365 Days of Praise
Soak Your Soul In This
“You are RESPLENDENT...” Psalm 76:4
You’re Getting Out of that Dark Hole
Have you ever been in a “dark place;” a pit of despair? Perhaps you are now. Everywhere you look, it’s dark, and what’s worse – you don’t see a way out. Hi. I’m Debbie Taylor Williams with Beyond Ourselves. If you have been there or you are there now, can you imagine what it would be like to be there forever, and to know that you’d never ever escape? God and Satan are powerful. They each have domains, or kingdoms. Throughout the Bible, they’re spoken of: heaven and hell. Satan’s domain is a place of darkness. First John 1:19 explains “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” But, the good news of Colossians 1:13 is that Christ RESCUED us from that domain of darkness. If you’re a Christian and in a “dark” place today because of circumstances beyond your control or perhaps even because of sin, be encouraged. Your permanent residence is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Lord Jesus, You are our RESCUER! We love You! We thank You! We praise You!
“He RESCUED US from the DOMAIN of DARKNESS, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” Colossians 1:13
When Fear and Regret Flood Your Mind
Are the storms in your life overwhelming you…perhaps literally? Whether the storms are literal or metaphorical, fear can flood our emotions. Pains of regret can beat like rain on our heart. Worry can flood our mind. But God doesn’t want us to stay overwhelmed, drowning in fear, worry, and guilt. That’s why He’s present. That’s why He offers Himself. Just as rescue helicopters offer a way of escape to flooded victims, God offers His help and strength. He’s our REFUGE. The Hebrew word, “REFUGE,” means shelter from danger or falsehood. The more closely we stay under God’s arm of Biblical truth, the more protected we are from the enemies’ lies. Psalm 46:1 reminds us that God is our REFUGE, a very present help in trouble.
Lord, You provide yourself as a REFUGE to shelter us from falling for Satan’s lies and worldly deceptions. You’re a shelter in the midst of life’s storms. Remind us to not stand in the rain of discouragement, but rather shelter under You.
“God is our REFUGE and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
If You’re Looking for a Better Life
Are you looking for peace and happiness? Do you want a better life? Only one person, our REDEEMER, has the holiness, the wholeness, the power, and grace to be our all in all. As Colossians 1:13-14 says to rescue us from the domain of darkness and transfer us to the kingdom of His beloved son. He’s the one who is able to rescue us from the sin and heartache of this world and to take us to the holy heights of heaven. So, we look to the cross. We look to the resurrected Lord. We look to the Bible. We look to the skies. And, we know … that as He kept His Word to come to us once for salvation, He’ll return to redeem us out of this world and take us to our eternal home. Our redemption is closer today than it was yesterday. Smile.
LORD JESUS, REDEEMER, we’re closer to heaven today than we were yesterday. We’re closer to seeing Your unimaginable beauty. Thank You for rescuing us from the domain of darkness. We love You and pray Your light shines in our hearts and blesses others.
“He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have REDEMPTION, the forgiveness of sins.”
Do You Wish You Had Eyes in the Back of Your Head?
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Have you ever wished you had eyes in the back of your head? I could have used eyes in the back of my head when our children were little. Eyes in the back of my head would be comforting at the airport when walking to my car at night after a speaking engagement. What do we mean by “eyes in the back of our head”? It speaks to our desire to be safe and to be able to sense what’s happening that we can’t see. How comforting to know that just as God was a rear guard to the Israelites when they escaped Egypt, and Isaiah 52:12 describes God as a rear guard to the Israelites in the new kingdom, Jesus is a rear guard to us today. He watches over us. We’ll not know until heaven how many ways and times He’s protected us from evil. The Lord is our rear guard. We can thank Him, and we can pay attention to His still quiet voice.
Lord, thank You for being our REAR GUARD and for all the ways You watch over us and protect us. How comforting to know You’ve got our back.
Record God’s names and titles in Prayers of My Heart prayer journal so you’ll have a keepsake of all 365.
“… the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your REAR GUARD.” Isaiah 52:12
If You’re Kidnapped, Do This
Did you see the movie, Ransom? Mel Gibson played the role of the father of the son who was kidnapped. There was no way the kidnapped son could free himself. The kidnappers demanded that the father pay a certain price, a ransom, to get his son back. That’s what our Father did for us. We were captives in sin. But our Heavenly Father gave Jesus as the RANSOM to pay for our freedom. Was it only our Father’s idea? No. First Timothy 2:6 says that Jesus was in one accord with the Father. He gave Himself as a ransom for all of us so we could be reunited to our Heavenly Father. How do we become free of sin’s dominion? We say yes to the outstretched nail scarred hand of Jesus who has come to save us.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, our RANSOM, our LORD.
