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Praise to CHRIST
“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”
Jesus asked His disciples who others were saying He was. Then He asked, “But who do you say that I am?” That’s a question every one of must answer. Simon Peter replied that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. He got it right. Jesus affirmed Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (v17). Peter had a heavenly grasp on the fact that Jesus wasn’t just a prophet or good man. He was the anointed Messiah who had come to save us from our sins. Today, the question remains, “Who do you say Jesus is?”
Jesus, You are the CHRIST, the SON OF THE LIVING GOD, the anointed Messiah. I praise You!
HERE is where you’ll find scriptures and worship songs to encourage you throughout the day.
Praise for the BREATH of the ALMIGHTY
“The Spirit of God has made me; and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
One of ways in which God the Spirit is referred is the breath of the Almighty. Herbert Lockyer comments, “As the thoughts of my mind are articulated through the action of my breath upon the vocal cords, and are transmitted in the shape of words from the inner world of my being to the outer world when I speak, so the Spirit, or Breath of God, takes the thoughts of God, as well as the inexpressible yearnings of the believer and articulates them (Rom 8:26,27). As God’s Breath gave life to the first man, Adam (Gen 2:7), the same gives life to sinners (Jn 3:8), and to Scripture which honors the Spirit as the livingness of His divine inspiration. In the life-giving power of a breathing life, Jesus endowed His own for life and service. He breathed on them saying, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ – the Master’s breath symbolizing the Spirit who was to possess them. (Jn 20:22)”
You and I can read the above explanation but what is important is that we learn to live by the energizing, inspired breath of the Almighty!
*Herbert Lockyer, All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1975, pg 295.
I praise You, BREATH OF THE ALMIGHTY! Thank You for living in me and making me holy, set apart by Your presence. Help me live by Your empowerment and Word.
Praise to God who BINDS the BROKEN
“I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick;”
The word “broken” in Ezekiel 34:16 means “torn to pieces.”* In this passage, God’s heart for His people is seen. He states in verse 11, “I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.” He continues, “As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for my sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scatterd on a cloudy and gloomy day. (v 12) Are you “broken”? Does it seem everything is going wrong? Are you hurt or hurting? Is it a gloomy day? God cares. He loves you more than earthly words can describe. Turn to Him in your brokenness.
Thank You, Lord, for loving us and BINDING us up in our BROKENNESS. We love and praise You.
*https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H7665&t=NASB
Praise to HIM who BORE OUR SINS
“…He Himself BORE OUR SINS in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”
We speak of Christ as Savior who bore our sins. But has the “so that” in 1 Peter 2:24 sunk into our hearts and minds? Jesus suffered “so that.” So what? “So that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” Today 9-12 CST, I’m teaching “LISTEN UP! When the Spirit Speaks.” If you live in the Texas hill country, please come! If you don’t, you can WATCH via free LIVE STREAMING*. Join me and take away keys to discerning God’s voice; “so that” we live to righteousness in gratefulness to our Lord.
Thank You, Jesus, for BEARING OUR SIN IN YOUR BODY ON THE CROSS. We’re so grateful that with our salvation You’ve given us the Holy Spirit so that we’re empowered to live to righteousness. Bless EACH who seeks to better discern Your voice.
*The LIVE STREAMING of the conference will be live at 9 am CST.
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Praise to AWESOME GOD
“Awesome!” It’s a word typically used for anything from completing a project to hearing about a new coffee. But, when the psalmist says in Psalm 66:5, “Come and see the works of God, Who is AWESOME in His deeds toward the sons of men,” the term means, “stupendous, illustrious.” Read Psalm 66:6. Continue with verse 16, “Come and hear, all who fear God and I will tell of what He has done for my soul.” I want to shout “hallelujah” in agreement! Our AWESOME GOD has done great things for our souls!!! And, then there is verse 20, “Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.” Now, THAT’s AWESOME! Don’t you agree?
I praise You, AWESOME GOD! You have done great things for my soul! You have not turned away my prayer nor Your lovingkindness. I praise YOU!
ANNOUNCEMENT: Many have asked about the Listen UP! Conference. If you can attend, please do! Register HERE. IF YOU CAN’T BE PRESENT, you can WATCH LIVE STREAM, 9-NOON CST on your phone, Ipad, computer HERE. Learn more about the Listen UP Conf HERE.
Praise to Jesus who has ALL AUTHORITY in Heaven & On Earth
When Jesus walked on earth, the crowds were awestruck by His authority over demons, sickness, and forgiving sins. Before His ascension, Jesus commanded, “ALL AUTHORITY has been given to ME in HEAVEN and on EARTH. Go and make disciples of all the nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe ALL that I commanded you. (Mt 28:18-20) Are our lives a demonstration of praise to Him who has ALL AUTHORITY?
Lord Jesus, I praise You, who have ALL AUTHORITY in heaven and on earth. May my life demonstrate my praise.
Praise to the AUTHOR & PERFECTOR of FAITH
“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.;”
Have you ever struggled in your faith? Have you wondered how God could let His Son die for us? Our coming to God in righteousness through Christ’s shed blood was not forced upon Him. Although the Romans pounded the natils into His holy hands, neither “they” or the Jews orchestrated Jesus’s death. It was His doing – to lay down His life; to be a substituionary sacrifce for us. He authored & wrote that by faith we could come to His Father. And now? What Christ has done in principle – perfecting us by making us “right” with God; He now does in our daily walk. He draws us to Himself in love. He empowers us through His Spirit to live the Christian life and be His lights on earth. Praise to Jesus, the AUTHOR & PERFECTOR of FAITH!
