This is what I want you to know today as Believers, we will encounter unfortunate events in life, traps and snares, but we must always remember we serve an almighty Savior that has overcome everything in this world and He has all victory and power! (John 16:33) And as we trust Him through hard times, we through Christ, receive strength and victory! (Philippians 4:13) If the storms in life seem like they are at their strongest, full of chaos and uncertainty you must remember what Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit'" (Galatians 3:13-14). This is the assurance we have as believers is that the curse of sin and death has been removed from us through the death of Christ in our place. Therefore, we aren't afraid, worried, nor stressed because we know who is in control and as a contemporary song declares, "When Jesus Says Yes, Nobody Can Say No!".
In the days and times in which we are living, there are people who are in the business of pronouncing curses over the lives of others for selfish reasons. I have been on the other side of a few curses. But I have learned through the Word that what the LORD has blessed, no man can curse. We find this to truth in scripture when the man of God, the prophet Balaam was hired to curse Israel, by Balak, the king of Moab. You see King Balak was in a panic because he had heard about the powerful army of Israelites that was approaching the promise land and his kingdom was in the pathway to promise and the King was afraid of losing his power. God warned the prophet Balaam to not pronounce a curse upon them. Eventually, he and his temporary business partners learned that whom God has blessed no man can curse. Everytime he tried to declare a curse, a blessing flowed from his lips and he cursed Moab. (Num 22:1 – 24:25) God loves to turn the plans and works of the wicked upside down – on their own heads (Ps 9:16-17). This is what I want you to know today as Believers, we will encounter unfortunate events in life, traps and snares, but we must always remember we serve an almighty Savior that has overcome everything in this world and He has all victory and power! (John 16:33) And as we trust Him through hard times, we through Christ, receive strength and victory! (Philippians 4:13) If the storms in life seem like they are at their strongest, full of chaos and uncertainty you must remember what Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit'" (Galatians 3:13-14). This is the assurance we have as believers is that the curse of sin and death has been removed from us through the death of Christ in our place. Therefore, we aren't afraid, worried, nor stressed because we know who is in control and as a contemporary song declares, "When Jesus Says Yes, Nobody Can Say No!".
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How many times have we quoted the scripture at Ephesians 6:12, to ourselves or someone else? "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." And how many times did we follow it up by saying, "Satan stays busy. Hmph!" Well it's true, Satan has a superb work ethic. He shows up early, puts in overtime and takes on extra projects whenever we make them available, but what this scripture aims to make us aware of is much, much deeper than that. As we go about our daily lives as Christians in this "wicked world" (Galatians 1:4), we are fighting for our very lives against mighty powers, evil spirits and authorities of an unseen, dark world. Yes! There is a spiritual warfare of darkness going on every day so we need to be less cavalier about this particular statement and really hone in and understand what is at stake--our very lives. How do we combat the spirit of darkness? We can only overcome darkness with light (John 1:5). We know that it is not natural light but a spiritual light, right? How do escape from the darkness and live in the light? If we examine Galatians 5:19-21, a clear picture is painted as to what the dark, unseen world has to offer. It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21 MSG) Sounds all too familiar, doesn't it. We come across these things every day and we can do little more than shake our heads or tell ourselves to pray for those living this sad existence, do we not? Well, we honestly need to be doing much more than praying. We We need to BE an example of light--a sharp contrast to what is going on around us. We need to BE distinctly different. We need to BE spiritual. But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. (Galatians 5:22, 23 MSG) Notice that all the fruits of the spirit in this version of the text are communicated as actionable attributes--stated as things we should be doing or being not just as adjectives. God's spirit should move us to want to shut out the darkness of this world and be a light in our own lives and the lives of others. Let's no longer think of the fruits of God's spirit as things but rather as things we need to be; exhibit; live. “As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after you. You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.” Those words from the first verse of "As the Deer" by Eddie James. Originally written in 1984, it has proven to be one of the defining songs of the worship era. The words of this song are based on the beginning of Psalm 42 that reads, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1). Looking just at that verse, it seems that the words of the song appropriately capture the encouraging, worshipful and beautiful sense intended by the psalmist. Yet, as one looks past the first verse to the remainder of this psalm, one would find words of desperation and anguish, not the gentle smiles and bowed hearts inferred by the song. A study of just the first verse of Psalm 42 reveals that the Psalmist is explaining his experience in the spiritual desert, and points us in the right direction. It reveals the utter anguish of the psalmist as he writes and many