God is a shelter. As Psalm 91:1 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

From what does He shelter us? Snares. Enemies. Evil. How does He shelter us? He calls us to Himself. Just as we might call a child in from a hailstorm, God calls to us, “Come to Me.”

His Word shelters us from wayward thinking. His righteousness shelters us from falling for temptation. God is a shelter to the one who stays close to Him.

Have you ever been separated from someone and you desperately wanted to be with them? Whether the separation is due to death, divorce, disease, or distance, the pain of not being able to be with or even get in touch with a loved one is indescribable. “Indescribable.” That’s the word people often use when attempting to explain their loss, suffering, and sadness.

Jesus understands such depth of emotion. He loves us and created us to live in union with Him. Indescribable love drove Him from heaven’s glory to earth to seek and to save us. Jesus, separated from sinners, crossed the chasm between heaven’s glory and earth. He offers His outstretched hand to save us for eternity and to save us daily. How tightly are we holding to Him?

“For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).

Hi Moms,

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

Here is “Q” from Kidz Time 1.

Have fun!  Love, Debbie

Kidz Time 1 Book

“Q” Video  & Printable Activity                       

Slide Show          

Memory  Verse  Cards    

Sides. Children learn the concept of “sides” at a young age. They’re on this side or that side of the field depending on their team. They learn about historical battles and those who fought on each side. The Bible tells us that there are spiritual sides. God is on one side and the devil is on the other side. They are battling over our souls.

Ephesians 6:16 tells us how to extinguish the devil’s flaming arrows. We’re reminded that we’re not in this battle alone. Our Heavenly Father is the Captain of our side. He wins the war against Satan because of Jesus who Isaiah 49:2 describes as a  Select Arrow sent straight from God’s quiver to destroy the works of the devil and save our soul.

“He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver” (Isaiah 49:2).

Take courage. You may be in a skirmish, but if you’re a follower of Christ you’re on the right side.

Lord Jesus, God’s SELECT ARROW, thank You for coming to earth to destroy the works of the devil and take us to Your side. We love and praise You!

Want to learn more about living a victorious Christian life? Watch Debbie’s teaching on Acts 28 : The 7 Characteristics of People Who Are More than Conquerors. 

Did you ever play Marco Polo in the swimming pool? I have fond memories of playing it with my sister, Vicki. We’d take turns closing our eyes and calling out, “Marco.” The other one would respond, “Polo,” then swim away to avoid being tagged.

Some of us may think of Jesus as one who is blindly searching for us when we call out to Him. That is far from the case. Jesus has His eyes on us and is waiting for us to call on Him. Jesus is the seeker of the lost. As He explains in Luke 19:10,  He came to earth to seek and to save. He sees you. He sees your unsaved loved ones. He’s calling all to come to Him for salvation.

The Gospel of John is full of examples of Jesus seeking and saving the lost. It also recounts the death and resurrection of Jesus, which made a way for all to come to Him for salvation. Access Debbie’s free online Bible study of John HERE.

We all know what we mean when we say, “I don’t have it in me to…,” then we complete the thought. “I don’t have it in me to change.” “I don’t have it in me to keep working this hard.”

It’s important for us to recognize if we do or don’t have something in us. At the top of our checklist should be if we have the life of Christ in us. We either do or we don’t, and 2 Corinthians 13:5 advises every person to test themselves to see if they do. You see, going to church, enjoying nature, or being a nice person doesn’t make a person a Christian. A Christian is someone who has Christ “in” them. ChristIaN.

How do we get Christ in us? In Genesis 3:15, Jesus is prophetically referred to as “the seed of the woman.” As we sow a seed into the ground so a plant can spring forth, we receive the seed of Christ’s Holy Spirit into our spirit. God does the work. He sows His seed into our spirit when we come to Jesus by faith and confess Him as Lord and Savior. Why would we come to Jesus? Because we don’t have it in us to be who God created us to be. If we want to go to heaven when we die, then we need His Holy Spirit in us. If we want to live the life our heart desires, then we need His Holy Spirit in us.

