependence upon me. Have I not provided? Have I not affirmed you before others? You looked away and were shaken by the unknown. Bring your attention back to me and confess your dependence. Your job is here and now. The responsibility to represent me properly is significant and the source of so doing is me in you. I am providing all you need and will continue to do so. Remain in my presence and follow me as I have taught you. Trust me with the future.
Psalm 31:19
How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
Psalm 37:25-26
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.
April 25
I am demonstrating faithfulness to my promises. You are watching it happen, but you do not fully understand all that I am doing. Remember and enjoy the richness of my presence and protection. I am doing exactly what I said I would do. Hold tightly to this and apply what you see to other questions in your life. I Am and I see to the care of the righteous who humble themselves and follow me as I direct. Trust me.
Psalms 23:3
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Psalms 23:5
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
2 Chronicles 7:14b-15
…I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.
April 26
I am unfailing. You know that as a fact upon which you have learned to place your full dependence. Once again, I am testing your faith in a matter. In the face of that challenge, speak of my power. Confess my unfailing love. Rehearse the times that I have been your safe refuge. Recall the exercise of my strength in you and through you. As this day dawns, once again fix yourself in my presence and follow me as I prove the worth of your faith.
Psalm 59:16-17
But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.
March 2024
March 1
The issue is with those who refuse to seek me, who arrogantly claim to have no sin or remain unrepentant of known sin…those who intentionally avoid me and keep me out of their lives. When carried long, the avoidance pattern is inherited by their children and spread into successive generations. That explains what you see in the culture now surrounding you. A claim to be without sin is a claim that I and my sacrifice are unnecessary. It is a foolish generational death sentence. But my promise of forgiveness stands. One who seeks me in surrendered agreement that I AM, confessing and turning from sin, will find me faithful and just to forgive and thoroughly clean out the infection of sin. When the infection is remedied, darkness and fear evaporate, and life fills that place. I stand ready to change the end of every story.
Exodus 34:7
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.”
1 John 1:8-9
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
March 2
It is easy for you to doubt…to look at the task ahead and focus on the elements that you do not know how to approach. To do so is natural, but you have learned not to depend upon what is natural. You know me and my promise. You remember so many experiences of my provision. Allow my Spirit to bring those memories to your mind and be encouraged. Truly you know the goodness I have stored up for you because of your faith and dependence. As always, I am ready to lavish it on you and bless you before the watching world. So be strong and move with me confidently. For you have placed your hope in me.
Psalms 31:19
How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.
Psalms 31:24
So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD!
March 3
As I did with another of my other followers in the past, I lifted the fog and enabled you to see clearly how I have guided you safely for so long, provided for you in ways beyond your means, and empowered you with abilities and influence that you may not yet fully comprehend. This morning, take a deep breath in my presence and in the awareness that I have granted you. Be confident that just as I have done before, I will continue to guide and support you in your journey. Move forward with me today with a sense of assurance.
1 Chronicles 17:16
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”
1 Chronicles 17:18-20
“What more can I say to you about the way you have honored me? You know what your servant is really like. For the sake of your servant, O Lord, and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known. O Lord, there is no one like you...”
March 4
My hand is open; take it. Come near and remain in my presence. Know the satisfaction that is reserved for you. Trust my way; it is always right and fulfilling. Wash in my kindness; it is unending. Call my name; I am here. I brought you all this way and there remains much more to show you. I will clear the way forward and guide you in it. Trust me and move.
Psalm 145:16-18
When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
March 5
Lift your eyes to me. Listen to my voice with your spirit. Experience the freshness and confidence I provide. I have already charted your steps through the challenge that emerged. Trust me with this as you have with so many others. Thank me for what I know when you cannot yet see through the fog. In all this be grateful and honor my love and unlimited ability, believing the reality of that to which I directed your faith.
Psalm 40:2-3
He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.
March 6
The needs and expectations that press upon you are real, but they are not apart from my authority. Follow me into an examination and invite my Spirit to sort through the patterns and priorities that you hold. I will reveal the source of needs and expectations and a course of correction you may embrace that will lessen their impact upon you. As you agree with me, turning from things not consistent with my purpose for you, I will replace them with a desire for Me and my way. You will experience a growing desire for my authority to be worked out in your life. The priority of my purpose will rise, and you will discover the effectiveness for which you long. You will then know that I am enough.
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Matthew 6:33
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Psalms 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
March 7
I know the challenge that arises from my instruction and how far out of your reach it is. Though your heart is willing, you see no way to proceed. Remember, it is your heart that I watch and will honor. Confess that I AM your Source and will meet your needs. Receive my peace. Invite my Spirit to examine and order your thoughts, reveal the resources at hand, and open your mind to faith that I can infinitely bring about what I direct. In faith wait and trust and watch. I will reveal the way when there seems to be no way.
Psalms 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
Mark 6:37-38, 41-43
But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”
“How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”
They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”
Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish.
March 8
I am your resource. There is no need of which I am unaware or which I will not meet. The issue is that you desire what you do not yet need, and your focus is fixed on the desire rather than upon me. Your first responsibility is to me. Adjust to it accordingly and know my favor and my peace. Fix upon the reality that I AM; that I am the Everlasting Creator of all that is; that I am ever present and ever able. Bring your concern to me in the context of your belief and your faith. Ask me. I will show you how. I AM. Expect me to be so.
Psalms 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
Isaiah 40:28
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
March 9
Remember how I have cared for you all these years. You have always had what you need. As you think back, you cannot recall a gap. As I led, I provided. Look around you. You are surrounded by evidence of my provision. Allow the memories to encourage you with my constancy and dwell upon that fact as you consider the future and how it will play out according to my purpose for you. Select a piece of that evidence and keep it near you as a reminder that I AM and always will be.
Psalms 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
Exodus 16:11-12, 35
Then the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”
So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
Exodus 16:33
Moses said to Aaron, “Get a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Then put it in a sacred place before the LORD to preserve it for all future generations.”
March 10
The constancy of prayer and faith are essential in the things I have placed before you. It is easy for you to focus on the desired result of your faith, prayer, and work, for you are outcome-oriented. Such is part of your effort to control things. Yet, my emphasis is on the process. I know the outcome. You are processing toward it. I desire your un-wavering faith in my authority to do as I purpose in the process and in your faithful responsiveness to my leading. The key to understanding my meaning when I speak of faith and moving mountains is discovered in the concept of total surrender. Do not try to learn about mountain moving. Focus upon surrender. I will take care of the rest.