of us can relate to this spiritual desert. In this desert is when we need to keep in close touch with God or we will shrivel up with spiritual dehydration and the Psalmist points us in the right direction. One of the definitions in the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary for the word pant is to long eagerly or yearn. It is often in the context of a feeling that results from some form of physical exertion, usually running. This made me realize that a deer would pant for water when it runs (just as other animals and humans do), either from a predator or due to a need for satisfaction of its thirst. With this realization, I learn from the scripture that our souls must pant after God as well. This means that we must also be running in order to pant. We must first run from evil, from temptation, from trials and burdens; we must run to God as we long to be satisfied. This Psalm is a proof that he has a very earnest desire to have communion with God, who created him and also shows that He trusted His plans for his life. is no other one, other than Jesus who can satisfy what we thirst for. He said come unto me all ye that are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). In other words, He was expressing that in Him and only in Him is total satisfaction and until we are satisfied, we must be panting after Him, the source of Living Water (John 4:10-15). Are you panting after God, the living God? Run into The Sanctuary today to worship and quench your thirsty soul! Enter into Worship"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2 When I think of transformation, I immediately think of the caterpillars transformation. The caterpillar with it's veracious appetite and unattractive features can become something beautiful and graceful. It just defies the imagination. Yet that is exactly what God does for us. He took us from lowly, dirty, stinking sinners and transformed us into something beautiful through his grace and love. Romans 8:5 states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He took something ugly and made it beautiful. It is so easy to get caught up and tangled up in the pattern of this world. It is filled with half-truths and lies. It is full of selfishness and desires. It uses, abuses, and discards of people once they are of no use. Yes, it is easy to get messed up in the affairs of this world. But God has called us to transform our minds from “stinkin’ thinkin'” to his good and perfect thoughts and will for our lives. My dad used to encourage my sister and I to always "think on things that were good" and to believe that our Heavenly would always work it out on our behalf. I know that it can be a challenge to transform your mind and to get rid of the “old stinkin’ thinkin'” and retrain your mind. But I know personally, that the time you spend alone with God will transform your character. You noticed I didn't say change, because change can be temporary, while transformation is permanent. Change is easy, transformation is painful and hard. It took being in a cocoon of pain and suffering to permanently change me. I grew wings through my suffering and my whole mindset changed. I began to see life differently and no longer had to adapt to my environment because I could rise above it. When God saves us, it’s not a temporary change. It’s a transformation. It requires painful separation from who we once were to who we’re becoming. It means we have to make the hard choices to leave behind the life we lived before so we can embrace the new, improved and better life He has for us. Instead of changing back and forth from environment to environment, God desires to continuously transform us more into His image and presence each day. The transformation is a journey that will continue throughout life. I’m done with change and living for transformation.Are you tired of trying to change all the time in order to meet the expectations others have of you? Do you wish you could just be the person God made you to be? Romans 12:1 calls us to be transformed into a new person by changing the way we think. He wants to renew our minds and transform us, not just change us. He wants to create something new in your life and being in His presence our Father can transform you more into who He created you to be. Commit today to the transformation journey and say I’m done with change and living for transformation. Enter into WorshipNumbers 6:25 says, “May the Lord smile on you …” Our worship is something that God enjoys and makes Him smile. It is communion with Him and we were made for that sole purpose. It makes God happy to receive worship. It is all that we actually own and can give to Him. Everything else, he gave to us. Worship is our only real gift to God. Since pleasing God is the first purpose of your life, your most important task is to discover how to do that. “Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.” Ephesians 5:10 (MSG) . Five acts of worship that make God smile: - God smiles when we love him supremely. - God smiles when we trust him completely. - God smiles when we live in His Will. - God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly. - God smiles when we praise and thank him continually. - And God smiles when we use our abilities. John 4:24 reminds us that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. That simply means that what we say should match what we do. That is the only way our worship will make God smile. I don't know about you, but I love the fact that my worship can make such a wonderful God smile. Will you make pleasing God the goal for the rest of your life? There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that God won’t do for the person totally absorbed with the desire to make Him smile. On this Worship Wednesday let's put a smile on our Heavenly Father's face and present our lives, our heart and our worship to Him so that we can make Him…Smile. "Its already