Jesus Calling: January 15

My face is shining upon you, beaming out Peace that transcends understanding. You are surrounded by a sea of problems, but you are face to Face with Me, your Peace. As long as you focus on Me, you are safe. If you gaze too long at the myriad problems around you, you will sink under the weight of your burdens. When you start to sink, simply call out "Help me, Jesus!" and I will lift you up.
     The closer you live to Me, the safer you are. Circumstances around you are undulating, and there are treacherous-looking waves in the distance. Fix your eyes on Me, the One who never changes. By the time those waves reach you, they will have shrunk to proportions of My design. I am always beside you, helping you face today's waves. The future is a phantom, seeking to spook you. Laugh at the future! Stay close to me.

Philippians 4:7
English Standard Version
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 14:30
English Standard Version
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

Hebrews 12:2 
English Standard Version
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

My Prayer
There is peace in You Jesus. You bring peace. I know I am justified. I know that I don't have to do anything to earn Your affection, Your Love, Your approval. You give me peace that surpasses all understanding. If You saved me, then You can handle my day to day struggles. Nothing should be able to steal the peace in my life.

How often Lord do I let a little problem sink me. I over-analyze it and search for a man-made solution rather than calling on You first and seeking You first. I found myself doing this yesterday and through it I could get very little done. Teach me and train me to call on You saying, "Help me, Jesus." Last night, there was anger in me and I found myself darting off into areas I should not go. When through it all, you are there, ready to help me.

Your peaces surpasses understanding. This verse reminds me of Proverbs 3:5-6 and how I am not to lean on my own understanding. I focus too much on how I think I see things and not enough resting with You and realizing that peace is what has solved my ultimate problem in life.

Keep me close to You Lord. Lord, trials will come. Problems will surface. But, help me to call on You and seek Your answer to any of those problems. Let me surround myself with You, confident that You, through me, can conquer anything. When Peter walked on water, it was You working through him, but the moment he took his eyes off of You, he sunk. I sink when I take my eyes off of You.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Jesus Calling: January 14

Let Me bless you with My grace and Peace. Open your heart and mind to receive all that I have for you. Do not be ashamed of your emptiness. Instead, view it as the optimal condition for being filled with My Peace.
     It is easy to touch up your outward appearance, to look as if you have it all together. Your attempts to look good can fool most people. But I see straight through you, into the depths of your being. There is no place for pretense in your relationship with Me. Rejoice in the relief of being fully understood. Talk with Me about your struggles and feelings of inadequacy. Little by little, I will transform your weaknesses into strengths. Remember that your relationship with Me is saturated in grace. Therefore, nothing that you do or don't do can separate you from My presence.

1 Samuel 16:7
English Standard Version
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

Romans 8:38-39
English Standard Version
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

My Prayer
Lord, I want to lean on You and allow You to bless me with Your grace and peace. Peace is something I readily understand, but grace is still a puzzling idea. When I see it, I think of salvation because it is receiving something I don't deserve. But, I also think of it as forgiveness. Help me to understand that.

Before You Lord, I stand empty. I don't come before You on my own merit or my own justification. Lord, there are troubles and toils in my life (back pain, needing a car, teaching class, getting work done, training my children, working around the house) that I confront, accept, and often dodge. Through them all, I need your help and guidance. I need Your strength.

Lord, I do feel inadequate. I feel inadequate at work to do the job I'm hired to do. I get so weak and want to give up. Lord, help me to take the right steps day by day to do my tasks. At home, I am exhausted and with my back hurting I don't want to do much. I want to just rest with my wife. Keep me alert and ready to work with my children. Thank you for your strength.

Lord, I pray that Your scripture and Your words would be in my life. Lord, apply them to the circumstances of my life so that I'm thinking the way You think.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Jesus Calling: January 13

Try to view each day as an adventure, carefully planned out by your Guide. Instead of staring into the day that is ahead of you, attempting to program it according to your will, be attentive to Me and to all I have prepared for you. Thank Me for this day of life, recognizing that it is a precious, unrepeatable gift. Trust that I am with you each moment, whether you sense My presence or not. A thankful, trusting attitude helps you to see events in your life from My perspective.
     A life lived close to Me will never be dull or predictable. Expect each day to contain surprises! Resist your tendency to search for the easiest route through the day. Be willing to follow wherever I lead. No matter how steep or treacherous the path before you, the safest place to be is by My side.

