365 Days of Praise

How old were you when you first heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life”? It’s an incredible invitation to every person in the world. Think about it!

• God so loves the world that He took action to save us.
• God sacrificed His Only Begotten Son on our behalf.
• God invites everyone to believe and be saved.
• God promises the gift of eternal life to those who believe in Jesus.

Pray fervently for any unsaved person you know to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be saved. Pray for eyes to see opportunities God is giving you to share Him with others.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus Christ. Stir us to draw closer to You and to share You with others. We love You and thank You for the incredible gift of the forgiveness of our sins and salvation in Christ. 

Which are you? Tight lipped or open lipped?  In other words, are you reluctant to speak and don’t reveal much about what’s going on inside of you? Or, are you more open lipped and let what you’re thinking and feeling readily come forth?  No doubt James 1:19 tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak when we’re angry. But what about in relation to praising God? In this case we are to be like the psalmist, who prayed in  Psalm 51:15:

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

Are we grateful? Are our hearts flooded with God’s goodness?  I hope so. Even when there seems to be nothing for which we can praise Him, we can open our lips and praise Him for His presence with us, His provision for us, and His purposes He will bring forth.

Develop a mindset of gratefulness. Fill your heart with praise. Open your mouth and let your praise flow to God. Pray, “LORD, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.”

LORD, thank You for who You are and for all the incredible ways You have worked in our lives, are working, and will work. You are worthy of our praise day and night. OPEN OUR LIPS so we declare Your praise. 

Record your daily praises in Prayers of My Heart journal.

Do you want to praise God, but don’t know how? If so, HERE’s help.

Isn’t it great that as Christians we can continually learn and grow? For instance, when a person turns to Christ for salvation, they may think the word “judgment” will in no way ever again be used in reference to them. However, the Bible describes different kinds of judgments.  First Peter 1:17 speaks of God judging believers’ works. “If (since) you address as Father the one who IMPARTIALLY JUDGES according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth…” Interesting, huh? Although we’re not saved by works, God judges how we conduct ourselves after we’re saved.  Peter reminds us that God is an impartial judge and that we should live in a way that shows reverence for Christ. Peter gives examples of what this looks like.

• We fervently love one another from the heart, 1:22
• We put aside all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander, 2:1
• We grow in respect to salvation, 2:2
• We proclaim the excellencies of Christ, 2:9
• We keep our behavior excellent, 2:12
• We follow in Christ’s steps, 2:21
• We are harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead, 3:8-9
• We keep our tongue from evil and lies, 3:10
• We turn away from evil and do good; seeking peace, 3:11
• We keep a good conscience, 3:16
• We live for the will of God, 4:2
• We live in the Spirit according to the will of God, 4:6
• We’re hospitable to one another without complaint, 4:9
• We use the gift God’s given us to serve one another, 4:10
• We cast all our anxiety on God, knowing He cares for us, 5:7
• We resist the devil, firm in our faith, 5:9

In other words, believers are to represent the excellencies of Christ. How are we doing? If you’re like me and are convicted about one or more in the above listing, realize that God loves you and patiently calls you to repent, learn from the past, and rise to serve Him. What a loving Father!

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are impartial and that You call us to new life through Christ’s empowerment. May we represent You well.  

Have you ever considered that God appoints people, times, places, and more? Contemplate the following with holy reverence.

“So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the APPOINTED time of which God had spoken to him,” Genesis 21:2.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have APPOINTED you a prophet to the nations,” Jeremiah 1:5.

And the LORD APPOINTED a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights,” Jonah 1:17.

“So the LORD God APPOINTED a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant,” Jonah 4:6.

Jonah 4:7 GOD APPOINTED a worm when dawn came the nextday and it attacked the plant and it withered.

“He (Jesus) APPOINTED twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, Mark 3:14.

“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the APPOINTED time will come,” Mark 13:33.

“And inasmuch as it is APPOINTED for men to die once and after this comes judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.

I’m currently studying Revelation and it is beyond exciting to see all that God has appointed for the future…down to the year, month, day, and hour as in Revelation 9:15:

And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 

Yes, God appoints people, places, events, years, months, days, and even hours. If ever there was a time for to be ready to meet God it is now.  Are you ready?

LORD GOD, You APPOINT people, places, and times. Humble our hearts realizing that our world, months, days, and hours are in Your hands. Increase our passion to reach the unsaved.

Me. Me. Me. We probably wouldn’t want to admit it, but in our innermost being we may be more self-centered than Christ centered. Our day may not begin with, “Heavenly Father, how can I serve You?” Rather, our first thought may be on what we want to get out of the day. Have you ever considered doing a 180: a turnaround based on Ephesians 5:2?

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.

In other words, followers of Christ are told to follow His example. We’re to walk in love and offer our lives to God to serve His purposes. What happens when we do? We have the opportunity to be a fragrance of Christ to God and others.

Christ Jesus, You are the ultimate example of being an OFFERING and sacrifice to God. Help us follow Your example so our lives are a fragrance of You. 

*I pray that receiving God’s character traits is encouraging to you. If so, please take a moment to LIKE my Facebook ministry page and FOLLOW my ministry on Instagram.  Be a fragrance of Christ to others by using the social share buttons at the bottom of each post and share on social media. Forward the daily email to friends and family. Thank you! 

Do you ever find something to be beyond difficult? If so, I can relate. I’ve often found myself in “over my head.” I wanted to quit. Many of the things we find difficult are not those we can or should give up on. Our marriage, parenting, families, job, health, church, and friendships all require commitment. When we find them to be difficult, we can remember what Jeremiah 32:17 says, that with God NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT.

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.

Isn’t that a great verse? I hope it makes you smile. It does me. God wants us to know “He’s got this.” It’s an incredible reminder that instead of cratering when we’re under pressure, we can call on God who “made the heavens and earth by His great power and outstretched arm.” He can help us with whatever we’re facing. He wants to help us! Call on Him now. Then, prayerfully record in Prayers of My Heart the things weighing you down. Ask God for wisdom for how to handle them. Then, be sure and record how He guides you in the “Meditations, Notes, and Prayer” section of your journal. Date and record your thanks to Him as He walks you through each day.

LORD, NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU! Thank You for Your presence, Your power, and You’re provision. We love you!  

Jesus told a parable in Luke 19:11-22 portraying Himself as a nobleman who went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for Himself and then returns. Before He departed, he gave talents to His servants so they could carry on His business while He was away. Two of the servants took seriously what He entrusted them to do. When the nobleman returned, he honored them and entrusted more to them. But he called the servant who didn’t do anything with the talent He had given him, “worthless.” (Luke 19:11-22) Let’s break this down. Jesus is the nobleman. At salvation, He entrusts a spiritual gift to every believer so we can do His work on earth while He is in heaven. We are either faithfully doing the good works He’s prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10) or we’re being unfaithful to His calling. What has He called you to do? How faithfully are you carrying on His work while He is away?

Jesus Christ, heaven’s nobleman, stir our hearts to serve You well.