365 Days of Praise

UPDATE ON DEBBIE’S SURGERY: All of the surgery was able to be done robotically! The right upper lobe with the 2 tumors and the difficult malignant lymph nodes were removed, except for 2 or 3 that need to be biopsied. The most concerning lymph node was removed successfully. Very importantly, they did not have to use a large incision to access it. Praise God for this good news, for an excellent surgery, and thank you all for your faithful prayers!

I thought I killed a bee, but realized I only stunned it as I watched it begin moving. There’s a difference between stunning something and killing, or abolishing, it. 

When you think about death, does it worry you? Here’s the deal, and it’s great news. Second Timothy 1:10 assures us that we don’t need to worry about death. Why? The verse explains that when Christ died on the cross, He didn’t stun death. Rather, “…our Savior Christ Jesus, abolished death and brought life and immortality to light…” 

In other words, when our body ceases to live, our spirit continues to live. Those who have placed their faith in Christ and are indwelt by Christ’s Holy Spirit will live eternally in His glorious presence. That is something to celebrate, not fear. 

Lord Jesus Savior, I praise You that You ABOLISHED DEATH. Thank You for eternal life in You. 

The Gospel of John is full of examples of Jesus seeking and saving the lost. It also recounts the death and resurrection of Jesus, which made a way for all to come to Him for salvation and receive eternal life. Access Debbie’s free online Bible study of John HERE.

Please pray for Debbie who is having surgery at 7:00 am in San Antonio. She is having a lobectomy – removing right upper lobe and affected lymph nodes. Please pray the surgery can all be done robotically, that all the cancer is removed and that Debbie recovers quickly and completely. Pray for wisdom and guidance for the surgeon and the surgical staff.  

Have you ever given yourself a good, hard look and thought, “I can’t do it”? Maybe you heard a sermon on forgiveness but thought, “I can’t”. Or maybe you’ve been sick all night and don’t think you have the strength to respond to a child’s cry. 

The above situations are ones you’ve perhaps experienced, but ended up being able to do. But there was a person who once contemplated his situation and truly wasn’t able to perform it. Romans 4:17-21 recounts when God told Abraham that he would have a child with Sarah. 

“Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” Stop right there. Envision Abraham considering his body. “Isn’t going to happen,” he thinks. He considers his elderly wife who was unable to get pregnant in her younger years. “Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:20-21).

Amazing! Did you notice the word, “yet”? Are you facing something seemingly impossible? Why not do as Abraham and consider, “yet with respect to the promise of God”? God is present for you just like He was for Abraham. Look to Him. Trust Him. 

Heavenly Father, help me remember that no matter my situation, You are ABLE. Help me grow strong in my faith like Abraham. 

The Lord is always present and wants us to talk to Him through prayer. Learn to pray more purposefully through Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion. 

In your lifetime, how many people have you seen take positions of leadership and then be unseated? People and countries are often shaken by these changes. While some people are hopeful, others are fearful. Of the many assurances the Bible gives us, one is that our Heavenly Father has an eternal reign. He is seated on a throne and there is no person or principality who can unseat Him. Psalm 9:7 assures us, “the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment.”

Forever. Established. Those are comforting words. But what about his throne of judgment? The psalmist explains in verses 8-9. “And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”

Good news. In addition to the comfort of knowing that our Heavenly Father will remain long after our world’s rulers have come and gone, we have the comfort of knowing that He will righteously judge the world and be a stronghold for the oppressed. He is our stronghold, too, in our times of trouble. We can go to him. We can talk things over with Him. What do you need to talk to Him about today? 

Heavenly Father, who ABIDES FOREVER, I give you praise. You have established Your throne and no one can unseat You. Thank you for being a God of equity. Thank you that I can come to you when I’m having trouble. 

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The 365 Days of Praise Daily Devotional is also now available in print. Purchase your copy HERE. 

Have you seen the look in a child’s eyes when they were afraid because they couldn’t see where their parents were? Have you watched that child locate their parents and run to them? Have you heard a child cry for their parent? If so, consider Romans 8:15, which says believers have “received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba Father.” 

Abba Father can be translated from the Greek as “daddy”. So what does Romans 8:15 tell us? It tells us that our relationship with God is like that of a loving father with his child, tender and close. Our Heavenly Father chose to adopt us. Jesus chose to come to earth in human skin so we can see and smell Him. We can watch and learn from Him. We can run to Him. We can feel His embrace. 

Our Heavenly Father and Jesus deeply care for you. 

In a world that sometimes seems indifferent and uncaring, it’s reassuring to know that we have a Heavenly Father. Although we may be afraid at times due to the events in our life, nation, or world, we can look to our Father and be assured that He’s watching out for us and watching over us. 

Heavenly Father, ABBA FATHER, thank You for adopting me as Your child. Help me walk confidently through my day assured that You are with me.

Happy New Year! Would you like to spend more time in God’s Word this year? We have several resources to help you. Check out our shop HERE and our free online Bible studies HERE. 

Do you sometimes wish you were stronger in your convictions and more consistent in your walk with Christ? Do you ever wonder how God could love and forgive you? The answer to our questions is summed up in one word: grace. 

First Peter 5:10 explains: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 

The God of All Grace, who gave His Son to die for our sins, the God of All Grace who ransomed us, the God of All Grace who transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son, that same God of all Grace will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. Praise Him! He hasn’t saved and forgotten us. Rather, “God Himself will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” Personalize that grace-filled promise and say it out loud: 

God Himself will perfect me, confirm me, strengthen me, and establish me. The God of all grace has forgiven my sin through Jesus’ sacrificial death. 

Glory in the grace God has extended to you. Celebrate Christ’s resurrection—proof that God, who called us to His eternal glory in Christ, will by grace, complete what He began in us. Praise the God of all grace. 