Psalm 118:2
English Standard Version
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

1 Peter 2:21
English Standard Version
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.


My Prayer
Rough night last night with my back hurting. Lord, remove me from the pain I still have today and focus myself on You and Your plan for me, your plan for this day. Lord, I pray You would draw people to yourself this morning. I pray that the people at church would surrender to You and accept Your hand of provision in their life. Lord, take my focus off of myself and my pains and help me to focus on others and lifting them up to you. Lord, thank you for the wonderful time with Patrick yesterday. Thank you for the time to hear what is going on in his life and his life of ministry. Lord, you have gifted him in several ways and it is great to hear his heart for you and his heart for people. People are hurting in our midst and need your biblical guidance in their life and I pray that You would strengthen Patrick and people would conform to Your word in their life.

Lord, I thank You for this day of life you have given. Lord, this day is a gift. And this day will not happen again. Thank you for being with me and help me to rely on You each moment, in my pain, in my weaknesses, in my celebrations. Lord, keep my eyes focused on the way You see things.

Lord, help me to be sensitive to You and what You are doing in the world. I look at things selfishly, with how it will affect me. I want to be focused on how You are working and then show me how I can join You in what You are doing. Thank you for being with me, every step of the way. You are my anchor and I am Your child. You make me strong.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Jesus Calling: January 12

Let Me prepare you for the day that stretches out before you. I know exactly what this day will contain, whereas you have only vague ideas about it.You would like to see a map; showing all the twists and turns of your journey. You'd feel more prepared if you could somehow visualize what is on the road ahead. However, there is a better way to be prepared for whatever you will encounter today: Spend quality time with Me.
     I will not show you what is on the road ahead, but I will thoroughly equip you for the journey. My living Presence is your Companion each step of the way. Stay in continual communication with Me, whispering My name whenever you need to redirect your thoughts. Thus, you can walk through this day with your focus on Me. My abiding Presence is the best road map available.

Exodus 33:14
English Standard VersionAnd he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

John 15:4-7
English Standard Version
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

My Prayer
Lord, you are over all. You are king. You are creator and Lord. You are my deliverer. You are my redeemer and Savior. You are the healer, the restorer of life, the sanctifier of mankind. You uphold all things by the Word of Your Power. You are the First and the Last. You are Peace. You are My presence. You are my guide and shepherd. You are all glory and might. You are the faithful One. You are ever so faithful. You are love. You are forgiveness. You have perfect timing. Lord, I can lean on You because You are strength.

Lord, I think knowing the road is the key. I think having the map in my hands is what I need. But, the secret lies in my time with You. I need to walk with You. You are my guide. You are my map. This week I have been talking to You a lot about trust and walking in Your presence and having peace. That is where I need to stay. My back hurts. I don't know why, but it hurts. I need your strength. I need you to restore my strength. I feel unsettled. My head is hurting, my stomach is empty. I don't feel right. Lord, I want to lean on You and rest in You. Help me Lord not to bury myself in my hurts, but use this time to rely on Your strength. May it be a reminder that You are my health.

Lord, help me to see that I don't need a road, but what I need is Your to be beside me. Help me to know the Holy Spirit better in my life. And help me to stay in constant communication with You.

I must abide in You. You are the vine. I am the branch. And fruit is what we both want. Fruit isn't just what I want. It is what we both want. Lord, I want to trust in You for the Outcome that you have prescribed for my life. With you, everything is right. I want to stay close to You and close to trusting in You. May your words abide in Me so that the things I'm asking are of You.

Lord, thank You for your Word and giving it to us. Thank you for illuminating us with clarity of thought.

