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When You Don’t Know What to Do
“I don’t know what to do.” How many times have you said or thought that? Perhaps you’re trying to figure out your finances. Maybe you’re at a crossroads in life and trying to figure out God’s will. Or maybe there’s a personal or business relationship troubling you that needs to be handled in the wisest of ways.
Whether you’re wondering whether to take your child to the doctor or your question is of another nature, look to Jesus. Why? We’ve seen in other Scriptures how Jesus is a treasure that we have within us. But Colossians 2:2b-3 gives us more insight. It says that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus. Ponder what that means for you.
Talk to Jesus. Look to Him. Listen to Jesus. Record what He tells you to do. Follow up on His instructions. Walk in the wisdom and knowledge you have in Jesus. It’s an incredible blessing that would be a shame to miss and can help prevent future heartbreaks.
Lord Jesus, we thank You that You are a TREASURE OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE. When we don’t know what to do, we can look to You for guidance and wisdom. We praise You for that incredible blessing.
Go deeper into God’s Word with one of Debbie’s Bible studies. You can purchase printed Bible studies in our shop by clicking HERE. You can also complete free online Bible studies by clicking HERE.
If You Think You Have Nothing, Think Again
When you were little, did you go on a treasure hunt? Today, do you put your treasured valuables in a safety deposit box? The Bible tells us that believers have a treasure within them. What is the treasure? Second Corinthians 4:6-7 explains that the treasure is God’s Holy Spirit. The treasure is the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in our hearts.
“God… is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. For we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).
The treasure we carry about in our earthly bodies is God’s surpassing greatness of power. With humble reverence and boundless gratefulness, we bow and worship God for the great gift of His presence in us.
Lord, You are the TREASURE men seek and whom we have in our hearts. Help us present You well to others and share with others the surpassing greatness of Your power. We adore and worship You.
God is a treasure. We hope you are recording each daily attribute from 365 Days of Praise in Prayers of My Heart. As you do, your journal becomes a treasure of the names, titles, and character traits of God. Your journal also becomes a treasured keepsake of how God has and is working in your life and the lives of those for whom you pray.
A Tower of Strength and Refuge
In this world we will have trouble (John 16:33), but we don’t need to be left battered by the storms of life. We can find reassurance that God is a refuge in times of trouble through David’s words in Psalm 61:3, “For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.”
A tower is a high place from which we can look at life and see it from God’s perspective. The spiritual tower of prayer is the place from where we can pray, pour out our hearts to God, intercede for others, and quietly listen for His counsel. If we want to experience God’s best, we can. Our Father is a tower of strength and refuge to whom we can go.
With your face set like flint toward heaven, with your pen in your hand, write words of praise to your Father and intercessions for your family, church, nation, friends, and yes, yourself. The Bible is a journal of God’s interactions with man, of people’s struggles, and of God’s faithful interventions and merciful hands. Let His Word speak to you and impart peace to your soul.
Jesus, TOWER OF STRENGTH AND REFUGE, we praise You. When we don’t know how we can get through the next minute, You are our strength and help. Thank You for all the ways You guard and guide us.
In her teaching on John 16, Debbie touches on Jesus’ words from John 16:33, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Watch her teaching on the subject HERE.
Tower of Deliverance
If it’s been a while since you’ve read 2 Samuel 22, this morning would be a wonderful time to read it. David models thanksgiving to God. He isn’t thanking God because he feels he must, or he’s been told to. He’s praising God because he’s overwhelmed with thanksgiving to Him. He’s seen God answer his prayers and meet his needs.
In 2 Samuel 22:51, David praises God for being a tower of deliverance. “He is a tower of deliverance to His king, And shows lovingkindness to His anointed, To David and his descendants forever.”
Is there something from which you need delivering? Perhaps worry, resentment, fear, or covetousness? Let the Lord be for you who He is to David…a tower of deliverance for whom you’re thankful.
Lord, You are a TOWER OF DELIVERANCE! We praise You with our whole heart!
The Lord is always present and wants us to talk to Him through prayer. Learn to pray more purposefully through Debbie’s book, “Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.”
Kidz Time 1 – R
Hi Moms,
I’m super excited you’re here – feeding your child’s soul with Biblical truth they will carry through life!
Here is “R” from Kidz Time 1.
Have fun! Love, Debbie
If You’re Disturbed
Have you been disturbed by some of the changes and trends in our nation and world? Does it seem like it’s not even the same place where you grew up? It’s interesting, but it’s almost like our Heavenly Father and Jesus are readying us. Readying us for what? To go home to where we are citizens above our citizenship on earth.
Our nation is beginning to become foreign to us because heaven is our home. Heaven is where truth abounds, love is premiere, and relationships are characterized by godliness. Sound good? If so, keep that in mind as you go through your day. Make it a priority to build your life and family on Jesus. Hold tightly to Christ and loosely to things of the earth. Be assured when things of this earth crumble and fail, Christ will stand the test of eternity as Isaiah 28:16 states: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.”
Rest assured that if you’ve been disturbed by what’s happening in our world, it is because heaven is your home and you’re one step closer to being there. That warrants a hallelujah from me. How about you?
Lord Jesus Christ, once again we’re reminded of the joy and privilege of calling You our God. You are foundational to all we believe, a pure and holy TESTED STONE. We praise and worship You!
In the midst of cultural chaos, we can find rest and comfort in God’s grace and peace. To learn more, grab a copy of Debbie’s Bible study, Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos, HERE. You can access the free accompanying videos and podcasts HERE.
How’s Your Heart Toward “That” Person?