GOD OF ALL GRACE, I love and praise you. Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life so I can live eternally in Your glorious presence. Thank You for perfecting, confirming, strengthening, and establishing me. I love You! 

Would you like to experience more grace and peace? Check out Debbie’s Bible study, “Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos” by clicking HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos and podcasts by clicking HERE. 

One blanket. Two blankets. Three blankets. Four. Keith and I sat in front of the fire trying to get warm. The winter storm had brought a temperature of 3 degrees that felt like minus 11. If only we had power and water. We had neither. 

The winter storm continued, and our driveway was too icy to get down. If you’ve lived in an area affected by winter storms, you know how devastating the cold can be, especially if you run out of wood, which happened to us. We couldn’t complain, though. We had a comforter. A comforter that we had once taken for granted, we now deeply appreciated. 

So, too, our spiritual Comforter, who 2 Corinthians 1:3 describes as the God of All Comfort, is a blessing when we are experiencing life’s storms. Yes, when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart, the God of all Comfort comforts us like none other. Why? 

The Greek word for comfort means “to call to one’s side, speak to in the way of exhortation, console, teach.” God gives believers the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. Our Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we blanket our lives with His teachings, the more we’ll know the warmth of His abiding presence.¹ 

Heavenly Father, You are the GOD OF ALL COMFORT. Please comfort those who are suffering. Give them Your wisdom. Strengthen them as only You can. 

Would you like to abide more in the warmth of God’s presence in the New Year? Grab a copy of the 365 Days of Praise Daily Devotional to help you spend more time in God’s presence and learn more about His incredible attributes. Purchase your copy HERE. 

¹ Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, page 67. Copyright Howard Publishing 2006, Debbie Taylor Williams, Monroe, LA

Does life ever seem dull or your days dreary? If so, give yourself a vacation by setting your thoughts on the glorious splendor of the Lord (Psalm 145:5).

“Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:13).“For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,…to rebel against His glorious presence” (Isaiah 3:8).

“…I shall glorify My glorious house” (Isaiah 60:7).

“Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses …” (Isaiah 63:12).

“Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation” (Isaiah 63:15).

“‘But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne” (Matthew 25:31).

“…His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him” (Luke 13:17).

“‘The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the LORD shall come'” (Acts 2:20).

“…strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might” (Colossians 1:11).

Lord Jesus, You, Your name, presence, house, arm, throne, might, and coming Day are GLORIOUS. I rejoice and praise You.

Want to learn more about the glorious day of the Lord? Click HERE to watch a clip from Debbie’s teaching on Acts 2.

Have you been with someone when they died? I was with my mother, father, and mother-in-law when they went to be with Jesus. 

Webster defines death as “the irreversible cessation of all vital functions especially as indicated by the permanent stoppage of the heart, respiration, and brain activity.” 

That is what happened to Jesus as a result of the horrific scourging and crucifixion He suffered. The Roman soldiers who oversaw His death were skilled in their profession. They pronounced Jesus dead. But, as we know and Romans 4:17 explains, God “gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” 

What seemed final when Christ died on the cross was not final. God, who gives life to the dead, gave life to Jesus. Similarly, God has given life to our loved ones who have gone to Him, and He will give life to us after our bodies cease to function. 

How does it make you feel to know that God will give life to you after you die, just like He gave life to Jesus? 

Heavenly Father who GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD, I praise and exalt Your name! Thank You for Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. Thank You for raising my loved ones to eternal life. Thank You for the resurrection life I will one day experience. I love and praise You! 

Want to learn more about Jesus’ resurrection and the eternal implications for us? Watch Debbie’s teaching on John 20 HERE or listen to it HERE.

Do you ever feel like you “can’t breathe” because you have so much weighing on you? Or maybe you’re running so fast through each day you feel like you “can’t catch your breath.” Perhaps you’ve felt like you had “the breath knocked out of you” because of financial, physical, emotional, or relational blows. What can we do if we experience any of these difficulties? We can turn to our Heavenly Father. 

Isaiah 42:5-6 says, “Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it, I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.” 

What comforting words. God gives us His breath and His spirit so we can walk through our day. He holds us by the hand and watches over us. He has appointed us as a light to the nations. 

Our identity, comfort, and purpose are God-breathed. On difficult days when you are trying to “catch your breath,” hold your Bible close to you. Breathe deeply of the Spirit.

Lord, who GIVES BREATH and Your Spirit to me, use me as a light to the nations.

Start your morning by spending time with God before the business of the day begins. The 365 Days of Praise Daily Devotional can serve as a meaningful tool to help you shift your focus to Christ while reflecting on His incredible attributes and faithfulness in your life. Purchase your copy on Amazon by clicking HERE. 

How old were you when you first heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life”? It’s an incredible invitation to every person in the world. Think about it!

• God so loves the world that He took action to save us.
• God sacrificed His Only Begotten Son on our behalf.
• God invites everyone to believe and be saved.
• God promises the gift of eternal life to those who believe in Jesus.

Pray fervently for any unsaved person you know to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be saved. Pray for eyes to see the opportunities God is giving you to share Him with others.

Heavenly Father, thank You for your ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, Jesus Christ. Stir me to draw closer to You and to share You with others. I love You and thank You for the incredible gift of the forgiveness of my sins and salvation in Christ. 

There’s still time to get a copy of the 365 Days of Praise devotional before the first of the New Year! With 365 A-Z attributes of God and heartfelt prayers, it will help deepen your faith and keep you rooted in His Word. You may also consider giving it as a thoughtful gift to a friend to start the year off with encouragement and hope.

Order your copy on Amazon by clicking HERE. Your purchase helps Hill Country Ministries continue spreading the love of Jesus!