365 Days of Praise

When Whims Aren’t Good

03/15/2024

Can you imagine if God ruled by whim, by ever-changing emotions and laws? What if on a whim, God decided to not forgive you? What if on a whim, God changed His mind about who was allowed in heaven?

I think you might agree with me that we’re thankful that is not who God is. Rather, throughout the Bible we are assured that God rules with equity, with evenness, and uprightness, as Psalm 9:1-8 points out.

“I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing the praises of Your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before You. For You have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, You have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. The Lord reigns forever; He has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.”

Heavenly Father, thank You that we don’t have to worry that You rule by whim. Rather, we are assured that You rule with EQUITY. We trust in You.

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I Can’t or I Can

03/14/2024

“I can’t do it!” Have you ever felt that way?

Maybe you feel that way about your job, marriage, eating healthy, or fulfilling a ministry responsibility.

Maybe you know what you need to do, but don’t have the energy or stamina so you say, “I can’t.”

If you feel that way, you’re not alone. I wish I had a penny for every time I’ve felt inadequate or incapable.

When we feel that way, it helps to remember the wonderful truth in Hebrews 13:20-21. God is able. He can equip us. “Now the God of peace, … equip you in every good thing to do His will…”

Yes, when faced with seemingly impossible responsibilities, we may feel that we can’t fulfill them. In those times, we must remember Who is in us and that God can and will equip us to do His will.

We can say as the apostle Paul did, “…not that I am adequate in myself, but my adequacy comes from God,” 2 Corinthians 3:5.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You EQUIP us to do Your will. Help us be mindful of Your presence and yielded to Your Spirit.

Discover the joy of praying more purposefully and living passionately for Christ as He equips you to do His will. Get a copy of Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion HERE. The book can be used as a personal study or a 10-week group study.

 

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Where is God?

03/13/2024

Has a child ever asked you where God is? If so and you were at a loss for words, consider pointing them to Psalm 113:4-5.

“The LORD is high above the nations; His glory is above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high…”

Yes, God’s throne is in heaven, high above the nations and His glory is above the heavens as Psalm 113 tells us.

How can His glory be above the heavens? Doesn’t He dwell in heaven? Yes, but remember that there are three heavens.

The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere and the sky that we see. The second heaven is outer space, where the stars and planets are. The third heaven, where the LORD is enthroned, is beyond our vision. The apostle Paul referred to the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2-3; saying he was caught up to the third heaven where he heard inexpressible words in Paradise and had “surpassing greatness of the revelations.”

God is enthroned on high, yet because He is omnipresent, He is gloriously present everywhere.

Lord, You are gloriously ENTHRONED ON HIGH, yet present with us. We can’t wait to worship You in Paradise.

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When All Else Falls Away, Count On This Enduring

03/12/2024

Do you ever feel like things are changing so quickly, you can barely keep up? In the midst of change, it’s a blessing to know there are some things we can count on staying the same.

Consider the following that you can count on enduring forever.

“The lovingkindness of God endures all day long,” Psalm 52:1.

“Splendid and majestic is His work, and His righteousness endures forever,” Psalm 111:3.

“His praise endures forever,” Psalm 111:10.

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations,” Psalm 145:13.

“His love endures forever,” 1 Chronicles 16:34.

“His Word endures forever,” 1 Peter 1:25.

Perhaps King Nebuchadnezzar summed up God’s enduring nature and reign best when he said, “I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation,” Daniel 4:34.

If you’re looking around and wondering what the future holds, you can rest in the assurance that God’s love, Word, praise, righteousness, and kingdom endure forever.

Heavenly Father, we praise and thank You for Your ENDURING love, praise, righteousness, Word, and kingdom.

Would you like an organized and convenient way to record your praises and prayer requests? Grab a copy of the Prayers of My Heart prayer journal HERE

 

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If You’re Down

03/11/2024

Are you down or discouraged? Do you feel the heaviness of oppression? Do you feel betrayed? If so, the apostle Paul can relate. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 he recounts what he experienced while serving Christ.

“In far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.”

After reading Paul’s experiences you may wonder how Paul continued day after day. We find his answer in Romans 15:5.

“Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement…”

There we have it. Paul knew Jesus as One who gives perseverance and encouragement. We can, too, by going to Jesus in prayer, opening our Bibles, and hearing from Him.

Lord Jesus, You are a God of ENCOURAGEMENT. Help us keep our eyes on You and our ears open to Your encouragement so we persevere in a way that glorifies You as Paul did.

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If You’re Looking for Supreme

03/10/2024

When we go to the first way God is identified in Genesis 1:1, we find these words. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The Hebrew word for God is Elohim.

