Worship Blasts You Into a New Dimension

Posted on by
Reply

A friend, pastor Mike Howell, wrote something on Facebook this week that could have come straight from my own heart, “From the day I was saved at the age of six, God’s goodness has been with me. In my family, in the churches I have served, in every season God has been good. This song reflects my life story.

“And all my life You have been faithful And all my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God”*

A prayer of mine lately is, “God give me a worshipping heart. Give me a thankful heart, a praising heart. Help me into your intimate presence, into your holy of holies.”

It’s Not Always Easy

Can I be honest with you? It’s not always easy to come into His presence. Now, for you theologians, I know God is everywhere and He’s in us, too. Yes! I agree. But, on my part, when I tumble out of bed in the morning, slurp a little coffee and attempt to praise and worship the King of kings the way He deserves to be worshipped, well my emotions, feelings, and droopy eyelids usually conspire against me.

Looking at Psalms 100, it seems like there is a pattern for approaching the Lord. It’s almost like a three-stage rocket blasting into space. We start out by thanking Him (accompanied by songs and yelps of joy). We praise Him for Who He is. Then we enter an intimate place of worship and communion with our Maker/Shepherd, who “owns” us and takes care of the intimate details of our lives.

–Thankfulness sees things as they are—we are humongous beneficiaries. It takes away entitlement and makes us genuinely grateful for God’s blessings.

Thanksgiving, praise and worship get our priorities straight. He’s God, not us. He’s the Maker/Owner, not us. He’s the provider, not us. This quickens our faith and dampens our pride.

In Romans chapter 1 men start to go off the rails when,”… although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” (Rom 1:21, 22 NKJV)

An unthankful heart is a tasty treat for pride and anger. If you’re not grateful you open the door wide to all kinds of sins (read the list after Romans 1:22 to know what ungratefulness opens the door to). So … –Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, –And into His courts with praise. –Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Universal Principle?

Many of these “truths” work even for an unbeliever, to a point. A generous person is blessed. And studies have shown that thankful people are happier. Alex Lieberman, of the Founder’s Journal podcast, says,

“And while I was a skeptic…gratitude has been the greatest key to happiness and fulfillment… Gratitude is a mindset and it is a choice. It’s a choice to appreciate all that we receive, whether tangible or intangible, and whether in control or out of our control. It’s also a choice to acknowledge all of the goodness in our lives …gratitude changes how we see the world and how we see the world impacts our experience throughout life.”

That’s great. The only question I have is, “If you don’t acknowledge God, who are you grateful to?” Luck? Yourself? A great, cosmic, something-or-other?

I’m so thankful for Eternal God who made me, who reconciled me in His Son Jesus, who watches over me like a shepherd guards his sheep. A thankful person doesn’t think the world owes him. She’s so glad for all she receives. She considers each day a gift from God and treasures the people who populate her life. It makes her sing.

Thankfullness seems to be the first step in entering God’s presence. This launches the “rocket’s” second stage—praise.

–Praise sees God as He is—good, love, hope, peace, Savior, Redeemer, Lord and a million more things. When we see Him as He is, our faith blasts off. If I were to tell you that I was going to pay all your debts, you’d probably grin and say, “Thanks for the thought David, but your resources and my debts aren’t in the same bracket.

If Bill Gates honestly said he was going to pay your debts? Well, that’s a different thing. You evaluate our financial worth and get your hopes built up based on that. Praise estimates God at His true value and that causes hope to spring up within us and shout.

“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Ps. 100:3, NKJV)

Praise Launches Stage Three

Praise propels us into worship and adoration.

–Worship experiences God in the Holy of holies. Worship spends time with God up close and personal. That’s when we realize, “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” (Ps. 100:5) Thanksgiving, praise and worship are the natural result of our life with Him.


*The Goodness of God–Jen Johnson, Brian Johnson, Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, and Ben Fielding. Bethel music

Here’s How To Vainquish Your Sin

Posted on by
Reply

Overcome Sin In Your Life

“Take FULL responsibility and confess it to God. He promises to forgive sin that we confess (1 John 1: 9)

“STOP doing it Proverbs 28:13 tells us that we find mercy when we CONFESS and also forsake our sin.

