365 Days of Praise
Dead…but God
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.
God has given life to our loved ones who have gone to Him.
God will give life to us after our body ceases 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, we praise and exalt Your name! Thank You for Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. Thank You for raising our loved ones to eternal life. Thank You for the resurrection life we will one day experience. We love and praise You!
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When You Can’t Catch Your Breath
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.”
Have you ever felt 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 the above?
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.
In difficult days when you are trying to “catch your breath,” hold your Bible close to you. Breathe deeply of the Spirit.
LORD, thank You for GIVING BREATH and Your Spirit to me. Use me as a light to the nations.
Do you feel like you’ve had the breath knocked out of you due to life’s disappointments and unmet expectations? Get a copy of The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World to discover how to take charge of your thoughts and let God reignite your hopes and dreams.
Could You Use Some Gentleness to Pass to Others?
When you think of Jesus, do you think of Him as being gentle?
In Matthew 11:29, it’s one of the ways He describes Himself. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
What does Christ mean when He says He is gentle? The Greek word for gentle is defined as mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness. I once heard it defined as “power under control.”
Although I don’t fully understand this great combination of attributes, I see them in my husband. Keith has great strength of character, yet he stoops down to pick a tiny flower amidst a field of grass in order to gently hand it to me on our walks.
Christ, while holding infinite power, has a gentle heart toward us.
Jesus tells us to walk closely with Him and learn from Him.
Who in your circle of friends or family needs to see Christ’s gentleness in you? To the degree we walk closely to Christ we’ll be able to walk in gentleness with others.
Lord Jesus, You are strong yet GENTLE. Help us walk by Your Spirit and show gentleness to others as You do with us.
God has so many wonderful attributes that we can praise Him for! The Prayers of My Heart prayer journal is a great way to record your praises and prayers. Grab a copy HERE while it’s on sale!
Passing Person or Proven Jesus?
Who are you counting on to guarantee you go to heaven when you die? Are you depending on yourself? Are you depending on another person? Or, are you relying on Jesus as your Savior?
I hope you said Jesus. Why? Because we’re all going to die one day and Jesus warns us that He alone is the way to eternal life in heaven. John 14:6
In spite of the fact some people claim that there are many ways to heaven, Jesus says not so; describing Himself as the gate into heaven.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it,” Matthew 7:13-14.
We are responsible for who we believe, a person or the eternal resurrected Lord Jesus.
I choose to believe and follow the One who demonstrated His heavenly love and power rather than believe and follow a person who teaches things contrary to the Word of God. What about you?
LORD Jesus, we praise You, the GATE by whom we can enter into heaven and be saved.
To learn more about Jesus as the gate to eternal life in heaven, watch Debbie’s teaching on John 14 HERE or listen to it HERE.
Friends, If….
What makes a friend? How would you define “friend“?
Urban Dictionary defines “friend” as “someone you love and who loves you, someone you respect and who respects you, someone you trust and who trusts you. A friend is honest and makes you want to be honest. A friend is loyal.”
Merriam-Webster defines “friend” as “one attached to another by affection or esteem.”
How did Jesus define “friend”?
We find the answer in John 15:14 when He said, “You are My friends if you do what I command you.”
Jesus’ definition cuts through any pretense. It’s not what we say or sing. It’s what we do that demonstrates if we love, respect, and trust Jesus.
Has Jesus earned our love, trust, and respect? Most certainly.
Does Jesus deserve our love, trust, and respect? Without question.
If we are or are not Jesus’ friend is found out by our actions – whether we obey or disobey Him.
What better time than now for us to show Jesus how much we love Him by obeying Him?
Jesus Christ, wonderful Savior, and FRIEND, we pray to show You that we are Your friend by our obedience to You.
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What’s Your Fragrance these Days
Do you enjoy pleasant fragrances? Did you know that God does, too? Did you know you can be a pleasant fragrance to God?
Ephesians 5:2 explains how we can be a sweet aroma. Paul writes, “…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” Christ’s sacrificial love and life were a fragrant aroma to God. In like manner, we can walk in love, sacrificially, and be a sweet aroma to God.
What if we haven’t been walking in sacrificial love, but rather been selfish or unloving? We can acknowledge our sin, repent, and be filled with the sweet Spirit of Christ.
When writing my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, I used my daughter’s puppy as an example of how we carry the fragrance of whatever we hold close to our hearts.
Bailey, her puppy, had a distinct puppy odor. After holding her one day, I noticed her odor remained on me. It wasn’t pleasant so I showered and changed clothes. Just like a dog has an odor, sin has an odor. If we’re clinging to a “pet” sin or living for ourselves rather than sacrificially for God, He gets a whiff of our selfishness.
What can we do to rid ourselves of the unpleasant odor of sin? Change, as I changed my clothes. Put the sin aside. Bathe in God’s forgiveness and grace. Serve the Lord and you will be a sweet aroma to Him and others.
