365 Days of Praise

The Bible provides several examples of the Lord revealing Himself to people. One such example is when Abram, later known as Abraham, was 99 years old. The Lord appeared to him and introduced Himself as the Lord Almighty. Read the account in Genesis 17:1-2: “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

The Old Testament word for “Almighty” means “most powerful”. The New Testament word means “he who holds sway over all things, the ruler of all.” Together, these words reveal that the Almighty is the most powerful being who holds sway over all things.

God wanted Abraham to know His power and ability to hold sway over his life. God wants us to know, too.

ALMIGHTY GOD, I praise You, the most powerful One who holds sway over all things. Hold sway over my heart today so that I walk blamelessly before You.

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Whether we’re shopping for a car or a computer, we typically ask, “How powerful is it?” Why do we ask? We want to know if what we’re considering buying can do what we want and need. 

We may not say or even realize it, but sometimes we may question God’s power. For example, we pray about something and then we worry. 

If we really believed that nothing is impossible with God, then worry wouldn’t have a place in our lives. 

Today is a good day to remember 1 Chronicles 29:11, that God is all powerful and we can confidently place our trust in Him. “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.” 

Let that be our prayer. Let that be our mindset as we live out our day. 

Lord, You are great, ALL POWERFUL, and the One to whom glory, victory, and majesty belong. Help me walk out my faith and trust in You today rather than fret over details. 

Do you commute to work and want to listen to some encouraging teachings by Debbie while you drive? Let her podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Podbean help you set your mind on Christ before you start your day!

Have you ever been startled to see someone you didn’t expect? My husband has startled me and I assure you, I jumped. Considering how we may have been startled by a person we didn’t expect, can you imagine how startling it was for the disciple John to unexpectedly see Jesus in heaven? John was on the island of Patmos when he was suddenly taken to heaven and saw Christ. What was his response? He fell at Jesus’ feet like a dead man. Revelation 1:18 records what Jesus said to John, 

“I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore…” 

John had seen Jesus die on the cross and be buried. He had seen the resurrected Christ. He had seen Jesus ascend in the clouds into heaven. But to see Jesus alive in heaven and hear Jesus explain He is alive forevermore had to be startling. If your today looks unbearable and you dread tomorrow, don’t. A day of glorious eternal life awaits you, believer. You will see Jesus. 

Lord Jesus, I praise You. Thank You for dying for me so I can be ALIVE FOREVERMORE with You. 

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Peace between people. Is it possible? It appears not to be. Why? Because although we aren’t perfect, we expect others to be perfect. Remember when the Jews were itching to stone a woman caught in adultery? The rocks were in their hands. Their self-righteous arms were wound for the throw. But when Jesus confronted them, when He invited the one who was sin-free to throw the first stone, they slinked away (John 8:7-9). 

What did Jesus then do? If you said, stone her because she was guilty and deserving of punishment, you’re both right and wrong. You’re correct in saying she was deserving of death according to the Law. You are incorrect about Jesus’ response. He told her He didn’t condemn her and for her to go and sin no more. Amazing! Jesus extends the same grace to us. 

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

There it is. We are not to sin, but when we do, we can be mindfully grateful that Jesus is our Advocate just as He was for the adulterous woman. 

Lord Jesus, I praise You, my ADVOCATE. Quicken my heart to take seriously Your command to sin no more. 

Would you like to experience God’s sufficient grace and peace in your life? 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.

Recently, there seems to be an increase in backroom power plays among people. It is disturbing regardless of what person, political party, or entity you support. I suppose that’s why I find such joy in meditating on Jesus. He is the only one who is pure, and He is the ultimate one to whom we can look. 

In addition, it also helps to remember that He is above all. Yes, Ephesians 1:20-21 clearly states that Jesus is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places, “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come”. 

Aren’t those beautiful words on which to meditate? Jesus is above every rule and authority and power and dominion. Above all. Above all. Do we get it? Christ is above all, not only in this age but also in the age to come. Hallelujah! And this is especially good news. He is our friend. He urges us to tell Him our needs. He offers to help when we call on Him. What a wonderful Savior. 

Lord Jesus, You who are far ABOVE ALL rule and authority and power and dominions, I love and worship You. 

Would you like an organized way to record your prayers and praises? Grab a copy of the Prayers of My Heart prayer journal. 

UPDATE ON DEBBIE’S SURGERY: All of the surgery was able to be done robotically! The right upper lobe with the 2 tumors and the difficult malignant lymph nodes were removed, except for 2 or 3 that need to be biopsied. The most concerning lymph node was removed successfully. Very importantly, they did not have to use a large incision to access it. Praise God for this good news, for an excellent surgery, and thank you all for your faithful prayers!

