Christian Encouragement

Are you concerned for a family member or friend who refuses to trust Jesus for salvation? Are you worried they’ll die apart from Christ? 

If we’re concerned for the unsaved, it’s for good reason. This world isn’t all there is. There is life beyond the clouds that we can’t see just as there is life below the oceans we can’t see. Yes, all people are alive after they pass through this life—either in Christ’s presence or apart from Him for eternity.  

Jesus implores us to take the way to heaven, through Him. So, what do we do if an unsaved friend or family member refuses to turn to Christ? We align ourselves with the Lord, who we’re told in 2 Peter 3:9 is “not slow about His promise, but is patient…not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 

God is patient. Keep praying. Keep looking for opportunities to speak the truth in love.

Heavenly Father, thank you for being PATIENT. Help me be like you—patient and prayerful.

Do you know someone who could use some encouragement today? Scroll down and click on “Forward to a Friend” to share this blog post.

Do you agree that personal problems can seem overwhelming at times? 

What about national and international problems? Do they cause you to shake your head and wonder what the world’s coming to? 

What about health issues? Is your health or someone else’s health a concern? 

Then there are financial issues, parenting, marital, and work challenges that can be ongoing struggles. 

Jesus interrupts our conflicted worries and gets straight to an important point that each of us must remember. “In the world, you have tribulation, (pressure, affliction, oppression, and distress), but take courage, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 

Is that a good word for you to hear today? Jesus is bigger than the world and its problems. We can look to Him, to His Word, and empowerment for whatever we face. 

Jesus has overcome the world. He is present to help you. Look up to the Overcomer. 

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the OVERCOMER. I praise You for the peace, direction and empowerment You give me as I trust in You.

Want to dive a little deeper into John 16:33? Watch this video clip of Debbie teaching on the passage. 

Do you ever feel alone? It’s easy to feel that way at times. Maybe you live by yourself, are in the hospital, or you’re confined to home due to an illness or a fall. Maybe you work from home and even though you connect with others by phone or email, you still feel alone. Perhaps you feel alone even though you have a bustling household. Your feelings may stem from feeling like no one understands what you’re going through.

Feelings, as you no doubt know, can be deceptive. They can be unreliable standards of truth. The truth is, Jesus has promised to never leave us and our Heavenly Father is a prayer away. They:

• See us.
• Know what we need before we ask.
• Love us.

If you’re feeling alone, pray to your Father in Heaven who loves you so very much. As Matthew 6:9 instructs us, “Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven…”

OUR FATHER who is in heaven, thank You for loving me, being with me, and providing Your Holy Spirit to be ever present with me. I love You.

Would you like to develop a deeper prayer life? Get a copy of Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, to learn how.

How old were you when you first heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life?” It’s an incredible invitation to every person in the world. Think about it!

• God so loves the world that He took action to save us.
• God sacrificed His Only Begotten Son on our behalf.
• God invites everyone to believe and be saved.
• God promises the gift of eternal life to those who believe in Jesus.

Pray fervently for any unsaved person you know to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be saved. Pray for eyes to see the opportunities God is giving you to share Him with others.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, Jesus Christ. Stir me to draw closer to You and to share You with others. I love You and thank You for the incredible gift of the forgiveness of my sins and salvation in Christ. 

Our key verse today is John 3:16. If you’d like to watch all of Debbie’s teaching on John 3 on YouTube, click HERE. To listen to her teaching on Spotify, click HERE.

Do you need a miracle; something extraordinary in your life? What do we mean when we use the word miracle? Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency; just as rising from the grave.” Another definition is “a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences;” such as, “it was a miracle that more people hadn’t been killed or injured.” Perhaps it’s that last definition we use most often. “It’ll be a miracle if I can manage everything going on in my life.” Or, “It’ll be a miracle if our marriage makes it.” Let me ask again, “Are you in need of a miracle?” If so, your best hope for experiencing one is to go to Jesus. Why? 

Galatians 3:5 describes Jesus as the Miracle Worker. “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or hearing with faith?”

As we consider Jesus, the Miracle Worker, it’s important to consider the combination of “miracle” and “worker,” as well as faith. Our miracle isn’t going to happen with the twitch of our nose. Jesus’s miracles involved power (Luke 8:46), often a person taking part in faith (John 5:8-9), and often occurred as the person acted in obedience (John 9:6-7). 

Rather than demand, “God, do this now,” we’re to thank Him for what He’s already done and obediently take the next step He shows us.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being involved in my life. You’re the MIRACLE WORKER who can help others and me. Open my ears and eyes to Your instructions so I faithfully follow Your leading.

Jesus, the Miracle Worker, demonstrated His healing power in John 5 when he told a man who had been ill for 38 years to pick up his pallet, walk, and sin no more. Watch Debbie’s teaching on John 5 HERE or listen to it HERE.

Did you watch the cartoon “Mighty Mouse” when you were a child?  Do you remember the chorus, “Here I come to save the day! That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way!”  

When I was young, I was confident Mighty Mouse would save the day no matter the dire situation. 

Growing older doesn’t mean we no longer need someone to save us and our day. We do. We need someone to save us from sin. We need someone to save us from fear. We need someone to save us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Unlike a cartoon character, the One on whom we call is real. 

