365 Days of Praise

Does the word “work” scare you in relation to serving the Lord? For instance, when a minister announces the need for more workers for Vacation Bible School or for volunteers to go on a mission trip, do you sink in your pew and hope your eyes don’t meet his? Do you shrink back from the idea of talking about Christ openly with friends and co-workers? If so, perhaps it’s because we haven’t yet gotten our minds around the incredible privilege and invitation Jesus invites us to. 

In Matthew 9:37-38 when Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into His harvest,” He wasn’t calling us to busy work. Rather, Jesus looked at the fields of people who were stressed and discouraged and had compassion for them. He invites us to share the good news that His Heavenly Father loves them, that sins can be forgiven, and we can live by Christ’s divine nature rather than by our flawed human nature. We have the hope of heaven and eternal life. What greater, more meaningful “work” could we be employed doing than joining Jesus’ team? 

If you want to be a part of something bigger than the daily grind of the earth–something heavenly and eternal, then pray and ask God to use you. Be open and sensitive when the Spirit prompts you to share Christ with others. Keep your heart open to ways God wants to use you. 

LORD OF THE HARVEST, thank You for coming to earth and telling me the way to eternal salvation. Use me to share the good news with others so they can have a relationship with you like I do. 

Want to learn more about living by Christ’s divine nature? Get Debbie’s Bible study on 2 Peter, Living by the Divine Nature Instead of Our Fallen Nature, HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos and podcasts HERE.

Who do you call on when you’re anxious or scared and it seems there is no one who can help you? Who do you call on when you’re powerless to change a situation? Those times have a way of humbling us. Whereas we may have been too busy to pray, we suddenly find we’re continually praying. We’re crying out to God. Such was the case with King Hezekiah when Sennacherib, King of Assyria, threatened to overtake Jerusalem. Hezekiah prayed and prayed hard. 

“O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. … Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God” (Isaiah 37:16-17, 20).

You can hear the plea in Hezekiah’s heart. He didn’t want to be defeated. He didn’t want Jerusalem to be overtaken by an enemy. But there is more to his prayer. There is a higher reason to pray for God to deliver you, a loved one, or our nation – so people will know that the Lord is God of all the kingdoms of the earth. When we pray, do we pray only for ourselves? Or, are we praying so God is glorified in and through us and our struggle or situation? 

LORD OF HOSTS who is enthroned above the cherubim, I worship You and recognize You as God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth. Your will be done in my heart and life so You are glorified. 

Need prayer? Just like Hezekiah cried out to the Lord when he was powerless to change his situation, we too are invited to call on the Lord of Hosts. If you’re facing a battle, feeling anxious, or need someone to stand with you in prayer, we would be honored to pray for you. Submit your prayer request HERE.

Throughout history, earthly rulers and leaders have ascended to positions of power, only for their authority to eventually be removed through the succession of another leader or by death. However, the Lord has always reigned over all the earth, and His reign can never be undone or overthrown. 

Joshua 3:13 confirms God’s unmatched position of authority: “It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth…” 

Psalm 24:1 also declares God’s supremacy: “The earth is the LORD’s and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.”

I often hear people say that it doesn’t matter who you worship, as long as you worship someone or something. But it matters to the Lord of all the earth. Why would the Lord of all the earth want His creation to bow to and follow another god? He doesn’t! He’s the One we’re to bow before, listen to, and follow—Him alone. Unlike earthly rulers, God is perfectly loving and just. We can trust His authority and leadership in our lives. 

Heavenly Father, I praise You, LORD OF ALL THE EARTH! Your majesty and power are glorious. You reign in perfect righteousness. 

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As we have studied the names of God, perhaps you’ve noticed that there are times when God announces, “This is who I am. This is My name.” Such is the case in Isaiah 42:8 when God announced, “I am the LORD, that is My name.”

He continues in the same breath, explaining what it means that His name is LORD. He states He will not give His glory to another. What does He mean? 

He means we are to praise Him and Him alone.