Matthew 21:21
Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
March 11
I am leading you and teaching you as we move. Often, I carried you past areas that I knew would have unduly distracted or challenged. You were unaware of it, but you recall the unusual peace you experienced. Those were the moments I was holding you most tightly. It was I who renewed your strength and restored your confidence. I am teaching you my ways so that you may enjoy my favor. Even though you strain to run ahead trying to prove yourself to me, I hold you that you may learn to desire the stillness as much as you desire to run. Trust me. I know what I am doing.
Psalms 23:3
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Isaiah 40:11
He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
Exodus 33:13
If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”
March 12
Consider the faith of my friend Ezra to whom I gave an essential assignment. He was to organize and conduct a large group of my people from Babylon to Jerusalem. I caused the powerful head of Babylon’s government, a king who did not know me, to endorse and fund the assignment. Ezra openly proclaimed his faith in my ability to accomplish what I directed. On the eve of departure, he gathered the people for final instructions. Though the king would have provided an armed guard for the trip, Ezra declined. He trusted me to protect and lead. He was intent on bringing honor to my name before the people and the pagan leadership. Ezra led the people to fast and pray, asking me to take care of them. I heard their prayer and conducted them safely to Jerusalem.
Learn from this story. I am guiding and protecting you. See that I am honored in your own heart and before those who watch.
Psalms 23:3
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Ezra 8:21-23
And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.” So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.
March 13
I AM your strength and your guide. As I led David and later Elijah, so I am leading you. Each of those men understood how to honor me and did so intentionally, demonstrating over and again humility and a deep desire to know and perform my will. When others watched their acts and heard their words, they found Me. When others sought Me, they found David or Elijah. The distance remained thin between each of these men and Me. I knew I could trust them with unusual authority and power to accomplish that to which I assigned them. And each knew I was the source of that ability. Truly, they were My men. I desire it so with you.
Psalms 23:3
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
1 Kings 18:36
At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command.
1 Kings 18:37
O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”
March 14
You have held the old offense much too long. You found no way to resolve the matter and pushed it out of your mind long ago. But upon being reminded, you are surprised at the emotion that remains attached to it. It is time to stop replaying the matter and clear it. Confess the lack of resolution to me. The offender is gone and cannot be faced. You must actively trust me to guide you to forgiveness of the offender and to my forgiveness of you. Follow the model I left for you…humble yourself and pray. Seek me intentionally. Agree with each point I raise, confess it, and turn from it. I will forgive and restore your heart.
Psalms 32:1
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
Mark 11:25
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
March 15
David had his own rod and staff. I provided him with high-quality tools in his early work as a shepherd. He knew how to use them effectively to rescue foolish sheep and to fend off predators. But he did not refer to his tools in this song. He knew their limits. He sang about My tools. A very capable man intentionally humbled himself into the role of a dependent and shifted trust to My presence and My tools. David trusted My limitless ability. The comfort he experienced became the lyric of his song, "I will not fear because You are with me."
Consider that as you think through the flow of this day. Know the humble Spirit-formed confidence of David. Shift your trust to My limitless ability.
Psalms 23:4
…I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Isaiah 12:2
Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”
March 16
Your nearness to me yields faith; your faith yields obedience, your obedience yields trust, your trust brings you ever closer, and your faith increases. It is a way of living that I favor for I know your heart and can trust you with assignments that expand my influence among people. In my presence, there is no fear. My assignment will seem extreme, but with it is the calm assurance of my grace. Peace and confidence mark my favor and blessing. And you will respond in obedience knowing that you move in my strength, ability, protection, and provision.
Psalms 23:4
…I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Hebrews 11:8
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
March 17
I reveal truth to you. It is sometimes painful to learn. You run fast on the road to which I have assigned you, so fast that you often run past me...and opportunities. You missed things I would have directed you to do...important things. Some saw you pass who longed for your attention and with whom I had planned to use you. So, I have caused you to stop and allowed the pain of missed opportunity to reside in you. We will move again, but a pain-scar will remain in you as a reminder. Keep your eyes on me so I can use you as I intend.
Psalms 69:5-6
O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me...
Joshua 5:14
...At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
March 18
I am here just as I promised. I live in you and you in me. Speak it. Know it. Trust it. I will never leave you alone. In the calm or the wind. When you wander or when you run ahead, I am there watching, protecting, calling. Ask me for wisdom and instruction. I give it freely. The sense in your spirit that this decision or that direction is right is my Spirit urging to my purpose. Keep your mind on me and trust my leadership. I am always here.
Psalms 23:4
…I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me...
1 John 4:15
All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.
March 19
I own time and will order it for you. Just ask. I am the source of strength and will freshen you with it. Just ask. I am the compass for your life and daily movement and will mark a clear path for you. Just ask. I appointed you to the assignment that remains before you. It awaits your firm grip and your strong knees. I will restore your energy and sharpen your mind. Just ask. Return to position once again and know my ability, my awareness, my discernment, my encouragement. I renew your strength and I guide you along the right path.
Psalms 23:3
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths…
Hebrews 12:12-13
So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
Isaiah 35:3
With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.
March 20
Your experience amid the swirling circumstances is like a banquet of my presence surrounded by gifts of confidence and peace. Others watch with limited understanding as you dwell in my presence sustained by our communion. You know the threat of rising and falling issues. You also know your need for me. It is a present and constant reality in which you have come to trust my provision of wisdom, courage, knowledge, discernment, direction, resources…of everything necessary to act effectively in the performance of my will. I AM and that is enough.
Psalms 23:5
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies...
Matthew 5:3
God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
John 6:35
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
March 21
My anointing, my power, and my blessing are quite real. You have experienced all three, yet they are a mystery and will remain so in this era of your life. Seek me diligently knowing that the fullness of my revelation cannot occur within the limits of your physical being. There will come a time when you understand fully. For now, I will allow you glimpses of my glory and power, and you will marvel at the mystery. Even those brief moments of glory are powerful beyond your imagination. Press to know and experience what I have allowed. Leave nothing unexplored. Know the overflow of my blessing and represent me well to those who watch.
Psalms 23:5
You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
1 Corinthians 2:9
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
1 Corinthians 13:12
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Psalms 31:19
How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.
March 22
I direct you to seek me intently, persistently, to come to know me, my love for you, and the way I have selected for you. As you seek me, I pursue you…every day and night, always present, always loving, always guiding you to deeper understanding and higher reaches of faith. I am the fulfillment you desire. I am the source of your effectiveness. I Am, and that is more than enough.
Psalms 23:6
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life…
2 Thessalonians 1:11
So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.
