Worship Notes - Part 1

What a beautiful day! God is so good! Thank you Lord for health, food on the table, a warm place to sleep, my beautiful family...

What is worship? Would you call my opening lines in this post worship? Why or why not? Is singing and dancing worship?

When asked the question what is worship we may say: singing hymns, praying, meditating on Scripture, or that sort of thing. Do you realize you can worship the Lord in all the things you do? What about carrying out the trash, getting the groceries, paying the bills, going to work, doing your schoolwork?

Yes, all the above can be a worship experience if our hearts are focused on the Lord, our almighty God. When we obey Him, we are worshiping Him. Doing any chores that seem menial can be done with a heart and attitude of worship as though you are doing it for Him and not for yourself or any other person. God has given us life, abundant life (John 10:10). Even in the things that annoy us, we can learn to do with a thankful heart, overflowing with love for our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have the awesome privilege of being in personal relationship with Him and we can show our appreciation for Him through our actions and attitudes.

The Lord sees our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7) and the intentions in it. Are you being intentional in your worship to Him? Is your focus on Him or on others or yourself? Over the next couple of weeks, we will explore the meaning of worship and how we can worship more effectively. To leave you this week, I want to challenge you. Think about the one thing you dislike doing more than anything. Rather than dread it, take the time to praise the Lord when you are right in the middle of it. Thank Him for giving you the physical and/or emotional capabilities to do it. Praise Him for all that He means to you and for all He's done for you. Do that job for Him-whoever it is for-keep Him in the forefront of your thinking. It will make a difference!

This Means WAR

Around the world, even right now wars rage on. Some are for socio-economic reasons, some for freedom, some for religious regions, some for reasons no one can seem to remember. Do you realize there is a war raging on in the unseen world all around us. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickeness in the heavenly places," Ephesians 6:12 NKJV.

Every one of us is suseptible to the fall-out from this war. Believers in Christ are the target. Because we live to glorify God, we are the enemy. Satan likes to dress himself up to appear that which he is not. He has not earned the title of deceiver for no reason. He messes with our minds and many times we fall into the trap of agreeing with him and believing those lies.

For instance, looking in the mirror, I notice the gray hairs multiplying, wrinkles where the skin used to be smooth, extra pounds pulling at the cheeks and chin-I could go on but I'm certain you understand where I'm going. There are days when the enemy will whisper something like, "You're getting old, ugly, fat and no one loves you. How can they...just look at what you've become." In that moment, I have a choice. Will I believe and agree with what the enemy of my souls says OR will I take that thought to Christ and ask Him what He says about me? The choice is mine. It is quite simple to agree and then beat myself up for not dyeing my hair, not using a moisturizer when I was younger, and not shedding those extra pounds years ago. However, that is just what our enemy wants. Agreeeing with him gives him the opportunity to further assault us and our relationship with God.

The choice we need to develop is to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). In doing this, we can see what He really has to say about us.

You are made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26

He loves you so much that He died to take your place. John 316

He delights in you. Psalm 18:19

You are a friend of Jesus. John 15:15

These are just a few of the many things said about you. I encourage you to grab your Bible and read, study, meditate, and pray on the verses He shows you. When you find one that answers a negative thought you hear about yourself (or one you already believe), pray and ask God to heal your heart, mind, body, and spirit from the schemes of the devil. Give Him the permission to come in and cleanse you of your disbelief. Allow Him to fill you with the truth. Stand up to the enemy and fight. Do not allow him to manipulate and lie to you one more second. Take these thoughts to Christ. Fight the war against the enemy. Remember, we have one weapon in our arsenal; the Bible. The exciting thing is, it's the only one we need! 

I encourage your to memorize theses phrase (or better yet, look up and memorize the whole verses from the Bible) then claim them over yourself. Thanks to Jesus we can go before our Holy and Heavenly Father in prayer, trusting Him to reveal the truth. May God be with you as you walk in obedience in all you do.

With blessings,

Natalie

Wisdom in Looking Back

Hi all! I apologize for being so long since my last post. God has been doing amazing things in my life and I pray you can see Him working in yours too!! We serve a great God who is always near and always cares what we are going through. Of this I am certain. I have been reading through the Bible, following a chronological reading pattern, which I began in January. It amazes me how the Scriptures come alive each time I read it. No matter how many times I have read or studied an account or story in the Bible, each time there is a new lesson or promise to pick up. Truth is encapsulated within the covers of The Holy Bible.

I want to encourage you to pick up the Bible and begin reading it. If the whole seems too big, begin with a verse, then read a chapter, and then a book. It will amaze you how rich and wonderful the experience of relationship with God is when you read, study, and meditate on His Word. Romans 15:4 states it poetically. "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."

There is wisdom in looking back. Not looking back at all the negative things in our lives, but looking back at the things God has done. When I read the account of God speaking to Moses, raising him up as a leader (as unlikely as that seemed), and giving him everything he needed to bring those people (great in number) out of Egypt and eventually to the Promised Land; well, it makes my heart race.We know He was able in Moses' time, so why do we think He is not able now? We are talking about the same God who does not change.

In Luke 1, an angel appeared to Mary, announcing that she would become mother to the Messiah. He told her, "For with God nothing will be impossible." (vs 37) If you doubt God, you may want to take the time to get to know Him better. I encourage you to grab a Bible and start reading. Pray and ask Him to open your eyes to the truth. Pray asking God to open your mind to understand all that you read. He will reveal things to you as you are ready for them. It is amazing what we can learn, how we can grow, and how much wisdom there is in studying the Word of God. May He bless you and be near you as you journey with Him.

With prayers,
Natalie