365 Days of Praise
I Need Jesus
I need Jesus. Why? Eternally, Jesus is the only sinless sacrifice acceptable to God on my behalf and the One through whom I’ll be raised to eternal life in heaven. On a daily basis, I need Jesus to forgive me, cleanse me, and strengthen me to walk through my day by His Spirit. I need Jesus to guide me and prompt me if I veer off course.
How does Hebrews 4:15-16 describe Jesus? “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Can I hear a hallelujah? Imagine what it would be like if you were accountable to a heavenly being who didn’t sympathize with your weaknesses? But our merciful, mighty Savior does. We can say, “I sinned. I failed. I rebelled against Your ways. I’ve been wrong.”
When we come to Jesus in honest confession and repentance, Jesus doesn’t make us feel worse. Nor does He withhold forgiveness. Does that mean we should blow off our sin? No, we should think about how, when, where, and why we fell for temptation and sinned. We should learn from it. With every misstep, we have a God-step opportunity to learn and grow. With bowed heads and hearts, we confess our sins to our sympathetic High Priest, accept His mercy, and take seriously His words, “Go and sin no more.”
Lord Jesus, SYMPATHETIC HIGH PRIEST, thank You that I can draw near to Your throne of grace and find mercy to help me in my time of need. I love You.
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Do You Ever Feel Fragile or Like You Might Pop?
Do you ever feel fragile or like you might explode because of the daily pressure you are under?
David knew what it was like to feel that way and found God to be the sustainer of his soul. Listen to his words in Psalm 54:4. “God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.”
What does it mean for God to be the sustainer of our soul?
It means that God revives our minds and emotions when we sit in His presence, meditate on His truths, and absorb encouragement from His Word.
God the Holy Spirit refreshes and sustains us so we can carry on rather than break or explode.
What story do you have of how God has been your sustainer? Think over the ways and write them in a prayer giving thanks to God.
Lord God, I praise You, SUSTAINER of my soul. Thank You for the many times and ways You sustain me. I love and praise You!
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Do You Wish You Had More Support?
Do you ever wish you had more support at work, from your spouse, family, or friend? I remember a night long ago when I realized God was my support. There was no one who could help me. It wasn’t that they wouldn’t. It was that I had to go through something by myself. I was lonely and didn’t know what to do. It was just God and me. During that time I found that I wasn’t without help. God was with me; my support. As 2 Samuel 22:19 says, “They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.”
If you don’t have support, it can be lonely and sometimes terrifying. In reality, though, you do have support. You may be at a time in your life like I was—where God is allowing you to get to a new place with Him, a deeper place, a more real relationship. Jesus is not causing your loneliness, rather He is there for you in it. Remember, if anybody knows what it’s like to be misunderstood or go through something alone, He does. When you pray you’re talking to a friend who loves you and can appreciate what you’re going through. No doubt, that’s why Jesus went away by Himself to pray early in the mornings—to get His thoughts straightened out while talking to His Father.
If you’ve been blessed with a person you’ve been able to talk things over with, then you know how helpful it can be. That’s the relationship you can have with your Heavenly Father. Just start talking like you would to a trusted person. Have your Bible, pen, and journal. When Jesus brings thoughts or a verse to your mind, write them down. Act on what He brings to mind. Be assured that if David found the Lord to be supportive, you can, also.
Lord, thank You for being my SUPPORT. When no one else is there, or even if they are, You are the ultimate support I need.
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Praise to God, Our Supplier
Do you ever feel empty or drained? What about anxious or uptight? Does mad or angry describe you at times? Or, sad and melancholy?
Whatever the condition of our countenance or state of our mind or emotions, we have a supplier to whom we can turn.
Are you short on perseverance?
Are you ready to give up or cave in?
Do you feel like you’re going to blow a fuse?
Do you wonder if you’ll ever smile again?
Those are feelings we may have at times, but if we’re a Christian, we have hope.
God offers to supply all our needs. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Rather than hold tightly to feelings of anger or discouragement, open your mind and heart to the Lord’s perspective and counsel.
Take hold of what you need through God’s supply of glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being the SUPPLIER of all I need through Jesus. I confess my shortcomings, ill temper, hopelessness, and discouragement. Fill me with Christ’s perspective, presence, and power as I look to You.
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The Sunrise From On High Visits Us
Have you ever been tongue-tied and couldn’t say what you wanted to say? The godly priest, Zacharias, had such an experience, except he was made unable to speak. It hadn’t always been that way. He had led a remarkably righteous life. Then, one day, when he was performing his priestly service, he was chosen to burn incense in the temple. That’s when things changed. The angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias and told him wonderful news. His wife, who had not been able to get pregnant, was going to bear a son in their old age. They were to name him John. Most importantly, their child would be the forerunner to the long-awaited Messiah. Shocked at both the news that they were going to have a baby and that he would hold such an esteemed position, Zacharias asked, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years” (Luke 1:18). Gabriel told Zacharias that since he didn’t believe him, he wouldn’t be able to speak until John was born.
How’s that for a sign? Imagine what it would be like to have an encounter with an angel, for your wife to become pregnant when she was past child-bearing age, and on top of all that to not be able to speak. Finally, when John was born, Zacharias was able to speak. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he praised God, “Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79).
Zacharias praised God for Jesus visiting us, we who are in darkness, to guide us into the way of peace. “Holy, holy, holy” is all I can say right now. How about you?
Lord Jesus, SUNRISE FROM ON HIGH, I smile in joy and praise of You, who came from heaven’s glory to shine on me and guide me to the way of peace.
