Soaking Up the Son

"Let My Light soak into your mind and heart, until you are aglow with My very Being." (158)
This reminds me of how important light is to the plant world... green grass, spreading trees, colorful flowers, lush vegetable gardens... they all do remarkably better with sunlight. We are spiritually the same... we do remarkably better when we have Son-light! So, let's let the Son-shine in!
It also reminded me of a gospel song from years ago, The Hallelujah Side. (Listen for this descriptive phrase... "the windows of my soul.")
So, where (or who) do the windows of YOUR soul open up to?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAaI455daog&feature=related
With Windows Wide Open...dmc

An Amazing Aura

"This time of focused attention... I use it to bless you, strengthening and equipping you for the day... (creating) sacred space around you - space permeated with My Presence and My Peace." (157)
I am so grateful for people in my life who have illustrated what it means to have "sacred space... permeated with His Presence and Peace." Even as a child, I remember sensing that certain people had a certain aura about them that created "a safe place...a haven" that sparked life and love in me.
One definition of aura is "a distinctive but intangible quality that seems to surround a person or thing; an atmosphere."
Time spent with Jesus creates a cushion of "sacred space" around each of us! What an amazing thought... what a privilege!
Captured in His Amazing Aura...dmc

God-Aware & Grateful

When & Where are you more open to God?
Years ago, after ministering to people who had gone through a series of good times and bad times, Joe and I were honestly reflecting on our own lives and decided we would be very intentional about staying God-aware and grateful during all the situations of life. When things were going great or even when life was stressful and difficult... no matter what... we'd intentionally stay God-aware and grateful!
We decided we did not want to get into a pattern of earnestly seeking after God only when life was dark and difficult or when we were in desperate need of His help. We decided we wanted to habitually live up-close-and-personal even when life was "filled with good things."  We did not want to be inclined to focus on the good things more than on the Good God behind all those good things!!
It is true... "finding God in every situation" and responding "with thanksgiving and praise" does in fact open "wide the door to (His) Presence." (156)
Grateful for a Good, Good God...dmc

The Pool of God's Presence

The devo for today speaks of how great and overwhelming God is and how man mistakenly tends "to make himself the measure of all things. But man's measure is too tiny to comprehend (God's) majestic vastness." (155)
This makes me think of how silly it would be to fill a large swimming pool with water, one tiny teaspoon at a time! It would take forever and be a seemingly impossible task! Yet, that is similar to how small we are in comparison to God's Greatness.
Yet, a God so Great longs for us to "draw near" to Him! And as we "draw near" He promises to respond by drawing near to us! Incredible! (James 4:8)
I think it's time to dive into the pool of His great Presence; to let His overwhelming "Power and Glory" wash over and around us until we are...
Overwhelmed in Worship...dmc
PS - My friend, Melissa shared how this devo reminded her of the song, Measure of a Man by 4Him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lunaZQltWGY

Put Him ON

"Seek My face at the beginning of your day...put Me on and wear Me throughout the day... To wear Me is essentially to have My mind; to think My thoughts." (154)
Have you ever noticed how what we wear impacts our mindset and our behavior? After a long day of work, coming home and putting on some casual clothes allows me to feel more relaxed and helps me shed some of the pressures of the day. However, getting up and dressing up for the day helps me feel energized and ready to tackle the demands of that day.
No wonder Jesus reminds us that... "Clothing your mind in Me is your best preparation for each day. This discipline brings Joy and Peace to you and those around you." (154)

Dressed & Ready in Him...dmc

PS - Happy Birthday to our oldest son, Michael Kaehl Colaw! Thanks for being a great example of a man who "puts on" Jesus every day!  You are a wonderful, caring son!  We love YOU!

