P.R.A.Y. with Passion Across the Nation Conference
Has Anyone Ever Sacrificed Something for You
Has anyone ever sacrificed something for you? Have they sacrificed sleep so you could sleep? Have they sacrificed advancing so you could? Have they sacrificed their plans so you could do yours? Sacrifice. Sometimes we sacrifice, but do so begrudgingly. But Ephesians 5:2 tells us Jesus willingly SACRIFICED His life for us. He thought of us, not Himself. Hill Country Ministries is dedicated to telling others of Jesus’s great love and sacrifice. One way we do this is by taking our P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference to every state. Christians are inspired and equipped to pray more purposefully and live more passionately for Christ. Seekers are given the opportunity to respond in faith to Christ. Thank you for your prayers as we continue to seek host churches for our last two mainland states: Oregon and Maine.
Lord Jesus, thank You for willingly giving up Your glory, Your comfort, Your life for us; for being a SACRIFICE to God on our behalf so that we can be reconciled to You. Help us sacrificially fulfill Your commission to us to tell others about You.
“…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a SACRIFICE to God as a fragrant aroma,” Ephesians 5:2.
How to Become Perfect
Do you ever hang your head in shame because of sin? Do you sometimes feel badly about something you’ve done or said? If so, I’m with you. It’s easy to get discouraged when we know the right thing to do and don’t do it. In those times it helps to remember God’s words to us in 1 Peter 5:10.. “…the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself PERFECT, confirm, strengthen and establish YOU.” Those are refreshing words! God is the One who will PERFECT us. We can’t become perfect in our own strength. Are we in any way responsible for cooperating with God? Yes. We’re to renew our minds according to the Bible. We’re to prayerfully walk by Christ’s Spirit. The next time we mess up, rather than walk around with our head hung low, let’s take hold of the Bible and put our minds to it. Let’s ask God to perfect our walk with Him and others.
Lord, thank You for not only calling us to Your eternal glory, but for also taking it upon Yourself to PERFECT us. We love You and give You praise!
“…the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself PERFECT, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”
Nobody’s Perfect!
Have you ever defended your bad behavior by saying, “Nobody’s perfect.” Or, has someone ever said to you, “Nobody’s perfect!” in defense of something they’ve done wrong? It’s a common response because it’s true. Nobody is perfect except Jesus. However, and this is a big however, our imperfections aren’t excuses to stay as we are. Rather, they’re signals for where we need to look to Jesus for His example and empowerment to change. For instance, in Matthew 5:48, Jesus doesn’t say, “Heh guys, give yourself a break. Nobody’s perfect.” Instead, He says, “Your Heavenly Father is perfect. You’re to be perfect.”
Heavenly Father, You are PERFECT. Thank You for the gift of Your Spirit who transforms us when we walk according to His power in us.
“’Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is PERFECT.’”
Has Anyone Ever Sacrificed Something for You
Has anyone ever sacrificed something for you? Have they sacrificed sleep so you could sleep? Have they sacrificed advancing so you could? Have they sacrificed their plans so you could do yours? Sacrifice. Sometimes we sacrifice, but do so begrudgingly. But Ephesians 5:2 tells us Jesus willingly SACRIFICED His life for us. He thought of us, not Himself. Hill Country Ministries is dedicated to telling others of Jesus’s great love and sacrifice. One way we do this is by taking our P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference to every state. Christians are inspired and equipped to pray more purposefully and live more passionately for Christ. Seekers are given the opportunity to respond in faith to Christ. Thank you for your prayers as I teach this morning in Indiana.
Lord Jesus, thank You for willingly giving up Your glory, Your comfort, Your life for us; for being a SACRIFICE to God on our behalf so that we can live in heaven.
“…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a SACRIFICE to God as a fragrant aroma .” Ephesians 5:2
Nobody’s Perfect!
Have you ever defended your bad behavior by saying, “Nobody’s perfect.” Or, has someone ever said to you, “Nobody’s perfect!” in defense of something they’ve done wrong? It’s a common response because it’s true. Nobody is perfect except Jesus. However, and this is a big however, our imperfections aren’t excuses to stay as we are. Rather, they’re signals for where we need to look to Jesus for His example and empowerment to change. For instance, in Matthew 5:48, Jesus doesn’t say, “Heh guys, give yourself a break. Nobody’s perfect.” Instead, He says, “Your Heavenly Father is perfect. You’re to be perfect.”
