365 Days of Praise
Clean and Empowered
Are you a Christian? Hi. I’m Debbie Taylor Williams.You’ve acknowledged you’ve done or thought wrong things; that you’re not perfect like God. You’ve asked the Heavenly Father to forgive you; acknowledging in faith that Jesus took the punishment for your sins. You’re clean. But are you living the empowered life? Why is this important? John the Baptist baptized people in water, but in John 1:33 he explained this about Jesus. “‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’” John baptized repentant sinners in the river symbolizing the washing away of their sins. Jesus baptizes repentant sinners with the river of living water – the Holy Spirit, flowing in them, empowering them.
Thank You, JESUS, that when we come to You in repentance, confessing You as Lord and Savior, that You BAPTIZE us with the HOLY SPIRIT. Help us be mindful of the gift of You Spirit in us so we walk and live by the Spirit
This is 1 of 365 facets of our wonderful Lord. To get this free in your inbox, click HERE.
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!” If you’re like many of us, we began to tire of hearing the word. However, rather than throw out the word, “awesome,” the Bible points us in the right direction for when to use it. In Genesis 28:17, 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 it 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 mundane earthly things, but let’s use it often in relation to God.
We praise You, great and AWESOME GOD and thank You for Your AWESOME works.
So Now That We Know, What Will We Do
Have you ever wondered if you’re doing everything you’re supposed to be doing on earth? If so, consider this. Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (Mt 4:8) Jesus stood against Satan’s temptation and by doing so, He received God’s gift to Him -“all authority in heaven and on earth.” (Mt 28:18) With heaven’s highest authority, Jesus tells us, His followers, in Mt 28:19-20 what we are to be doing during our time on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” So now that we know, what will we do?
Jesus, we praise You, Son of God who has all AUTHORITY in heaven and on earth.
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Fix. Our. Eyes. On. Jesus.
Have you ever struggled in your faith? Have you wondered how God could let His Son die for us? Have you ever wondered how Jesus could lay there and let the Romans pound nails into His hands? Hebrews 12:2 explains that It was their plan to save us. Now we have a role in relation to their great sacrifice. “…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.;” Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith. He sacrificed His life for us. Now, He asks us to fix our eyes on Him as we go through life’s up and downs, struggles, and pain. Fix. Our. Eyes. On. Jesus.
Lord Jesus Christ, AUTHOR and PERFECTOR of our faith, we adore You. You bless us in our salvation. You bless us as You perfect our faith. We praise You!
Am I Good Enough
Have you ever wanted to approach someone to visit or discuss an issue, or maybe just to be near them, but felt the person was unapproachable? Maybe you felt you weren’t good enough. Isn’t it incredible that our approaching God has nothing to do with our goodness? As a matter of fact, we’re not good enough to approach Holy God. Then, how do we get to Him? Psalm 65:4 NKJV explains. “Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to APPROACH You, that he may dwell in Your courts.” Our Heavenly Father is APPROACHABLE not because we’re good enough, but rather because Jesus opened the way for us to enter into His presence through His own blood. GOD. APPROACHABLE. It has nothing to do with our goodness. It has everything to do with His grace. Learn more HERE.
LORD, thank You for being an APPROACHABLE GOD to whom we can come through the shed blood of Christ.
DISCOVERING HIS PASSION – Care about others. Share with them the good news of God’s grace. This study guide will prepare you.
A Tip for Everyday Living
Do you like to get tips? Tips on gardening, saving money, home organizing. We do well to pay attention to proven tips. They help us do things smarter and in a more meaningful way. Hebrews 3:1 gives us a tip. “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” What kind of a tip is that? The word “consider” means to “fix your thoughts.” In other words, as partakers of a heavenly calling, we’re to fix our thoughts on Jesus when we wake in the morning, when we get bad news, when we face a difficult decision. Why? Our mind and body follow our eyes. When we look at Jesus and consider Him, we’re more likely to act like partakers of a heavenly calling than if we look at our situation from solely an earthly perspective. Not sure this is a good tip? Try it today.