Antidote for Uncertainty

"Every person on the planet faces gaping jaws of uncertainty. The only antidote to this poisonous threat is drawing closer to Me." (153)
When our sons were little guys they would sometimes need a little extra reassurance in the middle of the night, especially if they'd had a bad dream. It was always quite amazing how quickly they would fall back to sleep just knowing dad or mom was there.
The uncertainties of this world, like bad dreams, eventually dissipate with the antidote of our Heavenly Father's reassuring presence! Resting in His Presence can help to calm and quiet our anxious thoughts, anywhere at anytime!
His Perfect Peace works Perfectly....dmc

Problem Solving not Soaking

"Your mind leaps from problem to problem to problem, tangling your thoughts in anxious knots. When you think like that, you leave Me out...and your mind becomes darkened." (152)
Problem solving is much different from problem soaking! A problem soaked mind is saturated in tangled, toxic thoughts that impact and eventually assault our brains. A problem solving brain operates much differently.
It reminds me of how cucumbers become pickles! As a child I would watch Mom brew the brine and thoroughly soak the cucumbers. We could observe the change inside those Mason jars over the next days, weeks, months.
Dwelling on problems can begin to dominate and dictate our lives to such a point that we become 'pickled' in our own bitter brew.
It's not likely a pickle will ever turn back into a cucumber, however, we have a Problem Solving Savior who "yearns to help" and "together, we can handle whatever this day brings."
Problems are just a fact of life, but the Presence of Jesus will make the brew...
Sweeter, not Sour...dmc

Gardens or Graveyards

"Bring Me your mind for rest and renewal. Let Me infuse My Presence into your thoughts...giving you glimpses of heaven while you still reside on earth...I want you to walk with Me in the garden of your heart..." (151)
The way our minds build neuro-networks of thought looks similar to branches on trees. We can literally grow a "garden" of fruit-producing 'trees' with the patterns of thought we allow to develop in our minds.
Carefully tending our thought life is critically important because toxic, negative thoughts can neuro-chemically burn the branches, eventually leaving something similar to holes in the brain, where life-giving thoughts could have been! The death of a fruitful, life-giving mind, overcome with oppressive thoughts, is such a tragedy!
Jesus invites us "to walk with (Him) in the garden of our hearts, where (He wants to) take up permanent residence."
It's a process of retraining our thought life, with His help, so we can experience the benefits of a beautiful, God-glorifying frame of mind!
Growing a Garden, not Digging a Graveyard...dmc

Strategically Placed

"There are hidden treasures strategically placed along the way. Some...are trials, designed to shake you free from earth-shackles. Others are blessings that reveal My Presence..." (150)
Approaching life from the perspective of "hidden treasures strategically placed" in my daily life is a radical mind reset. I've discovered hidden doors will suddenly open when I look at an encounter, a circumstance, a challenge, a responsibility or some life event as a strategic opportunity to discover God's hidden treasure. Some are timely junctures. Others are timeless life lessons. While others may just be another great God-adventure.
It makes me realize how my life is strategically placed in both the larger and smaller scope of all things; including the time and place of my birth, who I am, why I'm here, how I live, and even when and where I will die! All a testimony of being strategically "in Him" where "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden." (Colossians 2:3)
Strategically In Him...dmc

Beyond My Understanding

"When things don't go as you would like...remember that I am sovereign over your circumstances...even though it is beyond your understanding." (149)
Already this morning I've had several emails of concern about things beyond our understanding. Things that tend to "shatter our thinking." However, in the midst of messy times God is still sovereign. Our "ultimate challenge is to keep fixing our eyes on" Him! What we focus on is what becomes the dominating force of our lives!
When our own understanding is weak we can come "under the mighty hand of God" rather than coming under the messy realities of life. (I Peter 5:6)
Under His Mighty Hand...dmc

But as For Me

"But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation, My God will hear me." Micah 7:7
There are times when we have to make a decision based upon what we personally believe about God or what we have personally heard from God. What others may say... friend, companion, relatives, those who seem especially close... may really sound more like the words of an enemy (Micah 7:5-6) because they are more focused on the problem rather than His Presence. (148)
It's critically important for me to check out my focus...if it's more on the problem than on His Presence... I'm in trouble! If I take counsel from others who are more focused on the problem than His Presence... we're all in trouble!
"But as for me," I must "wait for God" no matter what others say. Great problem solvers have a way of seeing through the problem in the light of His Presence! It REALLY IS the FOCUS we gain in His Presence that makes all the difference!
Focused on His Presence...dmc

