365 Days of Praise
If You’re in Need of Love and Grace
Are you the kind of person who easily feels guilty? Do you want to live for Christ, but often feel like a failure or like you’ve let God down? Do others remind you of your sin or hold your wrongs over your head? If so, Micah 7:18 is a comforting verse on which to meditate. “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity… He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in UNCHANGING LOVE.” Think about these words and personalize them. God forgives me. God pardons my sin. God doesn’t stay angry with me. God delights in UNCHANGING LOVE for me. Yes, we should go to God and others when we sin and ask forgiveness. Yes, we should practice walking in God’s ways. But, until heaven we won’t be perfect. God doesn’t forgive us so we walk in guilt. God forgives us so we walk in grace. What a joyful verse on which to meditate.
Lord, thank You for Your forgiveness and UNCHANGING LOVE! What a blessing You are.
Listen to the Right Person
Today, trust is at an all time low. Why? People don’t always speak truthfully. Lying appears to have become socially acceptable. But, it’s not acceptable to God. He is the truth and speaks the truth. Revelation 21:5 NIV records, “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are TRUSTWORTHY and true.’” Jesus wants us to know that if He says something, we can count on it. He and His words are trustworthy and true and He is making everything new. Those are words of hope and encouragement that we need to hear. If there were ever a time that we should listen to Jesus and take hold of the hope of a new day, it’s now. If you’ve been hurt by an untrustworthy person, don’t let that keep you from trusting God. He has an eternal track record of being TRUSTWORTHY
Lord, thank You for being TRUSTWORTHY!
We Need Help Winning the Battle
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS for the SD P.R.A.Y. with PASSION CONF! Your prayers were needed and appreciated. Too long of a story for here, but hopefully, I can share with you soon. HE was TRIUMPHANT in the BATTLE!
Do you ever feel like things are getting harder, not easier; that truth is ignored, and too often evil seems to win? If so, Christ can relate. He was pronounced “not guilty,” then crucified. How irrational was that? But Colossians 2:15 tells us Jesus TRIUMPHED over the irrational. He disarmed the rulers and authorities. He made a public display of them. And Christ is still triumphant even though we may not see it at certain times. Jesus will right what is wrong. Truth will prevail. That’s good news on a national and world level. It’s also good news for us personally. Christ, who triumphed over the grave, is able to triumph over despair in our heart and temptation in our lives. Christ is the triumphant Lord. What do you need His help with today? He’s a prayer away.
Lord, You are TRIUMPHANT over death, rulers, and authorities. You are triumphant over despair and temptation. We ask for Your help to stand against evil and to live holy lives.
“When He (Jesus) had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having TRIUMPHED over them through Him.” Colossians 2:15
Lost and Found
TODAY! Please PRAY for an outpouring of God’s Spirit today at the South Dakota P.R.A.Y. with Passion Across the Nation Conference. Thank you!
Have you ever been lost? Perhaps you took a wrong turn in the road and didn’t know how to get back home. As bad as that is, what’s worse is to be spiritually lost, which is how Jesus describes us prior to our salvation. We were so lost that there was no one who could help us except Jesus. In Luke 19:10, Jesus describes Himself as the Son of Man who came to seek and to save the lost – us. In other words, Jesus left heaven’s glory to come for us. Jesus did what no one else could do. Through the virgin birth of Mary by the Holy Spirit, Jesus was born, the Son of Man, to seek and to save our lost souls and return us to the Father. What good news.
All praise to You, Lord Jesus, Son of God, SON of MAN, for seeking and saving us when we were lost. We love and adore You.
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
What Are You Uprooting and What Are You Growing
EVENT: Friends, I’m flying to Pierre, South Dakota today and will be leading my P.R.A.Y. with Passion Across the Nation Conf on Saturday. Please pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit and travel protection. Thank you!
Some time ago I noticed a vine growing in my flower bed and wasn’t sure what it was.
I didn’t know if it was a weed I needed to remove or a valuable vine I should keep. I had to make a decision. Uproot it or let it grow? Many today seek spiritual teachings, but don’t know which of them are eternally true and valuable and which are mere humanistic thought that should be uprooted. Jesus doesn’t want us to make a wrong decision. He tells us in John 15:1, “I am the true vine.” Do you know someone who is allowing vines of secular humanism to grow in their heart rather than growing Jesus’s words and teachings in their heart? If so, what can you do? Bear Christ, the TRUE VINE and His fruit in your life so they can taste and see the real thing.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, the TRUE VINE. Uproot anything in our lives that hinders the fruit of Your presence.