Happy Veteran’s Day to all our veterans. Thank you for your courage, service, and sacrifice. May God bless, strengthen, and protect you.
Could you or someone you know use a little daily encouragement from God’s Word? The 365 Days of Praise Daily Devotional offers exactly that. With 365 A-Z names and traits of God, each paired with Scripture, prayer, and practical life application, you’ll find your heart uplifted and your faith strengthened day by day. Grab your copy today by clicking HERE.
Remember This On Dreary Days
Dreary days. Gray skies. They can make us feel gloomy.
The death of loved ones, separation or estrangement from family or friends weighs heavily on our hearts. What can we focus on in those times?
Malachi 4:2 tells us. “But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.”
What does Malachi mean?
Theologian Charles Spurgeon explains: “Jesus, like the sun, is the center and soul of all things, the fullness of all good, the lamp that lights us, the fire that warms us, the magnet that guides and controls us; he is the source and fountain of all life, beauty, fruitfulness, and strength.” 1
Jesus is called the Sun of Righteousness because on the most dreary of days when we are gloomy and despairing, we can ask Him to fill us with His Spirit and shine in our hearts and minds.
Call on Jesus now to rise in your heart. Ask Him to fill you with the light of His glory.
I praise You, Jesus, SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Please enlighten my mind and lighten my heart as I look to You.
Praise is a powerful weapon we can use to turn around feelings of hopelessness or discouragement. Download this free printable of the attributes of Jesus from the book of John. As you read through them, praise God for each one!
1 The Spurgeon Center, Accessed October 5, 2023, http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/1020.htm.
Do You Want More Strength?
An AT&T commercial once asked a group of children, “Who thinks more is better than less?” A little girl quickly responded, “We want more. We want more.”
We can identify with her plea for more when we’re going through a difficult time. We want more of God’s strength. We want more of God’s grace to get us through our day. The truth is, we already have it. Second Corinthians 12:9 reassures us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
What does it mean that God’s grace is sufficient? Does it mean barely enough? No. Rather, the Biblical word means, “to be possessed of unfailing strength, to be strong, to be enough.”
God’s strength is the answer to our cries when we are weak. Call on Him. Yield to Him. Ask Jesus to fill and empower you. He will.
Heavenly Father, thank You that when I’m weak, You respond to my cry for help. Thank You, that Your grace is SUFFICIENT.
Would you like to experience God’s sufficient grace and peace in your life? Check out Debbie’s Bible study, Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos by clicking HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos and podcasts by clicking HERE.
When What You Want Is Different From What God Wants
There are times we’re called to do something we’d prefer not to do. Perhaps for you, it’s a medical procedure. For a parent, it may be changing another diaper. A person might wish they could stay in bed rather than go to work. Then, there are those excruciatingly painful occasions when we may be called to help with an intervention or change the lock on a door to keep an abusive person out of the house.
There is only one person who has known the great sacrifice of dying on the cross so the human race could be saved. Jesus asked His Father for a way other than the cross, but when it was the only way, He submitted His will to His Father’s will.
“He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will'” (Matthew 26:39).
Is there something you don’t want to do or perhaps want to do that is different from God’s will? Will you trust your Heavenly Father, submit your will to His, and walk through it in Christ’s strength?
Lord Jesus, thank You for modeling being SUBMISSIVE and for modeling trusting our Heavenly Father’s will. Help me be submissive as You were.
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God’s Perspective
Perspective. It’s everything. We can look around and feel hopeless and vulnerable, wondering why God has abandoned us. Or, we can turn to the Lord, scale the heights of heaven and gaze on who God is, what He’s done, and what He has promised to do.
Proverbs 18:10 reminds us, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.”
Did you catch the promise? Is safe. Say it out loud. “I am safe.”
Think through the implications for your loved ones who believe in the Lord. They are safe.
Yes, far from what some people seem to be, uncaring and distant, God is the opposite. He is caring and He is actively present in our life.
Pay attention to the ways God has proved and is proving to be active in your life.
Be mindful of God’s Spirit, who comforts and strengthens you. Let your mind relax in the reality of the new heaven and world awaiting you and your believing loved ones. Purposefully ponder your life and your loved ones’ lives from the perspective of heaven’s heights. Say a prayer to the Lord thanking Him for being wonderful, loving, and faithful.
Heavenly Father, You are a loving, faithful STRONG TOWER to whom I can run. May I be as David and boldly testify that I run to You and am safe.
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When You Want to Run Away, Run Here
Do you ever want to run away from your circumstances, the world’s evils, or perhaps your own wayward thoughts? If so, go to God, who David likens to a stronghold.
In Biblical times, a stronghold was a high place, a place of retreat, and for many years it was David’s safe house.
In 2 Samuel 22:3, after the Lord saved him from Saul, David wrote these words of praise, “My God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge.”
Is God your stronghold? If so, you are well aware that He wants you to come to Him. You are well aware that you can leave your fears, Satan’s lies, and your waywardness and go to the Lord as your stronghold.
Do you have a story of a time when you sought God as your stronghold; you retreated to Him in prayer? Or perhaps you took refuge in His promises in the Bible and by doing so, He kept you spiritually, mentally, and emotionally safe?
If so, look for ways to share your testimony with others and how God was there for you. It may be the very way God wants to use you today.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being my STRONGHOLD. Thank You that I can scale the heights of heaven and Your Word and find renewed strength in Your presence. Open my eyes and ears to someone with whom I can share the good news about You.
Learn to go to God, your stronghold, in prayer through Debbie’s book, Pray With Purpose, Live With Passion. Purchase your copy HERE.