"Light" Insurance

"Stay in the Light of My Presence, receiving forgiveness, cleansing and healing... My illumination decimates the darkness. Come close to Me and let My Light envelop you, driving out darkness and permeating you with Peace." (147)
Certainly this is true when we are dealing with issues of sin in our lives... quickly confessing the sins of "self-pity, denial, self-righteousness, blaming, hatred" and a myriad of other transgressions.
However, I am especially grateful that the Light of His Presence can also drive out the dark emotions of the soul.
Depression, anxiety, fear, uncertainty, loneliness and other emotional side-effects of just being human can submit, subside and dissipate in the Light of His Presence! Living in a fallen world requires some "Light" insurance!
Staying Close to His Light Today...dmc

The Aware Difference

"It is through awareness of My Presence that Peace displaces negative feelings. Practice the discipline of walking consciously with me through each day." (146)
This is the discipline that will make all the difference...intentional awareness of God's Presence!
No matter what is happening, being more aware of His presence will enable us to override the negatives of insecurity, fear, pride, loneliness or whatever tends to sabotage and defeat us.  So, I'm intentionally re-focusing....
To be God-Aware...dmc

Shedding Blinders

"Do not blindly follow your habitual route, or you will miss what I have prepared for you." (145)
Today, I want to shed my blinders of the familiar and habitual patterns and tap deeper into God's perspective that is "higher" than my ways or thoughts about this day! (Isaiah 55:8-9)
So, what does God see that I have missed?  This could be a revelation day!
Staying Carefully Aware...dmc


Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy  (Michael W. Smith)

A Philanthropic God

"I am a God of abundance. I will never run out of resources... gain glimpses of My overflowing vastness." (144)
To comprehend and access a "God of abundance" stretches most of us. We live in a world limited by self-focused supply-and-demand and poisoned with entitlement and greed. But God operates far differently!
We can "gain glimpses" of the "God of abundance" in God's people. We will find those who operate out of the vastness of an eternal perspective rather than holding to an overly practical materialistic perspective. Those who are in sync with such a philanthropic God tend to inspire us to become a more generous, kind and charitable soul.
God seems impractically generous... an abundance of beauty on some remote flower-laden hillside  where no one sees or stands in awe, an abundance of dazzling delicate detail to the tiniest insect He created, an abundance of shimmering stars in folds of endless space, an abundance of love to the least strategic or powerless of people, an abundance of mercy to the least deserving or downcast, an abundance of potential to the least confident or influential, an abundance of favor to the highly overlooked and most unappreciated soul... We have such an abundant, philanthropic God!
Awed & Inspired by Glimpses of His Generous Heart...dmc

Hazy Horizons

"Instead of scanning the horizon of your life...concentrate on the task before you... Let everything else fade into the background. This will unclutter your mind..." (143)
Have you noticed how an anxious mind is a cluttered mind, a distracted mind, a detached mind?
As a result, I must challenge myself often to keep the focus limited to what God has placed on my present plate, rather than scanning the horizon for additional concerns to stress and depress me. I love to be fully prepared and thoroughly organized, to the point that my confidence starts to build on my efficiency rather than His sufficiency!
So, when the future appears to be rather hazy and undefined, I am learning to praise Him, for He holds my uncertain hazy horizon...
In His Capable Sovereign Hands...dmc

Drawing Near

This may be one of the most comforting Truths of scripture..."Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." James 4:8
I just love the  attentive responsiveness of God. Even, at times, when I may not fully sense His presence, I can intentionally acknowledge Him, turning my focus towards Him and away from distractions and especially away from the enemy's negative influence.  I've also discovered how counterproductive it is to try to "draw near to God" when my speech is dishonoring of God, others or even of myself!  Eph 4:29-32 explains why this happens. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
I'm so grateful that "drawing near to God" empowers us to "resist the devil" and to experience the promise... "he will flee from you." (James 4:7)  So my goal today is to...
Resist the Devil by Drawing Near to God...dmc

