365 Days of Praise
Praise for the BREATH of the ALMIGHTY
“The Spirit of God has made me; and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
One of ways in which God the Spirit is referred is the breath of the Almighty. Herbert Lockyer comments, “As the thoughts of my mind are articulated through the action of my breath upon the vocal cords, and are transmitted in the shape of words from the inner world of my being to the outer world when I speak, so the Spirit, or Breath of God, takes the thoughts of God, as well as the inexpressible yearnings of the believer and articulates them (Rom 8:26,27). As God’s Breath gave life to the first man, Adam (Gen 2:7), the same gives life to sinners (Jn 3:8), and to Scripture which honors the Spirit as the livingness of His divine inspiration. In the life-giving power of a breathing life, Jesus endowed His own for life and service. He breathed on them saying, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ – the Master’s breath symbolizing the Spirit who was to possess them. (Jn 20:22)”
You and I can read the above explanation but what is important is that we learn to live by the energizing, inspired breath of the Almighty!
*Herbert Lockyer, All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1975, pg 295.
I praise You, BREATH OF THE ALMIGHTY! Thank You for living in me and making me holy, set apart by Your presence. Help me live by Your empowerment and Word.
Praise to God who BINDS the BROKEN
“I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick;”
The word “broken” in Ezekiel 34:16 means “torn to pieces.”* In this passage, God’s heart for His people is seen. He states in verse 11, “I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.” He continues, “As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for my sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scatterd on a cloudy and gloomy day. (v 12) Are you “broken”? Does it seem everything is going wrong? Are you hurt or hurting? Is it a gloomy day? God cares. He loves you more than earthly words can describe. Turn to Him in your brokenness.
Thank You, Lord, for loving us and BINDING us up in our BROKENNESS. We love and praise You.
*https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H7665&t=NASB
Praise to HIM who BORE OUR SINS
“…He Himself BORE OUR SINS in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”
We speak of Christ as Savior who bore our sins. But has the “so that” in 1 Peter 2:24 sunk into our hearts and minds? Jesus suffered “so that.” So what? “So that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” Today 9-12 CST, I’m teaching “LISTEN UP! When the Spirit Speaks.” If you live in the Texas hill country, please come! If you don’t, you can WATCH via free LIVE STREAMING*. Join me and take away keys to discerning God’s voice; “so that” we live to righteousness in gratefulness to our Lord.
Thank You, Jesus, for BEARING OUR SIN IN YOUR BODY ON THE CROSS. We’re so grateful that with our salvation You’ve given us the Holy Spirit so that we’re empowered to live to righteousness. Bless EACH who seeks to better discern Your voice.
*The LIVE STREAMING of the conference will be live at 9 am CST.
Save
Praise to AWESOME GOD
“Awesome!” It’s a word typically used for anything from completing a project to hearing about a new coffee. But, when the psalmist says in Psalm 66:5, “Come and see the works of God, Who is AWESOME in His deeds toward the sons of men,” the term means, “stupendous, illustrious.” Read Psalm 66:6. Continue with verse 16, “Come and hear, all who fear God and I will tell of what He has done for my soul.” I want to shout “hallelujah” in agreement! Our AWESOME GOD has done great things for our souls!!! And, then there is verse 20, “Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.” Now, THAT’s AWESOME! Don’t you agree?
I praise You, AWESOME GOD! You have done great things for my soul! You have not turned away my prayer nor Your lovingkindness. I praise YOU!
ANNOUNCEMENT: Many have asked about the Listen UP! Conference. If you can attend, please do! Register HERE. IF YOU CAN’T BE PRESENT, you can WATCH LIVE STREAM, 9-NOON CST on your phone, Ipad, computer HERE. Learn more about the Listen UP Conf HERE.
Praise to Jesus who has ALL AUTHORITY in Heaven & On Earth
When Jesus walked on earth, the crowds were awestruck by His authority over demons, sickness, and forgiving sins. Before His ascension, Jesus commanded, “ALL AUTHORITY has been given to ME in HEAVEN and on EARTH. Go and make disciples of all the nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe ALL that I commanded you. (Mt 28:18-20) Are our lives a demonstration of praise to Him who has ALL AUTHORITY?
Lord Jesus, I praise You, who have ALL AUTHORITY in heaven and on earth. May my life demonstrate my praise.
Praise to the AUTHOR & PERFECTOR of FAITH
“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.;”
Have you ever struggled in your faith? Have you wondered how God could let His Son die for us? Our coming to God in righteousness through Christ’s shed blood was not forced upon Him. Although the Romans pounded the natils into His holy hands, neither “they” or the Jews orchestrated Jesus’s death. It was His doing – to lay down His life; to be a substituionary sacrifce for us. He authored & wrote that by faith we could come to His Father. And now? What Christ has done in principle – perfecting us by making us “right” with God; He now does in our daily walk. He draws us to Himself in love. He empowers us through His Spirit to live the Christian life and be His lights on earth. Praise to Jesus, the AUTHOR & PERFECTOR of FAITH!
