365 Days of Praise

It’s another day. Maybe it’s a great day. Or, it may seem like the worst day of your life. What are we to do when it’s the worst day? If we’re wise, we’ll follow David’s example. He had ups and downs and promises unfulfilled for what seemed a long time. What do we learn from him? In 2 Samuel 22:29, we find his key to success. “You are my lamp, O Lord; and the Lord illumines my darkness.” If we didn’t know the context in which he said this, we might think David is sailing through life with God as His lamp. But when we read the verse in context, we discover he’s been in the dark, battling an enemy, and has walls to get over (2 Samuel 22:29).

Are you in the dark? Are you battling something? Are there walls you need to get over? The fact that there are dark, difficult struggles in our life is not what is unusual. The fact that the Lord of the Universe is our personal illuminator through them is incredible! There are many people, according to Jesus (Matthew 7:13-14), who do not have God as their lamp. If you are one of the few who does, you are incredibly blessed. The question is, are you turning to your lamp? Are you walking in the light He shines on your path? Are you reading His enlightening Words in Scripture? Are you following His illuminating Spirit as you quieten your heart in prayer; asking, then listening for His guidance? 

Lord, the fact that You, the Lord of the Universe, offer Yourself as a LAMP to my path is unique and incredible. May I who know You respond gratefully and wisely seek and follow Your Light. 

Are you facing disappointment or struggling with unmet expectations? Get a copy of The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World to discover how to take charge of your thoughts and let God reignite your hopes and dreams.

Do you remember the account when God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac? I’ll never forget when the words of Genesis 22:8 jumped off the pages of the Bible and into my heart. Abraham said to Isaac as they walked to the place where he was to sacrifice Isaac, “‘God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together” (Genesis 22:8). 

Think about those words—God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice. And, He did. A ram appeared in the bushes and Abraham sacrificed the lamb in Isaac’s place. And, so God does that for us. He provided the Lamb—Jesus—innocent, holy, undefiled—to be the sacrifice for us. 

God provided for Himself what no human could provide—a worthy sacrifice; heaven’s Lamb. Years later, the angelic announcement of Christ’s birth was first made to shepherds. The shepherds left their flock to find and worship Jesus, the Lamb of God. “‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)

If you have never thought deeply about how much God loves you and that He provided His Son to be the sacrifice for your sin, today would be a good day to let the words of the Bible jump off the page and into your heart. 

Jesus, LAMB OF GOD, thank You for giving Your precious life to redeem me. Father, thank You for sacrificing Your Son to save me from my sins. I adore and worship You! 

Jesus, the Lamb of God, demonstrated the greatest love when He died on the cross for our sins. To learn more about His ultimate sacrifice, watch Debbie’s teaching on John 19 HERE or listen to it HERE. 

God is all knowing as Psalm 139:4 explains, “Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it all.” He knows our thoughts, weaknesses, and heart better than we do (Romans 8:26-27). He knows our future (Acts 11:27-28). He knows what others are thinking, doing, and planning. He knows Satan’s schemes. There is no one to whom we can go who is more knowledgeable, loving, caring, wise, and invested in our best. When we begin our day bowed before Him, confessing our love, proclaiming His majesty, and thanking Him for His grace, His ears are tuned to our confessions, struggles, and needs. Our confidence to enter into our day, our inner peace, and joy aren’t in our circumstances and things beyond our control, but rather are in our loving Father in whom we have placed our trust. Whatever lies before us, we know our Father loves us, will be there for us, walk with us, and guide us. 

The wise believer acknowledges God not only in routine blessings before meals but also acknowledges God in every area of their life. In other words, they are joined to Christ at the spiritual “hip.” They are united spirit to His Spirit from the time they open their eyes in the morning until they close them at night. Does that describe you? 

Heavenly Father, You are the all KNOWING, omniscient Lord who loves me so much. Awaken me to the gift of Your presence Who is present to guide me through every moment of the day. May I live joyfully because I am aware of Your presence. 