Camouflaged in Challenge

"Your weakness is designed to open you up to My Power. Therefore, do not fear your limitations or measure the day's demands against your strength... When I allow difficulties to come into your life, I equip you fully to handle them." (141)
To me weaknesses and difficulties are kind of like miniature doorways. Doorways that cause me to have to kneel down and slowly crawl through, in order to get to the other side. And what's on the other side?  A spacious Son-lit soul in a peaceful mind-scape that embraces, encourages and glorifies God.  How is this possible?  Jesus said, "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9).
Some doorways are more like long, dark, enclosed thresholds, silent and suffocating. As I slowly inch my way along, in the midst of the crawl, I am surprised to discover hidden tools that equip, assist and sustain me. Tools I would have missed, if I had not been on my knees! These tools are not easily uncovered because they are camouflaged in challenge. With each tool, I discover more power, more strength, more insight. While this is not my favorite journey I know Christ sustains me and I do like the end result...
His Sunlight Beyond My Threshold ...dmc

Grow or Go

"When things seem all wrong, look for growth opportunities. Especially, look for areas where you need to let go, leaving your cares in My hands...Be on the lookout for what I am doing in your life." (140)
I like these two options: Grow or Let Go!! That simplifies things quickly.
When I'm "in the midst of the crucible," or when I'm soul-weary and heart-troubled, I can view it as an opportunity to grow or as an opportunity to let something go! Either way I can come out way ahead of where I was at the start!
1 Peter 5:6-7 reminds us to "humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
I repeat... HE CARES ABOUT YOU!!
On the Lookout, Looking UP...dmc

Plug the Drain

The "drainout" condition means "needy people have drained" out nearly every ounce of life we have to offer. Most of us can identify with that! (139)
Joe and I have to walk a careful line, discerning our ability to pace the amount of life we take in and give out daily. One of our strategies is to be sure that when we are together we are investing life INTO each other. We cannot be draining to one another and expect to have anything left to give others. We monitor our conversations, entertainment, environments rather closely to protect each other from wasting energy and life on arguments, worthless discussions and or negative mindsets.
Life can get mighty scrappy and we don't need to scrap with each other! It's a great comfort to look forward to being energized with life when we are together. Operating out of HIS Love seems to energize rather than exhaust.
Praying every night as we drift off to sleep is especially healing for us...it helps us plug the drain!
Protecting what works...dmc

Unsnagged!

"The very act of thanking Me releases your mind from its negative focus." (138)
I really believe that a negative focus, keeping our minds "snagged on a difficulty," is one of Satan's  tricky ways of immobilizing us.  It tends to paralyze our potential and keeps us from fulfilling God's purposes in our lives.
Here's the picture that comes to my mind.  Every little girl knows what it's like to comb through tangled hair and every mother knows what a challenge that process can be!  When I'm focused on a negative issue it's much like the painful process of untangling snarly hair.  Releasing each strand from the tangled web can make for near insanity!
I've discovered that my best antidote for worrisome, negative thoughts is to turn that same thought into a prayer of thanksgiving.  Like rinsing the tangle with a sanctified conditioner, grateful prayer allows my tangled thoughts to relax in knowing God will provide, protect and bless...even before I fully understand all the details, including what the outcome will be,  or should be. It certainly protects me from snarly insanity!!
Untangling the snag of worry...dmc

In the Doorway

"View problems as opportunities to relay more fully on Me...your needs become doorways to deep dependence on Me, and increasing intimacy between us." (137)
The devo for today is profoundly impacting. Our secret door to "increasing intimacy" with God lies not in what WE can DO FOR Him...but in what HE can DO WITH us when we are overwhelmed with problems and feeling most needy!  Our various needs remind us of our ultimate need; dependency on God.  Who would have guessed that these "afflictions" (2 Cor. 1:3-11) are protecting us from the "idolatry of self-reliance."  Idolatry will keep us out of heaven...intimacy will make us feel right at home in heaven!
Stepping into the Doorway...dmc
PS - As a child, I remember peeking through a doorway, seeing my mother (Dorothy Volesky) in prayer. It was a peek into my Mother's heart! What a precious memory-gift!

