August 4

HOLD MY HAND, and walk joyously with Me through this day.  Together we will savor the pleasures and endure the difficulties it brings.  Be on the lookout for everything I have prepared for you:  stunning scenery, bracing winds of adventure, cozy nooks for resting when you are weary, and much more.  I am your Guide, as well as your constant Companion.  I know every step of the journey ahead of you, all the way to heaven.

You don’t have to choose between staying close to Me and staying on course.  Since I am the Way, staying close to Me is staying on course.  As you focus your thoughts on Me, I will guide you carefully along today’s journey.  Don’t worry about what is around the next bend.  Just concentrate on enjoying My Presence and staying in step with Me.

John 14:6; Colossians 4:2

August 5

SIT QUIETLY IN MY PRESENCE while I bless you.  Make your mind like a still pool of water, ready to receive whatever thoughts I drop into it.  Rest in My sufficiency, as you consider the challenges this day presents.  Do not wear yourself out by worrying about whether you can cope with the pressures.  Keep looking to Me and communicating with Me, as we walk through this day together.

Take time to rest by the wayside, for I am not in a hurry.  A leisurely pace accomplishes more than hurried striving.  When you rush, you forget who you are and Whose you are.  Remember that you are royalty in My kingdom.

Psalm 37:7; Romans 8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:9

August 6

WHEN THINGS SEEM to be going all wrong, stop and affirm your trust in Me.  Calmly bring these matters to Me, and leave them in My capable hands.  Then, simply do the next thing. Stay in touch with Me through thankful, trusting prayers, resting in My sovereign control.  Rejoice in Me—exult in the God of your salvation!  As you trust in Me, I make your feet like the feet of a deer.   I enable you to walk and make progress upon your high places of trouble, suffering, or responsibility.

Job 13:15(NKJV); Psalm 18:22; Habakkuk 3:17-19(AMP)

August 7

UNDERSTANDING will never bring you Peace.  That’s why I have instructed you to trust in Me, not in your understanding.  Human beings have a voracious appetite for trying to figure things out, in order to gain a sense of mastery over their lives.  But the world presents you with an endless series of problems.  As soon as you master one set, another pops up to challenge you.  The relief you had anticipated I short-lived.  Soon your mind is gearing up again:  searching for understanding (mastery), instead of seeking Me (your Master).

The wisest of all men, Solomon, could never think his way through to Peace.  His vast understanding resulted in feelings of futility, rather than in fulfillment.

My Peace is not a elusive goal, hidden at the center of some complicated maze.  Actually, you are always enveloped in Peace, which is inherent in My Presence.  As you look to Me, you gain awareness of this precious Peace.

Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 5:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:16

August 8

I SPEAK TO YOU from deepest heaven.  You hear Me in the depths of your being.  Deep calls unto deep.  You are blessed to hear Me so directly.  Never take this privilege for granted.  The best response is a heart overflowing with gratitude.  I am training you to cultivate a thankful mind-set.  This is like building your house on a firm rock, where life’s storms cannot shake you.  As you learn these lessons, you are to teach them to others.  I will open up the way before you, one step at a time.

Psalm 42:7(NKJV); Psalm 95:1-2; Matthew 7:24-25

August 9

WEAR MY ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS with ease.  I custom-made it for you, to cover you from head to toe.  The price I paid for this covering was astronomical—My own blood.  You could never purchase such a royal garment, no matter how hard you worked. Sometimes you forget that My righteousness is a gift, and you feel ill at ease in your regal robe.  I weep when I see you squirming under the velvety fabric, as if it were made of scratchy sackcloth.

I want you to trust Me enough to realize your privileged position in My kingdom.  Relax in the luxuriant folds of your magnificent robe.  Keep your eyes on Me, as you practice walking in this garment of righteousness.  When your behavior is unfitting for one in My kingdom, do not try to throw off your royal robe.  Instead, throw off the unrighteous behavior.  Then you will be able to feel at ease in this glorious garment, enjoying the gift I fashioned for you before the foundation of the world.

Isaiah 61:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 4:22-24

August 10

RELAX IN MY HEALING, holy Presence.  Allow Me to transform you through this time alone with Me.  As your thoughts center more and more on Me, trust displaces fear and worry.  Your mind is somewhat like a seesaw.  As your trust in Me goes up, fear and worry automatically go down.  Time spent with Me only increases your trust; it also helps you discern what is important and what is not.

Energy and time are precious, limited entities.  Therefore, you need to use them wisely, focusing on what is truly important.  As you walk close to Me, saturating your mind with Scripture, I will show you how to spend your time and energy.  My Word is a lamp unto your feet; My Presence is a Light for your path.