The question is, do we or don’t we have Christ (the Holy Spirit) in us? It’s a consideration that has consequences eternally and now. Christians have the power and ability to live above our circumstances. Christians have the power to overcome our addictions and habits. Don’t believe the lie that you can’t change if Christ is IN you. The truth is – Christ IN you means all things are possible.

I wish I wouldn’t sin. I long for the day when I’m perfected in Christ’s image. How about you? Do you ever tire of your impatience, bad habit, or perhaps careless words? The fact is, as long as we’re in our earthly bodies, we’ll contend with our sin nature. As a matter of fact, not only will we contend with it, Galatians 5:17 says, “the  flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; that they’re in opposition to one another…” So we have this little, um, big war going on inside of us.

Here’s the wonderful news recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God in His grace has chosen to sanctify us, to set us apart for Himself as holy, without blame. Think about it! What we can’t do for ourselves, God has done and will continue to do.  We who call upon the name of the Lord will one day live in heaven completely holy because of Christ. Does knowing that cause you to want to lift your voice in praise to God?

Would you have ever believed some of the things going on in our country? It can make your head spin. The changes are happening so fast that people who don’t read or watch the news are going to be shocked one day to learn that their freedoms have been taken away and that they are mandated to do things against their will. Am I advocating that we read or watch the news all day? Not at all. But I can speak to the importance of being informed. I highly recommend having your Bible open and studying (not skimming) what God wants us to know about the days in which we live and about the days that are coming.

In Matthew 16:2-3, Jesus said, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?”

It is clear that God spoke through prophets. They warned of future events. Although your head may be spinning at the ever-changing society in which we live, what a blessing to know that Jesus will not change. As Hebrews 13:8 reminds us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Yes, our nation is changing. The world is changing. But Jesus will always be the same holy, loving, grace-filled God that He’s always been. If we ever wonder with whom to align ourselves, it is Christ.

Want to learn more about discerning the times in which we live? Purchase a copy of Debbie’s Bible study, End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do HERE. You can also access free accompanying videos and podcasts HERE. 

Has anyone ever sacrificed something for you? Have they sacrificed sleep so you could rest? Have they sacrificed advancing so you could succeed? Have they sacrificed their plans so you could pursue yours? Sometimes we sacrifice but do so begrudgingly.

Ephesians 5:2 tells us Jesus willingly sacrificed His life for us. “…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” 

Not only did Jesus willingly sacrifice His life for us, but He was also the only perfect and completely acceptable sacrifice to God for our sins. Under the law of Moses, high priests were appointed to offer sacrifices in the temple day after day for their own sins and the sins of the people. However, Jesus provided a better way. He became both the perfect priest and the perfect sacrifice. 

Jesus is holy, blameless, pure, and set apart. Unlike the earthly priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day for His own sins and our sins. He sacrificed for our sins once for all when He offered Himself willingly on the cross (Hebrews 7:24-28). When He did, He thought of us, not Himself. He did what we could never do for ourselves. 

Hill Country Ministries is dedicated to telling others of Jesus’ great love and sacrifice. One way we have done this is by taking our P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference to every state. Christians are inspired and equipped to pray more purposefully and live more passionately for Christ. Seekers are given the opportunity to respond in faith to Christ.

Discover the joy of praying more purposefully and living passionately for Christ as He equips you to do His work on earth. Get a copy of Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion HERE. The book can be used as a personal study or a 10-week group study.

Have you ever heard someone say “that stinks” when something awful happens? If bad things repeatedly happen, they might even say life stinks. Instead of focusing on the foul, though, we have a choice to breathe in what Song of Solomon 2:1 refers to as the rose of Sharon, a reference to Christ and His splendor, heavenly fragrance, and beauty.

When life stinks, stay extra close to Christ. Breathe in His fragrance. “I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys” (Song of Solomon 2:1).