Beyond Ourselves Podcast
Do You Wish You Had More Support
Do you ever wish you had more support at work? Perhaps you wish you had support parenting your children. Or, you may wish you had a supportive spouse or friend. I remember a night long ago when I realized that God was my SUPPORT. I was in a position where no one could help me. It wasn’t that they wouldn’t. It was that I had to go through something by myself. I was lonely and didn’t know what to do. It was just God and me. Guess what. I found that I wasn’t without help. God was with me. He was my SUPPORT. As 2 Samuel 22:19 says, “They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my SUPPORT.” If you’re looking for support today and don’t have it, look to God to fill the spot. He won’t fail you.
Lord God, thank You for being our SUPPORT. When no one else is there, or even if they are, You are the ultimate SUPPORT we need.
Please LIKE my Ministry Page HERE. When you do, it helps us spread the Word and love of Jesus.
If You’re Struggling with Darkness
As the sun rises in the east and brings light to the world, so, Zacharias prophesied in Luke 1:78 that Jesus would bring light to the world; calling Him the “dayspring from on high.” Listen to his words, “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.” Jesus, the Dayspring of heaven, visited earth and brought heaven’s glorious light to our dark world. What light? The light of His glory. The light of His Holy Spirit enlightening our hearts. The light of His Words showing us the path of truth. The light of His radiance purifying us of our sin. The light of His presence energizing us. If you’re struggling with the darkness, ask the Dayspring from on high to rise and shine in your heart.
DAYSPRING from ON HIGH, we confess that in our world, the darkness can feel heavy. We confess we need Your light to purify us of our sin and to shine on the path we’re to go. Thank You.
If You Want Joy
God is interested in us. He wants us to bear fruit. As a matter of fact, He designed us to bear fruit. In John 15:1-2 Jesus explains our relationship to Him in this way, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the VINEDRESSER. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” Why does God prune the dead, fruitless branches from us and watch to see if we’re bearing fruit? A fruitful life brings Him glory and us joy. I didn’t understand that until I planted a garden several years ago. Then, I understood the joy of seeing a branch bear a flower and then fruit. God, is our VINEDRESSER. He watches us every day and He prunes away that which is unproductive so we can bear more glorious fruit. Certainly the apple, peach, or tomato that reaches peak ripeness is the most flavorful and delicious. Do you feel the pressure of the Father’s pruning shears on you? If so, that is proof of His love and presence in your life. Rather than resist His touch, be glad that He is near and yield to His touch so you bear more fruit and joy.
Lord, You are the VINEDRESSER. We praise You that You care about us and want us to be productive Christians. Prune us so we bear much fruit that glorifies You.
Please keep in mind the value of giving an inspirational book to those on your Christmas shopping list. Order Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion and Prayers of My Heart prayer journal here: www.debbietaylorwilliams.com/shoppe.
When What You Want is Different from What God Wants
Friends, I’m so honored to be a contributor to The Christian Post. Please take a glance and pray readers take it to heart.
There are times we’re called to do something we’d prefer not to do it. Perhaps for you, it’s a medical procedure. For a tired mom, it may be changing another diaper. A worker may wish they could stay in bed rather than go to work. Then, there are those excruciatingly painful occasions when we may be called to help with an intervention, or change the lock on a door to keep an abusive person out of the home. But, only one person has known the great sacrifice of dying on the cross so mankind could be saved. Jesus asked His Father for a way other than the cross, but when it was the only way, submitted His will to His Father. Is there something you don’t want to do or perhaps want to do that is contrary to God’s will? What will you do…what your Heavenly Father asks of you or what you prefer to do?
Lord Jesus, thank You for modeling being submissive to the Father’s will for the ultimate good of all. We love and praise You.
“He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’” Matthew 26:39
When You Want to Run Away, Go Here
Do you ever want to run away from the evil in our world or perhaps wish you could run away from your own wayward thoughts? If so, go to God, who David likens to a STRONGHOLD. In Biblical times, a stronghold was a high place, a place of retreat, and for many years, it was David’s safe house. In 2 Samuel 22:3, after the Lord saved him from Saul, David pens these words of praise, “My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my STRONGHOLD and my refuge.” Do we know God as our stronghold? If not, He invites us to come to Him. He is high and lifted up. We can flee our fears, wayward thoughts, and the fiery darts of Satan by retreating to Him in prayer.
Lord God, we praise You, our STRONGHOLD. Thank You that we can retreat into Your presence.
Are You Poor or Wealthy
Many times our search for wealth comes up short. Have you found that to be true? The all powerful dollar is held before us as the “end all” we should seek, but Jesus tells us the opposite; that we’re to lay up treasure in heaven. The wealth that should be our goal is best summed up in Isaiah 33:6. Listen to how Isaiah describes the Lord in terms of wealth. “And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is his treasure.” So the question is, are you poor or wealthy? God’s estimation is that if you have Him, you have a wealth of salvation and a wealth of wisdom and knowledge. Wouldn’t it be a shame if we lived like paupers when we have great treasure in the Lord?
Lord, You are a WEALTH of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. Thank You for all we have in You!
FIND MORE encouragement HERE. Record God’s daily descriptions in Prayers of My Heart.
Is There Anyone You Can Trust?
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. So when we question or wonder if we should do things our way or God’s way, the world’s ways or God’s way, we have the answer. Believe the Spirit of Truth. Follow the SPIRIT OF TRUTH. Obey the SPIRIT OF TRUTH.
Lord God, how refreshing that we can wholeheartedly trust You, the SPIRIT of TRUTH!
“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
What Song Are You Singing
Are you dragging through your day singing the blues? If so, that can change. Yes, we have a choice what music or songs we play in our head and to what songs we walk through our day. In Exodus 15:2 , Moses tells us the music he walked to. Listen to his words, “The Lord is my strength and SONG, and He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him…” The word “song” in this verse can mean “music” or “melody.” In effect, Moses says, “The Lord is my melody. He’s the music to which I walk through my day.” What music or words play in your head throughout the day? Make the choice to tune your heart to the God channel in the morning and walk through your day singing His praises. Can’t think of a song? How about “Jesus Loves Me”? What better song to walk to through our day?
Heavenly Father, Thank You for being the SONG to which we can walk through our day. We love You!
CLICK HERE for more encouragement in your WALK with GOD!
We’d Better Get this Right
Are you reading each Beyond Ourselves – 365 DAY of PRAISE? Are you as amazed as I am at not only the ways the Father, Son, and Spirit are revealed; but also through whom the revelation is made? The high priest asked Jesus if He was the Son of the Blessed One. But the one who acknowledged Jesus as SON of the MOST HIGH GOD was a demon. Luke 8:28 records this about the demon’s encounter with Jesus. “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.’” A demon recognized Jesus as the Son of the Most High God. His statement is clear. There are numerous gods in the world; which is why GOD commands us, “You shall have no other gods before ME.” But there is one ultimate 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 us when we treat You casually and don’t honor You as we should. Quicken our hearts and minds to give You honor over and above all else.
Lost and Found
Have you ever been lost? Perhaps you took a wrong turn in the 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. 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 – us. In other words, Jesus left heaven’s glory to come for us. Jesus did what no one else could do. Through the virgin birth of Mary by the Holy Spirit, Jesus was born, the Son of Man, to seek and to save our lost souls so we could be reunited to our Heavenly Father. What good news. Is there someone we need to go looking for, someone with whom we could share the good news and invite them to church with us?
All praise to You, Lord Jesus, Son of God, SON of MAN, for seeking and saving us when we were lost. We love and adore You.
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10