365 Days of Praise
Does God See? Does God Care?
When you sin, are you mindful that God sees you? Most of us probably don’t think about it. But the Bible clearly says that He does see and hear us. When we sin, it affects our fellowship with God. In Joel 2:12, God calls His people to return to Him “with all your heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning.” What is God’s response when we repent? Joel 2:18 says, “Then the Lord will be zealous for His land and will have pity on His people.” God is ZEALOUS for us. Why? He wants us to take hold of the joy, beauty, and glory of abundant life He gives us in Christ Jesus. What better time in our nation could there be than now for us to be zealous for Christ and live purposefully for Him? Return His zeal by choosing to pray more purposefully and live more passionately for Christ in 2020. Register now for “Starting Strong with 2020 Vision.” January 8, 11-12, TBC Kerrville, TX.
Lord, thank You for being ZEALOUS for us. Forgive us when we sin. Kindle in us a zeal for You and the abundant life we experience when we follow Your teachings.
Making Tracks, But Are They the Right Ones
Have you ever wished you had a mentor; someone to follow; to teach you how to do your job better, to be a better spouse, or how to better live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father? Many lack a good “example” as evidenced by the normalization of arguing, lying, materialism, and trusting in “self” rather than God. Yet our Heavenly Father gives us a good example – His Son. Jesus shows us how to stand against temptation, how to live for God’s will, how to treat others, and even how to suffer when choosing to follow God’s Word rather than the world. Ultimately, Jesus is an eXample of how to entrust ourselves to our Heavenly Father’s care. First Peter 2:21 reminds us of the importance of following Jesus’s example. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,” In a world filled with bad examples, our Father calls us to follow Jesus.
We praise You, Lord Jesus, our EXAMPLE!
A Time. A Place. A Person.
Does it seem surreal to think about being in heaven and seeing Jesus? For most of us, it probably does. The fact is, Jesus is a real person and at a real time in a real place we will see Him. In Isaiah 6:1-5, Isaiah describes his experience of seeing Jesus in heaven. “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and EXALTED, with the train of His robe filling the temple.”
“I saw the Lord.” Let those words sink in.
There was a time – the year of King Uzziah’s death.
There was a place – sitting on a throne in a temple.
There was a description – lofty…exalted…the train of His robe FILLING the temple. How does that even happen?
There were others – Seraphim stood above Him. There was talking. The seraphim called out to one another, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
There was more talking – “And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.”
Isaiah’s response was, “‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’”
What will our response be in that time and place when we see the EXALTED LORD JESUS?
EXALTED Lord, we can’t imagine what it will be like when we see YOU. Our hearts tremble at the thought of Your majesty and glory. May our awe and reverence for You be lived out in our daily decisions and behavior… in anticipation of the day, time, and place we meet You.
Is Lip Service a Big Deal to God
A person who is not a Christian once challenged me and asked why believers talk about God’s love but never His wrath. I thought about his question and realized that I’m guilty of that very thing. Think about all the wonderful ways we look at God’s love, gentleness, and favor. Today, however, the context in which God’s actions are described as WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS is a reference to His judgment on people who claim His name, but simply give lip service to Him. God uses the prophet Isaiah to call them out in Isaiah 29:13-14. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS.'” He goes on to warn them of the consequences of their lip service and rote worship. We might want to relegate our Creator’s wrath to the Old Testament, but Revelation 16 speaks of God’s judgment being poured out in a future day. We may wonder, “Is mankind’s behavior and sincerity of worship a big deal to God?” The answer is, yes.
Lord, You alone are worthy of our praise. You extend mercy to those who call on Your name, but are WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS in Your discipline toward those who give You lip service and rote worship. Forgive us and prompt us daily to live by Your Spirit.
Get it NOW & journal your thanks to God for the best 2020!
Are You in Need of Wonder Working Power
Happy New Year!
Do you wish you could twitch your nose or snap your fingers and presto, what you long for would appear this year? The fact is, those techniques may work in movies, but not real life. However, God does work wonders. Sometimes those wonders take time. Other times, moments. Regardless of the timing, our Heavenly Father is the One on whom we are to set our hearts if we’re in need of wonder-working power. Moses is but one of many who needed a miracle and God stepped in. Listen to his words of praise in Exodus 15:11. “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” If we’re in need of wonder-working power, we can go to God, be still in His presence, ask Him for help, and listen to what He quietly impresses on our hearts. Have your Bible, pen, and journal with you so you can turn to a Bible verse He directs you to look up and so you can write down what He prompts you to do. Imagine a year of God’s wonder working power in your life. It’s not a fairy tale. It’s real and it’s available for the person who seeks Christ and desires to glorify Him with their life.