One of our key verses today is Acts 11:27-28. To watch or listen to more of Debbie’s teaching on the book of Acts, click HERE. 

Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the Nations” (Revelation 15:3).

Have you ever received a call from a loved one or friend and been told, “I just prayed to receive Christ”? I recall one particular time when someone called me and said those words. Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks. Why? 

Just like a lifeless bulb appears to be dead, when we die we appear to be dead. Nothing is further from the truth, however. Just as there is life in a bulb as is evidenced when the stalk and flower emerge, there is life in each person even though their body dies. God created us as living souls and we each emerge to live forever with God or apart from Him eternally.

God, the Heavenly Father, is the God of all people. As Revelation 15:3 states, He is King of the nations. The Bible consistently warns that there are not many ways to heaven. There is only one God we are to worship. 

God’s gift of eternal life in heaven comes to us through the forgiveness of our sins by Jesus’ death on the cross. John 3:16 could not be more true. “For God so loved the world…” Yes, God is King of the Nations. Jesus is Savior of the world. If you have never responded to God’s gift of salvation, please pray the following prayer. 

Lord God, KING OF THE NATIONS, I call on You to save me. I know I’ve sinned and fall short of Your glory. I ask You to forgive me through Jesus’ death on the cross. Please cleanse me and give me Your Holy Spirit. Seal me for eternity with You in heaven. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.  

Stay in the know about upcoming events! Visit the Upcoming Events section on our website.

What do you think about Jesus, the King of the Jews? To say that He is a controversial figure and has been throughout history is an understatement. For instance, Matthew 2:1-2 records that magi traveled a great distance to worship Jesus following His birth. They asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

Yet Jesus’ birth caused King Herod to become troubled and then enraged to the point he slew all the male children in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under in an attempt to kill Jesus.

The controversy about Jesus did not end. The Pharisees and Sadducees, threatened by Jesus’s popularity, delivered Him to the Romans who sentenced Him to death on the cross.

Today, anti-semitism, prejudice against or hatred of Jews, is at an all time high, the likes of which have not existed since the Holocaust. What effect and impact does that have on people’s worship of the King of the Jews, Jesus?

Where do you stand in relation to Jesus, the King of the Jews? Do you worship Him as the magi? Or, are you troubled by Him as Herod? Or, are you threatened by Jesus as were the religious leaders of His day? One day all people will bow before Jesus, King of the Jews. Are you bowing before Him now?

Lord Jesus, KING OF THE JEWS, wise men bow before You. I pray to be increasingly wise and worshipful. Reign in my life in such a way that others see You and want to worship You.

Jesus, King of the Jews, is worthy of all our praise. Discover the power of prayer and praise in Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion. Get your copy HERE.

Who is your king? If a foreigner asked us that question, we might reply that in America we have a president, not a king. But is that totally true? If we are believers, we not only have a president, we also have a king. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that the reason for our victory in daily life, the reason our focus and countenance are above earthly circumstances? We have a sovereign King who is ruling our life.

Our King transferred us from Satan’s domain to His glorious Kingdom. Our King sealed us with His Holy Spirit. Our King’s laws are eternal and good. Our King calls us saints, not subjects. “Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints.” Revelation 15:3 NKJ.

Yes, you are a saint of the Lord. I am a saint. But, do we always act like a saint? Is our demeanor that of a saint? Do we display our King’s love, kindness, and grace? Do we show forth His glory and speak His words?

What a glorious title our Lord has given us: saint.

KING OF SAINTS, I love and thank You for changing my title from sinner to saint. I know it is only through the sacrificial blood of Christ that I am given that name. Help me daily live up to the title and calling You have bestowed on me so I bring honor and glory to You and Your kingdom. I love You, my Lord and King. 

Do you know someone who could use some encouragement today? Scroll down and click on “Forward to a Friend” to share this blog post.

