Debbie Taylor Williams
Praise Jesus, Who Has All AUTHORITY
Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (Mt 4:8) Jesus refused his offer. However, He received God’s gift: AUTHORITY. Jesus has “all authority in heaven and on earth.” (Mt 28:18) With that authority, He speaks to us. (See Mt 28:19-20) Some people acknowledge Christ’s authority and submit their will to Him. Others act like Jesus isn’t God and go their merry way – living however they like. But life is not a game. It’s not “flip a coin” and see if I feel like obeying Christ’s teachings. He came FROM heaven TO earth to save us from sin. Sin is eternally deadly. Are we so inundated with it, we’ve become comfortable with sin? Or, are we appalled by our sin and go the Lord in repentance; asking for His empowerment to overcome it? Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth. His authority is not something to be dismissed; but rather, humbly acknowledged and bowed to.
Our Lord, Jesus, You have all AUTHORITY in heaven and on earth. Forgive us when we read Your teachings and then dismiss them as if we were reading Dear Abby’s suggestions. You are LORD and we are Your servants. May we never forget that, and may we humbly bow to Your authority.
Thank You, Jesus, for Being Our eXAMPLE
“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,”
Have you ever wished you had a mentor; someone to follow; someone to teach you how to do your job better, be a better spouse, or even live for Christ? Many people lack a good “example” to follow. Young girls get pregnant, but may not know how to be a good mother. Husbands may not know how to treat their wives because they grew up in a home with an absentee father. Arguing, lying, and trusting in “self” rather than God is often the norm. Yet, in the midst of a lack of good examples, our Heavenly Father provides a good example in His Son. Jesus shows us how to stand against temptation, how to live for God’s will, how to treat others, and even how to suffer for righteousness’s sake. Jesus is an eXample of how we’re to entrust ourselves to our Heavenly Father. (1 Peter 2:22-23) In a world filled with bad examples, how wonderful that we can follow Jesus.
We praise You, Lord Jesus, our EXAMPLE!
Thank you for remembering us in your year end giving. We’d like to say thank you by sending you my book/study, “The Plan A Mom in a Plan B Word: How to Raise Faithful Kids in a Flawed World” for any donation of $25 or more. Let us know where you’d like us to send your free copy, to you or a friend. Short, encouraging chapters for moms of all ages include: A Snoot or A Smile, I Have to or I Get To, Being Overly Controlling or Trusting God with My Child, Hopeless or Hopeful, Angry and Confused or Of a Sound Mind, Focusing On My Weakness or Living By Christ’s Empowerment, Stuck in Single Mom Grief or Responding to God’s Voice, My Child or God’s Child. Each chapter includes lessons from a Biblical mom PLUS A CURRENT DAY MOM SHARING HER STORY. Great for personal reflection or group study. Thank you for donating. Your gift is tax deductible, deeply appreciated, and enables us to continue to spread the Word and love of Jesus.
Praise to Our WORTHY Lord
“so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”
Have you ever considered that because Christ paid for your sins you are worthy of heaven? Say that a few times to yourself and let it sink in. “I am worthy of the Lord! I am worthy of heaven!” To be found worthy is a heavenly gift. And now, because we are worthy, we’re reminded to walk in a manner worthy or “suitably” of our Lord. We may have a hazy understanding of what it means to be worthy, but we do know what it means to be suitable. A child who puts on dirty clothes for school is told to put on something suitable, something clean. In the same manner, we are to walk worthily (suitably) of the Lord.
Lord, thank You for making us worthy of Your presence and of heaven. Help us to walk worthily of You!
from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case?
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Praise to God WORKER of WONDERS
“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?”
Do you need a “wonder” worked in your life? Do you wish you could twitch your nose or snap your fingers and presto, that for which you long would be a reality? The fact is, although those techniques work on television shows, they don’t in real life. However, God does work wonders. Sometimes those wonders take time. Other times, moments. Regardless of the timing, our Lord God is the right One on whom we are to set our gaze and our hearts if we’re in need of wonder working power.
Lord God, You are the WORKER of WONDERS! We look to You, pray to You, and praise You!