“Ask for forgiveness from anyone who has been hurt because of your bad choice.

“Put some protection or limits in your life that will help you not to start again. Get guidance from spiritual people for help, solutions, and accountability.

“Start spending time each day in prayer, reading the Bible, and listening or reading spiritual and biblically sound teachings. “

Rick Warren

If we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior we are in Christ; we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). God forgives us and He purifies us.

From there, God begins a work of sanctification in us — that is, He sets us apart for Himself. It is a lifelong process. And yes, we are always tempted, but the power to obey the Word of God and resist the devil is there.

Often the Holy Spirit shows us things in our life that are not pleasing to God. So we try to change, but it seems like nothing changes. The more we try on our own, the more we fail. In the end we are like the man described in the Bible who tried to please God on his own but was unsuccessful.

” For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing…For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? … “(Romans 7:19, 22-24, ESV)

The solution to this problem? “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:25)

But, how “by Jesus”?

When we repent of our sins and give ourselves totally to Jesus, believing that He is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, and that He rose again, God is making a change in our life. The potential for change is there. The power to change is there, but we must make take possession of what God offers us.

” You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

“12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.. (Romans 8: 9-14)

In short, in your own strength you are not able to overcome sin, but if you truly give yourself to the Lord Jesus by faith, the strength is there to overcome all kinds the sin. He will help you. He has given you a new spiritual heart.

And if you fall, do not be afraid to repent by asking forgiveness from God. How many times will He forgive you. The number of times needed. (1 John 1: 9–2: 1) “Lord, I pray for my friend. I pray that he will repent of his sin and turn to You with all his heart. The sin in his life is overcome in Jesus’ Name. Our Lord has already conquered sin at the Cross of Calvary. The devil is the father of lies but You, Lord Jesus, You are the way, THE TRUTH, and the life. Thank you Jesus for what You are doing in my friend’s life right now. »

Here are some“ down to earth ”things you can do:

* Pick a time and read the Bible and pray every day. Even if you don’t have much time, do it.

Confess your sin to someone spiritual, your pastor, or a mature man or woman in Christ. Not everyone is mature enough for this. Ask the Lord who you can talk to.  “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16, ESV)

* Ask a friend in Christ to pray with you and become responsable to him. He can ask you every week, “How are you doing in this area?” You phone him when you’re tempted.

* Be diligent in attending meetings of your church. And if you do fall … this is especially when you need the assembly.

* If there is a place or people or activities that make you fall, avoid them.

* If you fall, repent, accept the Lord’s forgiveness, and get up and go again. Do this even if you have to do it multiple times. (1 John 2: 1)

* Be serious looking to the Lord for deliverance and not yourself. “As we look at God, we don’t see each other – a blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had only repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect. As he looks at Christ, the very things that he has been trying to do for so long will be done in him. It will be God working in him to want and do. » A. W. Tozer

Trust in the Lord Jesus. He’s on your side. He loves you so much and He is for you. You are not alone in the fight. The strength is in Christ.

“9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 1: 9-2: 1)

Can You Answer This Question ?

Posted on by
Reply

Today, we’re going to do something together. I want you to vacuum all the dust out of your brain. You’re required to use your imagination and answer a question.

You’re sitting next to the road, the hot sun sears the top of your head and you’re in a sorry mood. Suddenly you hear the noise of a big crowd of people moving by. You’ve learned a long time ago that the make-up of the crowd determines whether they are generous or not. Those heading for a football game don’t give much.

“What’s up?” you ask those nearest you, coughing at the dust the crowd is raising.

“It’s Jesus of Nazareth. We’re walking with Him,” someone responds.

“Jesus of Nazareth! Isn’t He the One that does all those miracles?”

This is your chance; you may not get another.