Have you ever known a hard-hearted person? In other words, no matter how hard you tried, they shut you out. If you did anything wrong, they were relentless and unforgiving. Not so with our Lord. Although He has every reason to be hard-hearted toward us, He instead pursues and forgives us. What a tender-hearted Lord we have!
This is important – in Ephesians 4:32 He commands us to be like Him – kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving each other. If there’s someone you’re hard-hearted toward, this would be a good time to “forgive, as God in Christ has forgiven us.”
Lord, we praise You for being TENDER-HEARTED toward us. Thank You for Your mercy! Thank You for Your grace! Help us faithfully follow You and forgive others as You have forgiven us.
Have you ever struggled to find the right words to pray? In those times, it can help to pray God’s Word. Click HERE to discover prayers for discernment, discouragement, knowing God’s way, and forgiveness.
What Does It Mean to Be A Temple of God?
John 2:19-21 records a question the Jews asked Jesus as well as Christ’s response. Their question? “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” The “things” Jesus had done included driving sheep and oxen out of the temple, pouring out the money changers’ coins, overturning their tables, ordering them, “Stop making My Father’s house a place of business,” and then as recorded in Matthew 21:13 chiding them, “My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you are making it a robbers’ den.” In other words, Jesus acted like He owned “the house – the temple.” He called for others to account for their behavior regarding His temple, His house.
Jesus’ comment in John 2:19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” was not understood. The people thought Jesus was talking about the stone temple. Instead, He was talking about His body, the temple of God living among men. As Jesus foretold, He did raise His body three days after they destroyed it. Miraculous!
There are two points God is driving home to me regarding Jesus’ actions and words in relation to His temple. First, the stone temple from which Jesus drove out the money changers was not divine because of the rocks but because of God’s presence – it being a place of prayer. The stone temple no longer exists nor is Jesus tabernacling among us. Rather, since Christ’s resurrection, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 explains that God tabernacles among us through His indwelling Holy Spirit in each believer. Every Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit. A temple of prayer. A temple housing the glory of God. What does that mean for us? First, it makes me incredibly mindful that Jesus drove from the temple the things that were not supposed to be there. It means Jesus wants to purify us of anything that hinders God’s glory shining forth in us.
The second point is that since we are temples of the Holy Spirit and God’s temple is a place of prayer, then we are to be not only in a constant state of being purified, but also mindfully praying, seeking the will and heart of Christ, interceding for others, and listening for as well as obeying God’s voice. What a blessing!
What glory for us to be partakers of the divine nature and to be God’s temples! Are you mindful of the blessing? Are you sensitive to what Christ is driving out of you? Are you becoming increasingly prayerful? That is your blessing.
Lord Jesus, You are the divine TEMPLE of the Most High. You have appointed us as temples in whom You dwell through the Holy Spirit, tabernacling among our families, friends, neighbors, and world. Increase our awareness of Your presence and the glorious position You have given us. Drive out anything that keeps Your glory from shining and from prayer flowing between us.
Debbie talked about Jesus driving out the money changers from the temple in her teaching on John 2. Listen to her teaching on the subject HERE.
How Are You When It Comes to Stinky Feet?
Have you ever thought, really thought, about Jesus washing His disciples’ stinky feet? Have you seriously applied His words in John 13:14 to yourself? “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
Lord and Teacher – meditate on Jesus putting those two titles for Himself in one command. The Lord is on His knees washing dirty feet. Messy. Time-consuming. Dirty. Unpleasant. Didn’t He have better things to do? Yet, His act demonstrated more than the simple act of washing feet. Jesus was teaching us the importance of humility toward one another. He was teaching us about servanthood and, yes, even forgiveness.
Our Lord and Teacher physically illustrated what He would do spiritually through His substitutionary death on the cross. It would be messy (a bloody mess). He would wash our filth and sins from our inner man. As His disciples, He instructs us to go and do as He did. Take the time to humbly forgive, to humbly serve one person at a time. And hopefully, prayerfully, it will gain us an opportunity to share with the person why we are doing it, and in whose Name we are serving.
Jesus, Lord and TEACHER, thank You for washing and cleansing us of our sins. Make us increasingly mindful of following Your example.
Our key verse today is John 13:14. Watch all of Debbie’s teaching on John 13 HERE or listen to it HERE.
I Need Jesus
I need Jesus. Why? Eternally, Jesus is the only sinless sacrifice acceptable to God on my behalf and the One through whom I’ll be raised to eternal life in heaven. On a daily basis, I need Jesus to forgive me, cleanse me, and strengthen me to walk through my day by His Spirit. I need Jesus to guide me and prompt me if I start to veer off course.
How does Hebrews 4:15-16 describe Jesus? “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Can I hear a hallelujah, friend? Imagine what it would be like if you were accountable to a heavenly being who didn’t sympathize with your weaknesses? But our merciful, mighty Savior does. We can say, “I sinned. I failed. I rebelled against You and Your ways. I’ve been wrong.” When we come to Jesus in honest confession and repentance, Jesus doesn’t make us feel worse and withhold forgiveness. Does that mean we should blow off our sin? No, we should think about how, when, where, and why we fell for temptation and were deceived. We should learn from it. With every misstep, we have a God-step opportunity to learn and grow. With bowed heads and hearts, we confess our sins to our sympathetic High Priest, accept His mercy, and take seriously His words, “Go and sin no more.”
Jesus loves you and doesn’t want you wallowing in your sin. If you’ve been avoiding one-on-one time with Jesus, your High Priest, because you feel so bad about your sin, go to Him. He loves you and is waiting.
Lord Jesus, perfect, SYMPATHETIC HIGH PRIEST, we love You and thank You that we can draw near to Your throne of grace and find mercy to help in our time of need.
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