Devotions

September 19

THERE IS A MIGHT BATTLE going on for control of your mind.  Heaven and earth intersect in your mind; the tugs of both spheres influence your thinking.  I created you with the capacity to experience foretastes of heaven.  When you shut out the world and focus on My Presence, you can enjoy sitting with Me in heavenly realms.  This is an incredible privilege reserved for precious ones who belong to Me and seek My Face.  Your greatest strength is your desire to spend time communing with Me.  As you concentrate on Me, My Spirit fills your mind with Life and Peace. 

The world exerts a downward pull on your thoughts.  Media bombard you with greed, lust, and cynicism.  When you face these things, pray for protection and discernment.  Stay in continual communication with Me whenever you walk through the wastelands of this world.  Refuse to worry, because this form of worldliness will weight you down and block awareness of My Presence.  Stay alert, recognizing the battle being waged against your mind.  Look forward to an eternity of strife-free living, reserved for you in heaven.

Ephesians 2:6; Psalm 27:8; Romans 8:6; 1 John 2:15-17

September 20

TRY TO SEE THINGS more and more from My perspective.  Let the Light of My Presence so fully fill your mind that you view the world through Me.  When little things don’t go as you had hoped, look to Me lightheartedly and say, “Oh well.”  This simple discipline can protect you from being burdened with an accumulation of petty cares and frustration.  If you practice this diligently, you will make a life-changing discovery:  You realize that most of the things that worry you are not important.  If you shrug them off immediately and return your focus to Me, you will walk through your days with lighter steps and a joyful heart.  When serious problems come your way, you will have more reserves for dealing with them.  You will not have squandered your energy on petty problems.  You may even reach the point where you can agree with the apostle Paul that all your troubles are light and momentary, compared with the eternal glory being achieved by them.

Proverbs 20:24; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

September 21

WAIT QUIETLY IN MY PRESENCE while My thoughts form silently in the depths of your being.  Do not try to rush this process, because hurry keeps your heart earthbound.  I am the Creator of the entire universe, yet I choose to make My humble home in your heart.  It is there where you know Me most intimately; it is there where I speak to you in holy whispers.   Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can hear My still, small voice within you.  I am speaking to you continually:  words of Life….Peace….Love.  Tune your heart to receive these messages of abundant blessing.  Lay your requests before Me and wait in expectation.

1 Kings 19:12(NKJV); Psalm 5:3

September 22

TRUST ME AND REFUSE TO WORRY, for I am your Strength and Song.  You are feeling wobbly this morning, looking at difficult times looming ahead, measuring them against your own strength.  However, they are not today’s tasks—or even tomorrow’s. So leave them in the future and come home to the present, where you will find Me waiting for you.  Since I am your Strength, I can empower you to handle each tasks as it comes.  Because I am your Song, I can give you Joy as you work alongside Me. 

Keep bringing your mind back to the present moment.  Among all My creatures, only humans can anticipate future events.  This ability is a blessing, but it becomes a curse whenever it is misused.  If you use your magnificent mind to worry about tomorrow, you cloak yourself in dark unbelief.  However, when the hope of heaven fills your thoughts, the Light of My Presence envelops you.  Though heaven is future, it is also present tense.  As you walk in the Light with Me, you have one foot on earth and one foot in heaven.

Exodus 15:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Hebrews 10:23

September 23

WALK WITH ME in the freedom of forgiveness.  The path we follow together is sometimes steep and slippery.  If you carry a burden of guilt on your back, you are more likely to stumble and fall.  At your request, I will remove the heavy load from you and bury it at the foot of the cross.  When I unburden you, you are undeniably free!  Stand up straight and tall in My Presence, so that no one can place more burdens on your back.  Look into My Face and feel the warmth of My Love-Light shining upon you.  It is this unconditional Love that frees you from both fears and sins.  Spend time basking in the Light of My Presence.  As you come to know Me more and more intimately, you grow increasingly free.

Psalm 68:19; 1 John 1:7-9; 1 John 4:18

September 24

LIVE FIRST AND FOREMOST in My Presence.  Gradually you will become more aware of Me than of people and places around you.  This awareness will not detract from your relationships with others.  Instead, it will increase your ability to give love and encouragement to them.  My Peace will permeate your words and demeanor.  You will be active in the world, yet one step removed from it.  You will not be easily shaken, because My enveloping Presence buffers the blow of problems. 

This is the path I have set before you.  As you follow it wholeheartedly, you experience abundant Life and Peace.

Psalm 89:15-16; Psalm 16:8; 2 Peter 1:2

September 25

POUR ALL OF YOUR ENERGY into trusting Me.  It is through trust that you stay connected to Me, aware of My Presence.  Every step on your life-journey can be a step of faith.  Baby steps of trust are simple for you; you can take them with almost unconscious ease.  Giant steps are another matter altogether:  leaping across chasms in semidarkness, scaling cliffs of uncertainty, trudging through the valley of the shadow of death.  These feats require sheer concentration, as well as utter commitment to Me. 

Ease of My children is a unique blend of temperament, giftedness, and life experience.  Something that is a baby step for you may be a giant step for another person, and vice versa.  Only I know the difficulty or ease of each segment of your journey.  Beware of trying to impress others by acting as if your giant steps are only baby ones.  Do not judge others who hesitate, in trembling fear, before an act that would be easy for you.  If each of My children would seek to please Me above all else, fear of others’ judgments would vanish, as would attempts to impress others.  Focus your attention on the path just ahead of you and on the One who never leaves your side.

Psalm 23:4; Matthew 7:1-2; Proverbs 29:25

September 26

COME TO ME AND LISTEN! Attune yourself to My voice, and receive My richest blessings.  Marvel at the wonder of communing with the Creator of the universe while sitting in the comfort of your home.  Kings who reign on earth tend to make themselves inaccessible; ordinary people almost never gain an audience with them.  Even dignitaries must plow through red tape and protocol in order to speak with royalty. 

Though I am King of the universe, I am totally accessible to you.  I am with you wherever you are.  Nothing can separate you from My Presence!  When I cried out from the cross, “It is finished!” the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  This opened the way for you to meet Me face to Face, with no need of protocol or priests.  I, the King of kings, am your constant Companion.

Isaiah 50:4; Isaiah 55:2-3; John 19:30; Matthew 27: 50-51

 (Taken from "Jesus Calling" Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young - An Inspirational Dayspring Daybrightner)