His announcement should cause us to think about our life and if we are giving praise to anything or anyone besides Him. In other words, are we making anything or anyone besides God the priority of our life? If we are, then we must bow before the LORD, repent, and profess Him as LORD. We must realign our life so it is a praise to Him. 

Consider: Is my life a praise to the LORD?

Heavenly Father, Lord God Almighty, You alone are LORD. Forgive me for putting anything or anyone before You. I bow in humble reverence and praise before You. Make my life a praise to You.

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Have you ever felt “tied up” spiritually, physically, or emotionally? Like you couldn’t get free and to a place in your life you desired? Or, are you concerned for a loved one who is in physical, emotional, or spiritual bondage? If so, call on the name of the Lord on the basis of Psalm 116:16 which says, “O Lord, surely I am Your servant, …You have loosed my bonds.”

This verse (and the whole chapter) reminds us that when we call on the name of the Lord, He can do what no one else can do. He has already loosed us from the bonds of death and given us eternal freedom. So why wouldn’t the Lord desire for us to be free from anything that binds us on earth? “Unbind him and let him go,” Jesus directed those who watched Him raise Lazarus from the dead. 

If there is an area where you’re seeking freedom in your life so you can run the race God has set before you (Ephesians 2:10), then know the Lord is on your side and wants to help you. Read Psalm 116. Notice how many times the psalmist tells us what he did in order to be free. 

Will you call on the name of the Lord, knowing that His name indicates His full power and provision for you? 

Lord, You are the great and mighty God who LOOSENS BONDS. I praise You for the bonds of death from which You’ve set me free. I call on You now to loosen emotional, spiritual, or physical bonds that hinder me from running the race You’ve set before me. I call on You trusting in Your all powerful name. 

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“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades’” (Revelation 1:18).

Death seems final, doesn’t it? I wept at my mother’s graveside even though we had known her death was near. Friends and families’ words, “You’ll see her again,” were comforting. But the reality was the casket. The shovel. The dirt.

During our lifetime, we’ll lose someone to death. Jesus’ disciple, John, saw Jesus die. The scourging. The nails. The cross. The sword in His side. The blood and water. The tomb. But then, John saw Him again! Can you imagine what it must have been like for John to not only see the resurrected Christ, but to see the glorified Christ in heaven?

John recorded his experience in Revelation 1. Jesus is glowing! His eyes are brilliant. His appearance is glorious. His voice tumultuous. Jesus had a message for John to take to earth—that He has the keys of death. In other words, you’re not staying in a casket or urn. The one who made Adam out of dirt is regenerating you to your glorified body for heaven.

In light of your eternal destiny, what is your response? Do you live in light of eternity? Do you share the good news with others?  Do you put God’s eternal will before your temporal desires? 

LIVING ONE, glorious One, even though I can’t see You, I believe in You. Help me love You more each day so my life shows forth Your glory; drawing others to You.

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Have you ever wished someone would listen to you? You may have even asked a person with whom you were talking, “Are you listening?”

We don’t have to wonder if God listens to us. Jeremiah 29:12 says that if we pray, He’ll listen. “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”

Ponder God’s words. Say them out loud. Take hold of the reality, “When I call on God, go and pray to Him, He listens to me.” Yes, yes, yes! The God of the universe, the God of creation listens to you when you go to Him and pray to Him.

I think there is something we may miss in our multi-tasking culture. When God says, “come and pray to Me” that means we stop what we are doing in order to go to God. It’s the “come to Me” part, rather than shooting “arrow” prayers toward God while we are doing something else.

Because God is Spirit, we do not have to leave our home or office to go to a certain place to meet with God. But we do need to be intentional about going to Him and calling on Him.

Do we take advantage of the amazing privilege and opportunity to live beyond ourselves; to live by the Almighty God’s guiding voice? If not, begin today. Go to God. Ask Him to lead you through your day. Ask for His wisdom. Pay attention to His voice in your thoughts.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a God who LISTENS when I come to You and call on Your name. Help me to be mindful of the great privilege it is to come to You.

