Christian Living

So what do you think of the Speaker of the House? Oh, I’m not talking about the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. I’m referring to the Speaker of God’s House, the Speaker of Righteousness, as Isaiah 45:19 describes the LORD.

“I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land…I, the Lord, speak righteousness, declaring things that are upright” (Isaiah 45:19).

How wonderful that we have a Speaker of the House who is a Speaker of Righteousness. While reading the Bible, we hear His righteous voice. As citizens of His Kingdom, we can ponder and practice the ways our Speaker of Righteousness tells us to live. 

The LORD is not a silent God. He speaks through His Word. He speaks into our hearts and minds through His Spirit. 

Are we listening to the Speaker of our House?

Are we sharing the Speaker of Righteousness’ words with others?

Thank You, Lord, SPEAKER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. May I listen to and follow Your voice above all others. May I faithfully share You with others in my sphere of influence. 

One of the ways Hill Country Ministries shares what God has spoken is through our ministry pages on Facebook and Instagram. They are “microphones” we use to “go out into the world” as Jesus tells us to do. When you “Like” our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram, it increases Christ’s, our Speaker’s, reach. 

Jesus is the Son of Man who knows what it is to live in human skin. However, what is inside of Him is different from us. His innermost being is holy glowing purity. 

Revelation 2:18-20a describes the ascended Christ as having eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze. 

Revelation 1:16 describes His face as the sun shining in its strength. Imagine that visual for a minute. Jesus’ face is like the sun shining in its strength.

Following these magnificent descriptions of Jesus, we’re told that Jesus, the Son of God, says this, “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first, but I have this against you that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality” (Revelation 2:19-20a).

Yes, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and He is slow to anger but we must never forget that He is also the Son of God reigning in glory. 

Jesus sees our deeds. He sees sin that we tolerate, but that is an affront to Him. Is there anything we need to repent of before we ask for His continued blessings?

Lord Jesus, SON OF GOD, forgive me for tolerating what You hate. Purify me so I am a clean vessel for Your glory.

Go deeper into God’s Word with one of Debbie’s Bible studies. You can purchase printed Bible studies on Amazon by clicking HERE. You can also complete free online Bible studies by clicking HERE. 

Are you hot-tempered or does it take a lot to get you angry? 

What kind of person would you rather be around—a hot-tempered person or a patient, loving person? 

What kind of Heavenly Father do you prefer? One quickly angered by your shortcomings or one who is slow to anger?

If you said you’d rather be in a relationship with a Heavenly Father who is slow to anger and great in love, there is wonderful news for you. Psalm 145:8 says, “The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.” 

Think about the blessing of God being slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. 

Praise Him for all the ways you are thankful for who He is. 

Lord, thank You for being SLOW TO ANGER. Forgive me when I think, do, or say things that are not in keeping with You and Your will. Help me be ever mindful of Your glory and holiness and increasingly align my thoughts and actions to Yours.

The Prayers of My Heart prayer journal is a great place to record your thanks to God for all the ways He is revealed in the Bible. It is also a thoughtful and meaningful gift for someone who is going through a hard time. Share with them the benefit of focusing on who God is and because of who He is, the many ways He can help them.

Have you ever been built up or torn down by someone’s words? No doubt, people’s words have an impact on our lives. So do Christ’s words. 

In Isaiah 49:2, the words of the “Servant of the Lord,” who is understood to be Jesus, are compared to a sharp sword. “He has made My mouth like a sharp sword.”

The imagery of Jesus’ words being like a sharp sword is also found in other places in the Bible. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” 

Jesus’ Words are like a sharp sword in that they cut straight to the heart, to our thoughts and intentions.

Jesus’ Word is also a sharp sword in the believer’s defense against sin and the enemy (Psalm 119:11, Ephesians 6:10-17). 

As believers, do we use the power and authority of God’s Word to transform us? Do we delight in His Word? (Psalm 1:1-3)? Are we doers of His Word (James 1:23-25)? Christ, His Word, a sharp sword, is vital to our lives. 

Lord, I praise You, a SHARP SWORD. Transform me according to Your living and active Word. 

Would you like to grow in your faith? Discover the many resources on our website that can help you. In addition to our books and Bible studies, we offer several free Christian resources, including podcasts, video teachings, listening guides, and more!

We all know what we mean when we say, “I don’t have it in me…” then we complete the thought. “I don’t have it in me to change.” “I don’t have it in me to keep working this hard.”

