Debbie Taylor Williams
Rethinking to Whom and What We Bow
As we have studied, there are times when God announces, “This is who I am. This is my name.” Such is the case in Isaiah 42:8 when God announced,
I am the LORD, that is My name
He continues in the same breath, explaining what it means that His name is LORD. He states He will not give His glory to another. In other words, we are to praise Him and Him alone. His announcement should cause us to think about our lives and if we are giving our praise to anything or anyone besides Him? In other words, are we making anything or anyone besides God the priority of our lives?” If we are, then we must bow before the LORD in repentance and profess Him as LORD. We must realign our lives so they are a praise to Him.
Heavenly Father, Lord God Almighty, You alone are LORD. Forgive us for putting anything or anyone before You. We bow in humble reverence and praise.
When You Need a Rallying Point
Do you ever feel like the world, your flesh or the devil are bearing down on you and you need a rallying point where you can find victory over your fallen nature and temptation? Moses discovered that the Lord was his rallying point. When he held high the BANNER OF THE LORD, the Israelites were victorious over their enemies. They fought in God’s name and strength, not their own. The same holds true for us. The LORD IS OUR BANNER. When we lift His name high in prayer and look to Him for strength, we find victory over our sinful nature and the enemy. The next time temptation or your old nature starts to get the best of you, look to the heavens. Lift high the LORD’s name: Victorious Warrior, Prince of Peace. Faithful. Guardian of Your Soul. Build an altar of praise to the Lord as Moses did.
Moses built an altar and named it ‘The Lord is My Banner,’ Exodus 17:15.
Return to the altar of praise throughout the day and give God praise.
LORD, we praise You and lift high the BANNER of YOUR NAME – victorious One.
Who Is Your Spirit Guide
When you were a child, did you play “follow the leader”? If so, you probably remember how important it was to do what the leader did. If they placed their hand on their head, you were supposed to place your hand on your head. If they touched their toes, you were supposed to touch your toes. In order to follow, you had to keep your eye on the leader. You had to pay attention to the leader’s words. In Isaiah 48:17 God explains something that is not child’s play. Rather, it’s an incredible offer by our Spirit guide and leader from on high. He says,
I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who LEADS you in the way you should go.
Many people seek a human guide, palm reader, or turn to Tarot cards for direction. Yet they are mere human instruments. God freely offers Himself, His Holy Spirit, to LEAD us. How closely are we listening to Him? How well are we following His lead?
God, You are our LEADER! What a blessing to follow You!
Better than Bootstraps
Do you feel hopeless? Perhaps the last bit of hope to which you’ve clung just went out the window. Your future may appear bleak. Dark clouds may seem to hover over you no matter where you go or how hard you try. But the good news is, if you’re a Christian, you have every reason to ditch any thought of hopelessness. You have the GOD OF HOPE! Whoo Hoo! He is not only with you. He’s IN you. 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.”
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?
News Flash: You can experience hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s a matter of not trying to pull yourself up by your bootstraps to believing God is on the throne, He sees you, and loves you. He has your best interest at heart. In faith, pray, “GOD OF HOPE, fill me with joy and peace through the Holy Spirit.”
GOD OF HOPE, thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit so we can abound in hope by His power. We love and adore You!
Hard Work, No Joy
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 a mission Christ assigned to us and we’re relying on His wisdom and power, or if it’s an activity we decided was a good idea and we’re pushing through in our own strength. Why is this important? Colossians 1:18 explains that Christ is “head of the body, the church…so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” In other words, if it is not Christ’s idea then it’s not a good idea and will not be empowered by Him. Why? As a body is lifeless without its head, so we the church are lifeless apart from Christ. We may do what we consider to be important, but if it is done apart from Christ’s calling and Spirit it is merely human effort. Therefore, it is important for us to continually seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) so that both our individual and corporate actions flow from Christ’s mind and are done in His power. 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
Lord Jesus, we praise You, HEAD OF THE CHURCH and life of the body of believers. May our words and actions be an extension of Your heart, strength, and power.
Have You Ever Wished You Had Someone to…
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.” When doing research for my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion about God being the guardian of our soul, 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.” (page 98) What a blessing for us to have God as the Guardian of our souls!
God assumes responsibility for being the Guardian of our soul, but it is our responsibility to tune into Him and follow what He tells us to do both in the Bible and when the Holy Spirit prompts us during the day.
