Christian Encouragement
A Reason to Have Hope
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Do you feel hopeless? Perhaps the last ray of hope to which you’ve clung just went out the window. Things may look black. Your future may appear bleak. Dark clouds may seem to hover over you no matter where you go or what you do. But the good news is, if you’re a Christian, you have every reason to have hope. Why? Because the God of hope resides within you through the Holy Spirit. It’s not a question of if you have hope. You do. The question is, are you allowing the God of hope to fill you with His joy and peace?
You can experience hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s a matter of switching gears. Rather than attempting to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, try believing that God is on the throne. He’s sovereign. He sees you. He loves you. He has your best interest at heart. In faith, pray, “God of hope, fill me with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
God of HOPE, I praise You for giving me the Holy Spirit so I can abound in hope by His power.
Would you like to learn more about how the God of Hope can fill you with joy and peace through the divine power of His Holy Spirit? Check out Debbie’s Bible study on 2 Peter, Living by the Divine Nature Instead of Our Fallen Nature. This study will help you understand how to live by God’s divine nature even when life feels heavy. Click HERE to learn more and purchase your copy. You can also access the free accompanying videos and podcasts by clicking HERE.
Thank You, Holy Spirit
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26).
Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, He prepared His disciples for His departure; comforting them that the Holy Spirit would come to them. Can you imagine their confusion? Their frame of reference for the Holy Spirit was the Holy Spirit anointing individuals for divine work. The names Elijah and Elisha certainly came to mind. But them? “Dazed and confused” might have described the disciples as they listened to Jesus tell them about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would be their Helper. God the Father would send Him in Christ’s name. The Holy Spirit would teach them “all things” and bring to their remembrance all that Jesus said to them. Holy. Spirit. Isn’t that what God knows each of us needs? So, He sent Him, a who, not a what, to live in us. Are we treating the heavenly presence who abides in us as a welcomed, Holy guest?
I praise You, God the HOLY SPIRIT, sent in Christ’s name, to be with me forever.
Want to deepen your understanding of the Holy Spirit? Check out Debbie’s Bible study, Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit. This study will help you understand the Holy Spirit’s role in the Christian life and respond to His leading and presence. Click HERE to listen.
A Sippy Cup Won’t Do
If and when you had toddlers at home or perhaps worked with them in a preschool, did you ever give them a sippy cup of water? No doubt, it was the right size for them. But what about when you are thirsty? Do you reach for a sippy cup? While we might think the question ridiculous and the answer obvious, perhaps we should consider it in light of the reference to God as the fountain of life (not a sippy cup).
“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light, Psalm 36:9. Or in light of Jesus’ words, “’Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive’” (John 7:37-39).
When we come to God for new life in Christ, He gives us more than a sippy cup of His Spirit. He gives us a Fountain who flows in our innermost being. Yet, could it be said of us as it was the Israelites, “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).
The Lord is a fountain of life. Are we drinking richly of Him when we rise, throughout the day, and until we fall asleep? Rather than be drained because we’re drinking from a sippy cup of His Spirit or because we’re doing things in our own flesh as the Israelites who “hewed for themselves broken cisterns,” we can live by the refreshing fountain of life. From what, from whom will you drink today?
Lord, You are the FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. Thank You for Your Spirit from Whom I can drink richly.
In John 7, Jesus spoke of living water again. To learn more, watch Debbie’s teaching on John 7 HERE or listen to it HERE.
Comfort in Dire Moments
During the peak of the 2021 COVID pandemic, someone shared with me the following regarding the dire conditions many faced.
“Make no mistake. When loved ones are removed from your home by ambulance because the virus has hit them hard, you are not going to be able to sit by their hospital bed and hold their hand. You are not going to be able to pop in at 7:00 pm during visiting hours. They are going to have no one other than exhausted and brave hospital staff to see them through days or weeks. During that time, they will be completely alone. Imagine that person is someone you love dearly. Because it is a reality for many.”
Disconcerting? Absolutely. Dire? Yes! What is our hope in such times? Is there any hope? Yes, we who have placed our faith in Jesus have the assurance that in even the darkest of times, our Eternal Father is with us (Isaiah 9:6).
Bible scholar and commentator Charles Ryrie explains that Eternal Father means “Messiah is eternally a Father to His people, guarding, supplying, and caring for their needs.” 1 There could be no greater comfort in dire situations.
Do you have a relationship with the Eternal Father through Jesus Christ? If so, with whom might you share Him?
ETERNAL FATHER, in the best of times and in the direst of times, thank You for being with me. Embolden me to share the assurance I have in You with others.
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1 Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update (Chicago: Moody Press, 2008).
When Whims Aren’t Good
Can you imagine if God ruled by whim, by ever-changing emotions and laws? What if on a whim, God decided to not forgive you? What if on a whim, God changed His mind about who was allowed in heaven?
I think you might agree with me that we’re thankful that is not who God is. Rather, throughout the Bible, we are assured that God rules with equity, with evenness, and uprightness, as Psalm 9:1-8 points out.
“I will give thanks to You, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing the praises of Your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before You. For You have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, You have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. The LORD reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.”
Heavenly Father, thank You that I don’t have to worry that You rule by whim. Rather, I am assured that You are EQUITABLE in Your ruling, and I trust You.
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When You’re Teetering
Have you ever felt weak when you were attacked by Satan? Have you ever felt that you were teetering and could fall? I have. What’s especially troubling is sometimes I haven’t even immediately recognized when I was under assault by the enemy.
Those times could be more than disheartening if we didn’t have the full assurance that the Lord is our Defender, as David wrote in Psalm 27:1-3. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I will be confident.”
What a contrast David draws between teetering in fear and being confident. Was his confidence in himself? No. The word “defense” in this verse means a fortified place, rock, strength, and a place of safety. David’s confidence was in the Lord, his rock, strength, and place of safety.
The next time you feel under attack by the enemy or you are attacked by a person because you are standing on Biblical principles, go to the Lord, confident that He is your defense, strength, and place of safety.
Lord, how I thank You that You are my DEFENDER against the enemy. I place my full confidence in You.
If you enjoyed this content and want to watch video teachings by Debbie, consider subscribing to her YouTube channel. Go HERE and click the subscribe button to be notified of new teachings.
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.
If you enjoyed this content and want to watch video teachings by Debbie, consider subscribing to her YouTube channel. Go HERE and click the subscribe button to be notified of new teachings.