The Key to Not Living in Darkness
Are you excited about all the ways our Lord is described? Every day when I select a description to share with you, I have a renewed sense of awe. Often the way our Lord is described is a contrast to that which is in the world. Such is the case today. Many in our world are living in spiritual darkness. They are seeking to be “enlightened” by powers apart from Jesus Christ. But in John 1:9 we find the word “true” in reference to Jesus. Although there are many sources of “enlightenment,” there is only one TRUE LIGHT: JESUS CHRIST. He enlightens our soul, mind, and heart when we turn to Him. The world apart from Christ is dark. Take seriously His charge to let His light shine through you. His Light in you is a beacon to those living in darkness.
Lord Jesus, You are the TRUE LIGHT who enlightens every man. May we be light houses through whom You shine.
“There was the TRUE LIGHT which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”
Love the True God
Our world is filled with gods. We focus our time, energy, and money on sport gods, education gods, work gods, money gods, pleasure gods, political gods, and social gods. In effect, we worship them when they become the driving force in our lives and occupy our thoughts. However, if we want eternal life, Jesus makes it clear in John 17:3 that it is found in knowing the only TRUE GOD. He is to be the object of our love and passion. He is to occupy our thoughts, energy, and resources. We are to love the LORD with ALL our heart, and ALL our soul, and ALL our mind. (Mark 12:30) What or whom are we worshiping?
Lord, You are the only TRUE GOD. May we give You our full worship and praise.
“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
Think God, Think Bigger
When you think of God, how big or how small is He? To David, He was HUGE. Listen to his words of praise in Psalm 65:5. “By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the TRUST of ALL the ENDS of the EARTH and of the farthest sea.” Our God isn’t an American god or a Jewish god. Our God is the One to whom ALL people can come. God hears the prayers of people throughout the earth. Do you live in a remote part of the world, and are receiving this? Are you in rehab and looking for One you can trust? Are you in a country where these words are being translated? Are you a missionary living with those who speak a different language? How incredible it is to know that the God of our salvation, who answers in righteousness is the TRUST OF ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH AND OF THE FARTHEST SEA.
Lord, we worship You.
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God is the TRUST of All the ENDS of the EARTH. Record His attribute in Prayers of My Heart. Praise Him. Give Prayers of My Heart to those on your Christmas list. On sale $10.49.
I Don’t Know What to Do
“I don’t know what to do.” How many times have you said or thought that? Perhaps you’re trying to figure out your finances. Maybe you’re at a crossroads in your life and trying to figure out God’s will. Or, maybe there’s a personal or business relationship that’s troubling you that needs to be handled in the wisest of ways. Whether you’re wondering whether to take your child to the doctor or your question is of a larger nature, look to Jesus. Why? We’ve seen in other Scripture how Jesus is a treasure that we have within us. But Colossians 2:2b-3 gives us more insight. It says that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus. Ponder what that means for you. Talk to Jesus. Look to Him. Listen to Jesus. Record what He tells you to do. Follow up on His instructions. Walk in the wisdom and knowledge you have in Jesus.
TIP: Each morning, after recording God’s attribute in the first column of my Prayers of My Heart journal, in the ’Week at a Glance’ section and interceding others, I record God’s “prayer prompts” of what He wants me to do in the ‘Meditations, Notes, and Prayers’ section. Yes, God has things for us to do. When we pause with pen in hand, we’re positioned to hear and do the wise things that He places on our hearts. Returning to celebrate the wisdom of Christ’s ways in our lives and relationships brings a smile to our face and joy in our heart. Walk daily by the Treasury of Wisdom that you have in Christ Jesus.
Prayers of My Heart is a meaningful hostess gift, gift for family, friends, teachers, and Bible study members.
If You Think You Have Nothing, Think Again
When you were little, did you go on a treasure hunt? Today, do you put your treasured valuables in a safety deposit box? The Bible tells us that believers have a treasure within them. What is the TREASURE? Second Corinthians 4:6-7 explains that the treasure is God – His Holy Spirit, the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in our hearts. The treasure we carry about in our earthly bodies is God’s surpassing greatness of power. With humble reverence and gratefulness beyond measure, we bow and worship God for the great gift of His presence in us.
Lord, YOU are the TREASURE men seek, and we have You in our hearts. Help us present You well to others and share out of the surpassing greatness of Your power. We adore and worship You.
“GOD… is the One who has SHONE in our HEARTS to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. For we have this TREASURE in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;”
God is a TREASURE. I hope you are recording each daily attribute in Prayers of My Heart. As you do, it becomes a treasured journal of who God is and how He’s working in your life. Prayers of My Heart – a meaningful gift for everyone on your Christmas list. On sale for as low as $10.49 now.