Releasing Mistakes

"Release your mistakes" and failures. (136)
Whenever I mess up, it can really mess with me. Learning to release those things and to disentangle the mental-emotional brain web that tends to capture and paralyze me is a tricky task. Just as I am breaking free it seems like some sadistic spider-man flings his oppressive web my direction and I must mentally wrestle free, again.
To release, rather than wrestle, is key to my freedom. Releasing lets me drop the mental-emotional brain web rather than trying to win a wearisome wrestling match with the inevitable fact that I cannot defend my flawed humanity. Mistakes and failures will be inevitable. Releasing my "morass of mistakes" to Jesus allows His "infinite creativity (to) weave both (my) good and bad into a lovely design." (Romans 8:28)
Releasing the inevitable...dmc

Trouble - The Nasty "Norm"

Now, here's a verse everyone has experienced and could document... "In this world you will have trouble..." (John 16:33)
This is NOT good news. This is NOT how I want to start my day... with a guarantee of TROUBLE! Certainly this topic would NOT put someone on the top motivational speakers list:
Trouble is the "Norm" for the Day... Today and Every Day!
The nasty truth is... we all must wrestle with TROUBLE! No matter how it comes, or why it comes... it will most certainly come into each of our lives.
Jesus reassures us that in the midst of trouble we can have peace and be courageous. Why? Because He has "overcome (conquered) the world." (John 16:33)
"Take a lighthearted view of trouble, seeing it as a challenge that you and I together can handle...I am on your side..." (135)  Growing up I was very fortunate to observe what overcoming perseverance looked like. My father, Kaehl Volesky, was known for his "overcoming" abilities and his great sense of humor. A difficult delivery caused birth injuries that made for pain issues that messed with him the rest of his life. However, from the cradle to the grave, throughout his 83 years, he inspired others as a Persevering Overcomer!
I guess it takes some "severe" to help us "persevere!" But the good news is, we don't have to do it alone. Jesus, the Persevering Overcomer, will take our hand... one trouble after another... until we enter the eternal ranks of all The Great Overcomers!
In a World of Trouble...dmc

Re-Engineered Events

"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." Genesis 50:20
There is no question that God can trump the enemy. The issue is... I must ALLOW God to trump the enemy! I've discovered that my own thought life can sabotage whatever good God is engineering in my life. Even if the people, situations and perceptions that come against me may have some degree of ill-will or evil intent, God can take what is "meant for evil" and re-engineer "it for (my) good." Exactly HOW He does that is beyond me... but I choose to gratefully embrace His re-engineering process, even before I experience it, but certainly before I understand it.
At any point, in any day, we can be in a re-engineering process. Whenever we are required to make an adjustment, or to flex outside our comfortable, expected norm, re-engineering happens. These times teach us to trust Him - "really trust...with (our) whole being... growing in grace through the very adversity that was meant to harm" us. That's how we can "fear no evil, for (God) can bring good out of every situation (we) will ever encounter." (134)
When God actively re-engineers situations and events there's reason to rejoice!
Re-engineered & Rejoicing ...dmc

Fixed Viewpoint

"Fix your eyes NOT on what is seen (your circumstances), but on what is unseen (My Presence)." (2 Cor. 4:18) Our devo today challenges us to "not search for security in the world you inhabit... instead...focus you attention on My Presence with you." (133)
This reminded me of how various perception puzzles can play tricks on our eyes, on our minds, making us see & believe something far different from what is really there! We think that our perception is the final authority on truth, however, our visual perception can be distorted and cannot always be trusted. Listening to two different individuals relaying the same incident illustrates how perception can be very different and maybe very distorted.
If I embrace my perception as the final word, I may miss God's Word on the matter. God's grander perception and purposes often lay outside my finite fixed viewpoint! How I perceive things has a direct correlation on how I react to things.
What does NOT make sense NOW, is often better discerned later!
Readjusting my limited perception...dmc