I thank you for these men and women of God that you have placed in our midst in our churches. Lord, thank you for bringing each one. Lord, we live in a world of constant temptations and constant distractions. These electronic devices we now have beside us, the iPhones, iPods, Kindles, iPads can add to the distraction. Lord, I pray for these leaders that they would never be comfortable with their repentance, but would always be bothered by it. Lord, may it be continually difficult. Dig up all sins in their lives and may they present them before You. Lord, help them to walk with integrity and strong character. Train them in their private thoughts, that they would honor You. Lord, never allow them to just go through the motions, but to stay strong with You every step of the way. Lord, we need You and need to stay on the alert. Give them accountability partners and friends that they can confide in and trust. Thank You for your presence. We praise You. In Christ.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Jesus Calling: January 11

Trust Me by relinquishing control into My hands. Let go, and recognize that I am God. This is My world; I made it and I control it. Yours is a responsive part in the litany of Love. I search among My children for receptivity to Me. Guard well this gift that I have planted in your heart. Nurture it with the Light of My Presence.
     When you bring Me prayer requests, lay out your concerns before Me. Speak to Me candidly; pour out your heart. Then thank Me for the answers that I have set into motion long before you can discern results. When your requests come to mind again, continue to thank Me for the answers that are on the way. If you keep on stating your concerns to Me, you will live in a state of tension. When you thank Me for how I am answering your prayers, your mind-set becomes much more positive. Thankful prayers keep your focus on My presence and My promises. 

Psalm 46:10
Amplified Version
Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!

Colossians 4:2
English Standard Version
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

2 Peter 1:3-4
English Standard Version
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

My Prayer
Lord, you created. You saved. You reign. It's all about You. So, daily my task is believing this. It's believing that you know what You are doing in my life and therefore, I don't have to worry or be concerned. I can rest, be obedient to Your words, and be satisfied. You are God.

Lord, you have chosen Me. That's the amazing thing. You have chosen Me. Of all the people in this world, we are Your chosen ones. Each day I see people far from You. I see people living in the world, walking the way of the world, trusting in themselves solely. But, in me, you have chosen Me. How can I just then live a life that isn't in direct service to You? How could I live a life of just pleasure and be no different than in any other person I see except for the simple fact that my eternal destiny is different. Fire me up. Light me up. Increase my love for You. Increase my faith in You. May my life really look different because it is different.

When I pray Lord, my prayers should be with confidence and not with question. They should be steeped in Holy Hope. Move me to confidence in You.

Train me to walk in your divine power; to subscribe to it; to live in it. It is life. It is godliness. We mirror His divine nature then versus living in the corruption that is in the world, subscribing the entire time to sinful desires. Shift me Lord. Shift Me away from this world.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Jesus Calling: January 10

Every time you affirm your trust in Me, you put a coin into My treasury. Thus you build up equity in preparation for days of trouble. I keep safely in My heart all trust invested in Me, with interest compounded continuously. The more you trust Me, the more I empower you to do so.
     Practice trusting Me during quiet days, when nothing much seems to be happening. Then when storms come, your trust balance will be sufficient to see you through. Store up for yourself treasure in heaven, through placing your trust in Me. This practice will keep you in My Peace.

Psalm 56:3-4
English Standard Version
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Matthew 6:20-21
English Standard Version
...but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


Personal reflection
Why do we trust the Lord? Because he made us, saved us, and sanctifies us. He knows me. As I learn to trust Him more my days of trouble lessen. I don't think that means I will go through less trials necessarily, but how I view bumps in the road will be different.

My Prayer
Lord, thank you for yesterday and providing better work habits for me. Thank you for providing 3 people at the Way of the Master class. Lord, it is just the number I need. Like Fred said, it will be nice to have a small group discussion and work through these ideas together. Challenge me Lord in this process. I want You to expand my witness so talking to people about You and representing You is a part of my entire life and not just something I do when I sign on the computer or when I walk in the doors of a shopping center with Bobby to strike up spiritual conversations with people. I do not want the Gospel to be a part of my life; I want it to be my life.

Lord, trust is something Karl has been recognizing and I pray that you would help him to trust You with his life. Sink that desire in him to lean on you and believe Lord that you can sustain his life and provide him with what his soul and life desires. Trust builds upon itself. Give Karl understanding of this so that he can defeat the demons raging in him.

Lord, this is simple. It should be simple to trust You and yet it goes against my training in the world that I control my own destiny, that I'm in charge.

