Debbie Taylor Williams
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.
Thank You, SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS!
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings;”
Charles Spurgeon wrote these word in 1871 about the Sun of Righteousness: “Jesus, like the sun, is the center and soul of all things, the fullness of all good, the lamp that lights us, the fire that warms us, the magnet that guides and controls us; he is the source and fountain of all life, beauty, fruitfulness, and strength; he is the fosterer of tender herbs of penitence, the quickener of the vital sap of grace, the ripener of fruits of holiness, and the life of everything that grows within the garden of the Lord. Whereas to adore the sun would be idolatry; it were treason not to worship ardently the divine Sun of Righteousness.”* Does that add to your understanding of why Jesus is referred to as the Sun of Righteousness? With which of the descriptions do you most relate to Jesus as the Sun of Righteousness?
We praise You, SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS, and look to You to enlighten, control, quicken, grow, and ripen us to holy surrender and fruitfulness.
*http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/1020.htm
*Debbie Taylor Williams.
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Praise to the Lord, Who is SUBMISSIVE to the Father
“He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’”
There are times when we are called to do something that isn’t pleasant. We would prefer not to do it. Perhaps for you, it’s a medical procedure. For a tired mom, it may be changing another diaper. A worker may long to stay in bed rather than go to work. Then, there are those excruciatingly painful occasions when we may be called to help with an intervention, or change the lock on a door to keep an abusive person out of the home. Or…die on the cross so that mankind can be saved. Jesus knew the suffering that was before Him. He didn’t want to go through it. He asked His Father for another way. But, in the end, He was submissive to Him. Does that not scream of the Father’s love for us? How are we giving back to Him? How are we showing Jesus that we appreciate Him?
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, thank You! For all You’ve done and all You’ve sacrificed, we give You praise!
Praise to Jesus, SON OF MAN
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
How did Jesus describe Himself? The observant physician, Luke, noted that Jesus described Himself as the Son of Man. And, in the same context, Jesus revealed His purpose for coming to earth: to save lost souls. That would be you and me. Lost. Separated from God. Having wandered from God’s holy righteousness, we were in need of a Savior. So Jesus came from heaven on a mission to earth. Born of a woman by the Holy Spirit, He did what no one else could do – seek and save us.
All praise to You, Lord Jesus, Son of God, SON of MAN, who sought and saved us! We love and adore You!
SON of the BLESSED ONE
“Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, ‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’”
When you think of blessings, what comes to mind? Most likely good things: Family. Health.Friends. Freedom from worry and fear. Financial security. Does “Son of the Blessed One” seem an apt description for Jesus as He stood before the high priest: beaten, abandoned by friends, no earthly possessions, and betrayed? Yet, in God’s providence, He had the person who sentenced His Son to crucifixion to also affix the name “Son of the Blessed One” to Jesus. Could it be a message to us that things aren’t always as they appear; that perhaps we should look beyond today’s difficulties to the title He has affixed to us – bride of Christ; the title and position we’ll carry into eternity where we’ll experience His fulness and glory?
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Christ, SON of the BLESSED ONE, and for the blessings You have promised us.
ROCK of Our SALVATION
“O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.”
RESTORER
“He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.”
Do you think God expects you to be superman or super woman? He doesn’t. In fact, He acknowledges that our souls will be depleted and need restoration. He says He’s the RESTORER of our souls. Red bull and other super caffeinated drinks only serve to give us a temporary kick. A rightly aligned relationship with Jesus and daily refreshment in His presence provide ongoing restoration to our souls.
Lord, we praise You, the RESTORER of our soul!