Lord Jesus Christ, AUTHOR and PERFECTOR of my faith, I adore You. You bless me in my salvation. You bless me as You draw me close to You, perfecting my faith. I praise You!
What’s In Your Hand?
“The Lord is my portion,” Psalm 119:57a
Would you like a helping of mashed potatoes? How about gravy on your turkey? As Thanksgiving approaches, images of buffet lines with mouth watering foods appear on magazine covers and cooking shows. “I’ll take a portion of that,” we say in relation to food. But how often do we consider the Lord as our Portion? We may admit we’re familiar with “The Lord is my Shepherd,” but not, “The Lord is my Portion.” Lately, I’ve been struck by this verse. Why? Because I’m not always mindful of it. Although the Lord has given Himself to me to satisfy my deepest needs; too often I grab from the world’s buffet. I hold to a loaf of what someone said that hurt me. I refill my cup with their critical words. I empty my plate only to refill it with the same temptation. The result? I’m left longing. But what if instead I turned my back on the world’s buffet and reached for the a heaping portion of the Lord? What if I took a slice of the bread of life and read a chapter in the Bible? What if I drank in the living water of His Spirit? The fact is, “The Lord is my Sheperd,” but He’s also, “…my Portion.” I’m reaching for Him this week. How about you? What’s in your hand?
ENGAGE: MEDITATE on Proverbs 6
16 “There are six things which the Lord hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies,
And one who spreads strife among brothers.“
The Bible is filled with warnings. Maybe we think, “Oh, this chapter doesn’t apply to me.” But, then again, maybe it does. It warns us of paths on which we should not walk. Maybe many in our churches wouldn’t take another person’s spouse in their arms, but they do in their minds. Anyone who looks at online pornography at sites like atube sex is certainly taking that person to their “bosom.” vs 27. And, what about the 7 things God hates? We must prayerfully ask, “God, am I ever haughty? Do I say things that aren’t true? Do I hurt others? Are my plans ever unrigtheous? Do I ever walk away from Your teachings and therefore run to evil? Am I ever false? Am I guilty of spreading strife?
As I meditate on these and other verses in Proverbs 6, I’m encouraged by verse 23. “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; and reproofs for discipline are the way of life.”
My Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminders of what You hate. They reflect Your purity and love; which You want to flow in me. Guard my mind and heart today. Guard my husband’s and children’s. Be the light and lamp by which we walk.
I HAVE the WORD of CHRIST & SONGS of PRAISE RICHLY DWELLING in Me
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.“
I love this verse because it reminds us that we may have been raised in a home where we heard how bad or unworthy we were, but now we have “new tapes.” We have the Word of Christ richly dwelling in us. We have new songs to play in our minds – spiritual songs about our Heavenly Father, how much He loves us and we love Him. If you’ve listened to the “tape” that you’re not a good singer or decided you don’t care for Christian music, replace that thought with the truth of today’s verse. Singing in our hearts to God isn’t a performance before others. Rather, it changes us from the inside out. If you aren’t familiar with Christian songs or hymns, listen HERE for FREE. Tune into Christian music to tune your heart to the many blessings and joy that are yours in Christ.
Heavenly Father, thank YOU for giving me new words – the Word of Christ and new songs – songs of praise.
IF for any reason you STOP receiving 365 Days of Praise, please RE-SUBSCRIBE. You may have been unsubscribed in error.
Adapted from If God in In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case?
I HAVE CHRIST’S PEACE
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body;“
Are you peaceful? Certainly we would agree that we need Christ’s peace, not only as a state of our salvation, but also flowing through our hearts. But, how is it possible on a day in, day out basis to have Christ’s peace? The answer is the same way we experience God’s other virtues. When Christ established our eternal peace with God, a conduit of grace opened to us. The Holy Spirit freely flows in our spirits. He urges us, “Take off your rags of bitterness, worry, unkindness. Put on my coat of divine peace.” Peace means the “tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot.” Does that describe us?
Heavenly Father, forgive me for so often worrying and being anxious when, in fact, I am assured of my salvation in Christ. I have nothing to fear for You are with me. I have every reason to be content. Thank You for the peace Christ gives me.
IF for any reason you STOP receiving 365 Days of Praise, please RE-SUBSCRIBE. You may have been unsubscribed in error.
Adapted from If God in In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case?
