Tag: Praise

Christ Jesus is our solid rock

“On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand
All Other Ground Is Sinking Sand…”

The words to this old hymn written by Edward Mote and music by William Batchelder Bradbury, bring such a place of hope and faith expressed.  The firm declaration of personal trust in the  foundation found in believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is such a testimony of faith.

Would that we all had reached this place in Him.  Are we able to stand and declare such a firm belief in His care for us?  Some of us can say, “Yes! I believe and have seen His tender care and mercies given to me many times over.”  It is interesting to note personally, there are so many areas where I have known faith’s rewards through God’s provision.  And others where my faith faltered and missed the mark.  Yet, I will not quit going back to the Bible to find more and more of His ways, deeds and love made available to me by the finished work of the Cross of Christ.

Our “standing on the Rock” is our faith extended as far as we can send it…the rest is up to God to fulfill.  Without Him, we can do nothing.  Our very breath is supplied by Him.  What a reassurance to realize He daily supplies to us all the necessities of life without prejudice. We all have an atmosphere to breathe, rain in season, harvests of food and so many other things we take for granted.  Perhaps our declarations at this time should be ones of praise and thanksgiving as well as expectations for future provision.

God is so good to us.  His ear is open to our cry and his love is extended to all mankind, even those who hate and reject Him.  Let us lift up some Hallelujahs today!.

Psalm 68:4 The Passion Translation 

” Let them sing their celebration-songs
for the coming of the cloud rider whose name is Yah!”

Psalm 18:31 The Passion Translation 

” Could there be any other god like you?
You are the only God to be worshiped,
for there is not a more secure foundation
to build my life upon than you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Our hearts spill over with praise to You, God

There are so many times in life when our hearts are so full we seemingly cannot contain the joy of it.  A new baby in the family.  Maybe a new job or raise on the job.  A time of thanks given to us for a “job well done”. A love for husband, parents, friends or child, can also overflow our hearts.

The one place we can freely, at any time, overflow our hearts is when we remember all the wonderful things the Father, God has done to and for us.  Our eternal salvation was a costly gift given freely to us through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Our daily provisions, health, relationships, kindness show unto us.  The wonderful Holy Spirit who is with us here on earth at all times, loving us , teaching us, encouraging us and showing us who Jesus is more and more each day.

There are so many blessings we can outpour from a grateful heart. Maybe it’s time to release some today…oh yes it is.

Praise You Lord!  Thank You for all You have done and are doing for us. We rejoice in God our Father, Jesus our Lord and Holy Spirit, friend and guide.

 

What is Worship?

Thesis #21: “The New Apostolic Epoch”  By: P. Douglas Small 

“Prayer’s primary purpose is transformation.” 

We have reduced worship to its ingredients – music, praise, extended hands, vibrant and joyful song, and a positive good news message.  In all that, we miss true worship.  Worship is, as the word suggests, a declaration of value – worth-ship.  It is the worth of God that elicits true worship.  And that requires exposure to God, and to His Presence – that God be seen and revealed.  Our humanistic version of worship obscures God and fixates instead on our worth.  All that we are and bring to worship pales in comparison to the incomparable and sovereign God.  It is a candle against the sunlight, a breath against a storm.  Such contrasts foster humility, so absent from contemporary worship (1 Chronicles 16:25-29; Psalms 99, 100; Revelation 4:8-11)

25) For the Lord  is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods.

26) For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.

27) Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and gladness are in His place.

28) Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength.

29) Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!

(1 Chronicles 16:25-29 NKJV)

Psalm 99:1-9

01)The Lord reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved!

02) The  Lord  is great in Zion, And He is high above all the peoples.

03) Let them praise Your great and awesome name— He is holy.

04) The King’s strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

05) Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His footstool— He is holy.

06) Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called upon His name; They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.

07) He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them.

08) You answered them, O Lord our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds.

09) Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the Lord our God is holy.

(Psalm 99:1-9 NKJV)

Psalm 100:1-5

01)Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

02) Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

03) 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.

04) Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

05) For the Lord  is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

(Psalm 100:1-5 NKJV)

Revelation 4:8-11

08)The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

09) Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,

10) the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

11) “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

Revelation 4:8-11 NKJV

Prayer:  O God, keep us on task in our worship of You.

You said in the Bible that “…the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will  worship the Father in  spirit  and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  (John 4:23-24 NKJV).  With all our heart, soul, mind and strength, we believe that time has come!

Your worth and value to us can’t be spoken in a single day or even at a certain time.  It can only be lived by demonstrating our loyalty, our devotion and our own personal faith in Your sovereignty over our lives!

