365 Days of Praise

“…you put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.”

Acts 3:15

Can you imagine the conversations that took place after God raised Jesus from the dead? Some didn’t believe it at first. Others couldn’t help but acknowledge it when they saw Jesus, touched Him, and observed Him eating fish. He wasn’t a ghost. He wasn’t a figment of their imagination. 500 people witnessed seeing the resurrected Prince of life. In other words, they couldn’t kill Him dead forever. He took one walk down death’s corridor and experienced death in its fulness. But then He walked right back into life. Why? How? Because Jesus is the PRINCE of LIFE. He couldn’t stay dead. And, what’s more – He is your Prince of life. He won’t let you stay dead. He’s waiting on the other side when you walk the corridor of death. You need not fear.

Lord Jesus, I praise You, the PRINCE of LIFE. In you, death has lost its sting.  

*Find more daily encouragement HERE.  Did you miss an attribute? The list is HERE. Be sure to record them in your Prayers of My Heart prayer journal so you’ll have a keepsake of all 365 at the end of 2013!

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.”

2 Thessalonians 3:16

“Peace? Continually? In every circumstance? Are you kidding?” we might ask someone and then continue, “You don’t know my circumstances!” Is the apostle Paul delusional? No. In fact, he knows loneliness, being ship wrecked, and the harshness of being beaten and wrongly imprisoned. His circle of ministry includes people who won’t work but expect handouts and others who are busybodies. He knows physical suffering. So perhaps he’s someone to whom we should listen. Why? Because what Paul is talking about is experiencing GOD in the midst of our circumstances. We have it wrong if we expect all peaceful circumstances on this earth. That’s what heaven is. But today, right now, God offers Himself: the Lord of peace and His presence to us. 

I praise You, Lord, for Your PEACE and presence with me in every circumstance. 

*Find more encouragement HERE.  Did you miss an attribute? The list is HERE. Be sure to record them in your Prayers of My Heart prayer journal so you’ll have a keepsake of all 365 at the end of 2013!

“There is one God, and one Mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

1 Timothy 2:5

31 flavors. Baskin Robbins wowed ice cream lovers when it opened. Instead of offering only a few flavors, it offered multiple ones through its combinations of flavors and cones.  Unfortunately, our world has adopted a “31” viewpoint about God. We’ve decided we can get to Him through self-improvement programs, buying our way, or the world religion of our choice. But guess what. God has already chosen His mediator: Christ. Jesus is the one mediator between God and us. God sent Him to save the WORLD. There are not 31 flavors of salvation. There is one. Let’s praise HIM! 

Christ Jesus, We praise You, the ONE MEDIATOR between God and us!  

*Use the weekend to be encouraged in your faith HERE. 

“O LORD, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.”

   Psalm 51:15

Shut your mouth. Close your mouth. Don’t say that. Often during the early years of one’s life, words of instruction center on keeping one’s mouths closed. However, David, the psalmist, understood that our walk with God isn’t only about what we don’t say. It’s also about what we say.  We may get a gold star for not cussing. But do we get a gold star for praising God? If not, perhaps we should recognize that God is the one who not only inspires us to refrain from evil words, but is also the one who inspires us to praise.  “LORD, open my lips. Change me from a grumbler to a praiser. Open my lips to praise You.” That’s a good prayer to the ONE who can open our lips that our mouths may declare His praise; don’t you think?    

LORD God, You are not just the One who tells us what not to say. You are also the One who is powerful and able to lift our spirits and OPEN OUR LIPS to praise You. And, that we do! 

*We pray you are blessed by 365 DAYS of PRAISE. If so, find more encouragement on our ministry page HERE. 

“Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us,

an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

   Ephesians 5:2

Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. I. I. I. I. I. I want… I want… I want… We probably won’t admit it, but in our innermost being we may be more self-centered than sacrificial centered. Our day may not begin with, “God, what do You want?” Rather, our first thoughts may be on what we want. Have you ever considered doing a 180: a complete turnaround based on Christ’s example? We’re told to “be imitators of God” and to walk in love, just as Christ….who gave Himself up as an offering and sacrifice to God. The result? His life was a fragrant aroma to God.  Why not follow His example? Offer our lives to God to use today in the way He wants. Change Me Me Me Me Me to You, God. You, God. You, God. 

Christ Jesus, You are the ultimate example of being an OFFERING and sacrifice to God. I praise You. 

*We pray you are being blessed by 365 DAYS of PRAISE. If so, please LIKE our ministry page HERE. 

“Ah LORD GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.” 

Jeremiah 32:17

Do you, at times, find a task to be difficult? I do! I recently attempted to tackle a new project and found myself in “over my head.” I wanted to quit. Many of the things we find difficult are not those we can or should quit on. Our marriages, parenting, jobs, church commitments, and friendships all require that we stay the course. When we find them to be difficult, we can remember that with God nothing is too difficult. Rather than crater, we can call on God who made the heavens and earth by His great power and outstretched arm. What assurance we can have in our LORD GOD, with whom nothing is too difficult.  

LORD GOD, NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU! All glory and praise to YOU!

Need a word or song to lift your spirit? Find it HERE. 

“The LORD is near to all who call on Him, To all who call on Him in truth.” 

Psalm 145:18

Near? Jesus told His disciples He was going to die, would return, would go to His Father in heaven, but would NOT leave them as orphans. Rather, He explained He would send a Helper to be with them, and not only with them, but in them – the Holy Spirit. Near. You can’t get much closer than to have God’s Spirit abiding within you.  Near. Not far removed. Not inaccessible. Rather, accessible – all the time. Call on God in sincerity and truth. He’s near. Call. 

LORD, You are NEAR, not far removed. Thank You! I praise You!

Need a word or song to lift your spirit? Find it HERE. 

“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” 

Romans 6:4

Resurrection morning! Glory! Praise! Joy! God the Father raised Christ from the dead. Jesus walked in newness of life. Over 500 people witnessed seeing our Risen Lord. The good news continues. Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so Christians have been identified with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, AND walk in “newness of life.” No longer are we to walk through our day as those who have no hope and no power. We who have repented of our sins and confessed Jesus is LORD are identified with Christ to walk in newness of life. All praise to our Father and Christ! 

LORD, You are the source of NEW LIFE through Jesus Christ. I praise You!

For WORSHIP SONGS & PRAISES of CHRIST, RAISED FROM THE DEAD, click HERE.  

“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?

Exodus 15:11

Moses sang praises to God because he witnessed God miraculously dry up the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross it. “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy,” Ex 15:6. Can you imagine if Moses had stood at the cross and witnessed Christ die. Then, if Moses had witnessed Jesus eating fish three days later. What praises would have flowed from his mouth? God defeated an enemy far greater than the Egyptian army. He defeated Satan. He defeated the sting of death: sin. Majestic in power. Majestic in holiness. That is our God!

You, O LORD, are MAJESTIC in HOLINESS, MAJESTIC in POWER! I bow before You in praise!

For WORSHIP SONGS & PRAISES, click HERE.  

“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide.”

Genesis 22:13

In Hebrew, “The LORD Will Provide” is “Jehovah Yireh,” meaning the LORD will see to it.” God had commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son as an ultimate test of his obedience.  It foreshadowed what God the Father would do in sacrificing His beloved Son for us. God saw to it that Abraham had a substitute to offer in the place of Isaac: a ram.  God saw to it that we had a sacrifice to offer in our place: Jesus. The LORD Provided His SON. What a great PROVIDER we have in the Father and Son. Worship them.  

Lord God, I praise You, Jehovah Yireh, The LORD Will Provide. Thank You for providing Your Son to pay my sin debt. I worship You! 

Celebrate Jehovah Yireh and our Risen Savior with us HERE.