365 Days of Praise
When You Want to Run Away, Run Here
Do you ever want to run away from your circumstances, the evil in our world, 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, your stronghold.
Do you have a story of a time when you sought God as your stronghold? You retreated in prayer or to your Bible and by doing so, He kept you spiritually, mentally, and emotionally safe?
Heavenly Father, thank You for being our STRONGHOLD. Thank You that we can scale the heights of heaven and Your Word and find renewed strength in Your presence.
Learn to go to God, your stronghold, in prayer through Debbie’s book, Pray With Purpose, Live With Passion. Purchase your copy HERE.
Beyond Our Imagination – A Deeper Understanding of the Spirit
Do you know all that God has prepared for you in eternity? The answer is “no, we don’t know.” First Corinthians 2:9 says, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” Does that bless your heart? Our earthly days may be rough, but God has prepared a future beyond our imagination.
First Corinthians 2:10-12 goes on to explain that no one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.”
Do these verses about the Spirit make you want to have a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit and how you can walk by His promptings? If so, I encourage you to listen to “Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to Christians. Know Him. Listen to Him. Love and adore Him, for He is the Spirit of Christ abiding in you.
Heavenly Father, Your gift to us of the SPIRIT WHO SEARCHES ALL THINGS, is the most amazing gift. Thank You! Help us faithfully walk by Your Spirit.
Listen now: Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.
Is There Anyone You Can Trust?
The truth. When listening to the news do you ever long for the truth? When questioning a child, have you ever doubted their words and said, “Tell me the truth.” If a person has lied to you once, do you wonder when they tell you something if it’s the truth? How refreshing that in John 16:13 Jesus tells us we can trust God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. There’s not a lie in God’s holy body, Word, or Spirit.
“But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).
So when we question or wonder if we should do things our way, the world’s way, or God’s way, we have the answer. Believe in the Spirit of Truth. Follow the Spirit of Truth. Obey the Spirit of Truth.
Lord God, how refreshing that we can wholeheartedly trust You, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH!
Our key verse today is John 16:13. Watch all of Debbie’s teaching on John 16 HERE or listen to it HERE.
Speaker of the House
So what do you think of the Speaker of the House? Oh, I’m not talking about the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. I’m referring to the Speaker of God’s House, the Speaker of Righteousness, as Isaiah 45:19 describes the LORD.
“I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land…I, the Lord, speak righteousness, declaring things that are upright” (Isaiah 45:19).
How refreshing that we have a Speaker of the House who is a Speaker of Righteousness. While reading the Bible, we hear His righteous voice. As citizens of His Kingdom, we can ponder and practice what our Speaker of Righteousness says. Are we listening to the Speaker of our House? Are we sharing the words of the Speaker of Righteousness with others?
Thank You, Lord, SPEAKER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. May we listen to and follow Your voice above all others. May we faithfully share You with others in our sphere of influence.
One of the ways Hill Country Ministries shares what God has spoken is through our ministry pages on Facebook and Instagram. They are “microphones” we use to “go out into the world” as Jesus tells us to do. When you “Like” our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram, it increases Christ’s, our Speaker’s, reach.
The Sower of God’s Seed
“Jesus went out of the house” (Matthew 13:1). Maybe He just wanted to get some fresh air. Maybe He wanted to gaze at the sky and worship His Father. Maybe He went out so people would see Him by the sea, and come to Him to hear Him speak. That’s what happened in Matthew 13.
First a few people saw Him. I imagine the people excitedly telling one another “Go get the neighbors and tell them Jesus is teaching!” Word spread and as Jesus spoke a large crowd gathered. This is what He told them. “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as He sowed, some seeds fell beside the road and….” (Matthew 13:3-4). It’s too long of a story to tell here, but you can read it in Matthew 13.
Here’s the point: Jesus sowed seeds of eternal truth among people. Whether it bore fruit depended on the person’s heart. The Sower stills sow seed through His Word and even His still quiet voice that speaks to our hearts. Have we received His seed?
Lord Jesus, SOWER OF GOD’S SEED, prepare our hearts daily to hear and act on Your Word so we bear much fruit that glorifies You.
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What’s Your Take On This?
I’d love your thoughts on Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 6:13-16. He says, “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, …that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time.”
