365 Days of Praise

Is there anything about you that isn’t perfect? If you are perfect, congratulations. I’m not. As a matter of fact, the closer I grow to Christ, the more aware I am of sin in my life. If you, like me, are mindful of your sin, Malachi 3:3 has some encouraging words: “He [the Lord] will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.”

What good news! As Christ’s priests (1 Peter 2:9), we have confidence in our refiner who is extracting sin from our lives. He is purifying us so we can stand before Him one day, perfect, presenting to Him offerings in righteousness.

Do you commute to work and want to listen to some encouraging teachings by Debbie while you drive? Let her podcasts on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify help you set your mind on Christ before you start your day!

Are you looking for peace and happiness? Do you want a better life? Only one person, our redeemer, has the holiness, wholeness, power, and grace to be our all in all. As Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Jesus is the only One able to rescue us from the domain of darkness and transfer us to His kingdom. He is the One who is able to rescue us from the sin and heartache of this world and take us to the holy heights of heaven. So we look to the cross and our resurrected Lord. We turn to the Bible and anticipate Christ’s return. We know that as Jesus kept His Word and came once for salvation, He’ll return to redeem us out of this world and take us to our eternal home. Our redemption is closer today than it was yesterday. Praise Him!

Do you ever wonder if we’re in the end times? Would you like to learn more about the signs of the end times? Grab a copy of Debbie’s Bible study, End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do HERE. Access the free accompanying videos and podcasts HERE.

Have you noticed that people in our nation are at odds with one another? “What an understatement,” you may say. And, you’re right. Rioting in the name of peaceful protests. Name-calling and accusations. One faction looks at the other as an enemy.

In light of that, did you know Romans 5:10 says we were once enemies of God? Gulp. Not a good position! How did we get on the right side of God so we’re not His enemy? “We were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” It took Jesus’s death to reconcile us to God. Romans 5:10 continues, “we shall be saved by His life.”

No one wants to be on the wrong side of an issue. No one wants to be on the wrong side of God. We have Jesus to thank for reconciling us to our glorious Heavenly Father.

Jesus, thank You that You RECONCILED US to God through Your death on the cross. We rejoice and praise You!

Would you like to deepen your relationship with God? Discover the many resources on our website that can help you grow in your walk with the Lord. We offer several free resources, including podcasts, video teachings, listening guides, and more!

Have you ever been driving and keeping your eyes on the road before you when suddenly a car came up too fast behind you? If so, do you remember the startling feeling? Do you remember hoping the driver would slow down rather than rear-end you?

Often, we speak of the Lord leading us, but Isaiah 52:12 also speaks of the Lord as watching out for our backs: “…the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

In this verse, God is referred to as a rear guard when the Israelites escaped Egyptian bondage. God is also our rear guard. He watches over us, leads us, and not until heaven will we know how many times He’s protected us from encroaching evil and danger. Just as it was important for Moses and the Israelites to pay attention to and follow God’s instructions, it’s important for us to pay attention and follow His instructions. How do His warnings and instructions come to us? Through the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s promptings. How well are we paying attention with a grateful heart?

Lord, thank You for being our REAR GUARD and for all the ways You watch over us and protect us. Help us be ever sensitive to Your promptings. We love You so much. 

In addition to being our rear guard, the Lord is also our fortress. Debbie discusses this further in her blog post, “A Good Place to Be.” To read the full post, click HERE. 

Did you see the movie, Ransom? Mel Gibson played the father of the son who was kidnapped. There was no way the kidnapped son could free himself. The kidnappers demanded the father pay a certain price, a ransom, to get his son back.

That’s what our Heavenly Father did for us. We were captives in sin so our Heavenly Father gave Jesus as the ransom to pay for our freedom. Was it only our Father’s idea? No. First Timothy 2:6 says that Jesus was in one accord with the Father. “…Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” Yes, our sweet Lord gave Himself as a ransom so we could be reunited with Him and our Heavenly Father forever.

How do we become free from sin? We say “yes” to the offer of Jesus being our ransom so we are released from being captive to sin and Satan.

