Praise Posts 2025 - Day 2

 

Today's Praise will focus on God as our Avenger.

that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 1 Thesalonians 4:6 ESV

 

Father,

 

We praise You for caring so much for us! You avenge us when others have taken advantage of us or wronged us.

 

We also trust You and leave things in Your hands since You have told us that vengeance is Yours. 

In other words, it’s Your job to make things right. It’s our job to believe You will, and wait to see it happen.

 

Sometimes, that is easier said than done; however, the great thing is You will help us. You invite us to come boldly before Your throne and receive help in times of trouble.

 

What a privilege to be Your child! Thank You, Abba, for Your love and care.

 

And now, I ask for favor for me and my readers as we  continue this week. Let it be a productive, fruitful week filled with divine appointments wherein we can bring You glory.

 

In Jesus’ name, so be it, amen.

Welcome to Day 2 of Praise Posts 2025, a tradition that has been featured on the Journey every November since 2014.

This year’s praise posts are 10 days of prayers based on 10 of the Names and Attributes of God. There will be links below to each Praise Post.

We started on November 18, 2025, and will end on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2025.

I pray you enjoy, and also are prompted to examine your life and see where the Lord has shown up for you. (This is a practice that doesn't have to be just for Thanksgiving - being grateful for who God is should be practiced every day of the year!)

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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Previous Posts:

Day 1

Also, you can view the Praise Posts 2024 posts here.

Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

I'm also excited to share that I'm part of an upcoming book collaboration about Advent. 

My contributon will be in the peace section of the book. I can't wait to hear what you think!

Here is the link to check it out and to pre-order!  

           ~~

Today, I'll be sharing at Let's Have Coffee

Praise Posts-2025 - Day 1

 

Welcome to Praise Posts 2025, a tradition that has been featured on the Journey every November since 2014.

This year’s praise posts are 10 days of prayers based on 10 of the Names and Attributes of God. There will be links below to each Praise Post.

We will start today, November 18, 2025, and end on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2025.

I pray you enjoy, and also are prompted to examine your life and see where the Lord has shown up for you. (This is a practice that doesn't have to be just for Thanksgiving - being grateful for who God is should be practiced every day of the year!)

Today's Praise will focus on God as the Author of Eternal Salvation. Rescuing us from the mess we make of our lives was His idea!

And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, Hebrews 5:9 NKJV

 

Father,

 

First of all, thank You for Jesus! Thank You He stayed the course, even through the suffering and resurrection, which enabled Him to become the source of our salvation.

 

But I love the idea of Him being the author, the Creator of the story of our salvation. I know the Trinity decided this plan before the foundation of the world, and I am thankful Jesus carried the plan out to fulfillment.

 

I know it’s because of Your great love and mercy, because Your people really tried Your patience. I know we today also try Your patience with so much spiritual riches available and yet because of unbelief and distraction, we flounder and get off the path of our journey Home.

 

Guide us, O Great Shepherd, and lead us in the path You have chosen for us. Help us fix our eyes on You, Jesus!

In Jesus’ name, so be it, amen.

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

~~

Also, you can view the Praise Posts 2024 posts here.

Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

I'm also excited to share that I'm part of an upcoming book collaboration about Advent. 

My contributon will be in the peace section of the book. I can't wait to hear what you think!

Here is the link to check it out and to pre-order!  

           ~~

Today, I'll be sharing at InstaEncouragements Link-up

Acts of Faith

The topic of conversation on the Journey the last few weeks has been the three answers to prayer: Yes, No, and Wait.

The examples I shared in my post about my "Yes" answers to prayer were leaps of faith for me. I was desperate when I prayed those prayers. (You can read about it by clicking this link: Let Me Explain.) 

Did you know God wants your acts of faith to succeed?

I felt such joy when I read this scripture:

 

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 NLT

 

The apostle Paul, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, prayed God would give us the power to accomplish ALL our acts of faith. Other translations say EVERY work of faith.

What are acts of faith? Praying a desperate prayer, speaking up for the Lord in an uncomfortable situation, or reaching out to someone who needs encouragement might all be acts of faith because you are believing God will touch others through your act of obedience.