What are your thoughts on his charge to Timothy? The reason I ask is that some people say Christians are free of the Law and commandments because we live in a period of grace. I agree we live by God’s grace, but what about the charge to “keep the commandment without stain or reproach”? Could it be that although we’re saved by grace, God expects us to act like His children?
Paul’s next words reflect his amazement, honor, and worship of the resurrected Jesus Christ. “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!”
Paul’s words and Paul’s life bring praise to Jesus. Should not our lives and words also bring glory to Jesus as Paul’s did?
Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed and only SOVEREIGN, we worship You. May our lives and words bring You praise.
Do you want to learn more about living by God’s divine nature? Grab a copy of Living by the Divine Nature Instead of Our Fallen Nature – 2 Peter Bible Study. It’s a 4-week, verse-by-verse study of 2 Peter that is sure to bless and encourage you as well as help strengthen your walk with the Lord. The study includes videos and podcasts, which can be accessed under “Bible Studies” on the homepage.
We’d Better Get this Right
As I read through God’s Word, I am amazed at not only the ways the Father, Son, and Spirit are revealed but also through whom the revelation is made. In Mark 14:61, the high priest asked Jesus if He was the Son of the Blessed One. However, in Luke 8:28, it was a demon who acknowledged Jesus as Son of the Most High God.
“Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me’” (Luke 8:28).
A demon recognized Jesus as the Son of the Most High God. His statement is true. There are numerous gods, which by the way, is why God commands us, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). But there is one ultimate Most High God and Jesus is His Son. It’s important we get this right. The demons do.
Lord Jesus Christ, You are the all-powerful, holy SON OF THE MOST HIGH GOD. Forgive us when we treat You casually and don’t honor You as we should. Quicken our hearts and minds to worship and honor You above anyone or anything.
In John 1:29, Jesus is revealed through John the Baptist, who acknowledged Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” To watch all of Debbie’s teaching on John 1, click HERE. To listen to her teaching, click HERE.
Just You Wait and See
Things aren’t always as they appear. Just wait and see. For instance, Jesus had no earthly possessions, wasn’t married, and when arrested, His friends abandoned Him. He was lied about, mocked, and beaten almost to death.
Mark 14:61 records the high priest questioning Jesus prior to crucifying Him, “‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’” How incongruous. Blessed? Yet Jesus was and is the Son of the Blessed One.
So when we think about our lives or circumstances and they don’t appear as us being the “blessed child of God,” remember that is who we are. Things aren’t always as they seem. Just wait and see.
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Christ, SON OF THE BLESSED ONE, and for our being Your blessed children.
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Today, and always, we remember with gratefulness our loved ones, friends, and the many we will never know until heaven, who sacrificed their lives for our nation on 9/11. Today, we also remember with utmost gratitude the Lord Jesus who sacrificed His life for our souls. We must never forget either sacrifice.
Lost and Found
Have you ever been lost? Perhaps you took a wrong turn on a road and didn’t know how to get to your desired destination. As bad as that is, what’s worse is to be spiritually lost which is how Jesus describes us prior to salvation. As a matter of fact, we were so lost that there was no one who could help except Jesus.
In Luke 19:10, Jesus describes Himself as the Son of Man who came to seek and to save the lost. Jesus left heaven’s glory to come and do what no one else could do. Through the virgin birth of Mary by the Holy Spirit, Jesus, the Son of Man, was born to seek and to save our lost souls so we could be reunited with our Heavenly Father. What good news! Is there someone we need to look for as Jesus did; someone with whom we can share the good news?
All praise to You, Lord Jesus, Son of God, SON OF MAN. Thank You for seeking us and saving us. Rouse us to do as You did – to seek the lost in order to share the good news of salvation with them.
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Are We Tolerating What Jesus is Against?
Jesus is the Son of Man who knows what it is to live in human skin. However, what is inside of Him is different from us. His innermost being is holy glowing purity. Revelation 2:18-20a describes the ascended Christ as having eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze. Revelation 1:16 describes His face as the sun shining in its strength. Imagine that visual for a minute. Jesus’ face is like the sun shining in its strength.
Following these magnificent otherworldly descriptions of Jesus, we’re told that Jesus, the Son of God, says this, “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first, but I have this against you that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality” (Revelation 2:19-20a).
Yes, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and He is slow to anger, but we must never forget that He is also the Son of God reigning in glory. He sees our deeds and what we tolerate that is against Him. Is there anything we need to repent of before we ask Him for His continued blessings?