Begin each day prayerfully greeting God and lifting up your soul to Him. Invite Him to overwhelm your soul with His Spirit. Then, pay attention to the Spirit’s prompts and follow them throughout the day. You know how I much value recording each of God’s attributes in my journal every morning…such as “Guardian of My Soul” today. In addition, I stay in God’s presence with pen in hand and write in my journal how God prompts me to pray and make notes of what He stirs my heart to do that day. If you haven’t yet tried journaling or tried it in the past and stopped, give it a try again. It can change your life because you will experience the Guardian of Your Soul watching over you and guiding you as never before. Prayers of My Heart Journal
Quick Start Video 7 Benefits of Journaling Slideshow Why We Love It
LORD, thank You for being the GUARDIAN of our souls. Help us be ever sensitive to Your Word and will.
You’re Exactly Like Your Father
If someone says, “You’re exactly like your father” are those fighting words or complimentary words? In other words, did you admire your father so it’s a compliment to be likened to him? Or were there things you didn’t admire and so don’t want to be likened to him? We would all certainly like for it to be a compliment and in Hebrews 1:3 it is in regard to Jesus being the “spitting image” of His Daddy. The writer to the Hebrews says this about Jesus and God the Father. “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,” Look at Jesus and you’re looking at our Heavenly Father. Listen to Jesus and you’re hearing the voice of God. Observe Jesus with people and you are observing the Father. Isn’t it exciting that we have a glimpse of what it will be like to be in our Father’s presence? I can’t wait! What about you?
Christ Jesus, we look at and listen to You and know that You are the exact representation of Your Father. We are seeing and hearing Him. We love You both so much!
If You’re Wondering What to Do About Something
Are you at your wit’s end? Do you need someone to talk to who can help you sort out your concerns, problems, and worries? God understands. Our Heavenly Father is the original COUNSELOR. And, Isaiah 9:6 says this about Jesus. Not only is He our Counselor, He is a “Wonderful Counselor.” Our Heavenly Father and Jesus are wonderful counselors because they are excellent listeners and know us inside and out. We can talk to them and know they hear us, and when we quiet ourselves in their presence, we can hear them. Talk to your Wonderful Counselor, then follow His counsel. I record what God prompts me to do in my journal, Prayers of My Heart. It helps me follow through because I can reread what I’ve recorded that He put on my heart. What do God’s prompts sound like? His prompt might be, “Open your Bible and read a Psalm.” It might be, “Stop procrastinating and tackle what is before you.” His prompt might be, “Instead of wondering about someone, call them.” Or, “Do _____ today.” A wise Christian will both talk things out with their Wonderful Counsel and follow how the Wonderful Counselor prompts them. Are we wise?
LORD, You are the WONDERFUL COUNSELOR. Increase our sensitivity to Your Voice. Help us take seriously Your counsel and follow through on what You lead us to do.
Since We Know, How Will We Prepare Others
The February 2021 winter freeze took this Texas girl by surprise. Yes, I’d seen the warnings of a winter storm. Okay, that meant cold weather and snow. Ice. I made a mental note of the warning and went on with my life. Then it got cold. And colder. And more cold. I wasn’t prepared and by the time the snow, cold, iced over roads, power outage, no water, and firewood had run out, it was too late to do anything about it. The days for preparing had passed. I was living in the consequences of my lackadaisical unpreparedness. Often I thought of what I would do to be better prepared should we have another winter storm. I also often thought of how ultimately terrifying it is going to be for people who have sort of paid attention to the warning of a judgement after death, to the fire and more fire of hell, to the punishment for sin, and yet are going on with their lives and not doing anything to prepare for the salvation of their soul. It makes me cringe. It fills me with sorrow for them and regret that I have not done more to sound the warning. If I felt stuck in the cold of my house, how will they feel when they are stuck in the fire of their hell? Sweet friends, Jesus tells us with “all authority” in Matthew 28:18-20 that we are to be sounding the warning that a day is coming when all people will meet Jesus and their soul will be sealed in heaven or hell. Jesus commands us with all authority to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” Are we warning others to prepare to meet Jesus? Are we telling them how to prepare while they still have time?
Jesus, Son of God, You have all AUTHORITY in heaven and on earth. Show us how we can warn people of hell so they will hear, believe, and prepare to meet You.
Verses to Share to Help Others Prepare. Learn how to share your faith HERE.
Why AWESOME is an Important Word
A few years ago, the word “awesome” became a catchphrase for any and every thing. “Can you go Monday night? Awesome!” “This meal is awesome!” “I read an awesome book!” If you’re like many, we began to tire of hearing the over used word. However, rather than throw out the word, “awesome,” the Bible points us in the right direction for when to use it. In Genesis 28:17, awesome is used in relation to heaven, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Exodus 15:11 uses it in relation to God and His works, “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” Yes, we might want to scale down on our use of “awesome” in relation to mundane earthly things, but let’s use it often in relation to God.
We praise You, great and AWESOME GOD and thank You for Your AWESOME works.