getting better, Its already getting easier Gods already moving on your behalf God did it, He did it, YES God it!" This song by William Murphy has been resonating in my spirit for the past few weeks. It is as though my spirit is speaking to my natural self, prompting an alignment in my mindset to expect, perceive and believe that we are in new dimension of "better". When I read these words form our Lord, “Go up higher to a better place." I hear His invitation loud and clearly for those who are seeking to move on up from good to better . In this realm there is great faith, victory, and glory; of power, fire and passion in the Holy Spirit yet to be discovered, As you enter into Worship today I want you to listen to His invitation to you today with a spiritual ear from our text in Luke 14:10 (KJV), “Friend, go up higher.” Our Lord has already moved on your behalf and His desire is to bless you and lift you up to the better places that you have never known before. His desire is for you to soar with grace and humility on the wings of eagles, with wind of the Holy Spirit beneath you lifting you higher and higher to a better place than where you are just now. Beloved, may we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us today from Luke 14:10 (KJV), “Friend, go up higher.”…to your new dimension of easier and better! Enter into WorshipHas anyone ever told you that you would never be "nothing"? That nothing would ever come out of your life. That not one thing will come from all that you have been through? That because your parents were nothing, you will never amount to anything? I have! I have had family and deepest confidants to say that I would never be anything. And it cut deep and wounded me. But I am so glad that I knew deep in the recess of my soul, when these words that were spewed to wound and destroy me, that my Intelligent Designer has the power to take my brokenness and create a masterpiece. Genesis 1:1-4 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness". This means that He took a bare and empty substance and made it anew, He took away the void and the darkness and replaced it with light. He saw the potential in the raw material and made something quite glorious from it. People are surely baffled by this theory, "Something can come from nothing". The opening words in the book of beginnings reveal the very character and purpose of God; first He forms and then He fills. God formed the earth and then filled it with plants and animals. God formed the heavens and then filled it with stars and planets. Indeed, He took this same approach when it came to the time to create man, “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and [then] breathed [filled]…his nostrils with the breathe of life” (Genesis 2: 7). God forms and he fills! This is descriptive of what He does with human lives today. We are formless, empty, in darkness with no shape or meaning to life. Powerless, unfulfilled and going nowhere, with despair and sadness permeating from our very being. But God, our Intelligent Designer sees, in His creativity, what we can become; a masterpiece. God can take the broken pieces, the broken dreams and the broken lives that people see as useless and re-create it into something. Do you believe this truth for yourself? To be something, to be that purposeful somebody, we need the creative touch of God upon our lives. We need an infilling of His power, grace and mercy. Our Creator has the power to re-form our lives and fill it with glory, power, abundance, favor, provision, love, joy, peace, fruitful relationships and so many other things. You see, that is God’s intention for us right from the very foundation of the world….was to make something out of nothing! I am so thankful that He saw something in me! Enter Into WorshipEver since my sister put me on to this song by Ledisi, "Raise Up" I have been working to put words to what the song did to my Spirit. I don’t know how to explain how these words, "Rise Up" put fire in my heart. I have been digging into Scripture over these two words and this is what I found: “Rise up and shine, for your light has come. The shining-greatness of the Lord has risen upon you. For see, darkness will cover the earth. Much darkness will cover the people. But the Lord will rise upon you, and His shining-greatness will be seen upon you. Nations will come to your light. And kings will see the shining-greatness of the Lord on you.” – Isaiah 60:1-3 It’s time to rise up, beloved. We have left winter behind us and it’s time to rise up into our new season. It’s time to step out of our comfortable hibernation and do the thing God is calling us to do, whether it looks popular or the status quo. It is time to do it. It’s time to stop waiting to feel qualified and getting approval and remember that our Father did not send His Son to serve not only the healthy but to heal the sick, to not only love the lovable but to love the unloveable. Beloved, its time to let go of the titles, positions, cliques and the carefully arranged agendas and rise up. It's time to move past the unforgivness, bitterness, rejection and disappointment and rise up and embrace who He created you to be, remembering He will equip you with everything that is needed. You were meant for a purpose and what is meant for you is meant to be. Whether we feel like we can do it or not. Whether we are rejected or not. Whether we are supported or not. Ezra 10:4 says, "Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it." When God calls us to rise up, to move, He will not leave us to do it alone. You must realize that your battle isn’t with one another but with the enemy and you must choose to reach over and grab that sister or brother who is on this life journey with you, the one coming up after, the one a few steps ahead of you and rise up – together. We must encourage, rebuke, teach, train, love, support – RISE UP together! Now is the time