In love, God commands us to choose the later. Why? He knows what's best for us. Therefore, the Bible instructs us: Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting,: Psalm 106:1.

In Revelation 19:5, we read "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great." Dr. Gleason Archer explains that the verb tense in this verse is the present imperative verb, a command to keep on doing an action as one's general habit or lifestyle. It is a commitment to a long-term way of doing something.

Have you ever considered if you're being obedient to this command? In other words, is your general habit one of praising God? Or, do you tend to mentally complain, feel sorry for yourself, and be sullen?

God instructs us to praise Him; but not because He's an egomaniac. Rather, managing our thoughts is one of the most important acts we can do. Psychiatrists know this. That is why studies on depression point to the value of cognitive therapy and correcting negative thought patterns with positive ones.

In Genesis 4:6-7, God spoke to Cain about his countenance. He then told Cain, "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and it's desire is for you, but you must master it." At that time, Cain had not yet murdered Abel. But, he obviously ignored God's advise. He continued to mull on how much he hated and resented his brother. His thoughts solidified and consumed him. His thoughts took hold of him instead of him taking hold of his thoughts.

No! Don't Do It!

You don't have to go the way of Cain. You can control your thoughts. David shows us how in the Psalms.

"I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever." Did you notice David repeated himself?

We need the same resolve. Why? His first statement, "I will bless Your name forever" is a nice, long term vision for how to live. But, "Every day I will bless You," is a specific commitment that makes the vision a practical reality: I will bless You TODAY.

Then, David demonstrates how to bless God and how to extol Him.

"Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised. And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty. And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate."

Try It. It Works.

I woke up a few mornings ago in a less than cheerful mood. Okay...I was downcast. That's a nice Biblical sounding word; but bottom line, I wasn't happy, upbeat, or thinking great thoughts. BUT, I know what God teaches me about managing my thoughts. So I went to my Bible to reset my mind from my grumpy state to an uplifted state. This is what God teaches us to do. We correct negative thought patterns with positive ones, with the truth. Our day isn't bad. It's good because we have Jesus. Our sullenness fades and is replaced with a peaceful cheerful state of mind as we meditate on God's wonderful works. "Thank You, Lord, for...my husband, children, health, home, rain, friends, work, church, green trees, flowers, beauty of the clouds, and sky that reflect Your majesty. Thank You for Jesus, for saving us from our sins. Thank You for our eternal home in heaven. Thank You for taking care of the details of life, of helping me accomplish what You've placed in my hands and days to do. Thank You for being with me yesterday and today. Thank You for being with me tomorrow. Thank You for...

Will You Choose to Obey God's Command to Praise

God's looking out for you. He has your back and He has your future. We can be like Cain and ignore God's counsel. We can let our negative thoughts control us. Or, we can be like David and make the choice to meditate on God's wonderful works and praise Him. I'm making the choice to join David, not Cain. What about you?

"On the glorious splendor of Your majesty. And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate." Psalm 145:5.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are Abba Father. I have an inheritance in You. I have a future and a hope. I am not alone. You are a present help in my time of need. You give grace and joy as I turn my eyes heavenward. I love You and thank You. In Jesus's name, Amen.

I'd love to hear from you. What is one of your favorite Psalms or praise Scriptures? You can share it below where it says, "Post A Comment."]]>http://debbietaylorwilliams.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-16249113.xmlDebbie WilliamsThu, 10 May 2012 14:01:03 +0000http://debbietaylorwilliams.com/blog/2012/5/10/renewed-transformed-filled-1.html543663:6346918:16207317*Excerpts from Debbie's Renewed & Transformed Conference & and Listen UP! Conference.          Invite Debbie to Speak  

Emerge!  God wants us to emerge from the cocoon of our past life and from living in the flesh. He wants us to experience freedom in the Holy Spirit and to soar above the grind of life.  

Spirit & Flesh Warnings

• Keep watching & praying. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.  Mt 26:41
• The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit ...for these are in opposition to one another. Gal 5:17
• We are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh... Rom 8:12

Spirit & Flesh Teachings

• Born of the Spirit. Jn 3:5
• Jesus’ Spirit to be manifest in our mortal flesh. 2 Cor 4:11
• It no longer be we who live, but Christ’s Spirit living in us. Gal 2:20
• Bear the fruit of the Spirit. Gal 5:22-23
• To live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 1 Pet 4:12
• To not grieve the Holy Spirit. Eph 4:30
• To not quench the Spirit. 1 Thes 5:19
• Be filled with the Spirit. Eph 5:18
• Pray in the Spirit. Jude 20
• Walk by the Spirit and not carry out the desire of the flesh.  Gal 5:16
• Live by the Spirit. Gal 5:26
• Lives be a demonstration of the Spirit. 1 Cor 2:4
• Led by the Spirit. Rom 8:14

In the Renewed & Transformed Conference, we borrowed 3 application questions from Blake Coffee, co-author of Trusting God's People...Again.  Consider them in light of the above Scriptures. 

What? ....is God saying to you about discerning His voice?

So What? ....Why do you need to hear it?

Now What? ....What do you need to do right now to bring your life into compliance with these Scriptures?

