365 Days of Praise

Do you ever feel weak or like you can’t go on? If so, remember Psalm 28:6-7 that comforts us with the reminder that the LORD is, in addition to many things, our strength. “Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.”

“I am helped.” What great words David, the psalmist, said. He was helped. You can be helped, also. You don’t have to do this thing called life – being an employer, spouse, parent, widow, single person, or bread winner alone. You may be weak but God is your strength. 

God is your strength, but did you notice a key to David experiencing God as his strength? He said, “My heart trusts in Him and I am helped.”

Does your heart trust in God? If so, you can say with David, “The Lord is my strength. My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.”

A person with a trusting heart may not know how they will get through their day or night; but they know God is with them and will give them the strength for whatever they face. 

Is your heart trusting in the Lord in the midst of your circumstance? 

Will you pray today, “Lord, You are my strength. My heart trusts in You.”

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always present and no matter how weak I feel, You are my STRENGTH. I trust in You, Lord.  

Are you looking for some more encouragement and Biblical teachings? Listen to Debbie’s podcasts on Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or Podbean!

Have you ever felt disturbed or shaken by circumstances in your life or the world around you? Maybe you were blindsided by the death of a loved one, a sudden job loss, or a diagnosis. Perhaps the everyday stressors and pressures of life, combined with troubling conditions in parts of our nation and world, have left you feeling unsettled. Where can we turn in times of uncertainty and instability? We can look, as always, to the Lord. 

Isaiah 33:5-6 says, “The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is his treasure.” 

At the time Isaiah spoke these words, God’s people were facing a serious threat from a treacherous nation and enemy who was bringing about unprovoked destruction. This threat and devastation caused God’s people to feel unstable and terrified. However, Isaiah declared that the Lord would be their stability. He would provide salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. 

Just as the Lord was the much needed stability for theIsraelites, He is also the needed stability of our times. He is the firm foundation on which we can stand in times of uncertainty, trouble, loss, and devastation. Being a Christian doesn’t mean we’re immune to trials and troubles in this life. Christ suffered while on earth. However, we can rest assured that if we look to God in obedience and reverence, He will stabilize us with His salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. 

Lord, You are the STABILITY OF OUR TIMES. Thank You that I can look to You as my firm foundation when I feel shaken by my circumstances or the world around me. Help me fully trust You and walk in obedience to Your teachings. 

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Do you know all that God has prepared for you in eternity? The answer is “no, we don’t know.” 

First Corinthians 2:9 says, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Does it bless your heart to recognize that although earthly days may be rough, God has prepared a future beyond our imagination? 

First Corinthians 2:10-12 goes on to explain that no one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit.

“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.”

The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to Christians. Know Him. Listen to Him. Love and adore Him, for He is the Spirit of Christ abiding in you.

Heavenly Father, Your gift to me of the SPIRIT WHO SEARCHES ALL THINGS, is the most amazing gift. Thank You! Help me faithfully walk by Your Spirit.

Would you like to learn more about being led by God’s Spirit and become better equipped to discern God’s voice? Listen to this podcast teaching by Debbie: Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.

The truth. When listening to the news do you ever long for the truth? When questioning a child, have you ever doubted their words and said, “Tell me the truth.” If a person has lied to you once, do you wonder when they tell you something if it’s the truth? 

How refreshing that in John 16:13 Jesus tells us we can trust God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. There’s not a lie in God’s holy body, Word, or Spirit.

“But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).

Since the Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), we can trust it is the truth—the eternal truth that does not change. 

When we wonder if we should do things our way, the world’s way, or God’s way, we have the answer. Believe God, the Spirit of Truth. Follow the Spirit of Truth. Obey the Spirit of Truth.

Lord God, how refreshing that I can wholeheartedly trust You, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH! 

Our key verse today is John 16:13. Watch all of Debbie’s teaching on John 16 HERE or listen to it HERE. 

So what do you think of the Speaker of the House? Oh, I’m not talking about the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. I’m referring to the Speaker of God’s House, the Speaker of Righteousness, as Isaiah 45:19 describes the LORD.

“I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land…I, the Lord, speak righteousness, declaring things that are upright” (Isaiah 45:19).