Christ Jesus, we praise You for walking in love and giving Yourself as an offering and sacrifice to God; a FRAGRANT AROMA. Help us be a fragrance of You to God and others.
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Firstborn From the Dead
Some time ago I went to a funeral where we celebrated the life of a dear woman who went to be with the Lord. Why were we able to celebrate her life even though we were sad she was no longer with us? We could celebrate her life because we knew she was with Christ, who Colossians 1:18 describes as “the beginning, the Firstborn from the Dead.”
Firstborn from the Dead. How can Jesus be called that? Didn’t He resurrect people to life? Weren’t the graves opened and people rose when Jesus died on the cross and the veil in the temple was torn?
Yes, Jesus raised people from the dead and yes, the tombs were opened and people raised when He died. However, those who had been resurrected died again. Jesus is called the firstborn from the dead because He was the first to rise in a resurrection body, never to die again.
In Revelation 1:4-5, John also referred to Jesus as the firstborn of the dead. “Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”
Later, in Revelation 1:12-20, John saw the resurrected Lord. He heard Jesus speak. As a result, John “fell at His feet like a dead man” so shocking it was to see Jesus in glory.
The Firstborn from the Dead is alive and well as you will be when you join Him in glory.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, the FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD and thank You that we, too, will be alive forever.
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Hell on Earth
“Hell on earth” is a phrase people sometimes use to describe a horrible place or time they’re experiencing. No doubt the Jews felt that way in Nazi concentration camps. So can a spouse who is in an abusive marriage. Or an employee who has a relentless boss. Might a Christian feel that way when principalities of evil are rampant? Yes.
Ephesians 6:12 says Christians struggle against rulers, powers, world forces of darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Too often, though, we may not recognize the forces at play in our lives. We go to church, read our Bible, and try to live a good Christian life. Then something horrible happens or perhaps is ongoing. All we see is what is visible to our eyes.
When the apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos for his faith, Jesus brought perspective and encouragement to him. Consider His words, “‘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 1:17-18.
What you are experiencing today may feel like hell on earth, but it is temporary. Jesus is the First and the Last. He has the keys of death and Hades and is locking Satan away. He has the last word. You will live eternally in glory with the LORD.
Lord Jesus, the FIRST AND THE LAST, You reign supreme and Your Word is the final word. Thank You for ending Satan’s reign on earth one day. Thank You for eternal, glorious life with You.
Would you like more grace and peace in your life? Peace with God? Peace with others? Watch Debbie’s teaching on 1 Peter 1 HERE or listen to it HERE.
Who Is the Father of Spirits?
Father of Spirits. Are you familiar with this title of God? We don’t often hear it. More often in prayer groups we hear praises of God as the Way, Truth, and Life; of Him being Sovereign and Healer.
However, in Hebrews 12:9, the author uses the designation Father of Spirits. “We had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of Spirits and live?”
What is meant by Father of Spirits?
Although some commentators mention a possible reference to God’s creation of angels, far more agree it is a reference to God being the father – creator – of people’s souls. We find a similar reference in this regard in Numbers 16:22. “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?” God of the spirits of all flesh is a reference to God’s creation of mankind.
There is a most important aspect to God being referred to as the Father of Spirits in Hebrews 12:9. The passage goes on to explain that as earthly fathers discipline their children, the Father of Spirits disciplines His children. Who are His children? Those who have been born again, (John 3:3) of the Holy Spirit; who are new creations. Galatians 6:15
The Father of Spirits gives us a new birth. He then assumes responsibility for disciplining us so we share in His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10) What a wonderful Father of Spirits we have!
FATHER OF SPIRITS, thank You for giving us a new birth with Your Spirit and disciplining us so we share Your holiness. We love You and pray we reflect well on You, our Father.
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You Look A Lot Like Our Heavenly Father
Have you ever needed someone to extend mercy to you? You did something wrong, thoughtless, or perhaps careless. You felt bad and desired forgiveness. You asked to be forgiven. What if their heart was hardened and they said no? And how horrible it would be if our Heavenly Father refused to forgive us.
Quite the opposite, 2 Corinthians 1:3 tells us that God is the Father of Mercies. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER OF MERCIES and God of all comfort.”
Mercy flows from our Father. It’s His nature. He is the original transmitter of mercy. So when you go to a Christian sister or brother and ask forgiveness and they extend mercy, they are a reflection of their Father – the Father of Mercies.
The good news doesn’t stop with God being a transmitter of mercy and our Christian brothers and sisters being transmitters of mercy. The good news is we can be transmitters of mercy also, reflections of our Father.
In today’s culture, it can be easy sometimes for a person to be offended. They may hold grudges and not want to forgive or extend mercy. However, what a precious opportunity it is for believers to show mercy as our Heavenly Father does. Let’s make it a point to do this well.
FATHER of MERCIES, thank You for extending mercy to us. May we be quick to extend mercy to others and reflect well on You.
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