Ephesians 5:15-16(NKJV); Psalm 119:105

August 11

COME TO ME.  Come to Me.  Come to Me.  This is My continual invitation to you, proclaimed in holy whispers.  When your heart and mind are quiet, you can hear Me inviting you to draw near.  Coming close to Me requires no great effort on your part; it is more like ceasing to resist the magnetic pull of My Love.  Open yourself to My loving Presence, so that I may fill you with My fullness.  I want you to experience how wide and long and high and deep is My Love for you, so that you can know My Love that surpasses knowledge.  This vast ocean of Love cannot be measured or explained, but it can be experienced.

Revelation 22:17; John 6:37; Ephesians 3:16-19

August 12

COME TO ME when you are weak and weary.  Rest snugly in My everlasting arms.  I do not despise your weakness, My child.  Actually, it draws Me closer to you, because weakness stirs up My compassion—My yearning to help.  Accept yourself in your weariness, knowing that I understand how difficult your journey has been.

Do not compare yourself with others, who seem to skip along their life-paths with ease.  Their journeys have been different from yours, and I have gifted them with abundant energy.  I have gifted you with fragility, providing opportunities for your spirit to blossom in My Presence.  Accept this gift as a sacred treasure:  delicate, yet glowing with brilliant Light.  Rather than struggling to disguise or deny your weakness, allow Me to bless you richly through it.

Isaiah 42:3; Isaiah 54:10; Romans 8:26

August 13

LEARN TO ENJOY LIFE MORE.  Relax, remembering that I am God with you.  I crafted you with enormous capacity to know Me and enjoy My Presence.  When My people wear sour faces and walk through their lives with resigned rigidity, I am displeased.  When you walk through a day with childlike delight, savoring every blessing, you proclaim your trust in Me, your ever-present Shepherd.  The more you focus on My Presence with you, the more fully you can enjoy life.  Glorify e through your pleasure in Me.  Thus proclaim My Presence to the watching world.

Matthew 1:23; John 10:10-11

August 14

I AM YOURS FOR ALL ETERNITY.  I am the Alpha and the Omega:  the One who is and was and is to come.  The world you inhabit is a place of constant changes—more than your mind can absorb without going into shock.  Even the body you inhabit is changing relentlessly, in spite of modern science’s attempts to prolong youth and life indefinitely, I, however, am the same yesterday and today and forever.

Because I never change, your relationship with Me provides a rock-solid foundation for your life.  I will never leave your side.  When you move on from this life to the next, My Presence beside you will shine brighter with each step.  You have nothing to fear, because I am with you for all time and throughout eternity.

Revelation 1:8; Hebrew 13:8; Psalm 102:25-27; Psalm 48:14

August 15

I AM THE GOD OF ALL TIME and all that is.  Seek Me not only in the morning quietness but consistently throughout the day.  Do not let unexpected problems distract you from My Presence.  Instead, talk with Me about everything, and watch confidently to see what I will do.

Adversity need not interrupt your communion with Me.  When things go “wrong”, you tend to react as if you’re being punished.  Instead of this negative response, try to view difficulties as blessings in disguise.  Make Me your Refuge by pouring out your heart to Me, trusting in Me at all times.

Psalm 55:17; Psalm 32:6; Psalm 62:8

August 16

MEET ME in early morning splendor.  I eagerly await you here.  In the stillness of this holy time with Me, I renew your strength and saturate you with Peace.  While others turn over for extra sleep or anxiously tune in to the latest news, you commune with the Creator of the universe.  I have awakened in your heart strong desires to know Me.  This longing originated in Me, though it now burns brightly in you.

When you seek My Face in response to My Love-call, both of us are blessed.  This is a deep mystery, designed more for your enjoyment than for your understanding.  I am not a dour God who discourages pleasure.  I delight in your enjoyment of everything that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.  Think on these things, and My Light in you will shine brighter day by day.

Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 27:4; Philippians 4:8

August 17

FIND ME IN THE MIDST of the maelstrom.  Sometimes events whirl around you so quickly that they become a blur.  Whisper My Name in recognition that I am still with you.  Without skipping a beat in the activities that occupy you, you  find strength and Peace through praying My Name.  Later, when the happenings have run their course, you can talk with Me more fully.

Accept each day just as it comes to you.  Do not waste your time and energy wishing for a different set of circumstances.  Instead, trust Me enough to yield to My design and purposes.  Remember that nothing can separate you from My loving Presence; you are Mine.

Philippians 2:9-11; Isaiah 43:1

August 18

EXPECT TO ENCOUNTER ADVERSITY in your life, remembering that you live in a deeply fallen world.  Stop trying to find a way that circumvents difficulties.  The main problem with an easy life is that it masks your need for Me.  When you became a Christian, I infused My very Life into you, empowering you to live on a supernatural plane by depending on Me.