It’s important to recognize if we do or don’t have something in us. A top concern should be if we have Christ in us. We either do or we don’t. Paul makes it clear in 2 Corinthians 13:5 that every person should test themselves to see if they do. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test.” 

Paul makes a most important point. Attending church, enjoying nature, or being a nice person doesn’t make a person a Christian. A Christian is someone who has Christ “in” them. As a result, they bear the evidence of Him in their lives. 

How do we get Christ in us? We receive Christ through His Holy Spirit into our spirit, as soil receives a seed and then bears the fruit of that seed. 

Jesus is first referred to with the imagery of “seed” in Genesis 3:15 when God announced that Satan would be defeated by “the Seed of the woman,” a reference to Christ being born of a virgin.  

As soil produces the fruit of the seed that is planted in its soil, Christians produce the fruit of Christ in their hearts. Is Christ in you?

Lord Jesus, SEED OF SALVATION, thank You for planting Your Holy Spirit in me. I love and adore You. Increasingly bear the fruit of Your Spirit in my life so that others see and believe in You.

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.”

Is there anything about you that isn’t perfect? If you are perfect, congratulations. I’m not. As a matter of fact, the closer I grow to Christ, the more aware I am of sin in my life.

If you, like me, are mindful of your sin, Malachi 3:3 has some encouraging words: “He [the Lord] will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.”

What good news! As Christ’s priests (1 Peter 2:9) we are included in the promise of being refined by our Lord. 

He will remove all sin from our lives. 

Jesus will purify us so we can stand before Him and the Father and present to Him righteous offerings.

Could anything be more wonderful? 

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being the REFINER of my soul. I look forward to heaven when I stand sinless before You and present to You offerings in righteousness.

Do you commute to work and want to listen to some encouraging teachings by Debbie while you drive? Let her podcasts on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify help you set your mind on Christ before you start your day!

Are you a zoomer or a wanderer at the grocery store? Have you ever noticed that there are two types of people at the grocery store?

First, there’s the zoomer. They know what they want, where it is, and are in a fast dash to get in and get out.

Second, there’s the wanderer. They’re not sure what they want, and they slowly push their cart around from one side of the aisle to the other at a snail’s pace.

Which are you? Which is better? The fact is, our world needs both slow- and fast-paced people. God created each of us as unique individuals.

Instead of being critical of people who are different from us, Romans 12:10 tells us to “be devoted to one another in brotherly love; to give preference to one another in honor.” That’s a good reminder whether we’re at the grocery store or anywhere else.

“I’m so busy.” “There never seem to be enough hours in the day.” 

Can you relate? Do you know who else can? Jesus. During His earthly ministry, Jesus traveled to different regions sharing the good news, ministering to crowds, shepherding His disciples, and healing the sick. However, regardless of how full His day, He was intentional about His prayer time with God. “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there” (Mark 1:35). 

Not only did Jesus spend time with God in prayer, but did you notice it said He went to a secluded place? In other words, in addition to praying with people, Jesus also prioritized time alone with God. Jesus teaches His followers to spend time alone in prayer. “…when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6a). 

Prioritizing prayer like Jesus did—in the early morning, alone with God, to tell Him your needs and to listen to Him are important.

Jesus knew that prayer was necessary. It is the way we stay connected to our Heavenly Father, abide in Him, and do His will. It is the key to bearing His fruit through our lives (John 15:1-8). 

How faithfully do you prioritize praying first thing in the morning? How faithfully do you meet alone with your Heavenly Father?

Jesus, thank you for showing me what it means to be PRAYERFUL. Help me prioritize spending time alone with You and the Father in prayer. 

Learn to seek God in prayer through Debbie’s book, Pray With Purpose, Live With Passion. Purchase your copy HERE.

When you’re grocery shopping, do you smell fruit, such as cantaloupe or peaches, to determine if they’re ripe? I remember the first time I saw someone hold a cantaloupe close to her nose. After she placed it in her basket, I decided to try the smell test.

The first cantaloupe I held close to my nose had zero fragrance. I returned it and reached for another one, wondering if the smell test was bogus. But as I held the second one close to my nose, I was pleasantly surprised. It had a sweet aroma. That evening, when I took a bite, I wasn’t disappointed. Its taste matched its smell.

Second Corinthians 2:15 says that Christians are a fragrance of Christ to God and to others. In other words, as we move about and connect with people, they get a whiff of us.

I wonder: Do they smell the sweet presence of Jesus, or do they get a whiff of our anxiousness, impatience, or sin? To find out how you can become a sweet aroma of Christ, please click HERE.