February 19

YOU ARE FEELING WEIGHED DOWN by a plethora of problems, both big and small.  They seem to require more and more of your attention, but you must not give in to those demands.  When the difficulties in your life feel as if they’re closing in on you, break free by spending quality time with Me.  You need to remember who I AM in all My Power and Glory.  Then, humbly bring Me your prayers and petitions.  Your problems will pale when you view them in the Light of My Presence.  You can learn to be joyful in Me, your Savior, even in the midst of adverse circumstances.  Rely on Me, your Strength; I make your feet like the feet of a deer, enabling you to go on the heights.

Exodus 3:14; Habakkuk 3:17-19

February 20

LEARN TO LIVE from your true Center in Me.  I reside in the deepest depths of your being, in eternal union with your spirit.  It is at this deep level that My Peace reigns continually.  You will not find lasting peace in the world around you, in circumstances, or in human relationships.  The external world is always in flux—under the curse of death and decay.  But there is a gold mine of Peace deep within you, waiting to be trapped.  Take time to delve into the riches of My residing Presence.  I want you to live increasingly from your real Center, where My Love has an eternal grip on you.  I am Christ in you, the hope of Glory.

Colossians 3:15; Colossians 1:27

February 21

TRUST AND THANKFULNESS WILL get you safely through this day.  Trust protects you from worrying and obsessing.  Thankfulness keeps you from criticizing and complaining:  those “sister sins” that so easily entangle you.

Keeping your eyes on Me is the same thing as trusting Me.  It is a free choice that you must make thousands of times daily.  The more you choose to trust Me, the easier it becomes.  Thought patterns of trust become etched into your brain.  Relegate troubles to the periphery of your mind, so that I can be central in your thoughts.  Thus you focus on Me, entrusting your concerns into My care.

Colossians 2:6-7; Psalm 141:8; 1 Peter 5:7

February 22

YOU NEED ME EVERY MOMENT.  Your awareness of your constant need for Me is your greatest strength.  Your neediness, properly handled, is a link to My Presence.  However, there are pitfalls that you must be on guard against:  self-pity, self-preoccupation, giving up.  Your inadequacy presents you with a continual choice—deep dependence on Me, or despair.  The emptiness you feel within will be filled either with problems or with My Presence.  Make Me central in your consciousness by praying continually:  simple, short prayers flowing out of the present moment.  Use My Name liberally, to remind you of My Presence.  Keep on asking and you will receive, so that your gladness may be full and complete.

1 Thessalonians 5:17; John 16:24(AMP)

February 23

BE ON GUARD against the pit of self-pity.  When you are weary or unwell, this demonic trap is the greatest you face.  Don’t even go near the edge of the pit.  Its edges crumble easily, and before you know it, you are on the way down.  It is ever so much harder to get out of the pit than to keep a safe distance from it.  That is why I tell you to be on guard.

There are several ways to protect yourself from self-pity.  When you are occupied with praising and thanking Me, it is impossible to feel sorry for yourself.  Also, the closer you live to Me, the more distance there is between you and the pit.  Live in the Light of My Presence by fixing your eyes on Me.  Then you will be able to run with endurance the race that is set before you, without stumbling or falling.

Psalm 89:15-15; Hebrew 12:1-2(NASB)

February 24

BE STILL IN THE LIGHT of My Presence, while I communicate Love to you.  There is no force in the universe as powerful as My Love.  You are constantly aware of limitations:  your own and others’.  But there is no limit to My Love; it fills all of space, time, and eternity.

Now you see through a glass, darkly, but someday you will see Me face to Face.  Then you will be able to experience fully how wide and long and high and deep is My Love for you.  If you were to experience that now, you would be overwhelmed to the point of feeling crushed.  But you have an eternity ahead of you, absolutely guaranteed, during which you can enjoy My Presence in unrestricted ecstasy.  For now, the knowledge of My loving Presence is sufficient to carry you through each day.

1 Corinthians 13:12(KJV); Ephesians 3:16-19

February 25

REST IN MY PRESENCE, allowing Me to take charge of this day.  Do not bolt into the day like a racehorse suddenly released.  Instead, walk purposefully with Me, letting Me direct your course one step at a time.  Thank Me for each blessing along the way; this brings Joy to both you and Me.  A grateful heart protects you from negative thinking.  Thankfulness enables you to see the abundance I shower upon you daily.  Your prayers and petitions are winged into heaven’s throne room when they are permeated with thanksgiving.  In everything give thanks, for this is My will for you.

Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:18(NASB)

February 26

I AM LEADING YOU, STEP BY STEP, through your life.  Hold My hand in trusting dependence, letting Me guide you through this day.  Your future looks uncertain and feels flimsy—even precarious.  That is how it should be.  Secret things belong to the Lord, and future things are secret things.  When you try to figure out the future, you are grasping at things that are Mine.  This, like all forms of worry, is an act of rebellion:  doubting My promises to care for you.

Whenever you find yourself worrying about the future, repent and return to Me.  I will show you the next step forward, and the one after that, and the one after that.  Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go.

Deuteronomy 29:29; Psalm 32:8

February 27

KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME!  Waves of adversity are washing over you, and you feel tempted to give up.  As your circumstances consume more and more of your attention, you are losing sight of Me.  Yet I am with you always, holding you by your right hand.  I am fully aware of your situation, and I will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear.

Your gravest danger is worrying about tomorrow.  If you try to carry tomorrow’s burdens today, you will stagger under the load and eventually fall flat. You must discipline yourself to live within the boundaries of today.  It is in the present moment that I walk close to you, helping you carry your burdens.  Keep your focus on My Presence in the present.

Psalm 73:23; 1 Corinthians 10:13

February 28

STOP JUDGING AND EVALUATING YOURSELF, for this is not your role.  Above all, stop comparing yourself with other people.  This produces feelings of pride or inferiority; sometimes, a mixture of both.  I lead each of My children along a path that is uniquely tailor-made for him or her.

Don’t look for affirmation in the wrong places:  your own evaluations, or those of other people.  The only source or real affirmation is My unconditional Love.  Many believers perceive Me as an unpleasable Judge, angrily searching out their faults and failures.  Nothing could be farther from the truth!  I died for your sins, so that I might clothe you in My garments of salvation.  This is how I see you:  radiant in My robe of righteousness.  When I discipline you, it is never in anger or disgust; it is to prepare you for face-to-Face fellowship with Me throughout all eternity.  Immerse yourself in My loving Presence.  Be receptive to My affirmation, which flows continually from the throne of grace.

Luke 6:37; John 3:16-17; Isaiah 61:10(NASB); Proverbs 3:11-12