Colossians 1:10
Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
March 23
As you rest in my presence, in communion with me, I invite you to an advanced condition of closeness…to seek my face. As a child naturally moves into his father’s lap and arms, looking up into his face, so I invite you to that intimate face-to-face experience. It is a place of unmistakable clarity as everything that may naturally come between us is removed, and you rest in the cover of my Holy Spirit. There is where you begin to understand the mysteries of my love and forgiveness, of prayer and authority, of assignment and provision. Yes, come humbly into communion with me and seek my face. I will make the way clear.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…
Psalms 91:1
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Luke 1:35
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you...
March 24
It is my privilege each year to remember each day of the week leading to Easter Sunday, to walk through the week with Jesus. I invite you to walk with us.
Sunday was the first day of the week in those days. The Jewish observance of Passover was just five days away, and Jerusalem was full of people from around the country. You wondered if I knew what would occur. Yes. I told my men exactly what to expect on the way up to Jerusalem. I knew what would happen and when. The Passover celebration observes the night my people were released from slavery in Egypt many years ago. That night the people were instructed to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and sprinkle the lamb’s blood on their front doors to indicate their obedience and belief that I would rescue them. Now, on the Friday of the Passover remembrance, I would become the lamb sacrificed for the sin of all mankind. This is my purpose in moving from Heaven to live on earth. My death, my shed blood applied to you upon your belief in me, ensured your safety from the consequence of sin. My resurrection on Sunday would prove it.
Matthew 20:17-19
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”
March 25
As I entered Jerusalem on that Monday, I saw a fruit tree that had no fruit. I caused it to wither and die as an example to my men and you that I expect there always to be fruit in the representation of me. A fruit tree without fruit is mere pretense. So it is with one who claims to be my follower and is not obedient to my direction. It is not my intent that you undertake obedience in your own power. You will fail. I constantly teach you to rely upon me to empower obedience by the investment of faith and confidence in my ability…even in the face of that which seems impossible. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.
Matthew 21:18-22
In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.
The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
March 26
By Tuesday morning, the religious leaders had contrived a way to have me arrested for violation of Roman law. They sent spies to question me regarding payment of taxes to the Roman government intending to trap me. My response applies to you as you prepare to settle your tax obligation. Your obedience to me must be primary. I hold you responsible for obeying just laws of human government so that your influence for me remains unhindered. Therein lies an opportunity to shape government from within the system, something in which I will guide you. However, should your obedience to me place you in conflict with human law, you may suffer. I will provide the grace and strength to guide you in that suffering. Remember, I did not enter the city that week to reform government. I was there to provide salvation for you in an eternal relationship with me. That fact remains always.
Luke 20:20-26
Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.
“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
He saw through their trickery and said, “Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
“Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent.
March 27
On Wednesday of that last week, as I was teaching the people who gathered at the temple, I watched wealthy individuals drop their gifts in the collection box. A woman I knew to be widowed and poor came and dropped in two small coins. I was moved, for while the rich gave poorly from surplus, the poor woman gave richly from little…everything she had. That is my point to you today. I created you. I fostered you. I bought you back from sin and death. I appointed you. I resource you. I guide you. I encourage you. I protect you. You are rich by my grace. That poor woman is your example. I expect you to tender title and control of all that you have and are into my hands for my purpose. That becomes a challenge of trust for you. Nevertheless, I wait.
Luke 21:1-4
While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”
March 28
It was Thursday of that last week. The religious leadership had determined to have me killed and were simply waiting for the right moment. It came late that night. I spent part of the day with friends in the Bethany neighborhood just outside of Jerusalem. While we were there, two individuals acted, one to honor me, and one to betray me. Each was among those closest to me. Read their stories carefully, for you are not terribly unlike either of them. In fact, you will choose to honor or betray our relationship today by your obedience or your disobedience. Prepare now, for the moment of choice that will emerge. Take your position near me and lean into my strength. Keep your spiritual eyes upon me. I will carry you successfully through the moment.
Matthew 26:6-7 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.
Matthew 26:14-15
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.
March 29
That Friday, the religious leaders got what they wanted. I was arrested in an early morning raid, brutally beaten, ridiculed, subjected to a fixed trial, pronounced guilty, nailed to a cross, died, and was buried. At any moment through that ordeal, I could have simply called for the angels of heaven, and they would have rescued me. But I endured it for you. Sin can only be eliminated by death. That Friday, I took your place. You, once a prisoner of sin, are free from my judgment and from enslavement to sin because of my sacrificial death. Friday, in an exercise of love and grace beyond your ability to fully grasp, I…your Creator, the Master and Commander of all eternity…purchased your freedom. On Friday, with my shed blood and expended life, I paid the price of your sin. But that was only Friday…the story was not yet over.
John 18:12
So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up.
John 18:22
Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face.
John 19:1
Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip.
John 19:17-18
Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross.
John 19:34
One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear…
John 19:42
…the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
Ephesians 1:7
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
March 30
Saturday was a day of deep grief and struggle with unbelief. Though I told my followers what to expect, they had become fixed upon their design of the next part of our journey. On that Saturday, they had no frame into which my death and absence would fit. Grief, confusion, and incomprehension flooded their minds. Their immediate reality was that I was gone; the story was ended; hope was shredded; light was extinguished. Saturdays can be crushingly dark…you are familiar with such days. Yet, Saturday is but one day passing, and it can be endured. I did not leave them, and I will never leave you. Yes, Saturday, though dark, is but one day passing. Hope lies with Sunday, and Sunday is coming.
John 16:19
Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again. I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy.
Lamentations 5:21
Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had. Or have you utterly rejected us?
March 31 Easter Sunday
I am alive and present with you. That is the message of Sunday. That is the message of the ages. By the power of my resurrection, I defeated death, I broke the chains of sin, and I claimed you based on your confession of who I am and your belief in what I did. You need never fear or doubt. My promise is secure. The hope of heaven at the end of our journey is real. Between now and then, I am right beside you. Live this day and all that follow surrounded by Sunday morning power. The story is real.
John 20:1
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
John 20:19
That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen…
Romans 10:9-10 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
February 2024
February 1
There is always more to learn and experience with me. The fullness of that process is ahead with me in heaven for eternity. For now, seek me…intentionally, continually. Make this focused seeking the context in which of all other elements in your life are conducted. You have already discovered the power and wonder of that practice as I reveal insight and understanding that had been beyond your grasp until I gifted it to you. You have also experienced the effectiveness, confidence, and peace that occur when you surrender to my way. This is the way life is best lived. Trust me. I have this.