How wonderful that we have a Speaker of the House who is a Speaker of Righteousness. While reading the Bible, we hear His righteous voice. As citizens of His Kingdom, we can ponder and practice the ways our Speaker of Righteousness tells us to live. 

The LORD is not a silent God. He speaks through His Word. He speaks into our hearts and minds through His Spirit. 

Are we listening to the Speaker of our House?

Are we sharing the Speaker of Righteousness’ words with others?

Thank You, Lord, SPEAKER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. May I listen to and follow Your voice above all others. May I faithfully share You with others in my sphere of influence. 

One of the ways Hill Country Ministries shares what God has spoken is through our ministry pages on Facebook and Instagram. They are “microphones” we use to “go out into the world” as Jesus tells us to do. When you “Like” our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram, it increases Christ’s, our Speaker’s, reach. 

I’d love your thoughts on Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 6:13-16. He says, “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, …that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time.”

What are your thoughts on his charge to Timothy? 

The reason I ask is that some people say Christians are free of the Law and commandments because we live in a period of grace. I agree we live by God’s grace, but what about the charge to “keep the commandment without stain or reproach”? Could it be that although we’re saved by grace, God expects us to act like His children?

Paul’s next words reflect his amazement, honor, and worship of the resurrected Jesus Christ.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion!”

Paul’s words and life bring praise to Jesus. Should not our lives and words also bring praise and glory to Jesus? In what way does your life bring praise and glory to Jesus? 

Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed and only SOVEREIGN, I believe in You. Increase my praise and worship of You. Prompt in me ways that my life and words can bring You praise.  

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.

As I read through God’s Word, I am amazed at not only the ways the Father, Son, and Spirit are revealed but also through whom the revelations are made. 

For instance, In Mark 14:61, it was the high priest who asked Jesus if He was the Son of the Blessed One. However, in Luke 8:28, it was a demon who acknowledged Jesus as Son of the Most High God.

“Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me’” (Luke 8:28).

The high priest didn’t recognize Jesus, but a demon did; calling Him the Son of the Most High God. His statement could not be more true. There are numerous gods, which is why God commands us, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). But there is one Most High God and Jesus is His Son. It’s important we get this right. The demons do.

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the all-powerful, holy SON OF THE MOST HIGH GOD. Forgive me when I treat You casually and don’t honor You as I should. Quicken my heart and mind to worship and honor You above anyone or anything. 

In John 1:29, Jesus is revealed through John the Baptist, who acknowledged Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” To watch all of Debbie’s teaching on John 1, click HERE. To listen to her teaching, click HERE. 

Things aren’t always as they appear. Just you wait and see. For instance, Jesus had no earthly possessions, wasn’t married, and when arrested, His friends abandoned Him. He was lied about, mocked, and beaten almost to death before being crucified.

It would appear that Jesus was defeated in the worst of ways. However, in Mark 14:61-62 notice Jesus’ response to the high priest’s question, “‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’” 

Jesus responded, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, AND COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”

“I am the Son of the Blessed One,” Jesus said. We can almost hear what He may have been thinking, “Just you wait and see.” 

When we think about our lives or circumstances and it doesn’t seem like, feel like, or look like we are the “blessed child of God,” remember that is who you are, child of God. Things aren’t always as they appear. Just you wait and see.

Heavenly Father, I praise You for Christ, SON OF THE BLESSED ONE, and for bringing me to salvation through Him so that now I am also Your blessed child.

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Have you ever been lost? Perhaps you took a wrong turn on a road and didn’t know how to get to your desired destination. As bad as that is, what’s worse is to be spiritually lost which is how Jesus describes us prior to our salvation. As a matter of fact, we were so lost that there was no one who could help us except Jesus.

In Luke 19:10, Jesus describes Himself as the Son of Man who came to seek and to save the lost. 

Jesus left heaven’s glory to come and do what no one else could do. 

Through the virgin birth, by the Holy Spirit, Jesus the Son of Man, was born to seek and to save our lost souls so we could be reunited with our Heavenly Father. 

What good news! Is there someone we need to look for as Jesus did; someone with whom we can share the good news?

All praise to You, Lord Jesus, Son of God, SON OF MAN. Thank You for seeking and saving me. Rouse me to do as You did—seek the lost and share the good news of salvation with them. 

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