Standing in the checkout line, I noticed the child from the corner of my eye. You couldn’t help but notice since he was wailing at the top of his lungs, “I want it!” His bedraggled mother tried her best to wrestle the package of M&Ms from his hands while at the same time apologize to the cashier. Tommy wanted the M&M’s, but his mother knew that her child was not “lacking” for food. 

Although I don’t like to admit it, there are times I can be like Tommy when things aren’t going my way. But there is another to whom we can look who points us to the key to being calm and trusting rather than demanding and complaining.  

David, the shepherd boy who became king, is an example to us. In Psalm 23:1 he stated, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Say those words with me. “I shall not want.”

David grasped what I sometimes forget. There’s a difference between what I “want” and what I “lack.” Psalm 23:1 is best interpreted, “The Lord is my shepherd (Jehovah-Ra-Ah), I lack for nothing.” In other words, David was aware that the Lord was watching over him, leading, and protecting him. He was mindful of his Shepherd’s presence and provision. 

If there are times you focus more on what you want rather than on God’s present provision and you desire to develop a more grateful attitude, consider daily journaling that for which you are grateful. Begin being more like David and less like Tommy. 

JEHOVAH-RA-AH, thank You for being my Shepherd. Help me to be increasingly mindful that in You I lack for nothing. 

Are you encouraged by the 365 Days of Praise e-devotional? Use the social media icons, below, to share it on your favorite social media platform, so others can be encouraged by it too!

Have you been battling something and you’re tired? If so, we do well to remember that, as believers, we don’t stand alone. Exodus 17:8-15 records how we can come alongside each other and under the banner of the Lord, defeat the enemy. 

“Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.’ So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sunset. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Moses built an altar and named it The Lord Is My Banner; and he said, ‘The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.’” 

In this passage, we learn that the Israelites won the battle as long as they could see Moses’s staff which represented God’s presence and power with them. What can we learn from this account? It is important to station ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to hold up one another in prayer, and keep our eyes on Christ. God is our banner. It is His presence and power that defeats the enemy. 

Heavenly Father, JEHOVAH-NISSI, my banner, thank You for Your presence and power; that I do not stand against the enemy in my own strength. Thank You for the community of believers with whom I can lift Your name high. 

Are you looking for some more encouragement and Biblical teachings? Listen to Debbie’s podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Podbean!

Have you ever felt desperate and cried out to God to help to do what He’s asked of you? No doubt, such was the case for Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac.

Although Abraham didn’t understand why God would ask him to do something so unthinkable, he had confidence in God’s goodness and told his servants, “We, not I, will return.” 

Abraham took the steps of obedience to which God called him, one faith step at a time, not knowing how God would provide. 

In the final moment, as Abraham raised the knife to sacrifice Issac, God stopped him. He provided a ram in the place of Isaac. Genesis 22:14 records, “Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.’” (“Jehovah-Jireh” is the KJV’s translation of YHWH-Yireh which means “The Lord Will Provide.”)

In the act of Abraham being called to sacrifice his only begotten son we get a glimpse of what it was like for God to sacrifice His only begotten Son. 

Jesus, like Isaac, was laid on the wood, stretched out, but instead of being freed, died in our place. Jehovah-Jireh, God will Provide, provided Jesus as a substitute for us. 

What will you do today…and every day to show your gratitude to the Father and to Jesus? 

JEHOVAH-JIREH, You saw my need and provided Your only begotten Son to die for my sins. Jesus, thank You for willingly laying down Your life for me. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and pray I daily reflect my gratitude by my life.

Abraham demonstrated his love for and trust in God through his act of obedience. Our actions reveal whether we truly love, trust, and respect Jesus. To learn more, read this related blog post by Debbie. 

Where did God come from? Who created Him? What’s His origin? Who is the mastermind behind Him? Have you ever asked that question or has someone asked you? It’s a question most people ask at one time or another. 

Here’s the answer. In Exodus 6:3, God told Moses, “I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by my name, Lord, (Jehovah) I did not make Myself known to them.” 