2 Peter 1:2
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
February 2
Consider the matter of delighting in me, of experiencing from me complete fullness of satisfaction and lightness of spirit included in the concept of delight. Note the promise that flows from delighting in me…innocence, freedom from sin and guilt, awareness that you are free of any accusation, declared not guilty and known for freedom so refined that the rightness of your claim is unquestioned, peace and confidence in the conduct of life’s responsibilities. All this as you commit everything you do…every desire, every need, every hope, every decision, every determination…unreclaimable, surrendered, entrusted to me. So, you must consider my offer by faith, its extreme requirement, and its extreme result. That is the question before you. I await your answer.
Psalm 37:4-6
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
February 3
I see that you are searching. What is it for which you look, that which seems is so elusive? Is it me or something you want? I know you and I know the answer. Your search, in fact, is for significance, and it carries you to a succession of false peaks none of which satisfies. It is driven by the oldest of human motivations, self-serving pride. It cannot fulfill you because self-interest is contrary to your core design. I designed you to experience significance, complete fulfillment, satisfaction, peace, contentment, and effectiveness in a union with me and my way. So, your fruitless search, no matter how desperate, for anything other than me pulls you farther away from what you seek. Turn your energy to seeking me. You will find my promise true…seek me and you will find me. In that finding is the calm fulfillment that has been so elusive.
2 Chronicles 7:14
… humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…
Deuteronomy 4:29
But from there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.
Matthew 7:7-8
Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
February 4
Yes, seek me and you will find me. But know of my expectation as you seek. It is extreme and beyond your ability to meet though not impossible to attain. To be in my presence and to participate in my glory, you must be perfectly clear of every shred of sin. Because you cannot purify yourself to that perfect extent, I have done it for you. I took your sin upon myself and, by my death killed sin and gained purity for you. By my resurrection, I sealed your option to claim it. My part of the transaction is on the table. The next step is yours. You must act intentionally to exercise your option, for it will not occur automatically. Humble yourself, confess your belief that I am God, and you are not. Surrender title to your life and all it contains to my rightful ownership. Agree and confess that I cleared your sin by my death and resurrection. By faith, receive my offered gift of eternity in heaven and active relationship with me now with all its benefits. Extreme love, extreme benefits, extreme commitment. I accept nothing less. The option is before you. I await your answer.
2 Chronicles 7:14
… humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…
Psalm 24:3-6
Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.
They will receive the LORD’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.
Romans 5:8
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:11
So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
February 5
Your heart is in tune with mine and speaks clearly in these moments. Your desire to lead well in the meeting today is appropriate and important, for the topic is of a critical nature. I have gone before you and am preparing the spirit-ears of those who will gather. You must keep your attention upon me. I am now establishing your thoughts and words. Speak as I direct. The thoughts will be there. You will represent truth, rightness, justice, fairness, and love...all parts of my character. I am your source. I am your insight. I am your wisdom. Stay close...so close that when the people gather to hear you, they will hear me.
Psalms 36:7-10
How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see. Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts.
February 6
The workings of your mind, your thoughts and that upon which you allow yourself to dwell in thought are powerful elements for good in this journey. They are also vulnerable to distraction and temptation and must be guarded. Open this day by turning your thought to me. My Spirit is in you and will guide and empower you. Ask me to clarify and guard your mind. You will find your thoughts gain focus and life. You will discover the rise of effectiveness in sorting through your responsibilities. In so doing, you will have precluded distraction. Even so, your human nature will seek and dwell upon things around you. That is where vulnerability opens to powerful distraction and distraction to temptation. In those moments, My Spirit will prompt your awareness to turn back to me, will dissolve the power, and will settle you back into position. Surrender to My Holy Spirit. Commit your thought to me as this day begins.
Romans 8:5-6
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
February 7
You seek to know my will…my plan for you. That is commendable but it stops short of my directive to seek Me face to face, the intimate surrender of worship. To seek Me is to give close attention to my Word, to expose your mind to it purposefully so that its precepts and promises are increasingly present in your daily thought and are influencers of your behavior. The accrual of my Word in your mind raised to consciousness and empowered by my Spirit will bring you into my presence. To know my Word is to know Me. Do not neglect it, for the completeness and effectiveness you desire is dependent upon its authority in your mind.
Psalm 119:11
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
February 8
I desire communion with you, that you linger in my presence and experience me personally in surrendered worship within a living relationship, not apart from it. That is the uncommon nature of my instruction. Common religion prescribes man’s separation and observation of me. But I prescribe the closeness of a trusted relationship within honor and worship. My friends Moses and David are your examples, not lifeless forms of a religious culture. Challenge the patterns of your life that keep you apart from me. Ask me to show you My way in the matter of seeking my face. I will unfold it for you and give you understanding. Therein is found the effectiveness you seek.
2 Chronicles 7:14
… humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…
Exodus 33:11
Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend…
Psalms 27:8
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.”
Psalms 63:1
O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.
February 9
This is personal. I am personally with you as we go. I am personally teaching you my ways so that you may more fully understand my intent and my favor. I am personally protecting you, guiding you, providing for you, strengthening you. I am personally attending to your needs, ushering you forward according to my will and purpose for you. As I was with my friends Moses and David, so I am with you. Yes…this is personal. I am here.
2 Chronicles 7:14
… humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…
Exodus 33:13
…let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor…
Exodus 33:14
The LORD replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”
Psalms 23:2-3
He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
February 10
You asked to understand my instruction to seek my face. It is my desire and urging that you not settle for anything less than to know me intimately and personally. I opened the way for you by my sacrifice and resurrection that removed the barrier of your impurity. When you came to honestly believe that fact, the way to me opened and, with it, the opportunity to speak with me one to one, face to face. I invite you to come, not passively around me, but intentionally before me…humble, open, unguarded, seeking, inquiring, with gratitude and awe, listening, learning, trusting, laughing, praising, crying, hoping…as you would with a trusted friend who knows you as no other ever will and loves you without limit. I know you by name. I watch for you. Come and experience all that I have planned for you. Yes…seek my face.
2 Chronicles 7:14
… humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…
Exodus 33:11
Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend…
Exodus 33:17
The LORD replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
Exodus 33:14
The LORD replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”
Psalms 139:1
O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
February 11
Difficult circumstances easily distract and discourage you. You are faced with a decision. Will you turn into the intimidation of circumstance to battle with your limited capability, or will you turn into me trusting my instruction and the history of our journey together? The decision must be made before I show you a solution. The fact that the question arises is evidence that you drifted out of your assigned position. Move back into position in the shadow of my presence. My answer will become clear. But the longer you waver between the two decisions increases the possibility that the circumstances will overwhelm you.