Lord Jesus, we praise You, our RANSOM, our LORD. 

Would you like to learn more about how Jesus demonstrated His love for us as well as His command to love one another? Watch Debbie’s teaching on John 13 HERE.

Death. It seems so final. I’d prepared for my mother’s death because she’d been ill for a long time. But the casket. The cemetery. I broke down weeping. Some family members whispered they were surprised at my grief, but all I could think of was how much I was going to miss her.

So what does Jesus want us to know about death? What did He prove when He raised Lazarus and others from the dead? He wants us to know that death isn’t final. Jesus describes death as sleep. Just as a loved one rouses us from sleep by calling our name, Jesus will rouse us from death.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25)

Yes, believer, you will hear Christ’s voice (Imagine that!) and will wake in Jesus’ presence. There are no better words we could hear. Who do we need to share them with?

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“You look radiant.” Do people say that when they see you? Does the glow on your face cause them to comment? If you said no, neither has anyone said that about me. Guess who that is said about, though? Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 describes Him in this way: “He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature.”

The word “radiance” is only used 5 times in the Bible, and each instance refers to God. Commentator Vines defines God’s “radiance” as “shining forth, of a light coming from a luminous body.” Isn’t that exciting?

One day we will see Jesus and His radiance. So remember that when things around you are dark, Jesus isn’t. Nothing can extinguish His radiance. One glorious day we’ll join those who are living in God’s radiance. We’ll fall on our knees overwhelmed by what we see. That day is coming when we go to Jesus or when He returns through the clouds. Keep watching and living for Him!

Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus, our hearts are overwhelmed when we think of how we will one day stand in Your RADIANCE. We praise You and look forward to that day! 

Jesus is referred to as the Light several times in the book of John. Want to learn more? Watch this video clip of Debbie’s teaching on the subject.

“Lord, are You there? Speak to me.” Have you ever wanted to hear from God? If so, be encouraged. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God is in our midst. He’s a victorious warrior but also quiet in His love. What does that mean? I like to think of when I’ve held our little ones. My heart feels like it could jump out of my skin because I’m so full of love for them. However, I’m not loud with them. Instead, I hold them close to my heart. I wonder if they feel my heartbeat as they rest nestled against me.

God is magnificent. The Bible is filled with His words to us. If we wish He would speak to us, He has and still is. Open the Bible. Hold it close to your heart. Feel His heartbeat as you nestle close to Him. Listen to what He lovingly says to you.

“The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Zephaniah 3:17

Lord, thank You for Your QUIET LOVE and for the Words you speak to us. May we hold You and Your Words close to our hearts. May we feel Your heartbeat and our heart beat with Yours. 

Let God speak to you through one of our free online Bible studies. Click HERE to access them. 

Want to learn more about living a victorious Christian life? Watch Debbie’s teaching on Acts 28 : The 7 Characteristics of People Who Are More than Conquerors. 

“I can’t be the Christian I’m supposed to be. I can’t overcome this sin.” Have you ever said those words? If we sometimes feel incapable of being the Christian we want to be, we’re not alone. The Apostle Paul, who was instrumental in helping spread Christianity, once referred to himself as the chief of sinners.

Here’s the good news. God knows that we can’t live the Christian life by self-effort. That’s why He reminds us in Galatians 3:5 that He’s provided us with His Holy Spirit: “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

We don’t please God by trying to improve our old selves. We please God by learning to walk by His Spirit who is in us. Instead of saying we can’t live the Christian life or we can’t accomplish what God’s called us to do, we can ask Christ to fill us and accomplish His work through us. Then, we can practice walking by the Spirit. Will we walk by the Spirit perfectly 100% of the time? No, because our fleshly nature will oppose the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). We’ll also struggle against spiritual forces of darkness/wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). But we can practice walking by Christ’s Spirit, confident that God is at work in us, perfecting us. 

Lord, thank You for PROVIDING us with Your Spirit by whom we can walk. 

Would you like to learn more about being led by God’s Spirit and become better equipped to discern God’s voice? Listen to this free podcast teaching: “Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.”