The Vision (eBook)

January

JANUARY 1

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Come now and let’s deliberate over the next steps to take together. Yahweh promises you over and over: “Though your sins stain you like scarlet, I will whiten them like bright, new-fallen snow! Even though they are deep red like crimson, they will be made white like wool!

ISAIAH 1:18

At the beginning of our journey, the Lord initiates relationship. His offer of forgiveness and cleansing opens the door to communication. “Come and let’s deliberate,” he says, extending not only salvation but also friendship to those who have yet to know him. Will we remain in darkness, or accept his offer? We are free to choose.

This invitation to walk with him into freedom isn’t forced. Love is not demanding or imposing. Even while we are yet sinners, love reaches out. Although he could have stopped there—offering freedom from sin and the gift of eternal life—he beckons us into friendship. Into oneness. Into partnership. Together we walk the path that leads to holiness. In complete surrender to his unselfish love, we find our identity. We find our joy. We discover who we were created to be by surrendering to the One who redeems our soul. Come, explore the mystery of holy union. Come, take his hand.

Lord, thank you for your unfathomable love. For extending the gift of salvation. For continuing to draw me close, with passion and mercy. I confess my great need—not only for your cleansing but to be fully consumed by you until nothing remains in me but your holiness.

JANUARY 2

A WILLING HEART

“If you have a willing heart to let me help you, and if you will obey me, you will feast on the blessings of an abundant harvest.”

ISAIAH 1:19

What incredible mercy the Lord shows us! Not just once, but every time we yield to the enemy or our own weakness, Jesus rushes to us and shows us the way out. Instead of slamming us into a chair of shame, punishing us for failure, he pulls us close. He gently places us on his lap and says something to the effect of, “Beloved, I have more for you than you can possibly imagine. Come closer.”

Jesus holds the key to prisons of fear, disillusionment, and sin, and he longs to set us free. The only requirement for freedom is a willing heart. When we surrender our past and our unhealthy mindsets, allowing him to help us, he releases the blessing of a fruitful life. Today, let’s yield every area of our lives that isn’t producing his character. Let’s recognize the mindsets that aren’t leading to joy and peace. Let’s be honest about what we’re mentally feasting on, and invite him into every thought.

Lord, I desire to walk with you in fullness. To know you and experience a life of abundance. My heart is willing Lord! Cleanse me and reveal areas of my heart, which still need to be fully yielded to you. Heal me. Restore me. I am yours.

JANUARY 3

YOU ARE THE HOLY PLACE OF HIS GLORY

Many peoples will come and say, “Everyone, come! Let’s go up higher to Yahweh’s mountain, to the house of Jacob’s God; then he can teach us his ways and we can walk in his paths!” Zion will be the center of instruction, and the word of Yahweh will go out from Jerusalem.

ISAIAH 2:3

When the glory of God kisses our hearts, it stirs a passion in us to be near him. To know him. To walk with him in righteousness. To behold our King as he rules in righteousness. This invitation to experience his glory is extended to every believer. We are not only invited to Zion, the realm of his Kingdom, we become Zion. We become the dwelling place of his Spirit.

To rise in his presence, we first bow low in humility—allowing him to reign as King over our lives. He illuminates our lives with purity and power. Within us is all that he contains. What an incredible thought! We become the Mountain of Zion (Hebrews 12:22), the place where his greatness is displayed. There is no reason we cannot live each day led by his Spirit, learning his ways, and walking in his paths.

Lord, you have held nothing back from me. Now make your greatness known in me. Establish your throne upon my heart. Perfect your beauty within me as I seek you above all other loves. I long to walk along your righteous paths and to shine with your glory to the world around me.

JANUARY 4

OUR FAMILY TREE

In that day, the branch of Yahweh will be beautiful and glorious and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and glory of the remnant of Israel.

ISAIAH 4:2

Jesus is the vine, and we are his branches. We could say Jesus stands at the head of our family tree. Our beauty, wisdom, and divine nature have been passed down to us from him. All of heaven looks at us and sees the offspring of glory. Is this what we see when we look in the mirror? Is this the truth we pull from when we reach out our hands to bless others? His very life, the expression of his power and majesty upon the earth, lives inside of us, waiting to be released.

We are radiant. Take a moment and think about that. Our beauty isn’t based on how we look or feel each day. It isn’t temporary, and it isn’t as fickle as what’s on the outside. We are true vessels of perfect glory. When we imagine Jesus’s beauty, we mustn’t forget that same beauty is alive within us.

Jesus, you are the delight of heaven. You are fathomless beauty swirling inside of me. All of your mystery is contained within my flesh. All of your glory has been entrusted to someone as fragile as me. I honor all that you are and stand in awe—not only for who you are but for who you are in me.

JANUARY 5

THE SPIRIT OF FIRE

The Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem by a Spirit of justice and by a Spirit of burning.

ISAIAH 4:4

God’s mercy doesn’t slam the gavel upon our sin and leave us to suffer his wrath. Instead, his kindness leads us to repentance. His perfect justice brings conviction, and we cannot help but bow in humility, crying out for his refining fire. We trust his judgment because he clearly discerns between what is holy and what is not. There is no partiality with God. No prejudice clouds his vision. He not only convicts of sin, he has made a way for us to be cleansed.

We long for his blast of justice and breath of fire—pure, holy, and necessary. His passionate love causes us to see our condition through his eyes. It creates a holy desire within us for purity. We respond with unyielding surrender, inviting his Spirit of fire to burn away all that does not mirror him.

Lord, I cry out for your cleansing fire! Purify me. Free my mind from thoughts that don’t focus on your truth. Set me ablaze with unquenchable passion to live before you in righteousness and purity. Seal my heart with the fire of your love. I invite your searching gaze into every area of my life.

JANUARY 6

THE COVERING OF HIS LOVE

Then Yahweh will create over all of Mount Zion and over every gathering a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night. And all this manifestation of dazzling glory will spread over them like a wedding canopy.

ISAIAH 4:5

The Lord’s love for you is immeasurably intense and deeply personal. Think of the great lengths he takes to explain his passion. Imagine the King of kings and Lord of lords pulling you aside and explaining that his dazzling glory is the covering for your holy union. This glory isn’t only the foundation for all that he created. It is also an intimate symbol of his outrageous passion for you.

Jesus holds nothing back, nor does he spare any expense to prove his love. Day and night, his care continues. He never forgets us—not for a moment. It’s hard to believe that we can grow accustomed to such outrageous displays of devotion, neglecting him even for a moment. Today, let’s live with the continual awareness of the One who gave up all for us. Let’s stand daily under the canopy of his grace.

Lord, you lavish me with unceasing love and unyielding commitment. It’s hard to comprehend such love. Love that gives without expecting anything in return. Love that isn’t ashamed to call me your beloved, even when I become distracted. Give me the grace to love you the same way you love me. Thank you for the glory light that illuminates my life.

JANUARY 7

COVERED IN HIS GLORY

It will be a tabernacle as a shade from the scorching heat of the day and a safe shelter to protect them from the storm and rain.

ISAIAH 4:6

The Lord never promised a life free of storms. Though we wish it were not true, trials are a normal part of life. Yet in times of trouble, the righteous have been promised a place of protection. When adversity rears its head, we run to him and find safety under the shadow of his presence.

Sometimes, in our weariness, running to him isn’t an option. If we’re honest, it’s all we can do to utter his name as we fall prostrate at his feet. But here too, we discover his unmerited grace as he extends his glory and covers us. He is unceasingly compassionate. Though the storms of life come, in his kindness he pulls...