Joshua 22:22 proclaims, “The Mighty One, God, the Lord, the Mighty One, God, the Lord!” God is the Mighty One. He can save you and He alone. Call on Him. 

Commit Psalm 119:147 to heart, “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.”

Heavenly Father, help me be mindful that You are the MIGHTY ONE who saves no matter the dire situation. Help me confidently wait for Your words to guide me through each situation. 

Do you have a friend or family member you would like to introduce to Jesus? Share this link with them: “Meet Jesus…Experience His Grace.”

Are you ever concerned that Christ is sitting in heaven eyeing your sin and his holy face is twisted in disgruntlement? In other words, you’re an inch from being zapped as a result of your sin? If so, today is a good day to rethink your view of Jesus.

Paul, a candidate for being “zapped” before he became a Christ-follower, tells us what Jesus is like. “I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:1). When Paul refers to Christ as meek, he uses a word that means “mildness of disposition and gentleness of spirit.” In other words, Christ isn’t a cloud-sitting Savior watching for someone He can zap if they take a wrong turn in life. Paul realizes Jesus could have zapped him dead on the Damascus Road, but rather, Christ in mercy called and commissioned Paul to a new purposeful life.

Our Savior is all-powerful, but He has a meek disposition toward us, not a “zap you if you mess up” disposition. He understands what it’s like to be human, to struggle, to deal with daily life, problems, and stress. Relish your Savior’s meekness. Talk to Him. Read His wisdom truths in the Sermon on the Mount and keep reading through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Meditate on the precious words He brought us from heaven. They’re food for a sound mind and a steady course until we reach our ultimate destiny—heaven.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being on my side and for looking at me with gentle and MEEK eyes. I love You and am ever grateful for You. 

Help spread the light and truth of Christ by encouraging someone you know to subscribe to 365 Days of Praise. 

Have you ever looked forward to something and then it didn’t turn out to be as great as you expected? Are you looking forward to something now and hoping it won’t disappoint? Whichever might be the case, there is something to which you can look forward that will definitely not disappoint you. In fact, it will exceed your expectations. What is it? The day you see God the Father and Son in their glory.  The apostle Peter described his earthly glimpse of Jesus’s glory at the Mount of Transfiguration. It was so astounding the word “glory” simply wouldn’t do so Peter referred to his experience in God’s presence as majestic glory.

“When He [Jesus] received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the majestic glory, ‘This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased’” (2 Peter 1:17).

We will one day see, hear, and experience what Peter saw, heard, and experienced—God, the majestic glory, and His Son. Are you ready? Are you excited? I can’t wait!

Heavenly Father, MAJESTIC GLORY, I can’t wait to be in Your presence. Thank You for this eternal opportunity! I love and praise You. 

Today’s key verse is from 2 Peter. To watch all of Debbie’s teaching on the book of 2 Peter, click HERE. You can also listen to her teachings on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Podbean by clicking HERE.

Have you ever wished someone would listen to you? You may have even asked a person with whom you were talking, “Are you listening?”

We don’t have to wonder if God listens to us. Jeremiah 29:12 says that if we pray, He’ll listen. “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”

Ponder God’s words. Say them out loud. Take hold of the reality, “When I call on God, go and pray to Him, He listens to me.” Yes, yes, yes! The God of the universe, the God of creation listens to you when you go to Him and pray to Him.

I think there is something we may miss in our multi-tasking culture. When God says, “come and pray to Me” that means we stop what we are doing in order to go to God. It’s the “come to Me” part, rather than shooting “arrow” prayers toward God while we are doing something else.

Because God is Spirit, we do not have to leave our home or office to go to a certain place to meet with God. But we do need to be intentional about going to Him and calling on Him.

Do we take advantage of the amazing privilege and opportunity to live beyond ourselves; to live by the Almighty God’s guiding voice? If not, begin today. Go to God. Ask Him to lead you through your day. Ask for His wisdom. Pay attention to His voice in your thoughts.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a God who LISTENS when I come to You and call on Your name. Help me to be mindful of the great privilege it is to come to You.

Would you like to develop a deeper prayer life? Get a copy of Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, to learn how.

On April 8, 2024, millions of people witnessed the rare total solar eclipse. People watched in awe through their solar eclipse glasses as the moon passed in front of the sun, blocking the sun’s light and casting a shadow on the Earth. This extraordinary event gave observers a small glimpse into what life would be like without the light of the sun. 

Just as the sun illuminates darkness and provides light to the earth, Jesus provides spiritual light to the world. We’re reminded of this in John 8:12: “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’”

Although the sun may be dimmed by solar eclipses and clouds, Jesus is constantly brilliant and will one day be the source of Light by which we live for eternity. No doubt, when Jesus announced He was the Light of the World, He must have sounded braggadocios to His listeners. How could a carpenter from Nazareth claim to be the Light of the world? Yet, Jesus made the claim, and He is who He says. 

Jesus came from heaven bringing truth that enlightens every man who will receive Him. Invite Jesus into your heart and live in His brilliance for eternity.

Lord Jesus, You are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD and our Light. We give You honor and praise!

Want to learn more about Jesus being the Light of the World? Debbie addresses this topic in her teaching on John 8. Watch it HERE.