Beyond Ourselves
Beyond Our Comprehension
Did you know that God distinguishes between when we unintentionally sin and when we intentionally sin? Yes, He notices. Yet regardless of whether we intentionally or unintentionally sinned, God forgives us on the basis of Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross for our sins. Isaiah 53:10 explains the magnitude of God’s love which is beyond our comprehension. “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him (Jesus), putting Him to grief; if He (Jesus) would render Himself as a GUILT OFFERING…” Christ laid down His life as a GUILT OFFERING so that we might receive His righteousness. What a wonderful Heavenly Father and Son!
Heavenly Father and Jesus, we praise You for satisfying our sin debt by Jesus being our GUILT OFFERING. Your love is beyond our comprehension.
When You Don’t Know What to Do
Have you ever felt lost about what to do? I have. Probably one of the most difficult times was when I was 29 years old and received a letter from M.D. Anderson saying I had stage 1a ovarian cancer. The oncologist we selected agreed that a second opinion would be good. When we did, the second pathologist said it was not cancer. Our doctor’s advice was to treat it on the basis of M.D. Anderson’s diagnosis. We had one child but wanted more children. If we followed M.D. Anderson’s advice, I’d return to the hospital and have a hysterectomy. My husband and I didn’t know what to do. Isaiah 42:16 says “I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will GUIDE them.” God is our guide to eternal life, but He’s also our guide for daily life. When we pray, which is what Keith and I did along with many family and friends who prayed for us, God guided us and we felt at peace about what we should do. Difficult, stressful, knee-buckling, tearful times occur, but in each and every one of them we are not alone. Our Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit are present to guide us. Look to them. Follow them. Be assured they love you.
Thank You, Lord, for being ever-present with us and for being our daily GUIDE. Guide all who are searching to follow Your will.
Please pray for my dear friend, Debbie Anderson, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer – for God’s healing, peace, and comfort. Thank you.
Will You Trust Your Prayers to God
Are you hurting, struggling, or stressed? If so, are you crying out to God? That’s what David models for us to do. Psalm 86:10 records his words, “You are GREAT and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.” His words are not mindlessly spoken. Rather, they are heartfelt and spoken in the midst of his afflictions and needs. When David says, “You are great and do wondrous deeds,” he is professing his trust in God’s GREATNESS. He is looking at the heavens and saying, “You alone are God. I know nothing is too difficult for You. I know You can help, so do!” Today, we can re-affirm our faith in God’s GREATNESS. We can pray the words David prayed. Join me in praying for our nation to turn to God during this time of national crisis and that His will be accomplished. Pray for the needs on your heart. Believe that your great God hears you. Walk out your belief with a hopeful heart. He does hear you and He loves you so very much.
Heavenly Father, we believe in Your greatness. We know You see us and hear our prayers. Please forgive our sins, for ways we have strayed from faithfully loving You and following You. Show us the way You want us to walk. Increase our hunger to daily study the Bible so we walk in Your will. We love You.
Have You Ever Wished You Had Someone to…
Have you ever wished you had someone to watch your back? Or, better, to watch over your soul – your mind, emotions, and will? The fact is, believers have that person in Jesus. First Peter 2:25 tells us “…you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” When doing research for my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion about God being the guardian of our soul, I discovered that the word “guardian” is translated from the Greek word episkopos and means an “overseer, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things done by another are done rightly.” (page 98) What a blessing for us to have God as the Guardian of our souls!
God assumes responsibility for being the Guardian of our soul, but it is our responsibility to tune into Him and follow what He tells us to do both in the Bible and when the Holy Spirit prompts us during the day.
Begin each day prayerfully greeting God and lifting up your soul to Him. Invite Him to overwhelm your soul with His Spirit. Then, pay attention to the Spirit’s prompts and follow them throughout the day. You know how I much value recording each of God’s attributes in my journal every morning…such as “Guardian of My Soul” today. In addition, I stay in God’s presence with pen in hand and write in my journal how God prompts me to pray and make notes of what He stirs my heart to do that day. If you haven’t yet tried journaling or tried it in the past and stopped, give it a try again. It can change your life because you will experience the Guardian of Your Soul watching over you and guiding you as never before. Prayers of My Heart Journal
Quick Start Video 7 Benefits of Journaling Slideshow Why We Love It
LORD, thank You for being the GUARDIAN of our souls. Help us be ever sensitive to Your Word and will.