Maybe you were asked to lead a prayer, teach a class or bring a devotional, and you don't feel qualified. Going ahead and saying "yes," is an act of faith. God wants to bless your faithfulness!

Maybe your act of faith is more radical - leaving home to be a missionary, starting a new business that will bless others, writing a book telling a story of God's redemption. These all require a sacrifice of time, a loss of comfort, or a personal cost.

Anytime you sow seeds of faith, something good will spring up!

The next time you feel led to do something, once you've prayed, made sure it is in line with scripture, and sought Godly counsel, take that leap. Remember, God has your back.

Go on … give it a try.

“According to your faith let it be to you.” Matthew 9:29 NKJV

 

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Also, I'm thrilled to tell you the book, "A Family's Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," is now available. One of the chapters in that book was written by me; and I now have an Amazon author's page that has all the details. Click here.

Sharing at Remember Me Monday, InstaEncouragements Link-up, Let's Have Coffee

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy.

Capacity for waiting

Capacity is the maximum amount that can be contained, produced, or held, whether it's the volume of a container or the number of people an event can hold. (According to AI)

This brings to mind, what is your capacity for waiting?

We've been discussing answers to prayer the last couple of weeks here on the Journey. 

For instance, we know there are three answers to prayer: Yes, No, and Wait.

I first shared some of my "Yes" answers to prayer, but later I realized I should have specified my answer to praying for healing of infertility was a "Wait," long before it ever became a "Yes."

It took ten long years of waiting; of fielding questions such as, "When are you going to start your family?"; ten years of watching the nieces and nephews unwrap their Christmas presents with excitement and wishing you had a child to share the joy; being present at many Mother's Day celebrations and baby showers knowing they might never be celebrations for you. 

It's hard.

But, I guarantee after you receive the answer you have been longing for, the agony of waiting all those years fades. Oh yes, you remember the angst; but the joy of the answer takes away the sting.

I felt my capacity for waiting had reached the end and decided to get on with my life. I even learned to put the idea of motherhood on the back burner. 

And then, when I least expected it, what I thought was stomach flu turned out to be morning sickness. Baby Elissa Joy showed up!

God had not forgotten my request even though I had chosen not to dwell on it anymore.

His timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways.

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The above post was written in response to the Five Minute Friday prompt, "capacity." 

The above response was written in 5 minutes; but I've more to say!

The idea of waiting is often a tough pill to swallow. We live in a microwave and fast food culture. We get aggravated if we have to wait in a drive through line. We often complain to each other that we used to be able to order off Amazon prime and get it within two days. We forget that waiting 4 days for something to arrive from across the country is still a marvel! We want what we want and we want it now.

God doesn't work quickly. He works on time. He is weaving all our stories together to make something good, something greater than we could ask or think.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NKJV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us Ephesians 3:20 NKJV 

The surprising part? There are benefits to waiting:

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 NLT

 

This means as we wait for God to move, He will give us fresh strength. Waiting is not passive, it is actively seeking Him and His will. Great things will come from this type of waiting! 

How much capacity do you have for waiting?

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Also, I'm thrilled to tell you the book, "A Family's Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," is now available. One of the chapters in that book was written by me; and I now have an Amazon author's page that has all the details. Click here.

Also, have you read my series, "Armed and Dangerous" about spiritual warfare? Click the links for part 1, part 2 and part 3

Sharing at Five Minute Friday, Let's Have Coffee

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy.

Real and Authentic

Last week, I wrote about past experiences that built my tust in God and gave examples of answered prayer.

But to be real and authentic, I must also share with you times He said "No" to a prayer, or even "Wait."

Once, we lived in Indiana for about 4 years. This was a time of great poverty, yet some of our greatest spiritual growth. It was also when we saw the biggest answer to  prayer in the form of a "Yes," which was the natural biological birth of our first daughter.

However; during that time there was also an answer to prayer in the form of a "No."

Our house in Illinois was being rented; yet we longed to sell it and get out from under the financial burden. Many prayers had been lifted heavenward concerning this debt, but no answer came. The house just would not sell.

Now, I had reasoned, "I pay my tithes, I give whatever I can in offerings, I've been faithful to you, God. Why will You not let our house sell?"