You yell at the top of your voice, “Hey, Jesus of Nazareth! Hey, over here! It’s me!”

The crowd stops. “He’s calling for you!” You scramble to your feet and suddenly there He is, the fellow you’ve heard so much about. This isn’t Robin Williams voicing Aladdin’s genie. This is the fellow who does real miracles.

You approach timidly. “What can I do for you?” he asks.

There’s the question.

What would you ask the Lord if He were standing right in front of you? Do you know?

“Well, Lord. I’ve got a special unspoken request.” Nope. His Word says, “ask.” Try again.

“Um, well Lord, you said your (heavenly) Father knows what I need before I ask him.” (Matt. 5:8) So, do that.” Buzzzzz. Wrong again. He tells us to ask all the same. We need prayer more than God does. We need to ask.

What Do You Want?

I’ve struggled at times with the answer to the question, “What do you WANT!” Sure, I want a lot of things for my family and good health. But, is there a burning desire for anything inside me?

C.S. Lewis in his book, The Weight of Glory, said “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

You might observe that the Psalmist said, “I shall not want,” but I think that can be translated, “I shall not lack,” so it isn’t the same thing.

I wonder if it isn’t a sin to not want anything very much.

How To Want Correctly

You know what? If you want what God wants, your interior man hums with God’s power. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:7, 8 NKJV)

Incorrect wanting is called “coveting.” God-inspired wanting motivates our faith. When we spend time with the Lord and let Him change our heart we begin to want correctly.

Lord, help me to want rightly. It’s those who passionately desire to see God’s miracles, who receive from God what they want. So … Spend time with God consistently so that you can want right. Act on what you want. Trust Him to supply and to help you reach the goal. Continue persistently. The path towards what we desire changes us. Dig around, kick around, look around and see what you want. Then go for it. Wanting can change your life.

If the Lord asked you right now, “What do you want?” what would you say? Write me and tell me what you think. I’ll pray for your wants, too.

Hmmm …

Red Cross founder Clara Barton was reminded by a friend of a cruel thing that someone had done to her in the past. Barton seemed not to recall it, and the friend asked, “Don’t you remember?” Her reply? “No, I distinctly remember forgetting it.”

Image par Keishpixl de Pixabay

Chosen But “Frozen”

Posted on by
Reply
You’re already chosen so go get it!

Once I was in a big church meeting when the pastor whipped out an illustration that dates back at least to evangelist D.L. Moody (1837-1899). “I’ve got a hundred dollar bill here. Who wants it?” he said holding up the greenback.

Hand shot up across the large congregation, especially in the front rows where lots of students had awakened from their morning stupor with the announcement.

He continued to talk as the front row guys and gals waved their arms, hoping to be chosen. At the same time, a young fellow from one side started to go towards the platform.

I kept one eye on him and one eye on the pastor to see what would happen. I wondered if the pastor would say, “Now, wait a minute,” and add some stipulations to the deal.

But the young man walked up onto the platform in front of all those curious eyes. The pastor interviewed the kid a bit, and then the fellow walked off the platform $100 richer.

I had expected the pastor to choose from among all those hands that flew up when he offered the money. But no, the young man ignored the others frantically waving their hands hoping to be chosen and claimed the prize.

Why didn’t he wait to be chosen? HE ALREADY WAS!

The pastor had said, “Who would like this $100 bill?” That described 99.9% of a very large audience. The young man and all the others in that large meeting were chosen by the question, “Who wants this money?”

Only one went to claim the prize, though.

Chosen but Frozen

The rest of us were chosen, desiring, waiting to see what would happen and just as poor, moneywise, when we left as when we came. One fellow was $100 richer because he was chosen and went to claim his C-note.

He got the prize because he trusted the word of the pastor. The preacher could have said, “Ha, ha! Gotcha! Back to your seat.” He could have added all kinds of stipulations, then said to the kid, “You don’t qualify. Back to your seat. Now, let’s see if we can find a more worthy recipient.”

Of course, I think the pastor might have been booed off the stage if he had done that.