Nehemiah 6:9
They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination.
Psalms 18:1-2
I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
1 Kings 18:21
Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.
February 12
I made clear my assignment to you long ago. As you aged and matured in faith and experience, I directed changes in the way you carried it out, but the assignment has not changed. You heard, then learned, then realized, then trusted, then experienced that My Spirit in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. For now, you live in the world and are impacted by its ways. But you belong to me, and you listen to me. As we journey together, sometimes uphill and against the wind, you know my strength prevails and that you have already won. So, enter the day with me one more time. I know the way.
1 John 4:4-6
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
February 13
I watch for your intentionality, your desire for me, your drive to know me and to dwell in my presence. You are created with a need for significance and fulfillment that can only be satisfied in close communion with me. Though you experimented with lesser resources, you discovered the reality of which my friend David wrote. He learned, as are you, that the foundation for confidence, peace, and security is to consciously live in my presence…to delight in the continual press to know me and my way. I am your Source of purpose, action, and effectiveness.
Psalms 27:4
The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…
February 14
My instruction to seek my face refers to the primary desire of your heart…the integrated assembly of your mind, will, and spirit each tuned to me with such conscious intent to experience me personally and with such reality as to describe it as being face-to-face with me. That height of desire is established by my Spirit in you at the point of your humility and surrender…the emptying of yourself in favor of finding me. To seek my face on my terms is to know my power and glory and to realize my unfailing love as superior to any other part of life. Ask me to guide you into my presence. Know the unmatched wonder of following me on my terms.
2 Chronicles 7:14
… humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…
Psalms 63:1-3
O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!
Psalms 84:2
I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.
February 15
Turn from your ways. Humble yourself. Seek me personally. Bitterness rises when you depend upon variables, but I am your unchanging anchor and strength. You belong to me. I have you by the hand and I am actively guiding you. Your destination is secure, and every step is by my design. Stop looking around for the nods of others. Look to me. Follow my eyes. Look where I look. I will cause you to see clearly and your heart will be strong.
2 Chronicles 7:14
… humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…
Psalm 73:21-26
Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant—I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
February 16
You asked to know what happens when you pray. My Spirit acts to bridge between your human limits and my holy unlimitedness. Your prayer, even in those face-to-face moments when the distance between us is thin, are shadowed by needs and desires that are imperfect. I welcome your honesty and desire that you know my perfect will in all things. My Spirit is the Conductor of your prayer; the Advocate for your needs; the Transformer of your will to mine; the Communicator of my will to you; and the Comforter who assures you so that you know that I cause all things to work together for good according to my purpose.
Romans 8:26-28
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
February 17
Circumstances of a day or even of a season do not alter the surety and the constancy of my promises. However, that most likely to change under the stress of difficulty is the object of your focus. Hard realities can be distracting. Even so, I am here with you right now. I am your protector. The distracting realities are near, but they will not overwhelm you. Turn your attention fully to me with the surety that I will guard what you have entrusted to me and hold tightly to what I have taught you. Follow me. I will get you home.
2 Timothy 1:12-13
...I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.
February 18
From the day you came to know me, I have continually shaped you according to the stage of our journey and my purpose in it. You can look back and see the points of transition. Now these many years later, I still look at you and say, “You are...but, you shall be.” Trust me. I will prepare you perfectly for my purpose in you and through you each step of the way.
John 1:42
Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter” the rock).
February 19
You remember the moment and what you asked of me. When you looked around in the gathering, you saw many of those for whom I directed you to pray. I am working out my purpose in each of them, and my influence is strengthening in and through each as they learn to follow me. You were their age when you first asked to understand my way and my power. You have been seeing that prayer answered ever since. There is more before you…unanswered questions and complex issues. Be encouraged by what I showed you. Lean in closer. Listen carefully. Follow me, for I am answering your prayer.
Ephesians 3:20
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
February 20
When I assigned you, did I not teach you to shift your dependence from your efforts to my promise? It is among the most challenging of my expectations because in the face of real need for provision in matters of life, it is easy to view faith as less than sufficient. Even so, I have not failed my promise. Look back. You find my provision every step along our way. I seek your active faithful dependence upon my ability…to live each day knowing that I direct your efforts and provide your needs in every arena of life and responsibility. Seek me in these matters. Trust that, even in the face of that which seems impossible, I AM.
Mark 6:7-8
And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money.
Matthew 6:31-33
So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
February 21
I am referred to far too casually among my people. You are to keep my name reserved as most holy. It is not to be used to amplify an exclamation or as leverage in a sworn promise. Guard your mind and your speech so that any reference to me is made with uncompromised deference to who I am…Creator, Master, Commander, Owner, Holy Lord of all that is or ever will be. Casual use of my name devalues that fact and is offensive to me. Your integrity is to be such that your unqualified “yes” or “no” is always sufficient.
Matthew 6:9
Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
Matthew 5:37
Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.
February 22
You are my follower and my representative. Lean to me and receive my strength of discipline. Your natural reactions leave a wake of confusion into which doubt grows and integrity is questioned. You will communicate far more in quietness than in unruly speech. Search me asking for honest love, calm spirit, right words, and the time to speak. You will leave no confusion of meaning or care.
Psalms 39:1
I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.”
James 1:19
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
February 23
Ask me for that coming day. Seek me to know my benefits to the city of your home. Watch for the emergence of those who are faithful to me into places of honor and influence. Fix your thoughts upon me and know my peace. Trust me in these things for you already sense my movement around you. Yes, trust me always. I AM the Lord God. I Am your Eternal Rock. Place your full dependence upon that fact.
Isaiah 26:1-4
In that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song:
Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation. Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.
February 24
It is easy for you to dwell upon your weakness. You do so to the point of solidifying its place in your day, defining your thoughts, shadowing your hope, and limiting your reach. Consider my promise of oversight, provision, strength, and guidance. Dwell upon my nearness, care, and forgiveness. Accept my strength. Seek my direction. Walk in my confidence. Trust my promise. It is your experience and your hope. I am the illumination of your life.
Psalms 23:1, 3
The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
February 25
My promises are not idle. When I assign, I equip. As it was with Moses, so it was with Joshua and David. So it is now with individuals who know me and who seek to honor me, whose belief is unshakable even when they cannot see the end, who trust my presence and lean into my strength when the way is uphill and against the wind. The tracks of leaders that I established and recorded for your benefit are not descriptors of that which is easy. They describe effectiveness in purpose. The common denominators in each of those stories and in you are belief, faith, and trust. For, I personally go ahead of you, and I will not fail you nor abandon you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.