But God knew something I didn't. Jim would lose his job and we would have to go back home.  We would need a place to stay.

More importantly, that house would be paid off when in the future Jim became ill and was unable to work. How thankful I was that at least I didn't have to worry about a mortgage when I became the breadwinner!

God was actually kind to say "No" to my prayer of asking for the house to sell.

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So, we see God's best for us might require a "No" answer from Him. Always trust Him and know He sees things we don't know.

Next time, we will talk about when God says "Wait."

This post was written in response to the Five Minute Friday community's prompt, "real" The post was written in 5 minutes; looking up scripture and creating the graphic took longer.

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Also, I'm thrilled to tell you the book, "A Family's Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," is now available. One of the chapters in that book was written by me; and I now have an Amazon author's page that has all the details. Click here.

Also, have you read my series, "Armed and Dangerous" about spiritual warfare? Click the links for part 1, part 2 and part 3

Sharing at Five Minute Friday and Remember Me Monday, InstaEncouragement Link-Up, Let's Have Coffee

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy.

Let Me Explain

But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord. Always be ready to defend your confidence ⌞in God⌟ when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defense with gentleness and respect.  1 Peter 3:15 GOD’S WORD Translation

 

If you were to ask me to explain why I trust God, I'd have to tell you about the past.

I trust God because He has never let me down.

He was there when my doctor said, "Without some type of fertility drug, you will never give birth."

But instead, God touched me and my husband at an altar of prayer during a revival.

Today, we have three children born naturally without any fertility treatments. We have three grand children, as well!

Or, I could tell you about the time my husband was out of work, and we decided to stand on the Word of God. We copied scriptures of provision onto a clipboard and I prayed them over and over while my husband went to the place where he wanted to work and inquired if there was an opening. There was not; however, they hired him anyway because of his experience. God will create a job for you, if need be!

I could tell you about the time my husband thought the engine on our only reliable means of transportation seemed to be locked up and would not start. We had zero options to fix it or get another car. Following the leading of the Holy Spirit, we went out there, popped the hood, anointed the engine with cooking oil, and prayed. Guess what? My husband slid into the seat and turned the key with trembling fingers and the ENGINE STARTED!

We drove that car two more years.

Those are just a few examples of God's faithfulness to me.

How do you explain your faith?

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This post was written in response the Five Minute Friday community's prompt, "explain." The post was written in 5 minutes; looking up scripture and creating the graphic took longer.

~~

Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Also, I'm thrilled to tell you the book, "A Family's Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," is now available. One of the chapters in that book was written by me; and I now have an Amazon author's page that has all the details. Click here.

Sharing at Five Minute Friday and Remember Me Monday and Let's Have Coffee

The Thrill of Knowing

According to the Oxford dictionaries, a thrill seeker is "a person who is eager to take part in exciting activities that involve physical risk."

I have a friend who loves to do thrill seeking activities like finding the most challenging roller-coaster rides. She will travel all over the country to find them. 

I, myself, while on a rollercoaster, am clutching my heart and praying fervently.

Since I'm afraid of heights, bungee jumping, mountain climbing and sky diving are off-limits.

But, there is a thrill that I am seeking. Instead of physical risk, this thrill requires shutting down distractions and becoming still.

I'm talking about seeking the manifest presence of the Lord.

I know the voice of the Lord is a still small voice, a whisper, if you will. (See 1 Kings 19:11-13) I'm hungry to hear His voice.

It takes shutting out distractions. It takes focusing on Him, and most of all, it takes TIME! 

I don't know about you; but time here on earth is my most precious resource. I often waste it; yet, I'm aware of the fact that it is limited.

Each day brings me closer to the end.

The wisest investment of my time is the thrill of knowing Him.

What would be a thrill for you?

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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This post was written in response to the prompt "thrill" provided by the Five Minute Friday community. As always, I'm late to the party, but spent five minutes writing my post, then used extra time to look up scriptures and make a graphic.

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Also, I'm thrilled to tell you the book, "A Family's Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," is now available. One of the chapters in that book was written by me; and I now have an Amazon author's page that has all the details. Click here.

Sharing at Five Minute Friday and Let's Have Coffee