Christian Encouragement
Which Star Are You Following?
Today, there are many influential stars. Their fans follow their every move and are influenced by their songs, performances, books, spiritual and political views.
However, there is one star who is more famous than anyone. His influence is positive and remains long after other stars have burned out. His name is Jesus Christ and in Revelation 22:16, He announces, “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
Jesus is the bright morning star who outshines all others. He is the star on whom we are to set our gaze. He is the star we are to follow. His voice is the one we should listen to so often that we know His verses by heart and we hum them through the day.
So when you watch earthly stars rise and fall, be assured that Jesus, the Bright Morning Star, will shine brightly forever.
Jesus, BRIGHT MORNING STAR, there is no one more glorious than You.
Turn your gaze to the Bright and Morning Star by spending more time in His Word. Explore our Bible studies to guide you. You can purchase printed studies from our shop HERE, or access our free online Bible studies by clicking HERE.
Bite, Chew, Graze
Are you hungry? Is there a gnawing in you? Do you feel that something is missing? Do you feel that no matter what you do, purchase, or where you go, you still want more? Do you fill the emptiness but it quickly returns?
If so, maybe it’s your spirit that is hungry. If that is the case, the solution isn’t more food, clothes, or earthly success. The solution is Jesus who describes Himself in John 6:51 as the bread of life who came from heaven. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
Jesus is to our spirit what food is to our body. Our body can’t live without food. Our spirit can’t live without Jesus.
Receive Christ as Savior if you haven’t already. Then, begin each day with bite-size Bible verses. Chew on them throughout the day. At night, graze on the promises of God. Go to sleep with your soul filled and satisfied in Christ. Wake hungry for more of Jesus. Grow as a Christian and feed others.
Lord Jesus, I praise You, BREAD OF LIFE. Thank You for coming from heaven and being to my spirit what food is to my body. Help me recognize my hunger is only filled by You. Increase my appetite for the Bible and fill me with Your Words so I grow as a Christian.
To learn more about Jesus being the Bread of Life, watch Debbie’s teaching on John 6 HERE or listen to it HERE.
Hitch Your Wagon to the Right Star
Are you familiar with the saying, “Hitch your wagon to a star”? It’s an idiom that means “to commit to an aspirational goal or course of action that will lead to fulfillment.” 1
One would think that people would choose to “hitch their wagon” to Creator God, who Romans 1:25 says is blessed forever. However, many people hitch themselves to other things and people. The Bible warns that there are serious consequences for rejecting Him who is Blessed Forever.
What are the consequences?
The Blessed Lord eventually gives people over to that which they have hitched themselves: over to impurity, dishonor, degrading passions, and depraved minds (Romans 1:26-31).
Creator God is Blessed. We are to hitch our lives to Him. Are we? Are we encouraging others to hitch their lives to Him? Are we explaining why it is important that they do?
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus, who are BLESSED FOREVER, help me to examine my life and release anything to which I am hitched that is not of You and therefore not blessed by You. Use me as Your instrument to point people to You, who are Blessed Forever.
Are you looking to deepen your relationship with Christ? Check out our Bible studies! You can purchase printed Bible studies in the shop by clicking HERE. You can also complete free online Bible studies by clicking HERE.
1 “Hitch One’s Wagon to a Star – Wiktionary, the Free Dictionary,” Wiktionary, n.d., https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hitch_one%27s_wagon_to_a_star.
Listen to the Right Person
Today, trust is at an all-time low. Why? People don’t always speak truthfully. Lying appears to have become socially acceptable. But, it’s not acceptable to God. He is the truth and speaks the truth.
Revelation 21:5 NIV records, “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!'” Then he said, “‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'”
Jesus wants us to know that if He says something, we can count on it. He and His words are trustworthy and true and He is making everything new. Those are words of hope and encouragement that we need to hear. If there was ever a time that we should listen to Jesus and take hold of the hope of a new day, it’s now. If you’ve been hurt by an untrustworthy person, don’t let that keep you from trusting God. He has an eternal track record of being trustworthy.
Lord, thank You for being TRUSTWORTHY! In a time when trust is at an all-time low due to increased lies and deception, I am grateful for and find hope and encouragement in Your steadfastness and words of truth.
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Think God, Think Bigger
When you think of God, how big or how small is He in your mind? Is He your personal Savior? Is He the Savior of the person in a remote village on the other side of the earth? Is He the God who inhabits perhaps your nicely decorated sanctuary? Or is your God hovering over dirt floors in a village where Christians are secretly gathering to worship? Is He your God because you are righteous and well-behaved and kind? Or is He the God of the inmate with the foul mouth who just repented of his sins but doesn’t have a clue what it means to be devout? Is He the God who sustains the desperate person who lives day to day and whose only hope is in God as her salvation?
Too often I think of God in my frame of reference. However, David was mindful of how big God is. Listen to his words of praise in Psalm 65:5. “By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea.”
David grasped that the God he worshiped wasn’t only the God of the Jews. He is the God who created and owns all the earth. He is the God to whom all people can come. He hears the prayers of people throughout the earth. Do you live in a remote part of the world? Are you in rehab and looking for someone who can help you? Are you in a country where these words are being translated? Are you a missionary living with people who speak a different language? Are you worshiping in secret because of the hostile environment in which you live? How incredible that the God of our salvation, who answers in righteousness, is the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea.