Total Trust, Total Thanks

"Come to Me for all that you need... Relax in the knowledge that the One who controls your life is totally trustworthy." (132)
To be worthy of one's trust... total trust... is highly rare and absolutely awesome! God is just THAT... worthy of our trust! God is worthy of praise, worthy of honor, worthy of glory and worthy of our total worship. It is no wonder, He tells us to come into His presence with total thanksgiving... there's just SO much to be thankful for! (Psalm 100)
Even in the midst of personal pain there's reasons to to thankful. So, sometimes we are trusting and thanking Him just because we know He is totally aware and totally "there" on this journey. He is no less than our Totally Trustworthy God!
Just the kind of God I need...dmc

Splendor in the Storm

"Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness." (Ps. 29:2) This verse from today's devo is found at the start of a very stormy psalm. The rest of Psalm 29 sounds like a thunderstorm is brewing with vast waters (v 3), shattering cedars (v 5), flashing flames of fire (lightening, v 7), a shaken wilderness (v 8) and the woodlands being stripped bare (v 9) with a great flood (v 10).
With a storm of that magnitude stirring, I would be looking for a place of protection, a place to escape or at least hide. In the midst of all this, David, the composer of this psalm, is stirred by God's splendid holiness. His focus reflects an amazing point of view. He closes this stormy psalm by saying, "The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace." (v 11)
Ah, yes...the place of protection, in stormy times, is a God-given strength and blessed peace..right in the midst of the storm.
Here's a song that reminds us to live in praise in the midst of our storms by Casting Crowns.
"Praise You in the Storm." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji2rLXr3cEU
Listening for His Voice in the Storm...dmc

Pleased & Pleasing

"If pleasing people is your goal, you will be enslaved to them. People can be harsh taskmasters when you give them this power over you." (130)
Pleasing people is not a pleasing way to live. It's far too taxing and unpleasant! What a refreshing alternative...to experience His pleasure and to live to please someone who loves us enough to forgive us and to help carry our load. When the Messiah dwells in our hearts through faith...He enables us to be rooted and firmly established in the fullness of God's love. (See Eph. 3:17-19)
It is such a pleasing thing to know God is pleased!
Rooted in His Love...dmc
PS - Happy Heavenly Birthday to my sweet father-in-law, CB Colaw, who went to heaven in 2012! What a heritage...Praising Jesus for you!

Whispering "Jesus"

"I am pleased by your tendency to turn to Me more and more frequently...Whisper My Name...this tiny act of trust brings Me to the forefront of your consciousness, where I belong... This is abundant life!" (129)
It is amazing how Jesus' name can rebuke our mental storms. The climate of our cloudy minds can be radically modified by the sunlight of His presence.
His presence makes all the difference. All the tough times, alone times, joy-filled and in-between times are radically modified when we "whisper (His) Name." Just speaking His Name can bring in His Presence!
I like the song by Fernando Ortega entitled, Give Me Jesus. That's the cry of my heart...
Just Give Me Jesus...dmc

Stressed Out or Blessed Out

"On the path of My choosing...you simply have no time for worry." (128)
Worry can sabotage a perfectly good day. I have a little sign over my desk at home... "Too Blessed to be Stressed!" It's a good reminder that God desires to "guide my feet into the way of peace!" Luke 1:79
There's no reason to stress when He is guiding me along the "Way of Peace." That word is especially helpful for today...for every day! After all, it's hard to enjoy how really blessed I am when I'm feeling really stressed! Being stressed-out spills out, impacting those around me. I want to be so blessed-out that it spills out blessing those around me today!
On this God-Chosen Path of Blessing...dmc