Joshua 1:9
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
1 Samuel 18:14
David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.
February 26
I am at work in you and around you. Recall the recent moments that you sensed my nearness…when the distance between us was thin. In the moment, you were warmed and now you think of it with confidence and gratitude. You know I was there then, and I am with you now. The events of your life and the provision you receive are not luck or coincidence. They are exercises of my purpose being worked out in the context of your humility and surrender as you seek me and learn to conform to my way. True and in real time…I satisfy your need with my best. It is a spiritual transaction that is realized as fact.
Psalms 107:8-9
Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
February 27
Your responsibilities require countless decisions. Some are seemingly ordinary in nature. Others weigh heavily and have far-reaching impact. Each decision will emerge from the culture in which you dwell and will produce outcomes that replicate and enforce that culture. Take care that you are living in my culture, in the position I directed…humbly surrendered to me, lingering in my presence, seeking me and my way intently, confessing and repenting of sin that I reveal. I will bless and enable keen awareness of My Way, and your decisions will be experienced as wise and effective by those around you.
2 Chronicles 18:4
Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the LORD says.”
Psalms 145:18
The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
Romans 8:6
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
February 28
You know my promise of restoration. You have read the accounts. Which is too hard for you to believe, to restore a man plagued by demons or to restore a family or a city or a nation equally plagued? Why are you willing to tolerate the enemy’s quiet tampering around you? Invite me to interfere with the callused patterns that so easily mask desperation. Ask me to interfere with men who grow uncomfortably quiet at the mention of my name. Ask me to interfere with wayward hearts. Ask me to restore. Trust my promise.
2 Chronicles 7:14-15
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.
Luke 8:27-29, 35
As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.
As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God…”
For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man…
People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.
Jeremiah 3:22
“My wayward children,” says the LORD, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”
“Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the LORD our God.
February 29
You must raise your awareness of me, your awareness of belief, to a fresh new level. It is far too easy for you to pass the day with no thought of me or my way. You desire my favor, my promise of provision, my gift of wisdom. Now you must desire me, to know me, to weld your being with mine, to seek me as a starving man seeks bread or as a man dying of thirst seeks water. I AM your resource for life and eternity. When I become your highest priority, everything else will find proper order. I will set it so. You seek me.
John 6:26
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.
John 6:28-29
They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”
Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
John 6:35
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
January 2024
January 1
This morning begins the 10th year of these morning messages. The Journey post is a record of my encounter with Jesus each morning, though often a bit disguised on days when it is too personal to fully reveal. It always amazes me to learn that a post touched you. That is the Holy Spirit of God at work, and I am grateful. On this first day of 2024 in our respective journeys with God, please allow a shared blessing from my favorite passage of scripture. As I type, I pray…
May the Spirit of the Lord rest on you,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And may you delight in the fear of the Lord,
May you not judge by what your eyes see,
nor decide by what your ears hear.
But with righteousness may you assist the poor,
And decide with fairness for those afflicted around you.
And may you impact the arena of influence in which you stand with truth,
And with the breath of your lips may you repulse the wicked.
Also, may righteousness and faithfulness wrap firmly around you.
(Adapted from Isaiah 11:2-5)
See you in the morning on the Journey.
January 2
The territory ahead contains great promise. It will not be without challenges, but you will experience it with hope and confidence knowing I am with you leading every step of the journey. Remember this…I own the future and the territory in which it occurs. It is my land and I know the way through it. Though we will encounter trespassers and poachers who intend harm, I will deal with them. You follow me. I am your help and your protection. Trust me and my unfailing love and strength, for your hope is in me alone.
Psalms 33:8, 14-15, 18. 20-22
Let the whole world fear the LORD and let everyone stand in awe of him. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.
But the LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.
January 3
Bring your full attention to me. Humbly listen with your mind and spirit as my Spirit guides you to wisdom and understanding. You will experience it as emerging thought and you will comprehend my intent. Allow your contrary will to relax in favor of my clear instruction. Embrace the wonder and awe of life in my presence. Honesty and integrity are the outward expressions of full surrendered coordination of your will, your mind, your spirit, your expressions, and your behavior to my Holy Spirit. Therein you find my protection, my provision, and my favor. And you will realize that I have entrusted you with uncommon wisdom, uncommon understanding, and effectiveness in your assignment.
Proverbs 2:2-8
Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
January 4
To know me…to humbly linger in my presence, is to embrace my character. You are drawn to my power and strength for your humanness relates most readily to those characteristics. You respect my holiness for I offer you no other choice. You rise to my justice for it resonates with your sense of rightness. Yet you are offput by my love for it does not seem to fit your model of who I must be. Indeed, love and its corollaries joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are hallmarks of my character and my expectation of you as my representative among people. Do you really think you can drive people to me? No…you must invite them to me and shepherd them to those characteristics that feed the deepest needs of the soul. To know me is to reflect my love clearly and openly.
Isaiah 40:11
He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
1 John 4:8
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
January 5
It is true. Look back at the wake of your course. You did not lack. When margins were thin, I was teaching you to trust my provision. It was always there, often in ways you could not have imagined. It came as an idea. It came as unexpected opportunity. It came through another’s encouragement. One thing was always constant and remains so…it came upon your surrender into my promise, when you released control, when you trusted me. Expect me to always challenge your pride. When I raise that point, agree with me, turn from it, and lean on me. I will never leave you alone. I will never abandon my promise.
Deuteronomy 2:7
For the LORD your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.
January 6
You sought me for wisdom, and I led you to consider the concept of fearing me. I do not direct you to crippling terror, though many who ignored me through the ages have experienced it. Rather, I introduce your honest and humble search to my matchless holiness, power, and authority, a privilege that I reserve for those who truly seek to honor me. Wisdom is founded in deep respect, reverence, and awe of my uniqueness. When you understand that, proper fear of me leads you to willingly invest total dependence upon me for everything in life and eternity including the knowledge and wisdom you seek. In fact, proper understanding of fear leads you to the knowledge of my great love for you. The world claims there to be many other options for wisdom. There are none. I am the only source. I am Creator of all that is.
Proverbs 1:7
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Psalms 86:11
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.
Isaiah 11:3
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear…
Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.
January 7
Be still and listen carefully. Your effectiveness depends upon it. Let my Spirit usher my intent upon you. Let it sink into your spirit and mind. Let it shape your will and guide your action. Then you will understand my instructions and know my peace. Then you will experience the confidence of knowing that your thought and action represent me faithfully. Then you will effectively demonstrate my will in the engagement of responsibilities that I have assigned to you.