Would you like to develop a deeper prayer life? Get a copy of Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, to learn how.

Do you ever feel like you’re eaten up with sin? Or can you look back to a time when you succumbed to temptation and Satan “chewed you up and spit you out”? If so, no doubt you praise Christ for being the victor over the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). 

Yes, Satan is the great pretender. He prowls like a roaring lion but he isn’t a lion. He mimics everything about Christ because he is insanely jealous that Christ is Lord, not him. The true lion? The genuine, real deal lion? Jesus is, as Revelation 5:5 explains—“Behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

Jesus’ title, Lion of Judah, is traced to Genesis 49:9 when Jacob blessed his son, Judah, and referred to him as a young lion. Christ is traced to this noble tribe of Israel. Rather than being a “young lion,” however, or a fictional lion king movie character, Christ’s title designates Jesus as the true Lion King, the noblest and most powerful One. As Revelation 5:5 states, Christ has overcome all, even death. He’s our Lion King. Give praise to Him and turn to Him when Satan nips at your heels.

Lord Jesus Christ, LION OF JUDAH, I worship You! Thank You for all You have done to defeat Satan and secure my salvation. Move in me increasingly so I am aware of Your presence and power. 

Would you like to learn more about standing firm and resisting the devil, especially in the times in which we live? Watch Debbie’s teaching on 1 Peter 5 HERE or listen to it HERE. You can also purchase her whole Bible study on 1 Peter HERE. 

On April 8, 2024, millions of people witnessed the rare total solar eclipse. People watched in awe through their solar eclipse glasses as the moon passed in front of the sun, blocking the sun’s light and casting a shadow on the Earth. This extraordinary event gave observers a small glimpse into what life would be like without the light of the sun. 

Just as the sun illuminates darkness and provides light to the earth, Jesus provides spiritual light to the world. We’re reminded of this in John 8:12: “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’”

Although the sun may be dimmed by solar eclipses and clouds, Jesus is constantly brilliant and will one day be the source of Light by which we live for eternity. No doubt, when Jesus announced He was the Light of the World, He must have sounded braggadocios to His listeners. How could a carpenter from Nazareth claim to be the Light of the world? Yet, Jesus made the claim, and He is who He says. 

Jesus came from heaven bringing truth that enlightens every man who will receive Him. Invite Jesus into your heart and live in His brilliance for eternity.

Lord Jesus, You are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD and our Light. We give You honor and praise!

Want to learn more about Jesus being the Light of the World? Debbie addresses this topic in her teaching on John 8. Watch it HERE. 

Have you ever had your head “hangin’” low? Perhaps you were depressed. It seemed everybody or everything was against you. Or, maybe your head was “hangin” low in shame. Or maybe you were at a crossroads in life and didn’t know what to do. 

The acclaimed King David knew what it was like to have his head hanging low. He penned these words, “You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head” (Psalm 3:3). His head had been down, but he knew on whom to focus—the Lord.

If your head is hanging low today, remember that God sees you and cares about you. Whatever you are facing, He is the lifter of your head, just as He was David’s. You can also try the following:

1) Turn to Psalm 3 and read it. It is only 8 verses. Read Psalm 1, only 6 verses.

2) Write in your journal a verse that is meaningful to you and a verse that is instructive. Personalize the verses. For instance, I wrote in my journal, “Psalm 1:1a, 2-3b. How blessed is the woman whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law she meditates day and night.” Blessed, not stressed. Blessed, not head hangin’ low.

What happens when we follow our Father’s instruction and lift our heads and eyes to His glorious Word? We experience hope, peace, grace, and glory in Him. 

Thank You, Heavenly Father, that Your Word is the LIFTER OF OUR HEAD. I love and praise You.

Happy Fourth of July! As you enjoy the fireworks this July 4th , think beyond them to the Creator of the night sky and the true light of the world. Help spread the light and truth of Christ by encouraging someone you know to subscribe to 365 Days of Praise.