Anticipate coming face to face with impossibilities:  situations totally beyond your ability to handle.  This awareness of your inadequacy is not something you should try to evade.  It is precisely where I want you—the best place to encounter Me in My Glory and power. When you see armies of problems marching toward you, cry out to Me!  Allow Me to fight for you.  Watch Me working on your behalf, as you rest in the shadow of My Almighty Presence.

Revelation 19:1; Psalm 91:1

August 19

I CONTINUALLY CALL YOU to closeness with Me.  I know the depth and breadth of your need for Me.  I can read the emptiness of your thoughts when they wander away from Me.   I offer rest for your soul, as well as refreshment for your mind and body.  As you increasingly find fulfillment in Me, other pleasures become less important.  Knowing Me intimately is like having a private wellspring of Joy within you.  This spring flows freely from My throne of grace, so your Joy is independent of circumstances.

Waiting in My Presence keeps you connected to Me, aware of all that I offer you.  If you feel any deficiency, you need to refocus your attention on Me.  This is how you trust Me in the moments of your life.

Psalm 131:2; Psalm 21:6; Psalm 37:7

August 20

I AM A GOD WHO HEALS. I heal broken bodies, broken minds, broken hearts, broken lives, and broken relationships.  My very Presence has immense healing powers.  You cannot live close to Me without experiencing some degree of healing.  However, it is also true that you have not because you ask not.

The first step in receiving healing is to live ever so close to Me.  As you grow more and more intimate with Me, I reveal My will to you more directly.  When the time is right, I prompt you to ask for healing of some brokenness in you or in another person.  The healing may be instantaneous, or it may be a process.  That is up to Me.  You rpart is to trust e fully and to thank Me for the restoration that has begun.

I rarely heal all the brokenness in a person’s life.  Even My servant Paul was told, “My grace is sufficient for you”, when he sought healing for the thorn in his flesh.  Nonetheless, much healing is available to those whose lives are intimately interwoven with Mine.  Ask, and you will receive.

Psalm 103:3; James 4:2(KJV); 2 Corinthians 12:7-9; Matthew 7:7

August 21

WAIT WITH ME FOR A WHILE.  I have much to tell you.  You are walking along the path I have chosen for you.  It is both a privileged and a perilous way:  experiencing My glorious Presence and heralding that reality to others.  Sometimes you feel presumptuous to be carrying out such an assignment.

Do not worry about what other people think of you.  The work I am doing in you is hidden at first.  But eventually blossoms will burst forth, and abundant fruit will be borne.  Stay on the path of Life with Me.  Trust Me wholeheartedly, letting My Spirit fill you with Joy and Peace.

1 Kings 8:23; Galatians 5:22-23

August 22

TRUST ME, and don’t be afraid.  I want you to view trials as exercises designed to develop your trust-muscles.  You live in the midst of fierce spiritual battles, and fear is one of Satan’s favorite weapons.  When you start to feel afraid, affirm your trust in Me.  Speak out loud, if circumstances permit.  Resist the devil in My Name, and he will slink away from you.  Refresh yourself in My holy Presence.  Speak or sing praises to Me, and My Face will shine radiantly upon you.

Remember that there is no condemnation for those who belong to Me.  You have been judged NOT GUILTY for all eternity.  Trust Me, and don’t be afraid; for I am your Strength, Song, and Salvation.

James 4:7; Romans 8:1-2; Isaiah 12:2

August 23

ENTRUST YOUR LOVED ONES TO ME; release them into My protective care.  They are much safer with Me than in your clinging hands.  If you let a loved one become an idol in your heart, you endanger that one—as well as yourself.  Remember the extreme measures I used with Abraham and Isaac.  I took Isaac to the very point of death to free Abraham from son-worship.  Both Abraham and Isaac suffered terribly because of the father’s undisciplined emotions.  I detest idolatry, even in the form of parental love.

When you release loved ones to Me, you are free to cling to My hand.  As you entrust others into My care, I am free to shower blessings on them.  My Presence will go with them wherever they go, and I will give them rest.  This same Presence stays with you, as you relax and place your trust in Me.  Watch to see what I will do.

Genesis 22:9; Ephesians 3:20; Exodus 33:14

August 24

I AM ALL AROUND YOU, hovering over you as you seek My Face.  I am nearer than you dare believe, closer than the air you breathe.  If My children could only recognize My Presence, they would never feel lonely again.  I know every thought before you think it, every word before you speak it.  My Presence impinges on your innermost being.  Can you see the absurdity of trying to hide anything from Me?  You can easily deceive other people, and even yourself; but I read you like an open, large-print book.