Psalms 85:8
I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.
Ezekiel 3:10
Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself.”
January 8
I note that you are moving the matter to conclusion, but you have not sought my opinion or guidance. It is true that you thought about asking me, but you have not come to me purposely. I draw you to a life of intentionality in my presence, actively seeking me by faith on every matter of life so that I may apply the fullness of my wisdom and insight to your benefit. It is not too late, but it is necessary that you shift your trust from your common ability to discover my perfect way by faith before you take another step.
Habakkuk 2:4
“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
Hebrews 11:6
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
January 9
Some call it a thin place…a place where the distance between you and me is fine and the reality of my being and power is clear and present. In those moments your soul lifts to me and your mind is struck in ways unexplainable in human terms. My majesty is overwhelming and my love undeniable. It is in those moments you respond in honest confession assembling words that frame the core of your belief and hope. They are like a sweet fragrance to me, and I know that they express the desire of your heart.
Psalm 18:1-2
I love you, LORD; you are my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
January 10
Understand that I continue investment in my purpose, faith invested in faith, belief invested in belief, purity in purity, integrity in integrity, humility in humility. It is in part how I build my culture into a place and among people. Seek my character but do so from the basis of surrender. Thereupon I will freely give and build my character in you. Then you will understand David’s song, “You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.” Indeed, it will become your song.
Psalm 18:25-29
To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. You rescue the humble,
but you humiliate the proud. You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
January 11
The way forward is mine, and it is perfect. Yet it troubles you because it is unknown, thus apart from your design and control. Consider the future and what it may hold as my promise to you. You can surrender to it knowing from experience that my promises prove true…that I am a shield as you seek my protection, the foundation under each step, and the perfect guide for each of those steps. I make your future perfect and your footing as surefooted as a deer. You will like the view from where we are going, and by faith, you will understand the wisdom of my perfection.
Psalm 18:30-33
God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
January 12
You are learning. It is astoundingly simple. My promise is infinitely dependable. I rescue those who love me. I protect those who trust me. I answer those who call. It is the manner of living to which I have drawn you, and you have found that it applies to every aspect of your life. Your experience with me confirms the simplicity of following me on my terms, not without challenges, but with peace and confidence in my presence and ability to lead you through the challenge to effective conclusions. I have this, and you know it.
Psalm 91:14-15
The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.”
January 13
The experience of wisdom you seek and the basis of decisions you will make is provided by my Spirit within you. Humble yourself, enter my presence, and ask. If correction or guidance is needed, I will cause you to know it and urge you to the correction. As you do so, expect wisdom. You will experience it as an emerging thought. As you speak the words or take the action, it will be as a light turning on. With it will be confidence of rightness. Though you may not know it in the moment of occurrence, you will reflect upon it later and realize that I am the source of that light…the wisdom and the confidence you experienced. Yes, ask for wisdom. I will provide it.
Isaiah 11:2-3
And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.
James 1:5-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
January 14
The fact that I am real, that I am present, that I love you, and that I am working in your life is not altered or diminished because of circumstances swirling around that make it seem otherwise. I am the light that you can see through the hazy patterns of emotion and behaviors that have accrued and are currently defining your life. Shift your attention from the messy patterns and fix it upon me. My power is far greater than you know, and my light will increase as you attend it. My reality and power is your hope and is the source of strength, insight, wisdom, and direction that I will teach you to employ breaking old patterns and building hope upon hope and faith upon faith.
Romans 4:18
Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”
January 15
Discovery of wisdom is the discovery of me…all that I am, perfectly Holy, perfectly Pure, all Powerful, all Knowing, all Present, Creator, Master, Commander of all that is or will ever be, Matchless. Even the words of limited human expression fail to describe, for I am above and beyond your ability to comprehend. Wisdom begins with your agreement that I am God and you are not; that I am able and you are not; that I hold title to all and you do not; and that I have specific intent for you that may be discovered only in humility…the shedding of all pretense, the emptying of yourself before me, complete surrender to the cleansing I provide by my sacrifice and forgiveness. Then as you commune with me by faith in the extension of my love and grace, I will make known my intent. Thereby you inherit my wisdom.
Ephesians 5:15-17
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Proverbs 8:12-14
I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment. All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
corruption and perverse speech. Common sense and success belong to me. Insight and strength are mine.
Isaiah 11:2
And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
January 16
You are generationally and culturally trained to think that more is better, that larger is better that small, that much is evidence of my favor. In truth, you favor the more, the larger, and the much as evidence of your greatness rather than mine. Be cautious, your pride emerges quickly in such thought, and pride is a deceptive master. I teach you to pursue my appointed way. Seek me diligently and dependently. Respond obediently as I reveal direction and action. I will scale my way as I intend it for my purpose. It will always be large enough, and it will always be effective. Therein you will find the fulfillment you seek.
Psalms 127:1
Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.
January 17
I am your Source. When you approach our relationship on my terms; when you honor Who I am with respect and awe that rises freely from the depth of your being; when you live in conscious awareness of my unmatched Holiness; when you confess that I Am without reserve; when you willingly, intentionally, obediently surrender to all my ways as I reveal them…then you will know my favor and my blessing. Your work will be a delight. Joy will be the marker of your life. You will want for nothing. Your spouse will flourish. Your children will thrive. And you will know that I have blessed.
Psalm 128:1-4
How joyful are those who fear the LORD—all who follow his ways!
You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!
Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.
That is the LORD’s blessing for those who fear him.
January 18
Examine the source of your hope. Is it placed in me, who I am, and the sacrifice I made for you; or is it placed in your personal effort? The natural outcome of decisions and actions taken independent of me, good or bad, does not nullify the reality of my authority and promise. Though you did not turn to me then, you can now. I wait patiently just outside the edge of your attention offering the same love and promise that you so often ignored. I offer a way when there seems to be no way. My friends Peter and David each discovered it. I directed each to record their discovery for your benefit. The real question of this moment is, where will you place your hope.
1 Peter 1:18-21
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
Psalm 130:5-6
I am counting on the LORD; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
January 19
In position. Yes…in position with me…humble, lingering in my presence, seeking me, rejecting sin, you are safely enveloped in my care. Take care that you understand position, not as leverage to gain your will but as discovery of mine…the surrendering of all that is you into all that is me and my way. In position is where you experience the effectiveness and satisfaction of my authority manifested in the context of confidence and peace. In position you will rest in my protection. In position you will know my power.
Psalms 125:2
Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever.