I thought I killed a bee, but realized I only stunned it as I watched it begin moving. There’s a difference between stunning something and killing, or abolishing, it. 

When you think about death, does it worry you? Here’s the deal, and it’s great news. Second Timothy 1:10 assures us that we don’t need to worry about death. Why? The verse explains that when Christ died on the cross, He didn’t stun death. Rather, “…our Savior Christ Jesus, abolished death and brought life and immortality to light…” 

In other words, when our body ceases to live, our spirit continues to live. Those who have placed their faith in Christ and are indwelt by Christ’s Holy Spirit will live eternally in His glorious presence. That is something to celebrate, not fear. 

Lord Jesus Savior, I praise You that You ABOLISHED DEATH. Thank You for eternal life in You. 

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 and receive eternal life. Access Debbie’s free online Bible study of John HERE.

Please pray for Debbie who is having surgery at 7:00 am in San Antonio. She is having a lobectomy – removing right upper lobe and affected lymph nodes. Please pray the surgery can all be done robotically, that all the cancer is removed and that Debbie recovers quickly and completely. Pray for wisdom and guidance for the surgeon and the surgical staff.  

Have you ever given yourself a good, hard look and thought, “I can’t do it”? Maybe you heard a sermon on forgiveness but thought, “I can’t”. Or maybe you’ve been sick all night and don’t think you have the strength to respond to a child’s cry. 

The above situations are ones you’ve perhaps experienced, but ended up being able to do. But there was a person who once contemplated his situation and truly wasn’t able to perform it. Romans 4:17-21 recounts when God told Abraham that he would have a child with Sarah. 

“Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” Stop right there. Envision Abraham considering his body. “Isn’t going to happen,” he thinks. He considers his elderly wife who was unable to get pregnant in her younger years. “Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:20-21).

Amazing! Did you notice the word, “yet”? Are you facing something seemingly impossible? Why not do as Abraham and consider, “yet with respect to the promise of God”? God is present for you just like He was for Abraham. Look to Him. Trust Him. 

Heavenly Father, help me remember that no matter my situation, You are ABLE. Help me grow strong in my faith like Abraham. 

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. 

In your lifetime, how many people have you seen take positions of leadership and then be unseated? People and countries are often shaken by these changes. While some people are hopeful, others are fearful. Of the many assurances the Bible gives us, one is that our Heavenly Father has an eternal reign. He is seated on a throne and there is no person or principality who can unseat Him. Psalm 9:7 assures us, “the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment.”

Forever. Established. Those are comforting words. But what about his throne of judgment? The psalmist explains in verses 8-9. “And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”

Good news. In addition to the comfort of knowing that our Heavenly Father will remain long after our world’s rulers have come and gone, we have the comfort of knowing that He will righteously judge the world and be a stronghold for the oppressed. He is our stronghold, too, in our times of trouble. We can go to him. We can talk things over with Him. What do you need to talk to Him about today? 

Heavenly Father, who ABIDES FOREVER, I give you praise. You have established Your throne and no one can unseat You. Thank you for being a God of equity. Thank you that I can come to you when I’m having trouble. 

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The 365 Days of Praise Daily Devotional is also now available in print. Purchase your copy HERE. 

Have you seen the look in a child’s eyes when they were afraid because they couldn’t see where their parents were? Have you watched that child locate their parents and run to them? Have you heard a child cry for their parent? If so, consider Romans 8:15, which says believers have “received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba Father.” 

Abba Father can be translated from the Greek as “daddy”. So what does Romans 8:15 tell us? It tells us that our relationship with God is like that of a loving father with his child, tender and close. Our Heavenly Father chose to adopt us. Jesus chose to come to earth in human skin so we can see and smell Him. We can watch and learn from Him. We can run to Him. We can feel His embrace. 

Our Heavenly Father and Jesus deeply care for you. 

In a world that sometimes seems indifferent and uncaring, it’s reassuring to know that we have a Heavenly Father. Although we may be afraid at times due to the events in our life, nation, or world, we can look to our Father and be assured that He’s watching out for us and watching over us. 

Heavenly Father, ABBA FATHER, thank You for adopting me as Your child. Help me walk confidently through my day assured that You are with me.

Happy New Year! Would you like to spend more time in God’s Word this year? We have several resources to help you. Check out our shop HERE and our free online Bible studies HERE.