We can, and we do, give you thanks, as our creator, as the creator of the whole earth!  May our worship be birthed from knowing You, not from doing what we think is the right thing to do in our worship of You. You have made Yourself known to us through the Word of God and by the Holy Spirit.  Guide us each day to know You better and better, that we can make you known to others through the testimony we live before them.    Lord Jesus, we want to know You!  And experience the mighty power that raised You from the dead. WE want to suffer with You! We want to share in Your death, so that one way or another we will experience the resurrection from the dead!  (Taken from Philippians 3:10-11 NLT)

In Your Name Jesus, we pray!  Amen!

The Place of Joyfulness

The Place Of Joyfulness

 

Psalm 100

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
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.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Where is our place of joyfulness?

Where is our place of joyfulness?  Is it a physical place?  Can we structure our lives to include a physical place to be joyful?  Is it our family dinner table when  the family is gathered there?  Is it a front porch swing where we enjoy the singing of the birds and the neighbors passing by?  How about a quiet place in our home we go to pray and study the Word of God?  While in any of these places joy can be found, they cannot produce it.

Joyfulness is a choice and a gift at the same time.  The Lord brings us joy by being in our lives.  When we reflect on who God is and what He has done in our lives, joy automatically shows up.  Whether or not we receive that joy, participate and fully respond to it, is our choice.   The Bible is filled with verses about joy, how to receive it and how it can be restored.  It even declares that God inhabits our praises!  Talk about a place of joy.  The wonder of the Creator and Lord of all, living in our praises and also respecting our response to Him, should fill our hearts with joy. (Psalm 22:3)  The prophet Nehemiah had a revelation of joy in a different way.  In Nehemiah 8:10 he declares that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  The thought of strength filling us through the joy of the Lord should resound in us like an anthem.

When we choose to be a joyful person, we also choose to share it with others.  How can our joy not spill out on others?  It is so contagious that just getting near a joyful person causes us to be lifted up.  Let us choose the joyful places in life rather than bitterness and sorrow.  Let us allow the Lord’s own joy be our strength.  Father God, help us to start spreading joy everywhere we go.  Ready?  Let’s get going!

 

 

Prime Your Well of Praise

Prime Your Well of Praise

Isaiah 12:3

“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”

Is your well of praise dried up?  Is it hard to really get into praise and thanksgiving to God?  Perhaps it is time to do some priming of the well.  So many things can clog the well. Sorrow, anger, loss, bitterness, sickness, disappointments and so forth can cause us to draw back from praising the Lord God.  Our flesh gets tired, our soul gets frustrated and angry and our patience in “waiting on the Lord” gets really short sometimes.  Any one or combination of these things can cause our praise well to get clogged up or even to dry up completely.

How can we prime our well of praise?

Let’s go back and read the rest of the story in Isaiah 12.

Isaiah 12 (KJV)

“1 And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.  2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.  3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.  4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.  5 Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.  6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”

In these verses we see some steps to take:

  1. I will praise Thee  Even though we feel He is angry, we accept His comfort.
  2. I acknowledge Him as my salvation through Jesus Christ
  3. I will trust Him and not be afraid
  4. I declare that He is my strength and my song
  5. Then joy comes back to me and I can now draw out of the wells of salvation

Out of that restoration of relationship comes:

  1. Praise to the Lord
  2. Return of prayer and trust in His provision
  3. Return of telling others about His greatness
  4. Exhalting His name publicly
  5. Singing unto Him, telling Him of all His wonderful works
  6. And a great jubilation and shouting over who He is.
We are the controlling factor in priming our well

As long as we allow our own pain and personal frustration be center front in our lives, we will not be willing to praise the Lord freely.  It takes a commitment to “do it anyway” to become free of dryness of soul and spirit.  Our well has to be primed from our side to allow the Lord the freedom to move in our lives.  He will never force His way into our lives.  His work in us and through us comes from an open invitation from us.  We ask in faith, believing He will work in our lives and He accepts that invitation and helps us change.

Let’s look at another Scripture about this:

Psalm 63 (KJV)

“1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;  2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.  3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.  4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.  5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:  6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.  7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.  8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”

We see here David is weary and dry and troubled.  He chooses to seek the Lord, to search out where He is.  It would seem that the Lord left David, we know the opposite is true.  David was doing his own thing and missed the path the Lord had laid out for him.  We do the same thing, when we allow the troubles in our lives to be more important than God.

How did David get out of the depressing self-pity?  He sought God, he praised Him, he ate the Word of God as honey.  He also acknowledged the way God had been in the past.  He knew God was good, so he sought that goodness.  In the end, he got victory and was able to praise the Lord with a free heart.  We can do the same thing!

Praise You Lord in the midst of our life issues!