Deep within themselves, most people have some awareness of My imminent Presence.  Many people run from Me and vehemently deny My existence, because My closeness terrifies them.  But My own children have nothing to fear, for I have cleansed them by My blood and clothed them in My righteousness.  Be blessed by My intimate nearness.  Since I live in you, let Me also live through you, shining My Light into the darkness.

Psalm 139:1-4; Ephesians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 5:21

August 25

I AM THE ETERNAL I AM; I always have been, and I always will be.  In My Presence you experience Love and Light, Peace and Joy.  I am intimately involved in all your moments, and I am training you to be aware of Me at all times.  Your assignment is to collaborate with Me in this training process.

I have taken up residence within you; I am central in your innermost being.  Your mind goes off in tangents from its holy Center, time after time.  Do not be alarmed by your inability to remain focused on Me.  Simply bring your thoughts gently back to Me each time they wander.  The quickest way to redirect your mind to me is to whisper My Name.

Exodus 3:14; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Psalm 25:14-15

August 26

TRUST ME in the midst of a messy day.  Your inner calm—your Peace in My Presence—need not be shaken by what is going on around you.  Though you live in this temporal world, your innermost being is rooted and grounded in eternity.  When you start to feel stressed, detach yourself from the disturbances around you.  Instead of desperately striving to maintain order and control in your little world, relax and remember that circumstances cannot touch My Peace.

Seek My Face, and I will share My mind with you, opening your eyes to see things from My perspective.  Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid.  The Peace I give is sufficient for you.

John 16:33; Psalm 105:4; John 14:27

August 27

SPEND TIME WITH ME for the pure pleasure of being in My company.  I can brighten up the dullest of gray days; I can add sparkle to the routines of daily life.  You have to repeat so many tasks day after day.  This monotony can dull your thinking until your mind slips into neutral.  A mind that is unfocused is vulnerable to “the world, the flesh, and the devil”, all of which exert a downward pull on your thoughts.  As your thinking processes deteriorate, you become increasingly confused and directionless.  The best remedy is to focus your mind and heart on Me, your constant Companion.

Even the most confusing day opens up before you as you go step by step with Me.  My Presence goes with you wherever you go, providing Light for your path.

Psalm 63:7-8; Psalm 119:105

August 28

GROW STRONG in the Light of My Presence.  As My Face shines upon you, you receive nutrients that enhance your growth in grace.  I designed you to commune with Me face to Face, and this interaction strengthens your soul.  Such communion provides a tiny glimpse of what awaits you in heaven, where all barriers between you and My Glory will be removed.  This meditative time with Me blesses you doubly:  You experience My Presence here and now, and you are refreshed by the hope of heaven, where you will know Me in ecstatic Joy.

Psalm 4:6-8; Revelation 21:23

August 29

DEMONSTRATE YOUR TRUST IN ME by sitting quietly in My Presence.  Put aside all that is waiting to be done, and refuse to worry about anything.  This sacred time together strengthens you and prepares you to face whatever the day will bring.  By waiting with Me before you begin the day’s activities, you proclaim the reality of My living Presence.  This act of faith—waiting before working—is noted in the spirit world, where your demonstration of trust weakens principalities and powers of darkness.

The most effective way to resist evil is to draw near Me.  When you need to take action, I will guide you clearly through My Spirit and My Word.  The world is so complex and over stimulating that you can easily lose your sense of direction.  Doing countless unnecessary activities will dissipate your energy.  When you spend time with Me, I restore your sense of direction.  As you look to Me for guidance, I enable you to do less but accomplish more.

Luke 12:22-26; Ephesians 6:12; Proverbs 16:3

August 30

THERE IS NO PLACE so desolate that you cannot find Me there.  When Hagar fled from her mistress, Sarah, into the wilderness, she thought she was utterly alone and forsaken.  But Hager encountered Me in that desolate place.  There she addressed Me as the Living One who sees me.  Through that encounter with My Presence, she gained courage to return to her mistress.

No set of circumstances could ever isolate you from My loving Presence.  Not only do I see you always; I see you as a redeemed saint, gloriously radiant in My righteousness.  That is why I take great delight in you and rejoice over you with singing!

Genesis 16:7-14(AMP); Psalm 139: 7-10; Zephaniah 3:17

August 31

GROW STRONG IN YOUR WEAKNESS.  Some of My children I’ve gifted with abundant strength and stamina.  Others, like you, have received the humble gift of frailty.  Your fragility is not a punishment, nor does it indicate lack of faith.  On the contrary, weak ones like you must live by faith, depending on Me to get you through the day.  I am developing your ability to trust Me, to lean on Me, rather than on you understanding.  Your natural preference is to plan out your day, knowing what will happen when.  My preference is for you to depend on Me continually, trusting Me to guide you and strengthen you as needed.  This is how you grow strong in your weakness.

James 4:13-15; Proverbs 3:5(AMP); Isaiah 40:28-31