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Empowered
Are you a Christian? Have you repented of your sins and asked the Heavenly Father to forgive you? Have you confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If so, you’ve been cleansed of your sin. God has baptized you with the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit. But are you living an empowered life?
John the Baptist baptized people in water for the forgiveness of their sins, but explained that Jesus baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit, who empowers us for daily living. “He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33).
In Acts 1:8, Jesus explained that when the Holy Spirit comes upon believers, they receive power that impacts their actions and calling. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”
God’s provision for believers includes Holy Spirit anointed empowerment to do His will and work, to be His witness. If we’re trudging through our days, living by our own strength, and not being Christ’s witness, it’s time to check the pulse of the Holy Spirit in our lives and question whether we are truly living an empowered life.
Jesus, holy and wonderful BAPTIZER, I thank you that when I come to You in repentance, confessing You as Lord and Savior, You cleanse me. Realizing You have gifted me with Your amazing Spirit, awakens me to the importance of living by Your power and doing Your will.
We don’t have to live the Christian life in our own strength—Jesus sent us a Helper, the Holy Spirit. To learn more about Christ’s incredible gift, listen to this podcast teaching: Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.
When You Need a Rallying Point
Do you ever feel like the world, your flesh, or the devil are bearing down on you and you need a rallying point where you can find victory over your fallen nature and temptation? If so, remember how Moses looked to the Lord as his rallying point.
When Moses held high the banner of the Lord, the Israelites were victorious over their enemies. They fought in God’s name and strength, not their own. So significant was the Lord’s presence and reason for their victory that Exodus 17:15 says, “Moses built an altar and named it, ‘The LORD is My Banner.’”
God is just as present to help us as He was to help Moses. The Lord is our banner. When we lift His name high in prayer and look to Him for strength, we find victory over our sinful nature and the enemy. We fight strength to stand against worldly influences that are counter to Christ and His ways.
The next time temptation or your old nature starts to get the best of you, lift high the Lord’s name: Victorious Warrior. Prince of Peace. Faithful. Guardian of My Soul. Praise the Lord as Moses did and continue to praise Him throughout the day.
Lord, I praise You and lift high the BANNER OF YOUR NAME – victorious One.
Would you like to deepen your relationship with God? Discover the many resources on our website that can help you grow in your walk with the Lord. We offer several free resources, including podcasts, video teachings, listening guides, and more!
Why Awesome Is an Important Word
A few years ago, the word “awesome” became a catchphrase for any and everything. “Can you go Monday night? Awesome!” “This meal is awesome!” “I read an awesome book!”
If you’re like many, we began to tire of hearing the overused word. However, rather than throw out the word, the Bible points us in the right direction for when to use it. For example in Genesis 28:17, the word “awesome” is used in relation to heaven, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Exodus 15:11 uses the word “awesome” in relation to God and His works, “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?”
Yes, we might want to scale down on our use of “awesome” in relation to everyday events, but let’s use it often in relation to God.
I praise You, AWESOME GOD, and thank You for Your awesome works.
Our God is an awesome God, and so much more! Dive deeper into God’s Word and become better acquainted with His many attributes with the 365 Days of Praise devotional book. Purchase your copy HERE.
Since We Know, Are We Telling Others to Prepare?
In February 2021, a winter freeze took this Texas girl by surprise. Yes, I’d seen the warnings of a winter storm. In my mind, that meant cold weather and snow. I did think about the ice warning, but then went about my life. Then it got cold. And colder. And colder. I wasn’t prepared, and by the time I was in the midst of the snow, cold, iced-over roads, power outage, no water, and firewood running out, it was too late to do anything. I lived with the consequences of my lackadaisical unpreparedness.
As the water that had been collected in bowls froze inside our home, I thought of what I could do to be better prepared should we have another winter storm. I also thought of how terrifying it is going to be for people who have a lackadaisical attitude toward Biblical warnings of judgment and hell. Yes, many people are going on with their lives and not doing anything to prepare for the salvation of their souls. Thinking of the unsaved sitting in hell with no way to get out is a horrifying thought. Equally horrifying is to neglect Christ’s call to tell the unsaved how to be saved.
In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus tells believers with “all authority” to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nation.” In other words, sound the warning that a day is coming when everyone will stand before Jesus to give an account of their lives and will either live eternally in heaven or in hell. Are we obeying Jesus? Are we telling them how they can be saved? Are we making disciples?
Jesus, You are the AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. Forgive me when I ignore rather than obey Your commands. Create in my heart a passion to obey You and to go and make disciples.
Are you ready for Christ’s return and actively sharing your faith to help others prepare? Would you like some resources to help you better understand the times in which we live and to shift your focus to His return and eternity? Check out End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do. You can purchase the study HERE and access the accompanying videos and podcasts HERE.
A Cloud Is Watching Us
Do you ever feel like the days are flying by or think, “I can’t believe it’s already this month”? It’s true that there are times when the days seem to fly by as we race from one commitment to another. But have you ever considered that there are those watching you as you race about your day and through the years?
Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Gulp. There is a cloud of witnesses watching us? If your eyes are widened at this verse, be assured, mine have been as well.
How is it possible for us to run our race in a way that honors God? We can lay aside encumbrances and entangling sins. We can run with endurance with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith; following His example.
We have a race to run even as Jesus did. We may not like it and in fact, despise it. Yet God has set the joy of heaven before us and it is that on which we are to set our eyes as Jesus did.
About that great cloud of witnesses watching us race…. what are they observing about us? How will we run better today?
Lord Jesus, I praise You, the AUTHOR AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH. Thank You for taking the lead so I can follow You and Your example. I worship You.
Learn how to contend for the faith in the times in which we live through Debbie’s Bible study of Jude, Contend Earnestly for the Faith. Purchase a copy HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos, podcasts, and listening guides HERE.
No Other Name But Jesus
The Lord God Almighty named His Son — Jesus. Why? Jesus means “Jehovah is salvation.” In other words, we need look no further for how to be saved from our carnal nature and hell. The answer to how we can be saved is Jesus. Only through the forgiveness of our sins by His death on the cross are we saved. Acts 2:22-24 clearly states that our hope is in Jesus.
“Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, …this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”
If you want to live in the realm of what is impossible for you and possible only by Jesus, turn to Jesus, repent of sin, and call on Him as Lord.
Jesus, I praise You who are ATTESTED TO BY GOD with miracles and wonders and signs. Thank You, Savior, for saving my soul from hell and saving me for heaven and eternity with You.
Today’s key verses are Acts 2:22-24. For a deeper dive into this Scripture, watch Debbie’s teaching on Acts 2:16-47 HERE or listen to it HERE.
Kidz Time 1 -U
Hi Moms,
I’m super excited you’re here – feeding your child’s soul with Biblical truth they will carry through life!
Here is “U” from Kidz Time 1.
Have fun! Love, Debbie
God Himself Will…For You
Do you sometimes wish you were stronger in your convictions and more consistent in your walk with Christ? Do you ever wonder how God could love and forgive you? The answer to our questions is summed up in one word: grace.
First Peter 5:10 explains: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”
The God of All Grace, who gave His Son to die for our sins, the God of All Grace who ransomed us, the God of All Grace who transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son, that same God of all Grace will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. Praise Him! He hasn’t saved and forgotten us. Rather, “God Himself will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” Personalize that grace-filled promise and say it out loud:
God Himself will perfect me, confirm me, strengthen me, and establish me. The God of all grace has forgiven my sin through Jesus’ sacrificial death.
Glory in the grace God has extended to you. Celebrate Christ’s resurrection—proof that God, who called us to His eternal glory in Christ, will by grace, complete what He began in us. Praise the God of all grace.
GOD OF ALL GRACE, I love and praise you. Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life so I can live eternally in Your glorious presence. Thank You for perfecting, confirming, strengthening, and establishing me. I love You!
Would you like to experience more grace and peace? Check out Debbie’s Bible study, “Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos” by clicking HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos and podcasts by clicking HERE.
If You Want Glorious Look Here
Does life ever seem dull or your days dreary? If so, give yourself a vacation by setting your thoughts on the glorious splendor of the Lord (Psalm 145:5).
“Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:13).“For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,…to rebel against His glorious presence” (Isaiah 3:8).
“…I shall glorify My glorious house” (Isaiah 60:7).
“Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses …” (Isaiah 63:12).
“Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation” (Isaiah 63:15).
“‘But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne” (Matthew 25:31).
“…His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him” (Luke 13:17).
“‘The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the LORD shall come'” (Acts 2:20).
“…strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might” (Colossians 1:11).
Lord Jesus, You, Your name, presence, house, arm, throne, might, and coming Day are GLORIOUS. I rejoice and praise You.
Want to learn more about the glorious day of the Lord? Click HERE to watch a clip from Debbie’s teaching on Acts 2.
Dead…But God
Have you been with someone when they died? I was with my mother, father, and mother-in-law when they went to be with Jesus.
Webster defines death as “the irreversible cessation of all vital functions especially as indicated by the permanent stoppage of the heart, respiration, and brain activity.”
That is what happened to Jesus as a result of the horrific scourging and crucifixion He suffered. The Roman soldiers who oversaw His death were skilled in their profession. They pronounced Jesus dead. But, as we know and Romans 4:17 explains, God “gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.”
What seemed final when Christ died on the cross was not final. God, who gives life to the dead, gave life to Jesus. Similarly, God has given life to our loved ones who have gone to Him, and He will give life to us after our bodies cease to function.
How does it make you feel to know that God will give life to you after you die, just like He gave life to Jesus?
Heavenly Father who GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD, I praise and exalt Your name! Thank You for Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. Thank You for raising my loved ones to eternal life. Thank You for the resurrection life I will one day experience. I love and praise You!
Want to learn more about Jesus’ resurrection and the eternal implications for us? Watch Debbie’s teaching on John 20 HERE or listen to it HERE.