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Help me learn to walk and live by Your Spirit so that my life is a demonstration of You and brings You glory.  In Jesus's name, Amen.   

WHAT THE P.R.A.Y. with PASSION CONF IS

✔ Joy-filled teaching

✔ Re-energized passion for Christ

✔ Power-packed prayer tips

WHAT THE P.R.A.Y. with PASSION CONF IS NOT

✖ Breaking into small groups to pray

✖ YOU being called on to pray

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Saturday, May 5 * 8:30-Noon * Kerrville KROC Chapel

$20 Early Registration * $25 at the Door * Register Now Includes conference materials and coffee/pastry/fruit buffet

Scholarships - call 830.257.5995 or 888.815.9412

Worship by the First United Methodist Praise & Worship Team

Child care: RSVP by calling the KROC Center - 830.315.5762

Men, women, teens invited.

Come early to enjoy coffee and praise and worship.

Yes! I want to be a part!]]>http://debbietaylorwilliams.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-16089562.xmlDebbie WilliamsSun, 29 Apr 2012 23:36:44 +0000http://debbietaylorwilliams.com/blog/2012/4/29/were-celebrating-join-us.html543663:6346918:16057699 We're Celebrating the Completion of Phase 1 of the vision God gave Hill Country Ministries....to take P.R.A.Y. with Passion to every state in the US! The conference has been held in the following 25 states.

Alabama * Arizona * Arkansas * California * Florida * Georgia * Hawaii * Illinois * Iowa * Kentucky * Louisiana * Maryland * Michigan * Mississippi * Missouri * Nevada * New Jersey * New Mexico * North Carolina * Ohio * Oklahoma * Pennsylvania * South Carolina * Texas * Utah * Washington State * Wisconsin *

>Seekers have come to salvation.

>Christians have recommitted to live more passionatley for Christ.

>All leave equipped to pray more purposefully.

COME ON MAY 5, 8:30-NOON. BE A PART OF WHAT GOD IS DOING ACROSS AMERICA! 

REGISTER NOW.

HOPE

Ps 33:18 - Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness

Ps 38:15 - For I hope in You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord my God.

Ps 39:7 - And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.

Ps 42:5,11 - Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. ... The help of my countenance and my God.

Ps 62:5 - My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.

Ps 71:14 - But as for me, I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.

Jer 29:11 - 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Lam 3:24 - "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."

Mat 12:21 - "And in His Name the Gentiles will hope.”

Act 2:26 - 'THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE;

Act 28:20 - "For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel."

Rom 5:4-5 - hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Rom 8:24- For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

Rom 15:4 - For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Rom 15:13 - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2Cr 1:10 - who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,

Eph 1:18 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling

1Ti 4:10 - we have fixed our hope on the living God, ... the Savior

1Ti 5:5 - Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day.

1Ti 6:17 - Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

Hbr 6:18 -... take hold of the hope set before us.

Hbr 6:19 - This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,

Hbr 10:23 - Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful

1Pe 1:13 - prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1Pe 3:15 - sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

1Jo 3:3 - And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

  ARE YOU PRACTICING GODLY DISCERNMENT?

  Turning from my prayer time, I looked across the room at my library table and the framed smiles covering almost every inch of it. Baby Grace, our newest addition. Grandsons Logan and Hudson. Children Taylor and Lauren and their spouses, Ali and Chris. Keith's and my parents. And of course, Keith. Wedding smiles. Vacation smiles. Newborn smiles. Hugs. However, as I continued to look, I was reminded of challenging pregnancies, hard deliveries, scary health issues, and the Plan B's of life from which none of us are exempt.

  Following, we'll consider the importance of discernment in our daily lives. As we do, I'm going to borrow three questions from Blake Coffee, Executive Director of Christian Unity Ministries, attorney, and co-author of Trusting God's People...Again. What? ....is God saying to me? So What? ....Why do I need to hear this? Now What? ....What do I need to do right now to bring my life into compliance with this teaching.

A LESSON from ELI

  In 1 Samuel 3:1-10, the importance of discernment is emphasized. Consider the passage with me.

  "The boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place...and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, 'Here I am.' Then he ran to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' But he said, 'I did not call, lie down again.' So he went and lay down. The Lord called yet again, 'Samuel!' So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' But he answered, 'I did not call, my son, lie down again.' Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' Then Eli DISCERNED that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, 'Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say,'Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.' So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel said, 'Speak, for Your servant is listening.'

  I can think of few things more important than discerning when God speaking to us. Yet, I wonder how well we recognize God's voice. I wonder how well we teach our children to discern God's voice in the midst of all the voices in the world.

  "I have a huge concern, and don't know what to do." "My marriage is in trouble, but nothing I try helps." "I'm at my wits end with my child. I've tried everything, but nothing works."

  What? ....is God saying to you about discerning His voice?

  So What? ....Why do you need to hear it?

  Now What? ....What do you need to do right now to bring your life into compliance with discerning God's voice and replying, "Here I am. Your servant is listening?"

  Heavenly Father, You are more than a far removed deity. The Bible is a historical account of Your involvement in individual's lives. Help us lean to better discern Your voice and reply when you call, "Here I am. Your servant is listening." In Jesus' name, Amen.