The answer to the question about where God came from is to understand that God is self-existent. God told Moses that His name is Jehovah, which in the Hebrew language means self-existent One or “the existing One.” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” 

What does that mean? Scholar Charles Ryrie explains, “It is a name of the relationship between the true God and His people and when used, emphasizes God’s holiness, hatred of sin, and love of sinners.” ¹  

In other words, God didn’t “come from.” He is. God is a self-existing God who is holy, hates sin, and loves us. We won’t fully comprehend God until we get to heaven and probably won’t even then. In the meantime, we can lift our hands and praise Him. 

Lord God, JEHOVAH, I praise You and thank You that You love me and have provided salvation for me. 

The Apostle John confirms God’s self-existing nature in John 1:1-2 by writing, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” To learn more, watch Debbie’s teaching on John 1 HERE or listen to it HERE. 

¹ Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update (Chicago: Moody Press, 2008), 2057.

PRAISING JESUS, OUR HEALER!   AFTER 9 MONTHS OF CHEMO, SURGERY, & RADIATION, I AM CANCER FREE!  THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!  CELEBRATING GOD’S GOODNESS!

“You can’t see God, so how do you know He’s there?” people sometimes ask. I think one of the best responses is found in Romans 1:19-20 where Paul writes:

“…because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” 

Paul acknowledges that God is invisible to our eyes. However, he points out that God’s existence is clearly seen by how God has and continues to express Himself through creation. 

Look at the glory of the sunrise, sunset, and heavens. Consider the majesty of the mountains. Inspect the tiniest flower. Count the sizes, shapes, and colors of animals. Marvel at the miracle of the human body. 

God may be invisible, but His handiwork is clearly visible. Our privilege and calling is to give credit where credit is due for God’s creation, eternal power, and divine nature that is clearly displayed. Join me in the following chorus of praise. 

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17). 

King eternal, immortal, INVISIBLE God, I praise You and thank You for the glory of Your creation and for making Yourself clearly seen through Your handiwork. May my life point people to You.

If you enjoyed this content and want to watch video teachings by Debbie, consider subscribing to her YouTube channel. Go HERE and click the subscribe button to be notified of new teachings.

Hi Moms,

I’m super excited you’re here – feeding your child’s soul with Biblical truth they will carry through life!

Here is “Z” from Kidz Time 1.

Have fun!  Love, Debbie

Kidz Time 1 Book

“Z” Video  & Printable Activity                       

Slide Show          

Memory  Verse  Cards    

Have you ever felt at your wit’s end…puzzled and perplexed about a situation? Perhaps you don’t know what to do with a child or your marriage. You may feel at your wit’s end in regard to a work situation or friendship. When we feel at our wit’s end it is often because we’ve exhausted our resources. We’ve tried everything we know to do and haven’t come up with a solution. Talking things over with a friend or family member hasn’t helped. Recommended books and resources haven’t provided the answer. 

When we’re at our wit’s end, we do well to “stop, drop, and pray” as I write in “Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.” Stop and drop to our knees. Why? If we’re already “dead in our tracks” about what to do, what better place and before whom could we better stop? We bow because we are humbly aware that we need a higher power and His name is Jesus Christ. 

We stop and drop to our knees because we want to hear from the Lord, who says in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go.” 

We’re bowed and quiet, looking up for divine help. We’re listening to what some call a still small voice and is, in fact, the Holy Spirit speaking into our spirit. 

If you’ve never tried it before, I encourage you to stop, drop, and pray, “Lord, instruct me and teach me the way I should go… with my job, with this project, with my child, in my marriage, with this health concern.” 

Lord Jesus, my INSTRUCTOR, I love and adore You and thank You for the promise that You will instruct me and teach me the way in which I should go. Help me listen well. 

Would you like to develop a deeper prayer life? Get a copy of Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, to learn how.

On this National Cancer Survivors Day, we pause to celebrate every survivor, and to give glory to our faithful Lord for healing Debbie of stage 3 lung cancer. Whether you’re a survivor, currently in the fight, or standing beside a loved one, may you know the hope, peace, and salvation found in Christ alone. If you don’t know Jesus and would like to learn more about Him, click HERE.