January 1
Before you were, I was. Before any of the things around you existed, I was present. Through total darkness, a blank canvas of a universe, and an earth without form, I moved. I gave life and brought breath into that which was not yet and animated the motionless shadows of all that was yet to be. Yet My power was just beginning to form a great divine breath that would give life to every speck and sparkle in the vastness of all creation.
In all the vastness of creation, I did not forget about you. I breathed My holy breath of life into your frail body. My creation culminated in you. You are more majestic than any of My grandest mountains, more stunning than My brightest sunrise, and far more precious than any gem that adorns this earth. Not only did I breathe into you the breath of life, but I also placed My everlasting love deep in your soul. Breathe, and feel My love.
Breathe. It is the first act of creating your tomorrow.
In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water. (Genesis 1:1 GNT)
January 2
Are you ready for this day? I hope so. I went through a great deal of effort to make another day perfect for you. I moved across the face of your day, sending the brilliant golden rays of sunrise to greet you. I separated the light from the darkness with a holy breath so that creation would see you clothed in righteousness. At sunset, I will chase the clouds from the heavens so that you will see the sunset upon your head as a dazzling jewel in your crown.
On this day, I will clothe you in the silks of the morning dew, adorned with the robes of a cool summer breeze and bathed in the blessings from above. Nothing is too good for you and My creation. Receive this day as a gift from Me, a gift to be treasured and shared. Like all new days, open it and begin the day with joy and anticipation of what may lie ahead. For indeed, I have covered your path with the precious stones of love and filled your valley with emeralds of great joy. Today is your day; I have placed you in your garden of Eden. Cherish it, for tomorrow I will create another day for you.
This is the day that the Lord has made just for you.
You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind: rubies and diamonds; topaz, beryl, carnelian, and jasper; sapphires, emeralds, and garnets. You had ornaments of gold. They were made for you on the day you were created. (Ezekiel 28:13 GNT)
January 3
What holds you down? Usually, it is your weight. I am not talking about pounds or kilos; I am talking about the incredible weight you hang around your neck from past hurts, mistakes, sins, and sorrows. One after the other, they dangle from your neck and yank your head downward. There is nothing to look at while facing the ground, just grass, carpet, concrete, sand, or snow. You are healed from your past hurts. Former gross mistakes or unfortunate mishaps; are forgotten. No sorry sins of past behaviors; your sins are forgiven. Sorrow, too, can vanish into the winds of the past. Everything is gone. All forgotten, all forgiven, and all is in the past.
Yet your head drops toward the ground as if the weight of the world rested solely on you. Let My power move through you instead of the haunts of dead memories and past mistakes. I freed you from slavery, yet you shackle yourself to the cruel master of your past. You have created a prison of your design, guarded by a gatekeeper from your darkest thoughts. Lift your head upward and be released from what binds you. Breathe these words deep into your soul so that the light of the future pushes away the darkness of the past: “I am loved! I am forgiven, I am free, and God truly loves me!” Breathe the words in and believe.
Loved, forgiven, and free—that’s the new you.
I, the Lord your God, brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves. I broke the power that held you down and I let you walk with your head held high. (Leviticus 13 GNT)
January 4
Ruah is a name the Hebrew people use to describe Me. It is not so much what I am but what I do that should be of ultimate interest to you, the reader. I am the wind that gives breath and life to the dull and lifeless. I am both wind and breath. I have the incredible power to part waters so that the slaves can escape Egypt and find freedom on dry ground. I was also the power that pushed that first breath into My creation, Adam. Ruah wind, ruah motion, ruah breath, and ruah life. That is what I do; I move and animate. That is what I do; I give breath and life.
Another meaning for ruah is spirit. I move in you, and give life, and animate your being. Take a deep breath in and then exhale the breath out. I work best in you when you are aware of My movement and the power I bring to your body and your life. Please know that you do not exist just because of Me. I live to empower you. I am the divine life-breath within you, dwelling in you and guiding your day. If My power is unlimited, indeed, you have endless possibilities as well. Breathe Me in!
Breath is the voice of God speaking in your life. Listen.
God said to me, “Mortal man, prophesy to the wind. Tell the wind that the Sovereign Lord commands it to come from every direction, to breathe into these dead bodies, and to bring them back to life.” (Ezekiel 37:9 GNT)
January 5
The apostle Paul wasn’t overly excited about a total spiritual transformation of his life. Paul was delighted with his current life, vocation, and religious perspective. I will warn you about being completely satisfied with your life because I seek to create total spiritual transformation. Being perfectly satisfied means, you think your work is done, but My work in you has just begun.
I just don’t light spiritual fires in the least, the lost or the lacking. No, I step in and inspire and empower those like you who have decided to park on easy street and do little or nothing to engage the world and the people I love.
You may be delighted with who you are and what you have, but I need more. I need more people to serve those who struggle with the bare necessities of life. I need more people to care for the homeless and disenfranchised. I need more people to give freely and turn satisfaction into sacrifice and service. I need more people just like you to make a difference in this world and in the lives of those who live in it. I need the perfectly satisfied you to get up, get out, and get going. The apostle Paul got going, and he changed the world for the better. What are you waiting for?
Seek to serve God first, and then you will be satisfied.
Now, “the Lord” in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever-greater degree of glory. (2 Corinthians 3:17 GNT)
