Debbie Taylor Williams

“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. 

I recently heard a television anchor report on a well-known religious leader whose viewpoint on a moral issue was contrary to the Bible. She then invited viewers to weigh in. “Let us know what you think. You can share your thoughts on social media if you agree or disagree.” As she continued with the next story, my mind lingered on her words. Does she not know that our opinion or even religious leaders’ opinions are not what matters, but rather Jesus’ stance? 

In Ephesians 1:22, Paul clearly states, “And He [our Heavenly Father] put all things in subjection under His [Jesus’] feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church.” 

We have seen in Scripture how Jesus is head of man, head of the church, head over all rule and authority. Paul now with a broad sweep of his pen summarizes that Jesus is head over all things. 

It concerns me when churches and denominations vote their opinion rather than stand with Biblical teachings. Does it concern you, too? 

Lord Jesus, HEAD OVER ALL THINGS, I confess our nation is drifting from You. Yet, some churches are also drifting from You and following cultural trends. Raise up strong, committed Christians who speak truth as recorded in Your Word and submit to You.

Today, as we observe the National Day of Prayer, it’s a reminder that the Lord is always present and wants to hear from us. He invites us to talk with Him, not just today, but every day.

If you’d like to grow in praying more purposefully, consider Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion. It’s a helpful resource for deepening your daily walk with God through meaningful prayer. You can also download the free listening and note-taking guides by clicking HERE. 

Have you ever worked hard for what you thought was for Christ but you experienced little joy? As a matter of fact, you felt agitated as you worked? If and when that happens, it helps to step back and consider if what we’re doing is an assignment from Christ and if we’re doing it in His power. Or, are we doing something we decided was a good idea and we’re pushing through in our own strength. 

Why is this important? Just as Christ is the head of every man (1 Corinthians 11:3), He is also Head of the church, His body, which He metaphorically describes in 1 Corinthians 12 as some members being the eye and some the feet. 

Writing to the church in Colossians 1:18, Paul states Christ is “head of the body, the church, and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” 

When we do the work Christ assigns us it may be challenging and difficult, but we will also experience Christ’s joy (Matthew 25:23). How joyful are you in your service to the Lord? 

Lord Jesus, I praise You, HEAD OF THE CHURCH and life of the body of believers. May my words and actions be an extension of Your will, strength, and power. 

Would you like to better be able to discern the voice of the Lord to ensure that you’re walking in His will? Listen to Debbie’s teaching, “How to Discern the Voice of God,” on Podbean or YouTube.

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.” Think about Peter’s description of our Lord: Guardian of your soul. 

When doing research for my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, 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.” What a blessing for us to have God as the overseer of our souls. 

God assumes responsibility for being the Guardian of our souls, but it is our responsibility to follow what He tells us to in the Bible and at the Holy Spirit’s prompting. 

Begin each day by lifting up your soul to the Lord, praying as the psalmist, “Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8). Then, ask the Holy Spirit to fill your soul. Read His Word, the Bible, that will guard your soul. Journal His Word. Pay attention to and follow how the Guardian of your Soul leads you. 

Lord, I praise You, GUARDIAN OF OUR SOULS. Help me be increasingly sensitive to Your Word and voice.

One of our key verses today is 1 Peter 2:25. To watch Debbie’s teaching on all of 1 Peter 2, click HERE. You can also check out her 1 Peter Bible study, “Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos” HERE. The study includes free accompanying videos and podcasts. You can access them by going to “Bible Studies” in the main menu or by clicking HERE.

Have you ever experienced a time when someone was gracious toward you? Even more wonderful is the fact the Lord is gracious, as evidenced throughout the Bible.

One such instance is found in Exodus 32. You may recall that God, in His grace, used Moses to lead the enslaved Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. After their freedom, God graciously wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone for Moses to give to the nation and by which they were to live. But when Moses came down from the mountain, he found the people indulging in revelry, dancing around a golden calf and worshiping it. God’s anger burned, understandably, and Moses was so furious that he threw the tablets to the ground, causing them to shatter. Fast forward. The people repented and God called Moses to return to Him on the mountaintop and to bring two more tablets of stone. Exodus 34:6 states, “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.’”

Although the Israelites had turned away from God and worshiped idols, the Lord was gracious.

Just as God was gracious to the Israelites, He is gracious to us. When we sin, we can turn to Him, repent of our sins, and receive His forgiveness. Is there anything for which you need to repent today? If so, do it now. God is waiting to graciously forgive you. 

Lord, thank You for being GRACIOUS toward me, for not holding my sins against me, but instead, for giving me new days and new opportunities. I am thankful beyond words for Your grace. 

Would you like to experience more of God’s lavish grace? Check out Debbie’s Bible study, “Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos” by clicking HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos and podcasts by clicking HERE.

Jesus is the one talking. He has just told those who were asking Him questions that they were mistaken. Imagine that. Humans can make mistakes. Then Jesus referred to people in the Old Testament. To people who consider the Old Testament irrelevant, please consider that Jesus often quoted from it. As a matter of fact, scholars have recorded examples of Jesus’ 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.” (https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu). Such is the case in this instance when Jesus was asked about marriage relationships after people died and were resurrected. 

In Matthew 22:31-32 Jesus answered their question saying, “…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.” 

God is not the God of the dead. Think about those words. Sometimes in the past when I’ve been asked if my parents are still alive, I’ve responded that they are dead. Based on Jesus’ statement, they are not dead. The next time someone asks me about them, I’m going to say, “They’re living in heaven.” What about you? How will you respond to questions about your loved ones who are no longer with you? 