Psalms 34:7
For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
January 20
I offer peace to you in the middle of swirling circumstances. The patterns of your life and the culture in which you live it often develop great windy clouds of dust that obscure clear thought and effective action. Yet, my peace overrides the storms. In my peace, you will experience calmness and the ability to sense my impressions upon you as I cause you to know how to alter patterns and as I supply the courage to act in fresh ways that will settle the wind and dust. It is my Spirit in you…I am real, and I am present. The peace you seek is experienced as you consciously lean into that fact.
John 14:27
I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Philippians 4:7
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
January 21
I have wonderful plans for you, things that you are unable to even imagine. My Spirit is the interpreter of all that I have shown you and will show you translating my thoughts into your conscious awareness. My Spirit and I are one, residing in that place in you that I call “heart”, conforming your will and establishing your thought according to my purpose. Yield to my urging. Learn to seek it on a moment-to-moment basis. I will guide your actions into effectiveness beyond anything you have seen or heard or imagined.
1 Corinthians 2:9-12
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
January 22
My instruction is clear. I have taught you of position and your responsibility. Know this, I keep my promises. When you diligently attend your responsibility to position, I will hear, forgive, and restore. My fidelity is not in question. Yours is. The greatest danger you face is not the challenge of life; it is that you relax your attention and drift from position. My word holds true, and you can trust everything I instruct and everything I say…my promises and my expectations.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
Psalms 33:4
For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does.
Psalms 91:4
He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
January 23
When you come seeking me, expect me to raise uncleared issues. It is part of attaining the effective position to which I urge you. I will bring specific unconfessed sin or unrepented habits to your mind. Though I invite you into my presence, I hold you apart pending your agreement with me regarding these uncleared matters and your willingness to honestly confess them and turn from their practice. The first of my conditions to position, humility, is the emptying of self. The absence of humility and presence of pride will be my first challenge. Know this…if you confess your sins to me, I am just in my expectations and faithful to my promise. I will forgive your sins and clean you up as I place you in effective position with me.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
1 John 1:8
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
1 John 1:9
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
January 24
Be careful. Influence abounds around you seeking opportunity. When you are in position with me, my Spirit is actively providing discernment. I will cause you to know who represents truth and who does not, who is to be trusted and who cannot be trusted. Avoid exposing your mind to those who practice sin or those who mock others. Rather, delight in Me, my Word, and my expressed way. Spend time thinking about these things allowing my Spirit to influence and sharpen your insight and understanding. In these moments of contemplation, decide in advance to trust me. I will lead you to awareness of right decisions and effective action.
Psalms 1:1-3
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
January 25
Consider my friend Daniel and his need for wisdom in an important matter. He understood what David wrote about delighting in my presence and my Word. You have need for wisdom in a different type of matter. It is important, and yesterday I made you aware that I am actively leading you. Remain in my presence and read the record of Daniel’s confession to me about my majesty and authority over all things. Place yourself and your responsibility into those words. My invitation in these moments is that you make Daniel’s confession your own. Do so consciously trusting and expecting that I will lead you to awareness of right decisions in the handling of my things and to effective action you are to take.
Psalms 1:2
But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.
Daniel 2:20-23
He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”
January 26
Be still. Remain in my presence as I work. You are fully known to me, and my love for you is beyond your comprehension and understanding. Dwell upon those two unchanging facts and allow my grace to fill and comfort. Are you so self-absorbed that you think because you cannot see how the matter will be resolved, that I have somehow become unable to perform? My faithfulness is never compromised, and my purpose in it is eternal. So, do not concern yourself with the action or inaction of others. Your only job is to stay in my presence, follow me closely, and act upon my direction. The outcome is already handled. You follow me.
Psalm 37:7
Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
Luke 6:47-48
I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.
January 27
The effectiveness you seek is dependent upon you becoming engaged with every word of my Book. The engagement is guided and empowered by my Spirit in you. It is wonderfully pervasive as the words, blessed and powerful, influence your thought and awaken depth of understand to my way and purpose. You will gain spiritual sight that, until now, has been latent and underdeveloped in you. I have much planned for you. I will reveal those plans as you open yourself to my Words.
Psalms 1:2
…they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.
Psalms 119:72-74
Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver. You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.
January 28
Know that the words of my Book…my Word…is essential to our relationship. Is it reasonable to expect understanding without attention to instruction? You well know the confusion, ineffectiveness, and misunderstanding that is experienced. I intend that the words of my Book be clearly lodged in your mind. It then becomes a ready resource for my Spirit’s application in your day-to-day experience, bringing my specific instruction to your awareness and revealing how it is to be applied in real time and real situations. My Word enlivened by My Spirit upon your will and in your mind is thus a directional map and an illumination of the way you are to proceed. Know also that my Word is alive…a precise tool that I use to reach thoughts and intentions that you think hidden from me. The vibrancy of our relationship and all that you hope to realize from it is dependent upon your intentional and surrendered engagement with my Word.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
January 29
I know the difficulty of remaining in the position I have prescribed. It is easy to become distracted. I provide two powerful realities that when intentionally engaged will keep you near me. One is my Spirit placed in you. The other is my Word placed before you. Our journey and your effectiveness in it…position…is enabled, empowered, instructed, and directed by My Spirit and My Word. Turn your mind to me and ask My Spirit to override the distraction pulling at you in these moments. Open My book and read the familiar lines of my story and promises. Allow my Word to soak into you. Linger in my presence. Experience the peace and confidence that emerge as distraction erodes.
Romans 8:9
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Isaiah 55:11
So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
January 30
You cannot imagine how much I have in store for you. Yet there is in you a distracting tendency to compare yourself to others whom you deem to be experiencing more of something desirable than are you. Understand that there is a great deal that you will not know about those you envy…things that are not enviable. The real issue is that there is a great deal you do not yet know about me. I am teaching you, but I require that you become still in my presence yielding to me your full attention, your time, and your intentionality. There you will discover the fulfillment, the peace, and the confidence of my promise.
Psalms 37:7
Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
Psalm 86:11
Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.
January 31
It is no cosmic accident that you encountered me, no mystery, no coincidence. I knew you from before your conception and watched your coming and going waiting for the moment you would become aware of your need for me. I called you to myself and guided you to faith and belief beyond what you could imagine…to know the full wonder of my promises of eternity and of effective living between now and then. I provided everything you need to live my way and will continue to do so. The next part of the journey will be no less. As I gifted you with faith and belief for the episodes now past, so I will for episodes ahead. Trust me. I have this.
1 Peter 1:3-7
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.