Heavenly Father, You are PERFECT. Thank You for the gift of Your Spirit who transforms us when we walk according to His power in us.
“’Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is PERFECT.’”
Praise to the Lord, Our HELP
“Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our HELP and our shield.”
“Help is on the way.” It’s all I could think to say as I grabbed my purse and headed to the car. She needed to hear those words. She needed to know that help was on the way…the kind of tangible help we need when we’re at our wits end, when we don’t know how much more we can take. And so, God wants us to know, “He is our HELP.” We may not see Him, but we have the full assurance that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present HELP in trouble,” Psalm 46:1. Are you in trouble and need HELP? Are you in despair and need HELP? Are you disturbed about something and need HELP? Unlike the friend who had to wait for me, the Lord is our present HELP. We need only call on Him. “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the HELP of my countenance and my God,” Psalm 43:5.
Lord God, we praise You, our HELP and the HELP of our countenance.
FRIENDS, I think most of you know that my non-profit is taking our P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference to every state. This morning I’m leading the conference in Sheridan, WY, 9-12:00. Thank you for the many ways you’ve helped get this conference across the nation through your donations and prayers. Through you, God is answering people’s cries for help. Please pray a great crowd will show up, for God’s anointing on my teaching and the ears of all who attend. Pray seekers will come and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you.
Our God is Faithful
“God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor 1:9).
Friends,
I have a collection of “300 A-Z Names, Attributes, and Titles of God“. Of those, “faithful” always rises to a top place in my mind when I praise God. I suppose because I see evidence of God’s faithfulness every single day!
The past ten days God has proven Himself faithful by helping me meet deadlines for my new book, “The Plan A Woman in A Plan B World, What to Do When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan” while also teaching the pilot of the same, prepare Listening Guide Handouts, edit the DVDs of the taped teaching sesssions, keep scheduled appointments, write the devotional article “No Plug In’s Please” for the faith section of the newspaper, prepare for a retreat I’m doing in a couple of weeks at Denton Bible Church which is based on my Bible Study, “If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case?” while also celebrating Taylor and Ali’s one year anniversary in Austin, Valentine’s Day with Keith, celebrate birthdays, decide whether to put our 14 year old Cocker Spaniel to sleep, babysit our 15 month old grandson while our other adult children were out of town, and fly to Phoenix to lead my P.R.A.Y. with Passion Across the Nation Conference. Now, in case you’re thinking, “The reason you’re a basket case is because you overschedule,” I’m happy to announce, I’m really not a basket case these days. And, I didn’t schedule all of the above. Nope. An author really doesn’t know the exact date her book is going to be sent to her for a final proof. It just happened to fall in the same week. And, I had told Lauren that I’d babysit a year ago. Once again…what are the chances their business trip would fall during the same week the book was due and the P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference was scheduled and our dog’s condition would worsen?
I assure you, when I saw that all of the above was falling into the same week, I did wonder how in the world I would be able to accomplish it all. I thank God for His Holy Spirit who prompted me through each hour and guided me what to do first, second, third. He’s a great organizer. But you probably know that, having observed our heaven and earth! 🙂
I also thank God for my husband. Keith is such a godly support and prayer partner. And Logan, our grandson, absolutely adores him. Logan had the opportunity to spend Friday with his other grandmother while I was in AZ and then he and Keith played Friday night and Saturday until I got home.
Oh, did I mention I got a 24 hour virus in the midst of all of the above. Yep! Sweet Logan, Lauren, and Chris had been sick prior to their arrival at our house last Tuesday. I had the opportunity to empathize with them when I caught their bug. Thursday at 7 p.m. I called the event planner at North Phoenix Baptist Church and told her I wasn’t sure I would be able to get on the plane the next morning. Thank God, a whole slew of prayer warriors began praying and I woke Friday at 5 a.m., 24 hours after the bug had begun, fit and fiddle. God is good. God is faithful! How can we NOT praise Him?
Friends at North Phoenix Baptist Church and all those who came from other churches to join us at the P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference, you are dear! I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much while teaching a three hour conference. You’re a hoot! And, it was so good to see friends from Royal Oak, where I’d led a retreat last year. I love YA’LL even if you did laugh at my southern accent. Yes, P is for praayse! 🙂
Keep looking up friends, at our FAITHFUL GOD!
Love,
Debbie
P.S. Holly, our dog, is still with us. I think she’ll outlive me!