Lord Jesus Christ, AUTHOR and PERFECTOR of my faith, I adore You. You bless me in my salvation. You bless me as You draw me close to You, perfecting my faith. I praise You!
Begin the New Year with New Ears
Did you hear that?
My eyes widened as I listened to the noise coming from the backyard one morning.
“I wonder what it is,” my husband, Keith, replied. We looked in the direction of the backyard as it continued. “Is it an animal crying or is it a bird?” I asked. Neither of us could spot an animal or a bird; but I settled on it being the later.
That evening we sat down to visit; only to be disturbed again by the noise. “I’m sick of that bird,” I confessed to Keith. I was reminded of when my daddy used the term “sick and tired” to describe a situation he longed were different. Is there anything you’re “sick and tired of”? Perhaps the extra weight you carry that makes you sluggish. Perhaps you’re “sick and tired” of the guilt that weighs your heart. Or, maybe you’re “sick and tired of” the same marital, financial, or family problems you carry from one year into the next.
Keith responded to my being “sick” of the annoying “bird.”
“Are you sure it’s coming from outside? I think it’s mechanical,” he replied, looking upward in the house. I had no idea what he was thinking as he headed upstairs. However, he was correct. The solution to the problem wasn’t quieting a bird in the backyard. It took him going upstairs to find the solution.
New Year Resolution Revolution
This year, what if instead of flippantly making New Year resolutions to fix what we’re “sick and tired of,” we went “upstairs” for the solution? What if we prayerfully asked our Heavenly Father for His perspective on how we might change or attain goals? As we begin 2016, we might consider:
Is My New Year Resolution Coming from My Father
New Year resolutions can be earthly or heavenly. A heavenly resolution is a result of prayer when we ask our Father, “What do you want of me?” Or, if we already know an area about which God has convicted us, then our resolution is to follow His voice when He prompts us to turn from sin and toward obedience.
Will I Pay Attention and Obey My Father’s Voice this Year
Numerous voices vie for our attention. Noise can keep us from hearing God’s voice.
To hear God’s voice we need to be still. We need to listen.
I invite you to join me for two upcoming opportunities to become better spiritual listeners. The first is this Monday at noon at Hill Country Ministries, 1127 East Main, Suite 200. I’m holding a New Year Prayer Journaling Workshop.
What Is A Prayer Journaling Workshop
I’ll be sharing different ways to record not only the prayers of our heart that we voice to God; but also various ways to journal… when God speaks to us.
Does Our Heavenly Father Still Speak?
Yes, which leads me to the second opportunity. Saturday, January 23, 9-12, Trinity Baptist Church is opening its doors to the community for my conference; “Listen UP! 31 points about the Holy Spirit every Christian should know and how to better discern HIS VOICE. I misjudged what I thought was a bird. I don’t want to miss what my Heavenly Father says, and I bet you don’t want to, either. Join me January 4 for the Prayer Journaling Workshop and January 23 for the Listen UP! Conference. Let’s enter the New Year with our ears tuned upward!
“So choose life in order that you may live…by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him;” Deuteronomy 30:19b-20a.
Heavenly Father, thank You that You care about areas of our lives and sins we’re sick and tired of. Thank you for Your solutions. Help us take advantage of every opportunity to tune our ears upward to become better spiritual listeners.
Christmas Peace
“For a child will be born to us…And His name will be called…Prince of Peace.”
“When are we getting our Christmas tree? Tonight? Tomorrow?” Vicki, my sister, and I could not wait for the annual tradition of selecting the massive evergreen that would stand as a centerpiece in our home for the month of December.
Although most of the time it was fun to select the tree, occasionally a few stressful moments crept into our otherwise fun filled evening. One of us might have our heart set on a short, full tree, while the other had her heart set on a tall, willowy one.
Upon arriving home, additional differences sometimes surfaced when deciding where to put the green giant or whether clumps or single strands of silvery tinsel should decorate each bough. I wonder if God ever shook His head at how easily our Christmas feathers were ruffled over the smallest details.
What about you? What ruffles your Christmas feathers? What upsets the peace and goodwill that is sung about during this season of peace? This year, let us remember that Christmas is not about the tinsel or the tree, but rather about Christ….the Prince of Peace!
Christmas is not the tinsel.
Christmas is not the tree.
Christmas is about God’s love,
His love for you and me.
Christmas is about the season
When in each of our lives
We thank God for our Savior
Who gives to us new life.
A baby born of woman, yet God
A God born of man, yet divine
God gave to the earth a Savior
Peace, eternal, divine.
So if you are seeking heaven
Would you look and seize the Truth
God’s gift of Jesus on earth
Is God’s gift of Peace to you!
What’s In Your Hand?
“The Lord is my portion,” Psalm 119:57a
Would you like a helping of mashed potatoes? How about gravy on your turkey? As Thanksgiving approaches, images of buffet lines with mouth watering foods appear on magazine covers and cooking shows. “I’ll take a portion of that,” we say in relation to food. But how often do we consider the Lord as our Portion? We may admit we’re familiar with “The Lord is my Shepherd,” but not, “The Lord is my Portion.” Lately, I’ve been struck by this verse. Why? Because I’m not always mindful of it. Although the Lord has given Himself to me to satisfy my deepest needs; too often I grab from the world’s buffet. I hold to a loaf of what someone said that hurt me. I refill my cup with their critical words. I empty my plate only to refill it with the same temptation. The result? I’m left longing. But what if instead I turned my back on the world’s buffet and reached for the a heaping portion of the Lord? What if I took a slice of the bread of life and read a chapter in the Bible? What if I drank in the living water of His Spirit? The fact is, “The Lord is my Sheperd,” but He’s also, “…my Portion.” I’m reaching for Him this week. How about you? What’s in your hand?