Do you ever read verses in the Bible and get a holy jolt, your eyes opened to holy words that are to be taken to heart, not skimmed over? In 1 Timothy 6:15, Paul describes the Lord saying, “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the KING OF KINGS and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

His glorious description of Jesus as King of Kings who dwells in unapproachable light is in the fuller context of verses 7-19 in which he tells us we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it; that those who want to get rich fall into temptation; the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil; we are to flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” He tells us to “fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which we were called, keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; that if you are rich not to be conceited or to fix you hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies all things to enjoy. He says to do good, be rich in good works, be generous and ready to share.

Which of his words in relation to the King of Kings who dwells in unapproachable light give you a holy jolt and wake up call?

KING OF KINGS, who dwells in unapproachable light, give me a holy jolt to obey You rather than gloss over how I am to live in this present age. 

Would you like an organized way to record what God is speaking to you? Grab a copy of Prayers of My Heart prayer journal to write down what God places on your heart.

Do you ever have a dreary day when life doesn’t seem so grand? When that happens remember that the King of Glory lives in you. Consider Psalm 24:7-10 with that in mind.

“Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of Glory may come in! Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of Glory may come in! Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory.”

Psalm 24 points us to Christ, the King of Glory, taking His throne. Glory in this Psalm means “majesty, splendor.”

What is amazing and should redirect our thinking if we are having a dreary day is to remember that the Spirit of the King of Glory is in believers. We are to continually acknowledge His presence and open our hearts for His glory to fill us (Ephesians 5:18).

KING OF GLORY, majestic splendor, I lift my hands and heart asking You to cleanse me and fill me with Your glory. Help others see Your presence in my life and be drawn to You. 

Stay connected with Debbie beyond the blog! Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4)

I see it in his eyes. They are kind. His eyes say it all. His eyes tell me what’s in his heart. My husband, Keith, looks at me with kind eyes. My response? I feel the most tender love for him.

The eyes tell us what fills the heart. And so we wonder—what fills Jesus’ eyes? What if you were in His presence and He looked deeply into your eyes. What if you couldn’t take your eyes away from His. What would you see in His eyes for you? You’d see kindness; kindness beyond anything you’d experienced. Kindness that causes you to love Him with every fiber of your being.

As the Apostle Paul asks in Romans 2:4, do we think lightly of His kindness and tolerance and patience toward us? In other words, are we going about our day hardly looking Christ’s way? When He convicts us of our sin, do we look in Jesus’ eyes and sincerely apologize to Him and perhaps the person we’ve wronged? Or, are we like a child who is caught doing something wrong and maybe at best, we mutter, “sorry.”

“Look in Jesus’ eyes,” we’re reminded. “Do we think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads us to repentance?”

Pause now to look into Jesus’ eyes and respond accordingly.

Dear Savior, You are so KIND and loving and patient. Forgive me for sinning against You when I sin against others.  May I look deeply in Your eyes and then turn and reflect Your kindness to others. 

Have you ever struggled to find the right words to pray? In those times, it can help to pray God’s Word. Click HERE to discover prayers for discernment, discouragement, knowing God’s way, and forgiveness.

“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades” (Revelation 1:17-18).

Can you imagine what it was like for John to see the glorified Christ? To say that it was an overpowering experience is an understatement. John writes that “he fell like a dead man at Jesus’ feet.” John’s experience was more than a vision. Jesus placed His right hand on him. Then, Jesus assured John that although He had been dead, He was alive forevermore. In addition, He explained that He had the keys (power and authority) over death and Hades.

No doubt you feel as I do—blessed beyond words that Jesus has flung open the gate for us to enter into eternal life with Him!

Lord Jesus Christ, KEEPER OF THE KEYS OF DEATH AND HADES, I praise You and thank You for bringing me out of death and into Your eternal light!

Want to deepen your understanding of Bible prophecy and what God’s Word says about the End Times? Watch Debbie’s  End Times Bible Study: What You Should Know, What You Can Do on YouTube HERE. In this 5-session study, Debbie walks through important topics such as the reasons for and reliability of end time prophecies, the reality of the rapture, the revealing of end time events, and the reward for faithful living.

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to her channel so you never miss new teachings and encouragement from God’s Word!