UpLIFT

Recently I babysat our young grandson. After a fun time at the airport watching airplanes, we headed home.  On the way, I heard a soft voice from the back seat. “I miss Poppy.”  Smiling that he missed Keith who wasn’t able to join us, my thoughts turned to the importance of relationships – family ones, but also heavenly ones. I wonder, do we miss Jesus on days we don’t hang out with Him? Yes, miss Jesus because our normal routine is to spend time with Him reading our Bible and praying. If this is a new concept to you, consider how wonderful it would be if you were so close to Jesus you missed Him if you didn’t spend time with Him every day. Having daily time with Jesus doesn’t have to be hard. Sign up and begin your day with my daily devotional 365 Days of Praise. Experience an increasingly close relationship with Him. Never miss Jesus.

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“Mom, did you hear about the satan shoes?”  My daughter’s call was sincere and urgent. It seemed we should do something in response to the black-and-red, devil-themed sneakers, whose midsoles purported to contain a drop of human blood. But wait! Hasn’t God already done something about satan shoes? Yes, He has! Ephesians 6:15 tells us to put on our feet the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus and to carry that good news to others. Yes, Christ’s shoes of peace trump and trample any man or satan made shoes.  The more we wear Christ’s shoes and tell others how they can have peace with God, the fewer will turn to satan shoes. Get refreshers on how to share Jesus with others “Meet Jesus.”

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Learn How to Live by the Divine Nature.

Are you familiar with the musical, “Oliver”? One of the lead actors is a real scoundrel.  At one point he considers changing his life and sings, “I’m reviewing the situation. I’m a bad ‘un and a bad ‘un I shall stay! You’ll be seeing no transformation…” Unfortunately, many Christians have adopted his lyrics – you’ll be seeing no transformation rather than the words in 2 Corinthians 3:18 – that we be transformed into Christ’s likeness. If we’ve been living the lyrics, “You’ll be seeing no transformation,” isn’t it time we switch our tune and “review our situation”? Isn’t it time we learn to live by the transforming power of Christ? Get started today. My study of 2 Peter, “How to Live by the Divine Nature” will help you

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The other night my husband and I watched a movie where a man kept waking up the same day. Perhaps you’ve seen a similar “groundhog day” movie. There are several, but this one impressed me because of the actor’s quick-moving lines and scenes. When it ended, I mentioned to Keith, “I don’t know how he kept up with all his lines.” He wisely replied, “I’m sure they only filmed one scene at a time.” “Of course! I was thinking of it being filmed in one setting.” Thinking about it, I realized how much better my days are if I take them one scene and day at a time which is what Jesus tells us to do in Matthew 6:34. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.” If you’d like to start walking in peace one day at a time rather than have groundhog days of anxiety, get a copy of my study, “Grace and Peace.”

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Sorry, I’m a little out of breath. I just finished 50 jump squats. No, I was not the one who did 50 jump squats. Rather, it was a lady who had ordered 50 copies of my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion to give to her life group, moms in a prayer group, and workout group. She had called to see if I could sign the books. When I returned her call, I caught her in the middle of her workout routine. Her casual comment told me a lot about her as well as her order of the books. How? Our words reveal our innermost self as Jesus explained in Matthew 15:18. “The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart.” What do our words reveal about our hearts? If you want your words and heart to be more like Jesus’s words and heart, join me for my teaching sessions on “Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.” Watch free on YouTube.

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Listen to “What 50 Jumpsquats Say About a Person” on our UpLIFT Minute Podcast on Podbean.

Past Episodes:

The Missing Verse in Your Bible

Are You Smarter Thank a Donkey

Read the Reviews

The other day as I was watching some deer out my window, I wondered how they knew which plants to eat and which to avoid because they’re poisonous. After some research, I discovered that instinct, experience, and training keeps them from eating harmful things. What about us? Are we discerning as deer about what we eat? I’m afraid too often I haven’t been. I’ve selected the chips instead of the apple, the fast food instead of fresh food. Does it make any difference to God? Yes. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that the believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. If we haven’t been discerning as deer about we eat, we can ask Christ to fill us. We can pay attention when He prompts us, “Eat this. Don’t eat that.” To learn how to better discern Christ’s voice, get a copy of my study, Listen UP. Let’s move toward being discerning.

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A few days ago before making a purchase, I read the reviews of two items to help me determine which to buy. It caused me to wonder if people take the time to read the reviews of heaven and hell in the Bible. Jesus thought it was important for us to know. In Luke 16:19-26 He gave two reviews. One from a rich man who lived for his money and luxurious living. The other from a poor man. Both died. The rich man went to Hades where he was alone, in fiery agony, thirsty, and crying out for a drop of water only to find there was none. The poor man was carried by angels to paradise, comfort, and abundance. We take the time to read earthly reviews. Doesn’t it make sense we read reviews of heaven and hell and choose wisely?

Listen: Read the Reviews

Did you ever watch the TV show, “Mr. Ed” about a talking horse? While it was a fun show to watch, we all know horses can’t talk. However, there is an incident in the Bible in Numbers 22 when God used a donkey to get through to a man who was going in a direction God had forbidden. Yes, a man named Balaam was riding his donkey when suddenly the donkey stopped and refused to budge. What the donkey saw that the man didn’t see was an angel of the Lord with a drawn sword blocking the path. It begs us to consider if we are like the man, ignoring God’s warnings, or like the donkey, paying attention. If we want to be smarter than a donkey, or at least as smart and our eyes open to God’s will, it’s important for us to stay close to God. One way we do that is through prayer. Deepen your prayer life. Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion will help you.

Listen Are We Smarter Than a Donkey?

One Sunday during the sermon, my pastor referred to a missing verse – Mark 15:28  – that some Bible versions don’t include. As he talked about the missing verse, I began thinking about how many people have a Bible but it is missing from their daily lives. In other words, they have a Bible but don’t read it every day. If you’re not in the habit of reading your Bible every day or you don’t really know what the Bible says, I’d like to encourage you to begin including Bible verses in your daily routine. It can be as easy as signing up for my daily devotional, “365 Days of Praise. ” I’ll send you a free, 60 second devotional so you will have a Bible verse included in each day of your year. Visit me at debbietaylorwilliams.com and include, rather than exclude, Bible verses from your life. 

Listen The Missing Verse in Your Bible

Reading the health benefits of seasonings, I began adding more of them to my recipes.  Turmeric, ginger, and garlic  – the list goes on and on. Interestingly, God has a recipe for the words we speak. Yes, a heavenly seasoning with proven benefits. What is it? Grace. Colossians 4:6 says,

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Yes, the flavor of our food is improved with seasoning and the flavor of our relations is improved when we add grace to our words. The next time you say pass the salt, let it be a reminder to pass God’s grace to others. If you want to better understand God’s grace, get a copy of my study of 1 Peter – Grace and Peace.