Jesus, APOSTLE and High Priest of our confession, help us remember that our confession of You as Lord and Savior makes us partakers of a heavenly calling. Help us walk out our calling so we are Your light to others.
This Makes Me Smile
It makes me smile to think about where and when Christ spoke the words in Luke 4:18, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.” When did Jesus say these words? He had just returned from being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. He was led by the Spirit in the power of the Spirit.” (Lk 4:14) What was His first Spirit anointed task following His victory over Satan’s temptations? He went home…to Nazareth. I love that. And get this – “as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.” This is a good place for us to pause and ask ourselves, “Is it our custom to gather with believers to read and hear the Scriptures? Are we raising our children with the custom of gathering with believers? If it was what God’s ANOINTED Lord Jesus did, it’s what I want to do. I’d have hated to have missed Jesus speaking in the synagogue that day. I’d hate to miss Him speaking today as I gather with others to worship Him.
Jesus, we praise You, ANOINTED Lord and Savior. Thank You for Your words and example of the Spirit-led life.
Hey Buddy, Do We Have Enough Holy Fear
“Hey Buddy.” We’ve become quite chummy these days. Some parents even call their children, “buddy.” “Hey, buddy, get in the car.” We love to quote Matthew 11:19 that Jesus was a “friend of sinners.” But, let’s not forget that the Son of Man is now gloriously exalted and seated with His Father. Prayerfully visualize Daniel 7:9-10.
“I kept looking
Until thrones were set up,
And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His vesture was like white snow
And the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne was ablaze with flames,
Its wheels were a burning fire.
A river of fire was flowing
And coming out from before Him;
Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;
The court sat,
And the books were opened.
And were presented before Him.”
The Son of Man may be our friend and God our Abba Father, but “buddy” isn’t how I visualize God based on Scripture. Do we have enough of a holy reverent fear of the Ancient of Days? Are we mindfully sharing our hope of heaven with those who may not know the path out of the fire and into His glorious presence? If you could use a refresher on how to share Jesus with gentle boldness, get a copy of Discovering His Passion for a donation of any amount. Simply go to the DONATE page and on the page where it asks for your credit card, let us know in the “Additional Notes” area that you’d like a copy of Discovering His Passion. Thank you for your passion for other’s salvation. Luke 19:10
ANCIENT of DAYS, glorious One, holy Heavenly Father, forgive us when we act like You’re an earthly buddy. Quicken our hearts to honor your majesty.
If You’re Drifting
You need hope. I need hope. Our loved ones need hope. Where do we find it? Do we practice “self talk” and tell ourselves we are “happy and fine,” when we aren’t? Or, do we kneel, look up in praise, and cry out to the One who has gone before us to heaven? Hebrews 6:19 describes our relationship with Jesus in this way, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered…” Jesus is the ANCHOR OF OUR SOUL. He wants us to bring our worries and fears to Him. If waves of “life” are about to overwhelm you, hold tightly to Christ. He’s got you from the security of heaven’s shores.
Jesus, sweet Savior, thank You for being the ANCHOR OF OUR SOUL. Thank You that we can fling our arms around You and hold tightly to You when our emotions and thoughts drift toward worry or fear. We love and praise You.
Let’s Be Amazed
Throughout the Bible, the word “AMAZED” is used to describe people’s reactions to God. Mark 1:22 records the people “were AMAZED at His (Jesus) teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” The New Testament word “amazed” means astonished, thrown into wonderment. Jesus’ teachings astonished people. Matthew 12:23 records that when Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute so that he could see and talk, “All the crowds were AMAZED and were saying, ‘This man cannot be the Son of David, can He?'” When Jesus rose from the dead, they were “thrown into wonderment.” Oh, that we be amazed, astonished, and thrown into wonderment at our Lord. Keep your eyes open, friend, for how Jesus is working in your life.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, our AMAZING Lord.
*Amazing” is 1 of 365 ways God is described. Learn the other ways He is described by signing up to get this 60 second devotional in your inbox. HERE.