Praise to Our WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS Lord
“I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;…”
What is the context in which God’s actions are described as WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS? The prior verse explains. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS.'” “WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS” means “separate by distinguishing action, to do extraordinary or hard or difficult thing, beyond one’s power.”*
Lord, You alone are God, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS. May our worship of You be in sincerity of heart and true reverence; not lip service.
FIND MORE encouragement HERE.
Praise to Our WONDERFUL COUNSELOR
“For a child will be born to us, …And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
Are you at your wit’s end? Do you need someone to talk to; someone who can help you sort out your problems? God understands. He is the original COUNSELOR, and not only is He good, He’s WONDERFUL! He will listen. He is understanding. And, He is full of wisdom. Talk to Him, then listen.
LORD, You are the ultimate COUNSELOR. We praise You!
Praise to the Lord, our WITNESS
“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-”
Jesus is a witness. A witness of what, we might ask. He testified to us about heaven, His Father, about the angels in heaven, crowns of righteousness awaiting believers, resurrection bodies, thrones, powers, kingdoms, the judgment seat, forgiveness, redemption, His Father’s house, and even about the reality of Satan. Jesus testified about the fact that Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jonah were real people and that the Old Testament is true. Our confidence in the Bible and its teachings rests on the faithful witness of Christ Jesus.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, the faithful WITNESS! Thank You for the confidence we have in the Bible and in You because of Your word.
FIND MORE encouragement HERE.
Praise to the Lord WHO IS, WHO WAS, and WHO IS TO COME
“Grace to you and peace, from Him WHO IS and WHO WAS and WHO IS TO COME…”
Have you been in awe of the magnificent beauty of the rare super moon? According to AccuWeather, super moons happen when the moon is in the Perigee side of its orbit around earth. This puts the moon 30,000 feet closer to earth, making it bigger and brighter than usual. November 14, 2016, the moon was at its closest to earth since 1948 and it won’t be as close to again until November 25, 2034.*
The moon – IS – something that exists. The moon – WAS – created by God in eternity past. The moon- IS TO COME tomorrow and the next day and in 2034. We acknowledge it. We believe it existed in times past. We believe it will exist. So why would we doubt that Christ the Creator is the LORD WHO IS, WHO WAS and WHO IS TO COME? Rather than doubt the existence of Christ Jesus, let us be in awe of ONE who creates such beauty to govern our nights.
Let us be in awe and worship the One who offers us grace and peace. What a mighty God we have.
Lord, WHO IS, WHO WAS, AND WHO IS TO COME, we praise and worship You!
© www.debbietaylorwilliams.com.
*http://abc7ne.ws/2eA0H3p
Praise to the Lord of WEALTH, Salvation, Wisdom, and Knowledge
“And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is his treasure.”
Many times our search for wealth comes up short. The all powerful dollar is held before us as the “end all” we should seek. However, what the world tells us is opposite of what the Lord tells us. Jesus tells us to lay up treasure in heaven. Isaiah describes the Lord in terms of wealth. Do you consider yourself poor or wealthy? God’s estimation is that if you have Him, you have wealth. Maybe it’s time for us to set our eyes on our wealth in the LORD.
Lord, You are a WEALTH of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. Thank You for all we have in You!
FIND MORE encouragement HERE. Record God’s daily descriptions in Prayers of My Heart.
Praise to God’s VOICE of AUTHORITY
“And the Lord will cause His VOICE OF AUTHORITY to be heard,”
Have you ever done a study on the “voice” of God? In Isaiah 30:30, the literal translation is “VOICE OF MAJESTY.”
Although He speaks to us through the majesty of His creation, some turn from Him and worship what He’s created rather than Him. God’s voice calls to us through the Bible. Yet, we often shut our ears to His Word.
His voice calls to our hearts, but the noise of the world drowns Him out.
But when we slip out of our beds … and quietly meet with Him – just the two of us…
He speaks. His voice encourages our weary souls. His voice comforts us that although we’ve sinned, He forgives us. His voice encourages us that we can start again. His voice whispers, “Do this…” And, if we take His words seriously and even write down and do what He tells us, He whispers more.
And we hear His voice of majesty and AUTHORITY and we praise Him. His voice – the one for which our souls yearn.
Voice of Authority, Voice of Majesty, let us hear You in the morning, for we trust in You.