Do You Know What It Is to Be Greatly Loved
Many people do not know what it means to be loved. But we do. We are the recipients of God and Jesus’s great lovingkindness towards us. Psalm 145:8 clearly states their great love, “The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.” Say those words out loud. Personalize them.
“God is slow to anger with me. God is GREAT IN LOVINGKINDNESS toward me. God the Father has proved it by sending Jesus to earth to atone for my sins. Jesus has proved His great love for me by dying on the cross.”
God is slow to anger. God is great in lovingkindness. Praise Him! Serve Him. Tell others.
LORD, we rejoice in and are humbled by Your GREAT LOVINGKINDNESS!
Good News for People with a Bad Taste In Their Mouth
Have you ever had a “bad taste in your mouth” after experiencing something unpleasant? Many today would say, “yes.” Many are going through life with a “bad taste” in their mouth. They’re “fed up” with the news. They can’t “stomach” another …..whatever. That’s where followers of Christ come in. Second Timothy 2:21 describes believers as vessels. As Christ’s vessel we have the opportunity to “serve” the Lord’s love and Word to those who are spiritually hungry. Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is GOOD; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Many are starving for some good in their lives. Will you serve Christ’s goodness, mercy, and love to them? If you’re not sure how, Discovering His Passion will show you how Christ engaged people in spiritual conversations and how you can, too. Believe – Know Jesus as Savior is a link you can share in an email or text. God is GOOD. Let’s share the good news of His GOODNESS with others.
LORD, You are GOOD! Help us be available vessels who share Your WORD and LOVE with others.
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.” Merrian-Webster defines “friend” as “one attached to another by affection or esteem.” Jesus defines a friend in John 15:14 this way. “You are My FRIENDS if you do what I command you.” Jesus’s 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 respect? Most certainly. Does Jesus deserve our love? Undoubtably. Do we trust Jesus? That question is answered 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, stir our hearts to want nothing more than to obey You.
Whoo Hoo!
Thank you to all who prayed that 365 Days of Praise would get up and running after our website update. Your continued prayers for my ministry and the opportunities God has placed before us is much appreciated! Remember to pray for the women at the Lockhart Faith Dorm who are studying my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion. What an exciting opportunity for these 50 women’s lives to be transformed before their release and return to their families.
“…is God the God of the Jews only? Is He not the God of the Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.” Romans 3:29.
Whoo Hoo! And I don’t say that lightly. A thunderous applause should erupt upon hearing that God is not only the God of the Jews. He is also the God of those who are not born a Jew but who have placed their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. Gentiles, friends who are not born a Jew, if you are a Christian you have been grafted into the promises God made to Abraham. Have you given hearty praise to God for including you in His plan of eternal salvation? You are not going down in the flame. You are going up to the glorious presence of the Lord God Almighty and Son Jesus Christ.
GOD of the GENTILES, we praise You for including us in the blessings and inheritance of the Jews.
God Himself Will…for You
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. “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 by the sacrificial death of Jesus.
Now glory in this truth. 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. Thank You for calling me to eternal glory in Christ. Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life so I can live eternally in Your glorious presence. Thank You, God of all grace, for perfecting, confirming, strengthening, and establishing me in Christ Jesus. I love You!
You Are Mistaken If You Think God is the God of the Dead
Jesus is the one talking. He has just told those who were asking Him questions that they were mistaken about some things. Imagine that! That humans might ever be mistaken about the things of God. Then Jesus used the Old Testament to correct their thinking. To those who consider the Old Testament irrelevant, please consider its importance. Jesus often quoted from it as the authority of His teachings. As a matter of fact, scholars have recorded examples of Jesus’s many Old Testament references, citing that “in the four Gospels, 180 of the 1,800 verses that report His discourses are either Old Testament quotes or Old Testament allusions.” What did Jesus quote in Matthew 22:31-32 when asked about marriage relationships after death? GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING. Do you have a loved one who is no longer with you on earth? If so, be assured on the basis of Jesus’s words – your loved one is fully alive and you will see them again. Can I get a hallelujah?
GOD of the LIVING, we praise You for receiving our loved ones into Your presence. Thank You that we too will be alive in Your presence one day.
“…regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB”? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” Matthew 22:31-32