“…Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a RANSOM for all,” 1 Timothy 2:6
Jesus, Wake Me Up
TIP: How to Pray for Unbelievers
Death. It seems so final. I’d been prepared for my mother’s death. She’d been ill a long time. But the casket. The cemetery. I broke down weeping. Some family members whispered. “Certainly Debbie should have been prepared.” After all, I’d cared for mama her last years. But it didn’t matter. It still seemed so final. So what does Jesus want us to know and what did He prove when He called Lazarus’s name and raised him from the dead? Death isn’t final. Jesus describes death as sleep. For instance, I hear my husband’s voice, “Debbie, wake up!” and I wake from earthly sleep. In John 5:25, Jesus said believers will hear His voice and wake from sleeping death to living in His eternal presence. Better words could never be said. Who do we need to share them with?
Lord, thank You for the eternal promise and evidence that You raise those who are dead in Christ into Your eternal presence.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” John 5:25
Dark World, Radiant God
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HAPPENING NOW: I’M IN Las Vegas, leading my P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference. It’s been almost a year since Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas; killing 58 people and injuring 851 in the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in the US. PLEASE PRAY for an outpouring of GOD’S SPIRIT, for healing, recommitments, salvations, and safety. THANK YOU.
Are you concerned with how our world seems to be getting darker? Religious persecution, disease, abuse, terrorists at home and abroad, moral decline, and political shenanigans contribute to the anxiety and depression we may feel. In the midst of discouraging days, what can believers do? We can keep our eyes on Jesus, who Hebrews 1:3 describes as the radiance of God’s glory. The word “radiance” is only used 5 times in the Bible and in each of those, refers to God. Commentator Vines defines God’s “radiance” as “shining forth, of a light coming from a luminous body.” Isn’t that exciting? Even when things around us are dark, God isn’t. One sweet, glorious day, we’ll join those who have glimpsed God’s radiance. We’ll fall on our faces as they did; overwhelmed by what our eyes see. The day is coming when we go to Jesus or when He returns through the clouds. Keep watching and living for Him!
Heavenly Father, our hearts are overwhelmed as we read the accounts of those who have had glimpses of You. We can’t imagine what it will be like to see Your glory. We praise You now and forever.
“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,…” Hebrews 1:3
Feeling Spiritually Sluggish?
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Do you ever feel sluggish? You know – blah? Can’t quite find your “get up and go” even though there are things you could be, should be doing? Nobody likes that feeling. So what do we do when we don’t feel motivated to pray, work, or get going? We hold out our heart, soul, and mind to our Heavenly Father and say, “I’m Yours.” We thank God that’s He’s given us the mind of Christ in the Scripture. We read His Word regardless of how we feel, and in the reading, we’re encouraged and inspired. His thoughts become our thoughts. His passions our passions. We ask our Heavenly Father to give us the mind and energy of Christ. The King James Version of 1 Corinthians 15:45 describes Jesus as a quickening spirit; which means to arouse and invigorate. Christ followers, we’re not spiritually dead. We’re alive! Let’s live like quickened followers!
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus who is a Quickening Spirit! Arouse and invigorate us to do Your will.
“The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a QUICKENING SPIIRT.” 1 Corinthians 15:45 KJV
When you want to hear God’s voice
LISTEN
“Lord, where are You? Speak to me.” Have you ever wanted to hear from God? The fact is, the Bible tells us in Zephaniah 3:17 that God is in our midst and He’s a victorious warrior, but He’s also quiet in His love. What in the world does that mean? I like to think of when I’m holding my little ones. My heart feels like it could jump out of my skin because I’m so full of love for them. But, I’m not going to be loud. Instead, I hold them close to my heart. I wonder if they feel my heartbeat as they lie comfortably in my embrace. God is great big, huge, and the Bible is filled with His words to us. If we’re wishing He would speak to us, He has. Open His Word. Hold it close to you. Feel His heartbeat and listen to what He’s said to you.
Lord, thank You for Your QUIET LOVE and Words you speak to us. May we hold You, them, close to our hearts.
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”