GOD OF THE LIVING, I praise You for receiving my loved ones into Your presence. Thank You that I, too, will live in Your presence one day. 

The God of the Living is always present and wants us to communicate and have fellowship with Him through prayer. Learn to pray more purposefully through Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.

Do you feel hopeless? Has the last bit of hope to which you’ve clung just flown out the window? Does your future seem bleak and although you’ve tried to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” as the saying goes, it hasn’t worked? 

The good news is, if you’re a Christian, you have every reason to ditch thoughts of hopelessness. Why? You know the God of hope. Not only do you know Him, He has also promised to always be with you. What’s more, He’s not only with you, He’s in you. 

Paul helps us understand what we need to do when we feel hopeless in Romans 15:13. “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.” In this verse, Paul points out that what we need is for the Holy Spirit, the God of Hope, to fill us. We need Him who is joy and peace and power to consume our very being. 

What is our part? Believing. In other words, our hope is not based on luck, our ability to make things happen, or what another person does or says. It’s not even a question of if we have hope. If we’re a believer, we have hope in the Holy Spirit as Romans 15:13 points out. “Now may the God of hope…” “Fill you…” is the key.

When we are down, we must ask ourselves, “Am I allowing the God of hope to fill me with His joy and peace?” You can experience hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Believe God is on the throne and that He sees you and loves you. In faith, pray, “God of hope, fill me with the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit.” 

GOD OF HOPE, thank You for giving me the Holy Spirit so I can abound in hope by Your power. I love and adore You. 

Praise is a powerful weapon we can use to turn around feelings of hopelessness or discouragement. Download this free printable of the attributes of Jesus from the book of John. As you read through them, praise God for each one! 

One blanket. Two blankets. Three blankets. Four. Keith and I sat in front of the fire trying to get warm. The winter storm had brought a temperature of 3 degrees that felt like minus 11. If only we had power and water. We had neither. 

The winter storm continued, and our driveway was too icy to get down. If you’ve lived in an area affected by winter storms, you know how devastating the cold can be, especially if you run out of wood, which happened to us. We couldn’t complain, though. We had a comforter. A comforter that we had once taken for granted, we now deeply appreciated. 

So, too, our spiritual Comforter, who 2 Corinthians 1:3 describes as the God of All Comfort, is a blessing when we are experiencing life’s storms. Yes, when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart, the God of all Comfort comforts us like none other. Why? 

The Greek word for comfort means “to call to one’s side, speak to in the way of exhortation, console, teach.” God gives believers the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. Our Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we blanket our lives with His teachings, the more we’ll know the warmth of His abiding presence.¹ 

Heavenly Father, You are the GOD OF ALL COMFORT. Please comfort those who are suffering. Give them Your wisdom. Strengthen them as only You can. 

Would you like to abide more in the warmth of God’s presence? Grab a copy of the 365 Days of Praise Daily Devotional to help you spend more time in God’s presence and learn more about His incredible attributes. Purchase your copy HERE. 

¹ Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, page 67. Copyright Howard Publishing 2006, Debbie Taylor Williams, Monroe, LA

If you’re a runner or know someone who is, you understand the importance of removing anything that might slow you down. You’re also aware of how critical it is to stay focused while running and not get sidetracked by any distractions. You or someone you know has probably also experienced weariness at some point while running—maybe toward the end of a race, a marathon, or a high-mileage run. 

Hebrews 12 draws a comparison between the Christian life and running a race. The chapter starts out by encouraging believers to throw off any hindrances, such as sin, that so easily entangles, and to run the race with perseverance. Hebrews 12:2 goes on to say, “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus despised the shame of the cross, yet He suffered through it in order to not only give us a start in our Christian walk, but to also make sure that our faith is perfected, complete, and finished. You see, Jesus is not only the author or the source of our faith, but He also oversees, sustains, and completes the faith of those who trust in Him. Philippians 1:6 reminds us of this—“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

It is with tremendous gratitude each of us should look heavenward in praise of our Lord and thank Him—the author and finisher of our faith!

Lord Jesus, I praise You! I thank You that You are not only the author, but also the FINISHER OF OUR FAITH!

We don’t have to run the Christian race alone. Jesus sent us a Helper—the Holy Spirit. To learn more about Christ’s gift, listen to this free podcast teaching: Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.

The news that singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift, surpassed Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most weeks atop the Billboard 200 Chart exalted her to new heights in 2023. However, her exalted position is not guaranteed. Only the Lord God’s is, as He tells us in Psalm 46:10. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

Psalm 148:13 also reminds us, “His name alone is exalted;

His glory is above earth and heaven.”

The Lord is exalted above other gods. “For You are the LORD Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods,” Psalm 97:9 

What about Jesus? Acts 5:31 tells us, “He is the One whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” 

Although the Lord is highly exalted, Psalm 138:6 encourages us that “though the LORD is exalted, yet He regards the lowly.” 

How amazing our exalted Lord is! What should be our response? Nehemiah 9:5 tells us. “Arise, bless the LORD your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed and exalted above all blessing and praise!” 

Our Lord is highly exalted above all yet regards the lowly. Will you humbly exalt and bless His glorious name; praising Him for regarding you? 

EXALTED Lord, I praise You, bless Your glorious name, and thank You for regarding me.

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