Lord, You are the WORKER of WONDERS! We love and adore You. We look to You for the wonder working power only You can provide. We ask that You do in us what we cannot do, that You be in us what we cannot be, that You speak through us as only You can. May You be glorified in our lives this year.
TAKE ACTION
GET: Prayers of My Heart journal so you can record what God impresses on your heart so you are sure to follow up and walk in His will.
JOIN: Prayers of My Heart Gathering on Facebook for encouragement/tips on journaling.
Let’s Get This Right
Have you ever considered that because Christ paid for your sins you are worthy of heaven? Say that a few times to yourself and let it sink in. “I am worthy of heaven.” Believers are found worthy of heaven ONLY because Christ is worthy and exchanged His righteousness for our sin. He gave us His righteousness. Colossians 1:10 reminds us of the implication – “so that YOU will walk in a manner WORTHY of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” In other words, we’re to walk in a manner worthy of or “suitably” for our Lord. We may have a hazy understanding of what it means to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, but we know what it means to be suitable. A child who puts on dirty clothes for school is told to put on something suitable, something clean for school. In the same manner, we are to walk worthily (suitably) of the Lord. Let’s get this right this year.
JOURNALING TIP: I wrote in the Meditations section of my journal, “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,” Colossians 1:10. It’s a verse I want to put to memory. Writing and reviewing it helps keep me focused on this important calling.
Lord, thank You for making us worthy of Your presence and of heaven. Help us walk worthily of You!
Excerpt from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case?
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Are You Ready for a New Year
Last year, innocent people were killed. Illness struck suddenly. You made it through one storm and another hit. Are you ready for a new year? If so, may I recommend how Psalm 61:3 describes God. “You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.” A tower is a high place where we can look at life from God’s perspective, where we pray, pour out our heart to God, intercede for others, and quietly listen for His counsel. If we want to experience God’s best next year, we can. Our Father is a tower of strength and refuge to whom we can go. Start the New Year Strong. Learn more. Register Today. Also be sure to JOIN my new Prayers of My Heart Facebook Gathering. I’ll be there to personally chat with you.
Jesus, tower of strength and refuge, we praise You. When we don’t know how we can get through the next minute, You help us get through the next year. You are our strength and help. Thank You for all the ways You guarded and guided us this past year. We look to next year with joy and hope because of You.
Good Year? Bad Year?
As you look at your year, are your thoughts, “It’s been great!” Or, are your thoughts more along the lines of, “It’s been a rough or bad year”? Perhaps the “rough” or “bad” is related to finances, work, your marriage, children, parents, friendships. It may be related to your frustration with yourself, that you continue to struggle with the same sin. Whatever the case, something God wants us to be mindful of is that He was there for us in the past and He’s not going anywhere. He’s staying by our side. As Romans 3:26 reminds us, He is “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Developing a grateful heart for who God is and His presence in our lives is a gift to ourselves and to others. Who would you rather be around? A negative, cup is always half empty, or a grateful person, mindful of their blessings in Christ? Psalm 63:4 says, “I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” I hope you have Prayers of My Heart journal so you can daily lift your hands in praise of God and record a trait/name of Him each day. It is not too late to order. Journaling God’s traits and praying in relation to His character increases our mindfulness of God’s blessings and how we’re to be being transformed into His likeness. JOIN the POMH Gathering on Facebook for encouragement. We’re going to have so much fun sharing how we’re journaling and God’s blessings.
We praise you, Lord, for being both just and our justifier. We are so grateful!
God Isn’t a Cavity
Not Just Any Man
Jesus came to earth as a baby so He might grow into a man; but not just any man. He came from heaven as our MESSIAH. Andrew heard John the Baptist announce that Jesus was the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world. Andrew followed Jesus and after spending time with Him, went and told his brother, Simon Peter, “We have found the MESSIAH,” John 1:41. Andrew was intentional about his search for the Messiah and after finding Him, was intentional about telling others. What ways can we be more intentional about sharing Christ with others? We can begin by praying for our unsaved friends and for our nation to turn to Christ. I label the last column in the Week at a Glance section of Prayers of My Heart: “Unsaved” so I remember to daily pray for unsaved friends and family. I hope you’re joining me at Starting Strong with 2020 Vision. I’ll be sharing additional ways we can strengthen our prayer life in 2020. Click to register: Starting Strong with 2020 Vision.
How about inviting a neighbor to join you?
Jesus Christ, MESSIAH, You are all good things: love, forgiveness, hope, peace, and joy! Help us be as Andrew; intentional about following You and about telling others about You.