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 our path is unique and incredible. May we 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 the sacrifice. 

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 1:28-29 

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 as a sacrifice for our sins. Father, thank You for sacrificing Your Son to save us from our sins. We 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 us so much. Waken us to the gift of Your presence Who is present to guide us through every moment of the day. May we live joyfully because we are 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. 

Are you in a dark spot? Maybe you’re down and don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps it’s the sin that surrounds you that oppresses your spirit. Maybe you’ve lost your vision for future projects or the family for which you long. Perhaps the thought of growing older and entering the sunset years seems bleak. Whatever you’re going through, remember this: God is a lamp who illumines darkness. Yes. God is light. Today, resolve to carry the Light of Christ with you into every thought and situation. How? Well, my friend, you’ve already begun. You’ve opened your heart to the psalmist’s words in 2 Samuel 22:29, “You illumine my darkness.” So say the words loud and strong to Jesus with me, “Jesus, You illumine my darkness.” Now think of ways He does illumine your darkness. Grab a pen and write whatever comes to your mind. I’ll start, then you add to it. 

Jesus, You illumine my darkness with the truth. When I read the Bible, you encourage my heart. 

Dark spots and times in our lives aren’t the end of the tunnel. Rather, dark spots and times are signals to turn on the light just like when we walk into a dark room. We don’t bemoan the dark room or stand in one place and say, “I can’t see how to move forward.” Instead, we put our hand on the light switch. So we put our hand on the Bible. We turn on the light switch. We turn the pages of the Bible. Dark spots are invitations to invite Jesus into your situation. 

Jesus, You ILLUMINE THE DARKNESS. Darkness cannot exist when You are present. So fill us. Prompt us to quickly turn to You and Your Word when the darkness begins to move into our heart or mind. We love You, sweet Savior. 

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. 

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 us a holy jolt to obey You rather than gloss over how we are 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.

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. We pray to be increasingly wise and worshipful. Reign in our lives in such a way that others see You and want to worship You.

Jesus, King of the Jews, is worthy of all our praise. Debbie touches on the importance of  praise in her book, “Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.” Get a copy HERE. 

I see it in his eyes. They are kind. His eyes say it all. His eyes tell me what is in his heart. My husband, Keith, looks at me with kind eyes. My response? I feel the most tender of 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 would see kindness beyond anything you’d experienced. The kindness that causes you to love Him with every fiber of your being.

Yes, Jesus is kind, and causes the apostle Paul to write in Romans 2:4, “…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?”

What a question!

Do we think lightly of the riches of God’s 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 sin, do we look in Jesus’ eyes and sincerely apologize to Him? Do we pause during the day and look into His eyes and say thank you for the gifts He gives us?

Look in Jesus’ eyes today. Think deeply of the riches of His kindness.

Dear Savior, You are so KIND, tolerant, and patient towards me. Forgive me when I think lightly of the riches of Your kindness. Help reflect Your kindness to others. 

The book of John is filled with examples of Jesus’ kindness and compassion. To learn more, watch or listen to Debbie’s teachings on the book of John by going HERE and clicking on John Part 1 and Part 2.

Do you ever feel “blah,” that nothing in life is important or worth doing? Or, perhaps you are “dragging around” because of the weight of unconfessed sin, or not spending time with Christ, or perhaps a sin of commission, not doing that to which He has called you.

If any of those are the case, be encouraged. God has not forgotten you or abandoned you. Rather, His eye on you as Psalm 121:3-4 explains. “He who KEEPS you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber or sleep.”

The Lord is our keeper, and as Isaiah 38:17 tells us, the Lord casts our sins behind His back and keeps us from a pit of nothingness. “It is You who have kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”

Isn’t it nice, no…more like wonderful, to think about our Heavenly Father keeping us, casting our sins behind His back, and keeping us from a pit of nothingness?

In addition Psalm 121:5-7 explains, “The Lord is your keeper… The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.”

We have a keeper of our soul who watches out for us. There is no one better to whom we can we entrust ourselves.

I’m jumping up and down in my spirit over how glorious our Soul Keeper is. Are you?

The more we draw near to Christ, learn His ways, and are filled with His Spirit, the more heavenly joy we’ll experience. The less we’ll walk in sin and experience the “pit of nothingness.”

Heavenly Father, KEEPER OF OUR SOUL, we praise You for keeping us from evil and from the pit of nothingness. We love You!

Are you looking for some more encouragement and Biblical teachings? Listen to Debbie’s podcasts on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify!

“What’s a spiritual happy dance?” someone asked me after I mentioned having done one. I couldn’t help but smile. Then I realized no one except my husband had seen me do a spiritual happy dance. Why? Because it’s before God and comes from a heart flowing with joy.

Does our Heavenly Father care if we are joyful? Yes. Jesus said in John 16:24, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”

This does not mean we give Jesus our worldly wish list. Rather, it means we align ourselves to Jesus, who is filled with joy and is the giver of joy; as John 15:11 explains. “These things I have spoken you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

These verses may provide a clue as to why believers sometimes may not have joy. We may be able to quote Jesus, but are we living Him? Is His joy in us? In other words, if Jesus was on earth today, would His joy be tied to the worldly, temporal things that affect our countenance? Probably not.

How could Jesus’ joy not be tied to things of the earth? Jesus came from heaven where true joy reigns. He knew earth’s best and finest was temporal and passing away. Joy comes when our minds and lives are Spirit-driven, not earthly driven.

When was the last time you did a spiritual happy dance?

“You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy,” Psalm 16:11.

Lord, we praise You, the JOY GIVER. Thank You that in Your presence there is fullness of joy.

There are countless wonderful and praise-worthy attributes of Jesus. Download this FREE PRINTABLE to explore the attributes of Jesus listed in the book of John.