for you to live boldly in who God created you to be. Rise up! Get free from your own self and expectations and be free in the knowledge that the work we do for the kingdom, when we get on our feet and move when God calls us – will bear much fruit that will leave a legacy. Because at the end of this life we want to say that we used every gift and talent that He gave us! Enter into Worship to "Raise Up"At some point in life we’ve all felt the frustration and fear of being up against situations that we can’t deal with and, worse yet, there seems to be no one to help. If you were to ask me to tell you about the times I have felt the twinges of hopelessness, my early recollections would be the year my father died. I was hopeless and felt so defeated. I struggled emotionally and spiritually. I had thoughts of suicide and had no desire to live. I had given up! But when my Champion stepped in and engaged in the challenges and conflicts of my life, I began to walk in victory. For me there is no greater hero, no greater Champion than Jesus. For me, He is the all time, undisputed, undefeated Champion of love! For me, Jesus is the Champion of the world! Psalm 188:5 says this “God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me? God’s my strong champion". The Bible also says in Isaiah 60:8 ” You’ll know that I, God, am your Savior, your Redeemer, Champion of Jacob. I’ll give you only the best". (Message) Jesus set forth a mighty showing as “The Champ” in the spirit realm, even as He did while here on Earth. The Bible says that in doing so, He was able to strip Satan and demons of all authority over humans. (Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14) That authority has now been given to His followers. (Luke 10:19) All who believe in “The Champ” can now become “A Champ” over their own circumstances. Jesus is the ultimate champion! And when we cast our lot with Him, He assures us that the victory is already won on our behalf. So the next time you find yourself in a full nelson up against the wall of despair, claim Jesus as your champion. As Paul declares, you may be “struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:9). Since Jesus won the battle at Calvary, you are now entitled to share in the spoils of His victory. Thanks to Jesus, the word defeat is not in our vocabulary! Let us worship Him for being our Champion! Enter into Worship! Transition is sometimes tough and unavoidable. This principle of transition is built into all God’s creation. Summer turns into fall, fall rolls into winter, out of winter emerges spring which produces summer. Every new season provides a wonderful new opportunity for fresh anointing and new beginnings and I know this spring I am springing into a new dominion! I have so much anticipation as we prepare to transition into this month of April. Yes, my birthday is in April, but the atmosphere of expectancy that I have fluttering in my tummy is less about my birthday, and more about the miracles, favor and provisions have manifested and will manifest in this season. A miracle is God’s intervention of grace in a person’s life. Expectation is birthed out of hope; and a definition of hope is: a joyful anticipation that something amazing is about to happen. I am not just referring to this transition in the natural but in the spirit as well. And if your spiritual winter has been anything like mine, you have been tried in bitter cold of this winter and your soul has been longing for the transition to the warmth and beauty that is birthed from spring. But you see, those trials showed your faith is genuine. When your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (1 Peter 1:7) The life of Christ was clearly marked by moments in time which transitioned Him from one season to another. These moments allowed Him to assess and close the previous season which, in turn, opened the door for Him to move forward into the new season which lay ahead. And if you have been attending our Friday Fellowship & Bible Study you know that the body of Christ is moving into a "New Year" according to our God's calendar in April. (Exodus 12) And in this season God is calling each of us out of the harshness and cold of the winter, and requiring us to align ourselves with His spiritual calendar so that we can spring into the dreams, callings and purpose for not just us but for our families. Your season of destiny means that you are making a difference right where you are now. Look around and see where you’re planted at this time in your life. Its time to gird up with faith and a knowing in your heart to understand that God indeed has a plan and purpose for your life. The Body of Christ is in a whole new beginning; behold old things have past away and all things are new. And all of this is because our Abba Father loved us individually so much that He sent His Son Jesus to the cross for us. In this beautiful new season, God’s richest blessings will be our portion with a brand new beginning and purpose-filled destiny like no other. Our Father has opened doors and now He is allowing our dreams and purposes to become a reality as we abandon the season of the past, advancing and moving forward into our Kingdom purposes! Enter into Worship! |
What is Worship?
The Apostle Paul described true worship perfectly in Romans 12:1:
“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship." Worship is first of all an experience. It may express itself through certain forms, but it is not primarily a form. It is an experience. It is a consciousness of the presence of God and a response to that consciousness. Worship expresses itself as an outreach of the deepest emotions of the soul in adoration, reverence, homage, exaltation, and praise to the Almighty. We hope that our Worship Wednesday creates a deeper more meaningful worship experience for you. Visit our other inspirational blog
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