Lord, TRUST OF THE ENDS OF THE EARTH and the farthest sea, I worship You.
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The True Witness
Have you ever been a witness in a trial? If so, were you called to recount details that were perhaps difficult to remember because so much time passed since the incident occurred?
On the other hand, have you ever been in a courtroom and heard testimony that you knew was false?
Revelation 3:14-15 describes Jesus as a faithful and true witness.
“The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.'”
Jesus, the faithful and true witness, testifies against the Christians at Laodicea. He states that they are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold. They are so unpleasant, Jesus says He will spit them out of His mouth; as we might spit something out of our mouth that caused a bad taste.
Jesus, the faithful and true witness, has witnessed creation and everything since then. What is He witnessing today about us? What did He witness yesterday? Is there anything we’re not proud of that we did or said? If so, we can repent. What do we want Him to witness today about us? We can pray for His strength and empowerment to live in a way that pleases Him.
Lord Jesus, You are the TRUE WITNESS. Reveal to me how You see my heart and actions. Create in me a clean and passionate heart for You. Empower me to live in a way that pleases You.
The updated edition of the 365 Days of Praise Daily Devotional is now available on Amazon. With 365 A–Z names and traits of God, daily prayers, and practical life applications, this devotional offers encouragement all year long. It makes a thoughtful, faith-building Christmas gift for family and friends or anyone who could use daily hope and encouragement. Get your copy HERE.
What Are You Uprooting and What Are You Growing?
Some time ago, I noticed a vine growing in my flower bed and didn’t know if it was a weed I should pull from the bed or if it was a vine I should keep. I had to make a decision. Uproot it or let it grow.
Many today hear spiritual teachings and find themselves like me, yet in relation to a matter of much greater significance. They wonder if they’re hearing a good teaching to which they should hold or a false teaching they should discard.
Jesus doesn’t want us to make the wrong decision. He tells us in John 15:1, “I am the true vine.”
Do you know someone who is allowing vines of secular humanism to grow in their heart rather than growing Jesus’ words and teachings? If so, what can you do? Bear Christ, the true vine, and His fruit in your life so they can taste and recognize the real thing.
Lord Jesus, I praise You, the TRUE VINE. Uproot anything in my life that chokes out the fruit of Your presence.
Want to learn more about abiding in Jesus and bearing good fruit? Watch Debbie’s teaching on John 15 by clicking HERE.
Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving! Praying your day is filled with God’s love, joy, and peace as you reflect with gratitude on His goodness in your life.
The Key to Not Living in Darkness
Are you excited about all the ways Jesus is described? Every day when we ponder a description of our Lord, it provides an opportunity for us to have a renewed sense of awe in our Lord.
Often the way God is described is in contrast to the world. Such is the case today.
Many in our world are living in spiritual darkness. They are seeking to be enlightened by powers apart from Jesus Christ. But in John 1:9 we find the word “true” in reference to Jesus. “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” (John 1:9).
Although there are many sources of “enlightenment,” there is only one true Light: Jesus Christ.
Jesus enlightens our soul, mind, and heart when we turn to Him.
The world apart from Christ is dark. Take seriously His charge to let His light shine through you. His Light shining through you is a beacon to those living in darkness.
Lord Jesus, You are the TRUE LIGHT who enlightens every man. May I be a lighthouse through whom You shine.
Jesus is referred to as the Light several times in the book of John. Want to learn more? Watch this video clip of Debbie’s teaching on the subject.
Love the True God
Do you agree that our world is filled with a variety of gods to which we give our time, energy, and money? What kind of gods? Sports gods, education gods, work gods, money gods, pleasure gods, political gods, and social gods to name a few. In effect, we worship them when they become the driving force in our life, occupy our thoughts, and even affect our moods.
Jesus makes it clear in John 17:3 that there is only one true God. He is to be the object of our love and passion. He is to occupy and control our thoughts, emotions, energy, and resources.
We are to love the Lord with all our hearts, all our soul, and all our mind (Mark 12:30). And, importantly, as He states in John 17:3, He is the way to eternal life. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
What or whom do we worship and therefore give power to in our lives?
Lord, You are the only TRUE GOD. May I give You my full worship and praise.
Learn how to contend for the faith in the times in which we live through Debbie’s Bible study of Jude, Contend Earnestly for the Faith. Purchase a copy HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos, podcasts, and listening guides HERE.
Help in Irrational Times
Do you ever feel like we are living in irrational times, that things are upside down? It’s not the first time. Think about Christ. He was pronounced not guilty, then crucified. How irrational was that? But Colossians 2:15 tells us Jesus triumphed over the irrational. He disarmed the rulers and authorities. He made a public display of them. And Christ is still triumphant even though we may not see it at certain times.
“When He (Jesus) had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him” (Colossians 2:15).
Jesus will right what is wrong. He will turn what is upside down right side up. That’s good news on a national and world level. It’s also good news for us personally. Christ, who triumphed over the grave, is able to triumph over the irrational in our lives.
Christ is the triumphant Lord. What do you need His help with today? He’s listening.
Lord, You are TRIUMPHANT over death, rulers, and authorities. You are triumphant over the irrational in my life. Help me live a holy life that reflects my confidence in You.
Would you like some resources to help you triumph? Check out these books that can be read individually or used as group Bible studies: The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World and Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.