*Excerpt from "Woeful Devastation or Wise Discernment," The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World

One of the areas in which it's often hard to be a DOER is to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. Following are some Scriptures from my book, The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World, and the Renewed and Transformed Conference I did for my friends at Lincoln Park, New Jersey.

WHY WE CHOOSE TO FORGIVE

God commands & empowers me to forgive. Mt 18:35

To not forgive is willful disobedience & refusing His empowerment. Phil 4:13

Forgiving identifies me with Christ. Mt 12:50

Forgiveness FREES me to walk in the good works God’s prepared for me. Eph 2:10

If we feel stuck and that we just can't forgive, what can we do?

ACKNOWLEDGE CHRIST'S WAYS

Imitate Christ. Eph 4:32, 5:1

Pray, “Jesus, help me.”

Put the chain of bitterness away from you. Lay it at the foot of the cross. Eph 4:31

Claim Phil 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Yield to the Holy Spirit & His empowerment. Eph 5:18

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURES TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE FREED FROM BITTERNESS AND TO WALK IN THE FREEDOM OF FORGIVENESS

If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Jn 8:32

Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. Jn 8:34

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. Jn 8:36

for he who has died is freed from sin. Rom 6:7

It was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Mt 6:12

For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Mt 6:14

I PRAY YOU WALK IN THE FREEDOM TO WHICH CHRIST CALLS YOU.

Heavenly Father, thank You that Your commands are for our own benefit. Help us not balk against Your command to put bitterness away from us or Your command to forgive as we have been forgiven. Rather, may we run to Your throne room in obedience and do just what You tell us each time the need arises. In Jesus' name and for His glory, Amen.]]>http://debbietaylorwilliams.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-15957621.xmlDebbie WilliamsMon, 09 Apr 2012 12:15:34 +0000http://debbietaylorwilliams.com/blog/2012/4/9/devastated-or-discerning.html543663:6346918:15770757

When Plan B's hit, our first reaction is often to be devastated. We're shocked, sad, and overwhelmed with emotions. Our sense of loss is great. We don't know the best course of action. Therefore, when I was writing The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World, I knew this topic needed to be addressed.

Is there an option for the Christian when life throws us a Plan B?

Yes! We can move through our situation with another set of eyes: God's. However, we don't need to wait until a Plan B strikes. The wise person will begin each day in prayer, on their knees, asking God for wisdom. We can avoid many Plan Bs if we're discerning.

Following are Scriptures (New American Standard version) for you to consider on this topic. Over the next several weeks, I'll be addressing this topic in depth in my E-Devotinals. If you haven't signed up to receive them, you can HERE.

Are you discerning?

Eli - 1 Samuel 3:2-8

Elisha - 2 Kg 6:14-17

Daniel 2:1-4, 10-19

1 Samuel 25:32-35

Joseph - Genesis 41:1, 8-16, 32-33, 37-46

Proverbs 2:1-11

Psalm 119:66

]]>http://debbietaylorwilliams.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-15770757.xmlDebbie WilliamsMon, 26 Mar 2012 18:49:15 +0000http://debbietaylorwilliams.com/blog/2012/3/26/girlfriends-you-asked.html543663:6346918:15596939MELISSA & JENNIFER - AWESOME BOOK TABLE FRIENDS

SO HERE IT IS: The name of the eating plan that allowed me to lose unwanted fat SO I would be more fit to RUN THE RACE CHRIST HAS SET BEFORE ME.

BEFORE I give you the name of the book, would you please read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 with me?

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

Our bodies are important to God, but for the right reasons: Christ lives in them through the Holy Spirit. Gal 2:20. Our goal in being fit is to glorify God in our bodies and to be as healthy as possible so we can walk in the good works HE has prepared for us to walk in. Eph 2:10

Drum roll...."The Fat Flush Plan" by Ann Louise Gittleman

May I also suggest that before you rush to your local store or order online, that you kneel and pray; that you ask your Lord God to give you the right reason to want to lose weight and that He help you break any enslavements you have to anything you take into your body?

Pray now.

I'll be giving you tips and hints along the way if you want to check back. "Comment" at the end of the posts with your questions/progress, etc. You can just use your first name or even initials if you want to be anonymous. Also, under the "Comment" section, it says "Author" for some reason, which makes most of us feel like we need to look around the room to see what author is there to type for us. But, it really means YOU. Just type in your name, comment, etc.

Finally, this isn't a sales job, but she suggests you journal while going through your weight loss. I would be honored if you're going to purchase a journal, to get mine, which is called Prayers of My Heart. It has 3 sections that work great with the plan. The first is a calendar where you can record what you eat each day. The 2nd section is called "Week at a Glance" and it is like a spread sheet. I would LOVE for you to keep the LORD as your first thought and this is where you would record a different attribute of God each day for which you praise Him. I'll show you how to do it as we go along. The last section is lines for your free flowing thoughts, prayers, etc. You can get Prayers of My Heart HERE.

Love you and pray that you'll be successful in breaking enslavements and glorifying God in your body - which I'm trusting you HAVE presented to Him. "I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2