Debbie Taylor Williams
VICTORIOUS
“…thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:57
Sin. We deal with it. Our sin or another person’s sin seems to be a part of daily life. Perhaps one of the most glaring sins is our selfishness. We want what we want. We want it when we want it. Things or people that stand in our way frustrate us. But what if sin didn’t exist? What if we were free of sin and its consequences? Friends, that day awaits us! Because of God, the VICTOR over death, we will one day no longer deal with sin. Today is a great day to sing Christ’s praises!
LORD GOD, I praise You for being VICTORIOUS over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.
UNITY
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” ”
Matthew 3:17
Can you imagine perfect unity among family members; where each member identifies with the other and exists for a unified purpose? So it is with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are united. Jesus desires that their unity extends to believers. Prior to going to the cross, Jesus prayed, “I in them and You in Me; that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me,” John 17:23. As we look at the discord that exists among so many, we can praise God for the unity of the God-head and the invitation to be united with them.
LORD, I praise You, Father, Son, and Spirit. Thank You for the UNITY that exists among You and that You extend to me.
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.
UPRIGHT
“…A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and upright is He.”
Deuteronomy 32:4
120 years. That’s how old Moses was when he commissioned Joshua to take his place. Moses’s words, ever so eloquent, are recorded in Deuteronomy 32. I’d love for you to read them! In verses 2-3, Moses poured forth, “Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew,…For I proclaim the name of the Lord.” He continues, “upright is He.” Why did Moses want to communicate that God is upright? He wanted us to know that God is believable. He is just, true, and His word is just and true.* As we go about our lives in a world that is often not upright; where people speak words that are often not true, how refreshing it is to know that God and His Word are!
UPRIGHT LORD GOD, I praise You that You and Your Word are just and true. All praise and glory belong to You!
*http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H3477&t=NASB
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.
UPHOLDER
“For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”
Isaiah 41:13
October 8th, I had the precious blessing of holding our newborn grandchild. Holding him was no problem. He wasn’t heavy to me. As a matter of fact, it was a delight and joy to hold him. I could intently look into his face. I could pray for him. The more I held him, the deeper my love for him grew. Wouldn’t it have been silly if he had argued, “Oh, don’t hold me. I’m too heavy.” Or, what if he had said, “I don’t want to bother you. You don’t need to hold me.” In the same way, our Heavenly Father says, “I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand,” Isaiah 41:10. In the Bible, God’s right hand symbolizes His strength. His right hand is the strong hand of righteousness. We can relax in His hands. We can become increasingly aware of His deep love for us.
LORD, Thank You for UPHOLDING me with Your righteous right hand. Thank You for the depth of Your love for me.
Excerpts from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, copyright Debbie Taylor Williams, 2006, Howard Publishing, page 207.
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.
UNDERSTANDING
“The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens.”
Proverbs 3:19
Do you have a problem? Are you confronted with a challenge? Guess what! You have a Helper. At least that’s what Jesus calls the Holy Spirit in John 14:16 and again in verse 26. A Helper who is always with us. I think that if the LORD established the heavens by UNDERSTANDING, which in the Hebrew means intelligence, skill, and insight; then He’s an incredible source for us to go to with our problems and challenges. Think of the intelligence, skill, and insight He can give when we call on Him for help.
LORD, I praise You that You are a God of UNDERSTANDING who provides heavenly intelligence, skill, and insight when I come to You in prayer.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H8394&t=NASB
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.
UNCHANGING LOVE
“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity…
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in unchanging love.”
Micah 7:18
Have you ever wanted someone to change? Maybe the person was a little rough around the edges, grumpy, or not a good money manager. “If only they would change!” we might sigh. But one whom we do not want to change is God! Why? He pardons our iniquity. He has an UNCHANGING LOVE for us. Does that make you smile? It does me.
Lord, I praise You for Your UNCHANGING LOVE!
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.
TRUTH
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”
John 14:6
Perhaps John 14:6 is a familiar Scripture to you. But is it to everyone? No. There are those seeking to know TRUTH and looking for it everywhere but in Jesus. Yet, He claims to the be the embodiment of TRUTH. “I AM THE TRUTH,” Christ claims. In this lie-filled world, isn’t it praiseworthy that the One to whom we’ve entrusted our lives is the TRUTH?
Lord Jesus, I praise You, the TRUTH and way to the Father!
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.
TRUE VINE
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”
John 15:1
Recently, I noticed a vine growing in my flower bed and wasn’t quite sure what it was. Was it a weed or was it a vine I wanted to keep? I had to make a decision. Uproot and discard it or keep it and let it grow? Many today are making the wrong decision about Christ. They don’t recognize Him as the TRUE VINE. Rather than keeping Him and His words, they are planting vines of humanism and false teachings in their hearts. What can we who are followers of Christ do? We can bear the joyous fruit of Christ in our lives. We can let them taste and see who He is. We can pray they will open their hearts to the TRUE VINE.
Lord Jesus, I praise You, the TRUE VINE! I pray to increasingly bear the fruit of Your presence in my life.
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.
TRUE WITNESS
“‘The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.’”
Revelation 3:14-15
Are you a lukewarm Christian? Sometimes you’re “hot” for Christ; sometimes you’re “cold.” It depends on the situation and if things and people are going your way. Sometimes you’re kind. Other times you have a sharp tongue. In other words, at times you might appear to be “hot” for Christ, but other times your behavior doesn’t reflect Christ at all. What is Jesus looking for? Christians in hot pursuit of Him and His ways – whose words and behavior are consistent with who HE is. Jesus is in the courtroom. He’s a TRUE WITNESS about our behavior. What is He saying about us?
Lord Jesus, I praise You, the TRUE WITNESS!
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.
TREASURY of WISDOM & KNOWLEDGE
“Jesus Christ…in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Colossians 2:2b-3
Are you at a place in your life where you have decisions to make and don’t know what to do? Perhaps you’re at a crossroads and trying to figure out God’s will for your future. Or, maybe you’re in a personal or business relationship and aren’t confident about the wisest way to move forward. Maybe your questions are of a larger nature – about life, who God is, and your purpose. If so, look to Jesus, whom Paul explains is “a place where good and precious things are laid up;”* a treasury of wisdom and knowledge. In Him is the full explanation of God’s gift of salvation and our role and relationship to Him as we walk through life. We are not alone. We can look to Christ.
Lord Jesus Christ, I praise You, the TREASURY of all WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE to whom I can look.
*http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G2344&t=NASB**
Debbie Taylor Williams. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to forward or share this material provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee for it. Any exception to the above must be approved by Debbie Taylor Williams. Please include on any web posting or printed distribution: © Debbie Taylor Williams, www.debbietaylorwilliams.com. Thank you.