Scholar Charles Ryrie explains that Elohim is “a generic term for deity as well as a proper name for the true god. Its basic meaning is ‘strong one, mighty leader, supreme Deity.’ The form of the word is plural, indicating plentitude of power and majesty and allowing for the New Testament revelation of the triunity of the Godhead.” 1

What are we first told about God, Elohim, the supreme Deity of eternity?

Genesis 1:1-4, 27 – He created the heavens and the earth. He created man in His own image; male and female.

Genesis 2:8-9 – Elohim planted a garden and caused every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food to grow.

Genesis 2:16-17 Elohim commanded Adam, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat; for in the day you eat of it you will die.”

Genesis 3:21 God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve to cloth their nakedness after they sinned and were ashamed.

Elohim, God is the supreme ruler. In His holiness and mercy He has made a provision for our salvation through Jesus Christ.

GOD, ELOHIM, we bow in worship and praise of You, for how You have revealed Your majesty to us, for how You’ve reached down and saved us, for how You will raise us up to be in Your presence one day. It is with utmost reverence we worship You.

1 Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update (Chicago: Moody Press, 2008), 2057.

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Where to “Hang Out”

03/09/2024

Where is “home” to you; the place where you or the one with whom you “hang out” and find comfort, love, and purpose?

If you didn’t say the Lord, you’re missing out. Why?

Deuteronomy 33:27 says God is a dwelling place.

Psalm 91:9 tells us, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

Jesus said in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”

Again, in John 15:7, Jesus explained, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Jesus affirmed the gift of being close to Him when He said, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love,” John 15:9.

John writes that we are to “abide in Jesus, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming,” 1 John 2:28.

Yes, we are to be with, dwell with, abide with, hang out with Jesus as we would a dearest family member or closest friend.

Lord, what a gift for You to be a DWELLING PLACE where we can dwell and abide. We love You.

Want to learn more about about abiding in Jesus and bearing good fruit? Watch Debbie’s teaching on John 15 by clicking HERE.

 

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Knock, Knock

03/08/2024

How would you describe yourself? Would you ever use “door” to describe yourself? I certainly wouldn’t. But Jesus did.

In John 10:9, He said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved…”

Why would Jesus describe Himself as a door?

He wants us to know that there is an “outside” of heaven and an “inside” of heaven. Heaven is a place, and we are “outside” until we go “into” heaven through Jesus.

Make no mistake. Everyone will not live “in” heaven. Only those who enter through Jesus will be in heaven.

Our Heavenly Father sends a personal invitation to everyone to enter eternal life in heaven through Jesus who paid our entrance fee by dying on the cross for our sins. Knocking on the door is not required. Repenting of sin and confessing Jesus as Lord is.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being the DOOR through whom we can enter heaven and live eternally.

Would you like to learn more about Jesus being the door to eternal life in Heaven? Watch Debbie’s teaching on John 10 by clicking HERE.

 

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Ho-Hum or DIVINE?

03/07/2024

Divine. We often use the word casually. “The cake is divine!” “It was a divine vacation.” However, 2 Peter 1:3-4 uses the word “divine” in relation to God’s power and nature saying, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

Peter continues, “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

These are incredible truths for us to grasp. Christ’s divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. Christ has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises so that by them we may become partakers of the divine nature.

In other words, God’s intention is for us to live by His divine nature; not live a ho-hum or defeated life. Believers have God’s divine power through the Holy Spirit and God’s divine promises in the Bible. Are we living by them?

Lord Jesus, DIVINE Holy One, thank You for Your divine power through the Holy Spirit and for Your divine precious and magnificent promises. We worship and adore You.

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. 

 

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Feast Your Eyes On This Crown

03/06/2024

Throughout time, people have sat on thrones and worn diadems. Some leaders have worn their crowns well and brought honor to their people. Others have brought shame. The latter was the case with the chief tribe of the Northern Kingdom of Israel at the time of Isaiah, the prophet.

In Isaiah 28:5, he contrasted the leaders who wore crowns of shame with the LORD Jehovah, saying, “In that day the LORD of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people.”

Herbert Lockyer expounds on the LORD being a crown of beauty. 1

“What a charming combination Isaiah gives us of Jehovah renowned for His luster and loveliness. A “crown of glory” is fitting for Him who is the “King of Glory,” and whose righteousness is “radiant with excess of glory” (2 Corinthians 3:9-11). In the crown, there sparkles His excellence, worth, sovereignty and glory. Truly, He is incomparable! In Jesus’ intercessory prayer, Jesus prayed that His God-given glory might adorn our lives (John 17:22).”

In our society where leaders are not always honorable, how wonderful that our king, the Lord God, is a CROWN of BEAUTY.

Lord Jesus, crown of glory, DIADEM of BEAUTY, we worship You.

1 Copyright Herbert Lockyer, “All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible,” page 80, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1975.

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