Show me Lord more each day what are those treasures in heaven. And then re-prioritize my life so my focus is on those treasures and building them up.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Jesus Calling: January 9

I am with you and for you. When you decide on a course of action that is in line with My will, nothing in heaven or on earth can stop you. You may encounter many obstacles as you move toward your goal, but don't be discouraged--never give up! With My help, you can overcome any obstacle. Do not expect an easy path as you journey hand in hand with Me, but remember that I, your very-present Helper, am omnipotent.
     Much, much stress results from your wanting to make things happen before their times have come. One of the main ways I assert My sovereignty is in the timing of events. If you want to stay close to Me and do things My way, ask Me to show you the path forward moment by moment. Instead of dashing headlong toward your goal, let Me set the pace. Slow down, and enjoy the journey in My presence.

Romans 8:31
English Standard Version

 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 46:1-3
New King James Version
46  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (It is well)

Luke 1:37
English Standard Version
For nothing will be impossible with God.

My Prayer
Lord, thank you for being with me and thank you for being my biggest advocate. I want to lean on You and I want you to draw my kids and wife to You so that they will lean on You, so that they will trust in You. Lord, two things are hitting hard. One, my daughter Megan and her defensiveness over thinking at any time that we, as parents, may be thinking ill of her. She gets so defensive so quick and wants to be so clear that she doesn't ever do anything wrong or do anything that would make us think that she has done anything wrong. It's a character that I don't even think she knows that she is doing. Lord, I'm also having trouble working. I'm not getting my work done on the job. I'm not working hard. I've been distracted at work. I have other burdens, but I can't let my work slide, though right now, it is. I need your help. I'm weak. I need your strength.

Lord, I want to be about your will. I want to do this evangelism class because I want to be in Your will and be obedient to Your commands and help people, encourage people, to share their faith with others. Lord, help me to make choices in life that are in line with Your will. Not my will be done, but Yours. Guide me and direct me to those things that are Your will for me.

Lord, it is amazing the easy path I expect. Lord, I want to be ready for obstacles and difficulties. I'm kind of expecting a low turn out tonight or no one. Help me not to change my commitment based on response, but to continue to be there and be faithful. If no one is there, I can spend the time praying. Lord, I just want to do Your will and do things with the right motive. Change my heart O God.

Lord, I want to walk in Your presence. I want to be about your ways. Lord, I thank you for Warren and his words of encouragement to me. He said to me, "You need to do something with your passion for Christ.  I am serious. I know that you have obligations, etc, but 2013 should be about seeking out the next step for Chris Payton.  Your passion, belief, and understanding makes it a perfect fit. I don't know what that looks like, but I am convinced that this is the direction that you need to move in.  You are most alive when you talk about Christ and your love for him, and you need to act on it!  GO CHRIS!!"

"I am most alive when I talk about Christ." Those are wise words and I appreciate them. And those are visionary words that no one has spoken to me about. No one has encouraged me like this. What is the next step for Me Lord? Where would you want to take me on my journey with you in Your presence? Do you have a different route for Me than what I am accustomed to? Do you have a different road? Lord, I need you. You are--for me--Lord. You are for me. You are for us. 

Lord, I keep praying and lifting up the leaders at church. Lord, I pray these men and women, the elders would be men of integrity and character. Lord, help them not to be haughty or self-righteous or bitter or infer disunity in the Body, but to be blameless and above reproach in all things. Lord, keep them moral, ethical, financially strong. Lord, I pray they aren't hiding sin from You, but keeping it front and center. Give them each accountability partners in their life. 

Lord, for the staff, direct them in Your ways. Give them confidence continually in You. Change their hearts Lord and align them with You. Help them to be men and women of integrity. Lord, keep them and their staff above reproach and don't ever let them be complacent in their service. Draw them closer and give them recognition continually of their sin and where they are falling from your grace. Right their wrongs and make them authenticate. 

Lord, I pray for volunteers. Deepen them and align their thinking. Give them a vision. Help them to be men of integrity and character continually. Lord, help them not be haughty or self-righteous or bitter, but to be blameless before you, to be moral, ethical, and responsible with the money you have given them. I pray they would have accountable relationships in their lives.  

Lord, move us to do your Will in all things. To not be led in the directions we think are best, but where You want us to reside. 

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.