I also suspect the kid walked up with such confidence because he had grown up in church and knew the illustration. That one must have been used 10,000 times over the years by various preachers (though, $100 shows the inflationary times we’re living in. The pastor might have figured that today’s college kid wouldn’t expend any energy to walk up and claim less than $100).

God has chosen you. Are you claiming your gift?

The Bible’s last altar call echoes God’s call to those who want forgiveness, a relationship with God, and eternal life: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” (Rev. 22:17, NIV)

See, there it is for you and me. “Come!” We’ve been chosen. But look, we must “take” the free gift of the water of life. Wishing isn’t enough. Wanting isn’t enough. In a sense, being chosen only opens the door and gives us the right to go through. We’ve got to come and TAKE!

It’s the same for all of God’s promises. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Luke 11:10, 11 KJV)

So many promises. You know what you need. You know what God’s Word says. Do you dare take it?

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

The Old Lady and the Bazooka

Posted on by
Reply

I want to show you something. Look over there. Yes, that little old lady hobbling into the church for the prayer meeting. There she is. Modestly dressed and slightly hunched.

But, look again! Suddenly you get a “flash of insight” and she looks like Rambo: a hunting knife clenched between her teeth, a bandoleer of bullets strapped diagonally across her chest, an automatic rifle at the ready in her hands, a bazooka strapped over one shoulder, a string of grenades encircles her waist.

You know what? That may well be how God sees a lot of obscure prayer warriors. Hang on to that thought.

The other day I read, “Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive …”(John 7:37-39 ESV)

Rivers of living water flowing out of us when the Spirit resides within! What does it look like when those rivers really flow?

Do we agitate our arms and shout in the name of Jesus at the limits of our voice? Do we take on a preacher tone of voice and pray until the back rows tremble and hearts say, “A great man has prayed!”

Do we walk to the offering plate and, like a wide receiver spiking the ball in the end zone, put in enough money to make the King of Siam jealous?

Rivers Or Trickles?

I’ve got two feelings about these “rivers” that flow out of me.

The Spirit really is within me but I often have the feeling that these rivers are more of a trickle from my heart. How can I get the mighty rivers flowing? –Clean out the blockages from the stream. –Get a better connection with the Source. –Flow has to go somewhere. Win the lost. Serve you brother and sister. Be there for others when they need a rock. Let God work through you in a greater way.

But maybe the water is flowing more powerfully than we think. Remember the dangerous little old lady from the first paragraph? When she prays, heaven trembles and things change. God may see you differently than you see yourself.

You prayed for that neighbor.

You listened to that friend.

You showed up to church when you were tired and also irritated about something. The others needed to see you. They draw strength from your presence.

You praised God in the morning, noon and evening.

You gave to meet that need.

You forgave when you wanted to take revenge.

You prayed with your children. And for them.

You were there for that needy person. You listened to that endless tale when you wanted to scream.

You resisted the overpowering urge to contribute that juicy morsel to the gossipy conversation about an absent person.

What a River Looks Like

You see, our world doesn’t always SEE what goes on in invisible, heavenly places. What seems like a bare trickle to our senses may be a crashing Niagara from God’s vantage point.

We think that when we preach in another country, or give our body to be burned or give away all our money, or manifest powerful spiritual gifts, rivers are flowing. They are. But that’s not the only time.

Here’s what the Lord says those rivers look like when they pour out of our heart:

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Cor. 13:4-7, NLT)

I suspect the fact that it’s “rivers of living water” flowing out of our inmost being means that the Spirit flows from each of us in a different way, some more exciting than others. But, when we’re full of Jesus, flow He does!

Hmmm … “New research from pastor and Christian researcher Ryan Burge finds that the number of people who identify themselves as evangelicals who attend church regularly continues to drop, with 26.7 percent saying they seldom or never go to church. About 13.5 percent of self-identified evangelicals say they go to church “yearly,” bringing the number of evangelicals who go to church once a year or less to about 40.2 percent.” Hmmm …