Dear Ones,
Hope you waken to a fresh outlook on your day! What things do you want to implement into your New Year  of 2022? 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
As we begin a new year, I like to do some deep cleaning projects of things I have put off during busy days preparing for Christmas. I strip the bed down to the mattress pads and wash everything and also clean the blinds which are on each window in the apartment etc. But one thing that surprised me, is why I haven’t noticed the dust and dirt that has accumulated as I open the blinds each day. One friend living here at Northern Lakes told me about the rain that was seeping into the small crevice where the upper and lower windows connect. I didn’t think we had a problem but as I cleaned our blinds and windows this time, I recognized the moisture had also seeped in and left some mold behind. Why hadn’t I seen this before?
As God so often speaks to me through my daily experiences, I was quickly made aware of my own heart and how I can be unaware of certain things in my life that need to change. Others probably have noticed and maybe even shared of their own shortcomings as they are dealing with them, but I did not recognize my problem. Of course, the Lord can’t show us everything all at once or we might get bowed over with discouragement. But He shows us just what we need to know at the time He has prepared for us to deal with things. As we get rid of these things that hinder close fellowship with Him, we experience more freedom and the joy of His pleasure. It’s because He loves us that He exposes those things that causes distance from Him as He desires an intimate relationship with us.
Each day it is good to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us through the day but also to reveal those things that separate us from the Lord. He is only too happy to show us the smudges on the windows of our hearts and the dirt that has accumulated and will cleanse us if we ask. In I Peter 1:2, Peter is telling the exiles, “who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood.” It is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us, which is to say, makes us holy in a moment-by-moment process. Every day let us welcome Him to do a deep work in us!
Challenge for today: Pray for openness to the Holy Spirit’ promptings with a willingness to change.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy