PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Praise And Worship Ministry..........!!!!!!!: What Is The Holy Spirit’s Role In Worship?

2013-04-27T20:12:00.001+03:00

Praise And Worship Ministry..........!!!!!!!: What Is The Holy Spirit’s Role In Worship?

What Is The Holy Spirit’s Role In Worship?

2013-04-25T10:18:00.004+03:00

What Is The Holy Spirit’s Role In Worship?

Many “worship services” are held, but worship doesn't always happen. One reason is that we sometimes fail to allow the Holy Spirit to fulfill his proper role in worship. In honoring God the Father and lifting up Christ, we also must be careful to give proper place to the Holy Spirit.

God’s Word says that the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of Jesus” (Acts 16:7) and “the spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11). He was involved in the creation of the world (Genesis 1:2). He brought us the Bible (2 Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit caused the Virgin Mary to conceive (Luke 1:35). He guides us into truth (John 16:13), convicts us of sin (John 16:8), performs miracles (Acts 8:39), and intercedes with God for us (Romans 8:26). He assures us that we belong to God as he “speaks to us deep in our hearts” (Romans 8:16 NLT).

The Holy Spirit is a living gift to all believers and is the divine source of spiritual power and ministry (John 7:37-39; Acts 11:16-17; Romans 5:5). Excellent music cannot substitute for the Spirit’s power in worship. Eloquent speaking cannot replace the power of the Spirit in a person’s heart..

Authentic Christian worship happens at a spiritual level. Worship happens when the Holy Spirit in us rises to magnify the Almighty, giving the Father the honor he deserves and lifting up his Son, Jesus. Worship leaders may spend hours planning a service—seeking the Spirit’s guidance all along the way—but when the time comes to enter into worship, leaders and congregation alike must allow the Spirit to control the service. The Word says, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD” (Zechariah 4:6).
As you strive to give the proper role in worship to the Holy Spirit, be sure to remember these three things:

First, the Holy Spirit is our teacher. The Bible says, “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). As our teacher, the Spirit’s primary tool is the Scripture, giving understanding of its truth to those with faith. The Life Application Bible Commentary says, “Through learning about Christ’s life, we can understand (more) about how wonderful God is and what he is really like.” The Holy Spirit leads us to God’s truth “which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (Ephesians 3:5-6 KJV).

Further, God accomplishes his work in us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said the Holy Spirit is the one who reveals the truth about sin—to unbelievers so they can turn to Christ and to believers so we can be used by God for his purposes: “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit allows us to live in God’s power: “The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death” (Romans 8:2 CEV). As Christ died for us when we could not save ourselves, the Holy Spirit communicates with God in a way that also is beyond our ability: “The Spirit also helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words” (Romans 8:26 NASB). The Holy Spirit also transforms us from within: “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT).

Finally, the Holy Spirit is the real worship leader. Worship is allowing God to take center stage in our lives—wherever we are. When we worship together, we surrender the experience to the will of the One who alone is worthy of worship. Authentic worship is that which occurs “by the Spirit of God” (Philippians 3:3). God is glorified in worship when the Holy Spirit reveals God’s truth to us: “He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you” (John 16:14).

Dear viewers may my living God bless you as you are passing through this article , and above all if you are in a Praise and Worship ministry or you want to be knowledgeable of praise and worship put this into practice. I can assure that as you practice this God is going to work with you.

HEARING & RECOGNIZING THE VOICE OF GOD

2012-09-17T13:37:00.000+03:00

“He who is of God hears God's words;” (John 8:47)

Jesus cries out seven times to the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”The Holy Spirit is speaking to God’s people. For those who listen and obey, they are about to move forward into the greatest outpouring of God’s Spirit that the world has ever known. But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you. "Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. (Jeremiah 7:23-24 NKJV)

As we stand at the edge of the horizon of God’s glory being revealed upon the earth the greatest need continues to be workers in the harvest. It is through hearing and obeying the voice of God that we gather the harvest and expand the kingdom of God. Each Christian has a mission and a ministry ordained by God to walk in. There is only one head in the body of Christ, as we listen and obey His voice, the Holy Spirit; the body of Christ will come together in complete unity and function in perfect harmony.

All true Christians have heard God’s voice. Jesus says, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. (John 6:44-45) It was God’s voice that drew you to Him. In your inner most being you heard God saying, “I have chosen you and ordained you, come unto Me”.¹

So the beginning of your recognition of communication from God was when He was calling you to salvation. But your salvation was only the beginning of your calling; God never stops calling you. When a person receives God’s salvation the Lord immediately calls them into ministry for Him. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:8-10) God has ordained good works for you to walk in and it is by communication from God that we receive through the Holy Spirit that we know where to walk, how to walk, and when to walk.

When Christ gave His life and shed His blood on the cross for us He made the way for us to enter into relationship with Him as blood relatives. He Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. (John 6:53-56) The blood that Christ shed created a new covenant with you and for you so that you could now be joined to God, you in God, and God in you, one with God. And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. (Mark 14:24)

When we accept Christ and His sacrifice for us He then puts His Spirit in us, the Spirit of Love, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our unity with God, our bond with God. We now share the same Holy Spirit that unites the Father and the Son, the same Spirit that makes God One, also makes us one with God. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (1^st Cor 6:17) If we do not have the Holy Spirit than we are not part of God’s family, we are not blood relatives of Christ. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (Rom 8:9) But not only do we need to have the Holy Spirit but we must also be led by the Holy Spirit. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Rom 8:14)

To whom much is given shall much be required.² In the new covenant we have been given such an awesome privilege to have God’s Spirit in us and with us. Through God’s Holy Spirit we have constant communion and communication with God. We have not just received the written instructions of God through the Holy Bible, but we also receive instructions directly from the command center of the universe, the throne of God. But even deeper than that, because we are unified with God through the Holy Spirit we receive communication from God’s heart into our heart. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," (Heb 10:15-16)

The Holy Spirit communicates the deep things of God to us. But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. (1^stCor 2:9-12)

It is through the Holy Spirit that we have been given the “mind of Christ”. Christ is the head, we are the body, and we receive instruction from Him through the Holy Spirit. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (1^stCor 2:13-16)

That word “mind” means that we have inside of us Christ thoughts, Christ will, and the emotions of Christ. We are not to be guided by our physical mind, which is our thoughts, our will, and our emotions; but we are to be guided by the Holy Spirit who communicates to us the thoughts of God, the will of God, and the emotions of God. There are times when the Holy Spirit communicates to us things that are too deep for human language, but we can sense the emotions of God. We have all heard people say that we are not to be led by our “feelings”, and that is true but we can be led by God’s feelings, His emotions.

Spiritual maturity progresses as we become more Holy Spirit conscious and less self-conscious. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Rom 8:5-6) We are in a process of dying to ourselves that Christ life may become manifested is us, the more we die to ourselves the more of His life is in us.For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (2^ndCor 4:11) Jesus says, “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Mat 10:38-39)

Fortunately God gives us the power to become spiritually minded through the Holy Spirit so that Christ life can be manifested in us and through us. There are seven characteristics that we can count on from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and power, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears. (Isa 11:2-3)

The first thing we can count on from the Holy Spirit is that He will be with us forever. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) So the Holy Spirit, will be with us forever, in this life, through death, and in the next life, He is our unity with God.

We also receive wisdom, and understanding from the Holy Spirit. We receive counsel, which are words from God, and power, which is faith that comes through hearing God’s words. We also receive the knowledge of God, which causes us to have the fear of God. The more we know God the more that we will stand is awe of Him. Notice that we are to delight in the fear of God, the fear of God is like a fence that keeps us safe and close to God, and it helps us to keep our hearts clean and holy before God. The fear of God helps us to experience the joy of a clean heart before God.

So seven things that we receive from the Holy Spirit are; 1 eternal companionship and unity with God; 2 God’s wisdom; 3 God’s understanding; 4 God’s counsel, which is His communication and words; 5 God’s power, which is faith that we receive through hearing God’s words; 6 the intimate knowledge of God; and 7 the fear of God which perfects holiness in us.

The Holy Spirit is at work in us to bring about our destiny of being conformed into the image of Christ. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 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. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom 8:27-29)

We are called according to God’s purpose, to walk in good works, which God ordained for us to do. Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. "These things I command you, that you love one another.” (John 15:16-17)

It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the instructions and power to accomplish the mission that God wants us to accomplish for His purpose. Your destiny as a believer is to become conformed into the image of Christ; it is the Holy Spirit that takes you on the journey of getting there. The Holy Spirit guides us into all Truth, Jesus the Christ is Truth. Jesus says,“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:12-15)

God will speak to us in many ways; one of the main ways is through the written scriptures. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17 NIV) God will never contradict Himself so the scriptures help to confirm what the Holy Spirit is speaking inside of us. Because the same voice that wrote the scriptures speaks directly to us who are of the new covenant. But it is through the Holy Spirit that we are given the knowledge of how and when to apply which scriptures to which situation.

God sometimes speaks to people through dreams, visions, and even an audible voice. God also speaks through other people; sometimes He speaks through people that may not even be Christians. God sometimes speaks through circumstances, opening and closing doors of opportunity. But we are not to be led by people or by circumstances but only by the Holy Spirit. The key is to recognize God’s voice when you hear it in whatever way that He chooses to communicate to you. We are to walk by faith not by sight, and faith comes by hearing the spoken words of God and recognizing His voice.

Recognizing God’s Voice

We know God’s voice because we know Him. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me”(John 10:14 NIV). We recognize God’s voice because we recognize Him, the better we get to know God the more clearly we will recognize His voice. God’s voice is His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Love, so the voice of God is the sound of Love. The actions of love are accomplished when we put God’s benefit and the benefit of others before our own benefit. God’s voice, His Holy Spirit will always lead us in the direction of love.

The greatest love is to lay down your life for another; God is always leading us into laying down our own life so that we may experience His life. Jesus says, “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Mat 10:38-39 NKJV) The cross is a painful experience, but it is worth going through the cross to experience the resurrection into eternal life, the cross is temporary but the resurrection is forever.

God always leads us into humility and out of pride. Humility is part of the process of dying to self. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Phil 2:5-8 NKJV)

Pride is sin, and all sin causes a hardening of our heart toward God, which causes us to become less sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Walking in humility and purity of heart causes us to hear God’s voice more clearly by being more sensitive to the Holy Spirit He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. (Psa 25:9 NIV)

In our prayer life (as in all areas of life) it is critical that we hear God’s voice and are led by His Holy Spirit in what to pray. Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Eccl 5:1-2 NIV God is not Santa Claus, it is spiritual immaturity to come to God with your list of selfish wants. If the Lord is your Shepard you shall not want, because He will take care of your needs as you walk in love toward Him and other people. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Mat 6:33 NKJV)

Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” (Mat 6:9-10 NKJV) The first thing we do in prayer is to recognize that God is our Father, He is our source of everything and He knows our needs. The first request we make of God is that His name is made Holy on the earth, that His kingdom advances, and that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. These should be our priorities in prayer.

When we abide in Jesus so that His Spirit and His words can flow through us, then we can ask what we desire because our desires will have been conformed to His desires, His will. This is how we glorify God on earth; this is how we increase His kingdom. “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) Our body is the temple of God and He calls His house a house of prayer. Every Christian should be a house of prayer, praying without ceasing, constant communication with God. Effective prayer in faith comes through hearing from God and then praying His will on the earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus never tells you to go some place that He has not been before, in fact He never tells you to go to a place where He is not already there waiting for you. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Love always draws you to Love, and therefore always draws you to God, because God is Love. I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. (Hosea 11:4 NKJV)

Jesus asks us to walk in His steps and come to where He is. The Holy Spirit always draws us, He pulls us; He never pushes us. We are to follow Jesus and be led by the Holy Spirit. There is a yearning of the Spirit in you calling you to do some thing or go some place, this is the voice of God in you.

The Lord goes before us preparing the way, and He goes with us on the journey. When we are following in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit we walk in the presence of God; experiencing His love, joy, and peace, even in the worst of circumstances. And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. (Deut 31:8 NKJV)

God is always drawing you into His presence, when you meet Him at the place that He has called you to; it is there that you will experience an intense anointing to serve Him. That is the place that you can worship Him in Spirit and in Truth; for to obey God’s voice is worship. Worship is expressing love to God and Jesus says,“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15 NIV)

Jesus is always calling His sheep to follow Him; He is always calling His sheep to Himself. Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”(John 10:27 NKJV) Remember when Jesus separates the sheep from the goats the sheep are the ones that came to Him and served Him. “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. …And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”(Mat 25:34-40 NKJV)

As Christians we must be aware that what we say and do to others we say and do to Jesus. When dealing with other Christians focus on Jesus in them, appeal to Jesus in them, communicate to Jesus in them, and do unto Jesus in them. Since all people are created in the image of God we should do the same for all people, because God’s love compels us to love even our enemies.

When we please Jesus by obeying His commands of love we then experience His Joy. Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”(John 15:9-12 NIV)

As mentioned above we have the mind of Christ, which means that through the Holy Spirit we have access to the will of God, the thoughts of God, and the emotions of God. Just as we can experience God’s joy through actions of love we can also experience God grieving through our actions that hurt people. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph 4:29-30 NKJV) We have all said things that have hurt others and then we immediately felt bad inside. What we need to recognize is that is that the “bad feeling” inside was God feeling bad because of our sin; it was the grieving of the Holy Spirit in us. This is God’s voice communicating with us directly, not with just words, but His very emotions.

We know that God’s love, God’s joy, and the peace of God in your heart is an indication that you are hearing and obeying the voice of God. For you will go out with joy, And be led forth with peace; (Isa 55:12 NASB) When there is a lack of God’s peace in your heart it means that your relationship with Him is lacking. The Holy Spirit will then try to guide you back into a righteous relationship with God, and if you follow His leading you will once again experience the peace of God through the Holy Spirit in you.

And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. {15} And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. {16} Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. {17} And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Col 3:14-17 NASB)

If you feel that God is speaking a message to you but you are not really sure if it is from God here are some good questions to ask your self about the message.

1) Does it line up with the Holy Bible, the written scriptures?

2) Does it lead you into a closer relationship with God, a greater unity with Him?

3) Does it lead you into expressing love, which is putting God’s benefit and the benefit of others before your own benefit?

4) Does it lead to a dying of yourself and a greater manifestation of Christ life in you?

5) Does it cause greater humility in you, and a greater dependence upon God?

6) Does it cause greater love, joy, and peace from God in you?

¹ (John 15:16) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

² (Luke 12:47-49) "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. {48} "But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. {49} "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

WORSHIP- OUR RESPONSE TO & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF HOLINESS.

2012-09-03T16:49:00.000+03:00

Worship – our response to and acknowledgement of His holiness

It is not a question if we will worship but what we will worship. We are created to worship. Ex 23:24-25. Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you,(NIV). Worship, serve = abad (Heb).

What worship is

Worship is to adore reverently, to feel deep devoted love for, to regard with respect and with great awe and devotion.Ps. 29:1-2, worship the Lord in holy array or in the beauty of holiness, 96:9
John 4:23-24,
Rev 5:11-14, Neh 9:6, the multitudes of heaven worship You.

When we worship we:

reverence (fear), respect, give ourselves to totally, know (we can only worship to the degree we know), trust in totally, center of our lives, have full security in, adoration, love, is first priority.
Worship is more than songs it is our lives, and heart attitude.
Words and songs are not needed.

Worship is:

Respect for God the Holy One and the Great One. Ministering unto God.
To pour out ones love and adoration before Him.
A heart attitude of humility. Humbling of yourself under God – has to do with worship.
Worship is not a musical activity but a function of the heart.
It is an outpouring of our whole being in the presence of God, it is an outflowing of our deepest love and adoration. Luke 10:27, to love the Lord with all your heart, Matt 4:10, Lk 4:8 to worship Him only.
Worship is birthed out of our understanding of God as He has revealed Himself to us through His word and as we have experienced Him in our lives.

Matt 4:10, Because Jesus said: Worship the Lord your God.
(Mt 2:1-2, 11, they came to worship Jesus. Mt 28:9, 16-17. Lk 24:52, Jn 9:38, Ph 2:10-11.) Heb 10:22, worship - draw near to God with true honest hearts in full assurance of faith and hearts purified from guilt.
John 4:23-24, God is calling His people into a greater intimacy with himself. God wants our hearts more than our service. He is not looking for worship as it is but He is looking for worshipers! A worshiper is one who lives worship, lives a lifestyle of worship! Lives lived in an attitude of worship in all that we do and say. Isa 29:13, Matt 15:7-9
2 Chr 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war." (NIV)

Worship in spirit and in truth:

Have our mind involved.
Be through Jesus who is the truth and in accordance with God's word – truth Jn 17:17.
Our hearts need to be true to God, pure.
Not hypocritical 1 Sam 15:24-31, the motivation wasn't right. It is not to show others how spiritual we are, we are not to put on a spiritual front.
True worship gazes honestly into heaven and invites the cleansing presence of THS.
It is not enough to worship in sincerity but also in truth, the revealed truth of God in His word. Not just with the symbols of the tabernacle but the reality of it.
Our worship is no higher than our knowledge of God as worship flows our of a relationship with God which is strengthened by learning of Him through His word.

True worshipers – opposite of false worshipers. In spirit – opposite of going to a certain place. In truth – opposite of ceremonies, rituals and offerings.
Matt 15:8-9, These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. (NIV)

Worship is deep within us calling out to the deep in God.

Worship requires a relationship, intimacy, giving and receiving. Open your heart to God as you worship Him. Don't rush through it.Ps. 46:10, there are times when our worship will not be full of words but will be a humble prostration of our souls before God, revering His greatness in silence and stillness. Worship involves "eye contact" with God. Worship is an expression of love. You can express that without words and with just eye contact.
Who can worship God?
Those who are born again can worship God as their spirits are alive to God.
Worship is for those who are childlike enough to just open up their hearts and respond to God in sincerity and honesty and enjoying a relationship of loving communion with Him
Where?
Jn 4:21-24, we can see here that worship is not bound to a certain place or time rather it is a function of the spirit of man reaching out to the Spirit of God.

We're Worshipers

…and when?
Matt 4:10, Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (NIV)
Worship the Lord everyday. It is first priority to sit by the feet of Jesus. Second to serve. We excuse our lack of worship by pointing out the many things we do for God. We are somehow in a hurry to serve God and we neglect to worship Him. The greatest service will never be a substitute for worship.
What happens?
Ps. 46:4, in worship we partake of the very river that flows from the throne of God. The waters of Siloam whose course ran underneath and through Jerusalem and supplied the city with water. THS provides us with renewing water as we worship from our innermost beings, cleansing and refreshment over our souls. Eze 47:9, as the river of God begins to flow during our times of worship, it brings life, abundance and healing, washing over broken hearts and restoring parched souls.

Attitude and Qualities that characterized Worshipers.

What attitudes should we have?

To give everything – not holding anything back, giving and surrendering all.

Preoccupied with God.

Fidelity (trohet)

Loyalty, faithfulness

Trust, reliance, confidence

Love

Obedience

Pure – not selfish

Humble – not to show others how I'm worshiping God. It is between you and God. Also realizing who you are and who God is. It is a position acknowledging, submission and dependence on God. The real essence of worship centers in on the bowing of ourselves and the flattening and prostrating of fleshly pride (the human will to assert its own way).In worship we are recognizing our total utter dependence and total abandonment to Him: (Mt 15:25, Then came she and worshipped (knelt before) him, saying, Lord, help me! (KJV)

The more self sufficient – the less we worship.

The more independent, the less we worship. (a worshiper knows the ways of God):
Luke 7:36-50

Givers – she gave something costly and she had to brake the jar to get anything out of it, once opened one had to use it all, so it was all or nothing. Ex 23:15, (Ps. 98:8-9)

Weeping – outward manifestation of a heart deeply stirred before the Lord, repentant over come, unreserved, broken before God.

Kissed Jesus feet – there is a Greek word for worship – proskuneo – to kiss the hand toward, to do reverence or homage by kissing the hand, to bow oneself in adoration. She was pleasing God rather than man. After she did this the fragrance the anointing was all over her.
When we worship He will respond, He will turn to us and speak to us, He is eager to do it. A loving heart that cries out to God – that is what matters.
We will never grow to the point where we are "above" worshiping God. Spiritual maturity doesn't exempt one from being a worshiper. Because in heaven there is and will be worship, Rev 4:9-11.

Hindrances to worship (hindering attitudes in worship):

Guilt and condemnation are among the greatest hindrances in worship

Heb 4:14-16, 10:19-22.

Never allow sin to stop you from meeting with God. Come before Him and let Him convict you of sin. He will convict us but not condemn us. Conviction will lead us to repentance, condemnation to despair. John 3:17, 8:11. Sin can't survive in His presence. So if we want to
get rid of it draw as near to God as you can, flee to His presence and confess your sins and receive His cleansing, healing, holiness, purity.
Wrongly formulated attitudes of the mind and of the heart:

1. Pride

A Lack of Knowledge-

When we come into God’s presence, we must come with a heart filled with faith. Faith comes from knowledge of the Word of God. A lack of knowledge will hinder us from truly enjoying worship.

In the Old Testament, David brought the ark of the covenant into the nation of Israel and into Jerusalem with a lack of knowledge. He carried the ark improperly by carrying it on a cart when God had given instruction for rods to be run through the ark and for the priests to carry it on their shoulders. Because of David’s lack of knowledge as to how to carry the ark, a man ended up dying when he tried to steady the ark.

Your lack of knowledge can affect innocent people around you. God will forgive us for the lack of knowledge, but the further we walk with Him, the more accountable He will expect us to be. God’s desire is that we continue to grow in our knowledge of His Word.

Often, people will try to separate worship from the study of God’s Word, but they cannot be separated. Whenever you study God’s Word, you are worshiping. The word “worship” actually means, “face to face kissing with God.” We should not treat the study of God’s Word lightly because again, it is a form of worship.

In true worship, you always leave that place of worship changed. Not only is this true of worshiping God, it is also true of satanic worship. It is also true of the world. You will become more and more like the one you worship!

Every time you spend time in God’s Word, you become more like God Himself.

2 Corinthians 3:18........

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

The phrase “…open face” actually means “unveiled face.” The entire essence of 2 Corinthians 3 is the comparison of life under the law versus life under the new covenant. The more of God’s Word we learn, the more we’re changed into the image of God and the easier it becomes to worship Him. A lack of knowledge will hinder our ability to worship the Lord. God is seeking worshipers who will put Him first place in their lives.

3. A Critical Attitude-

We need to be removed from a critical attitude. The Word of God repeatedly warns against judging others. A critical attitude is really a manifestation of pride. When someone is critical, they are setting themselves up as a judge to look down on and speak evil of other people. The only person we have a right to judge is ourselves. The Bible tells us that we are to examine ourselves. But more often than not, we spend time judging others than we do ourselves.

Matthew 7:1-2 "

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it will be measured to you again.And why behold thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in you own eye?"

Jesus is saying, “How dare you judge another person. How dare you criticize them when they have only a splinter in their eye but you have a log in your eye!”

By criticizing others, you have reaped back a good measured, pressed down, shaken together, and running over splinter! Whatever you sow, you will reap. That is why it is so important to sow love! When you judge others, you are in worse condition than any sin they might be participating in.

Romans 2:1 "

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whosoever you are that judges: for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do the same things."

The next time you feel the temptation to run someone down, remember—you have been guilty of the same thing. You need to treat others the same way the Lord has treated you. You need to sow mercy rather than bitterness. The Lord said that we are to be merciful as He is merciful. Quit judging others!

Hebrews 3:16-18 "

For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?"

Those who could not enter into rest were those who were in unbelief. The root of criticism is unbelief. When you truly believe God and His Word, you will not criticize others. Instead, you will begin to see them through the eyes of God’s love and you will begin to sow love into their lives

Impatience-

Hebrews 6:12 "

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

You may be thinking, “There are things in my life that I have been believing for that still have not manifested.” Perhaps you have become concerned and tempted to think they will

never

come to pass. If you have been doubting that God’s promises will come to pass, ask God to forgive you for your impatience. It is not for the farmer to tell the seed when to sprout. Know that your promise is planted in the ground of faith and you may not see it yet, but it is producing. We will

reap

if we faint not!

You may come into a worship service and begin thinking, “I have been praying and believing for my uncle,my mother,my child or any of your friends may be who're not saved yet to be born again for such a long time. I have quoted scriptures, I have prayed for laborers to be sent across his path,Complaining that I've been praying for my school performance,I've been praying to have a new job, but its like I'ven't seen things working. For the ones who are not saved I have done everything I can think of and yet they don't look any closer to receiving Jesus than when I started praying for them! In fact, they looks like they’re even farther away from God than ever!” While everyone else is enjoying the presence of God, you are missing out because of your impatience!

James 1:4"

But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

You just keep on believing that everything is in control don't ever be doubtful , for God answers at a very right time he never later....always remember that He never sleep or slumber no matter what His love is always there for us ,he sees whatever we're go through...God is not a Man so that he can tell a lie, he promised that so whoever calls up on his name shall be will indeed see Him. All that we've to do is to wait up on him....for those who wait up on the Lord shall be renewed their strength...

5. Legalism- Legalism is a subtle hindrance. We can come to church proud of all the good we have done during the week. We might say to the Lord, “God, I won four souls! Four! Just count them! Not only that, I laid hands on a person the other day and they were healed! Aren’t you so proud of me? I bet You’re really proud of my works! You really need me, don’t You?” But Isaiah 64:6 says, “…all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Self-righteousness and legalism will keep you from truly entering into the presence of the Lord in worship.

The purpose of worship is not to draw attention to our works, but to draw attention to the works of God! You did not win those people to the Lord. You may argue with that, but you did not win them! The Holy Spirit gave you the words to speak. The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible so you would have something to preach. If the Holy Spirit had not drawn them, all of your words would have been worthless. Regardless of how the Lord uses us, all of the glory goes back to Him

6.Worldliness-

We cannot escape the world’s system. We are surrounded by it daily.But the Bible says even though we are

this world, we are not to be

the world. We are surrounded by human viewpoint all week, but man’s ideas are always opposed to God’s. The way man obtains money is opposed to God’s way. Man’s way of rising in business, position, and authority is always opposed to God’s plan. Man says, “Pull a few strings, smooth talk the boss, juggle the books, tell a few lies.” Man may rise in power this way but God’s way says to humble yourself under the mighty hand God and He will exalt you in due time. God says when you have an opportunity to take the best seat, take the low seat and He will exalt you. Watch God work for you.

1John 2:15 "

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

What you do is always a product of what you think. You can have worldly, lustful ideas inside you. The Bible calls this “worldly” and “carnal.” Worldliness will prevent you from entering into the fullness of worship.

7. Unforgiveness-

Unforgiveness will always separate us from worship—from face to face communion with God.

Isaiah 59:1-2:

"Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."

When you come to church with unforgiveness in your heart, ask the Lord to forgive you.let us always give priority to forgive for the forgiveness draw us closer to God's face.

Mark 11:25

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."

Matthew 6:15

"But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

If we are unwilling to ask forgiveness from our brother, then God must stand in unforgiveness toward us. If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. God desires that we ask His forgiveness.

1John 1:9:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

8. Wrong Priorities- Another name for wrong priorities is idolatry. You may say, “But Pastor, I don’t get down in front of wood and stone and bow down before idols!” That may be true, but how many hours do you spend in front of the television? How much time do you spend reading magazines or newspapers? How much time do you spend participating in your favorite hobby? Our priorities can be so misplaced. God becomes jealous. We may say, “Hey God, I’ve got 25 minutes on Sunday I’m going to squeeze you in so I can get back to my computer to get my ledger sheets balanced.” When we’re trying to fit God into our schedule because other things are more important, this is idolatry. You cannot truly enter into worship if your priorities are not right.

Let make sure we give God time for the more we give him time , the more we get to know him and the more he speaks to us ......and remember that in Matthew 6:33 the bible says "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."   The world things will soon come to pass but God will forever be there....as we obey him we make ourselves ready for an everlasting life with Him
9. Presumption- God is Looking for Worshipers,In chapter 4 of the Gospel of John, Jesus told the woman at the well, “God is looking for those who will worship Him.” 2Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…”

God not only wants converts in the earth, He also wants people who will spend time in fellowship with Him. However, His desire is that we come to Him with a willing heart. He will not force us to worship Him. God delights when His people seek after Him. He delights when people desire to worship Him with all of their hearts.

Numbers 16 illustrates the results of false worship and the results of true worship. False worship ultimately resulted in the children of Israel murmuring against Moses and Aaron and a plague that killed 14,700 people. However, true worship caused the plague to cease.Worship needs to be taken outside the four walls of the church. Worship needs to be taken into the world where the plague is running rampant. Our homes should be free of the plague. The Bible says, “No plague shall come nigh your dwelling.” We need to stand as a barrier, as a defense, as a dam that stops the onslaught of Satan. But the strength that comes to be that defense only comes from God.
A person can no more be a worshiper because someone beside him is a worshiper than a person can be saved because they are standing next to someone who is saved.
The Other Hindrance towards being a true Worshiper are ;

Spectatorism – How easy it is for us to get caught up in watching the proceedings of the worship and afterward find that we have done everything but worship or we have been like an audience at a performance. Worship is not performed by one part in behalf of the other. No one can worship for another. Rom 12:1, 1 Cor 3:16, 1 pet 2:5-6, Rev 1:6. We are all called to a spiritual priest hood t offer up thanksgiving to God. We are all participants in raising high His glorious praise. Watching everybody else doing it and not entering in our self.
Sentimentalism – we often become sentimental in worship when we become more taken up with the music or tune than with the message of the song. Overly familiar songs are in danger of becoming sentimental for us. We should not just respond emotionally, we need a complete response of our whole beings. God intended music to help us to open our hearts and become more receptive to Him not to worship music. Music is a vehicle not an end in itself. Eze 33:32 "When I am moved by the voice of him that sings more than by the words sung. I confess to have sinned" St. Augustine.
Lip service – while our lips are moving our hearts are not a part of the message, half heartedness, hypocrisy, in God's eyes, Amos 5:21-23
Fear of being manipulated – God is worthy regardless of any human foibles manifested by the leadership.
"We've never done it this way before"
Another hindrance to worship is because the devil wants worship. Isa 14, Eze 28, Mt 4:10.
"If it feels good I will do it" – If we allow our worship to be controlled by our feelings we will never gain victory in our Christian walk. We don't worship because we feel like it.Reverently fear and worship the Lord

Have a fresh revelation about God's greatness! It'll change the way we talk, live our lives.

The way we see God determines how we live. Example: hate sin or not, love people or not, want to live holy and right or not, forgive or not. God is Holy, love, is a Father is a judge we have to have the balance of it all; just but merciful, compassionate, righteous, patient.
We need to know Him by experience not just head knowledge Phil 3:10. We can be taught things about God but who is He for you?Worship – reverence. You can't worship in any other way. If it doesn't have reverence in it it is not worship. There is reverence in worship because we see Him as He is. Worship is us giving of ourselves. Isa 29:13 their fear toward Him was taught by the commandment of men. He is saying that the people had reduced the glory of the Lord to the glory of corruptible man. They served God in the image they had created – not by His true image, but their own standards.

Rom 1:2-21, 23 God reduced to the image of corruptible man. The church today is surrounded with a culture that worships man. What is the image of God there in Egypt? We serve God in the image we have made.
Ex 32:4 "This is your God o Israel that brought you out of Egypt.” The golden calf. They reduced God's greatness to a level they were more accustomed to dealing with.
If a king or a famous person goes to another country where he is not known, how will he be treated? As an ordinary man, as any foreigner, he will be given little or no respect.
John 1:10-11 His own didn't receive Him, the One who created the universe didn't receive the honor He deserved. His own didn't recognize the Awesome one they professed to serve faithfully.
Truly knowing God brings a fear of Him not afraid of Him.
Heb 12:28-29 worship in awe and fear.
Lev 10:3, And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: 'By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.' "So Aaron held his peace. (NKJ)The Lord never comes where He is not reverenced.
Seek God's face ask Him to reveal Himself. Eph 1:17-21

Words like "I stand in awe of You, Lord" can become a religious tradition. If we can't stand in awe of Him we need to cry out to the Lord to reveal more of Himself to us so we can truly praise and worship Him. He reveals Himself to us through His word!
We serve a great God, nothing is too hard for Him! Ps. 93, 95, 96
Ps. 96:4 "God is to be reverently feared and worshiped above all so called gods!”
We can only worship the Lord to the degree that we know Him, see Him, that He is revealed to us.

What image of God do you have?
Isa 6:1-3
Rev 1:10-18 (17); 4:8, 10-11, John saw Jesus in the spirit. Different degrees of God's glory revealed. In heaven complete glory! No man in the flesh can see God's glory and live.

Praise vs worship

Is for our benefit
Distant, about, to God.
All creation praise God Ps. 148:3-12, and yet God has no relationship with any of these.
Always seen or heard
Horizontal in its purpose
is often preparatory to worship, a gateway to worship, but singing or praise doesn't guarantee that we will cross over to worship.
Normally faster songs, declaring!! As it fits with the character of praise.
Sometimes we need to plunge into praise with an aggressiveness. It's often necessary to stir up our flesh and our soul to praise the Lord.
Since praise is expressed through the flesh it requires a stirring up of the flesh. Is characterized by some form of physical manifestation.
God seeks worshipers
Intimate, with God.
Relationship is required, worship brings us close to the heart of God. It is a 2 way street – giving and receiving, communion and fellowship.
Not always seen, evident to an observer
Vertical interaction, private, preoccupied with the God head.
Normally slower songs – to complete silence. It is not a musical activity but a function of the heart.
Worship is more characterized by a quiet and unassumed basking in God's presence. Our spirit is always willing to worship – have communion with God.
But since worship is more a function of the spirit, what is needed is an unlocking of the spirit. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

The Responsibility of an Individual Worshiper in a P&W Service. Do you know what God is looking for? Do you know why we sing? Why are some touched by God? We are here to worship the living God! To meet with God! Worship is coming to God bowing down, humbling ourselves declaring He is king over our lives and not the world etc. Who and what are you yielding yourself to?
When we come to Him and bow ourselves down before Him – He will meet with us. A change of our focus from ourselves to God. In His presence is all we need. You might be in a need of healing, deliverance, you have problems etc., when we start to worship Him. Remember worship is not singing songs just. People can get healed, set free by His Spirit as they are worshiping God. Worship was a sacrifice and it still is a laying down of our lives, our wills, feelings and we say by bowing before Him. Heart attitude, the outward action should be a reflection of what is going on on the inside that He is our king, we are not our own.
Worship a laying down of our lives.

Close your eyes, forget about the people around you for a moment. Let's talk to God. Here I am Lord. I make a decision right now to lay down my life at your feet and I will exalt you, I will praise you. Instead of looking at myself I'll look at you Lord. You are the great one you are the majestic one the exalted one. I'm coming to you Lord. Talk to Him not to me, or your neighbor. If you want to meet with God remember who you are talking to. You don't want the secretary (somebody working for God) but you want the king, the boss himself. If you come to me and say to the person standing next to me that you want to meet with me, but you keep on saying this to the person next to me saying you did a great job ullis etc. God is standing right here saying "I'm here!”.
He is waiting for us to come to Him.

So change your focus from being conscious of what the others might think. Who you are conscious of is in reality who your are talking to. When you pray are you praying to the people or to God?? Sometimes people pray nice prayers without having touched the heart of God. It is like a performance. When we sing – sing to God! I don't care what people around me will think. See Him make a decision to come to the king of kings.

When we really worship God His power will flow, life will flow. Don't be discouraged nor give up. Just yield all of you to God. I'm for you Lord, all of me to You. You can tell me anything but what are you telling God from your heart what have you made a decision about in your heart. You take the first step. Remember who you are coming to. You are coming to Father God the Holy and almighty God. We come as a child because of His grace and we are coming to the King Lord of our lives as well. We can come as a child because of the blood of Jesus into His Holy presence. Bowing before Him telling Him He is the King, not just a word but in reality, He is your Master and our King
The eyes of my heart focused on God not on the crowd around me nor my problems. I say I come to you Lord.God wants to refresh you challenge you take you higher in His presence. It's all in His presence. He wants you to be able to worship Him wherever you are not just in meetings. That there'll be a constant flow of His presence, refreshment hearing from God. If you want to hear His voice spend time in the word and in His presence worship Him.

Your spirit always want to worship God. It is your mind flesh feelings that says otherwise. Deep calls to deep. Learn to listen to your spirit not feelings mind etc. To get the mind on the Lord – listen to your spirit – it cries out abba father. What are we listening to? It is not important how many times we sing each song or how many songs we sing, if you are standing before God it doesn't matter what matters is Him!!!
Challenge them to give it all! Don't let anything hold you back from having all that God has for you/His presence.

Get into God's river and flow with, it be sensitive.

The first responsibility of every worshiper is to minister to the Lord.

It is our responsibility to make our songs a praise from our hearts unto God. .

How can you prepare yourself for congregational P&W?.

Pray and stir up the gift in me..
We ought not to come for a hand-out but should rather bring an offering..
We are to make His praise glorious. Ps. 66:2.
A worshiper worships at every opportunity and does not demand an encouragement from a worship leader before entering into praise..
Put on the garment of praise, a smile and lift your hearts to God in thanksgiving and praise. Cast off concerns. Fix your mind on the Lord not on what to do afterwards, who to talk to, where to go, etc..
Looking around the congregation is a big distraction during P&W. How can you overcome that distraction? Shut your eyes..

Unison, unity = oneness, being one, single, harmony.

Matt 18:19-20, there is power in unity. Disagreements, division and people pulling in different directions will not bring unity. Unity if all follow the flow of THS, respecting the leadership that is there..

2 Chron 5:13, they joined in unison as with one voice..

Why do we P&W in a meeting?
It is not to perform, fill time, because of tradition, or because we like singing.But because God's word tells us to do that. Ps. 68:26, Heb 2:12

To exalt God and build a throne for God in the service.

Lead the congregation out to God's presence.

For God's glory to fill the place, an atmosphere where God can move mightily and minister to and meet the needs of the people.

Prepare the hearts of the people to receive from God's word, be open for what God will do, be focused on Jesus.

Bring everybody into one accord.

Give God freedom to do what He wants.P&W a part of helps ministry.

Hope God has something for you through this article , as in Jeremiah 29:11 the bible says "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." that is he has good plans for us ...now as you're reading this article may My living God meet your needs and give you the desire of your heart mostly get you transformed through this article....Amen
Please send your comments,
Be blessed

BECOME A BLESSING

2012-08-31T08:16:00.000+03:00

I Want To Be A Blessing

"And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; And so shall you be a blessing... And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:2-3; NASB)

I think it would be safe to say that most of us want to be blessed. And being a blessed people, most of us “want to be a blessing” to others. Indeed, such a desire is perfectly in keeping with the heart of God. For whoever the Lord has blessed has experienced an inward transformation of the heart, in their receiving the blessing of God. In this transformation of the heart, upon receiving the favor and fortunes of Christ, somebody who is blessed isn't looking to simply keep those blessings selfishly to themselves. Instead, they wish to share the riches they have in Christ with others.

The Redemptive Blessing

God made a promise to Abraham that in blessing him, Abraham’s name would be magnified and exalted, resulting in the blessing of Abraham being spread to every people and in every nation of the earth. Through this blessing, the curse that entered the world through the fall of man in the Garden of Eden would be reversed, and the world ultimately transformed. All of redemptive history has centered around this very promise God made to Abraham almost four thousand years ago. Indeed, the history of the world that yet remains still centers around the working out of the promise that God made to Abraham. There has yet to be a day where God hasn’t been actively looking to bring this promise of blessing to pass. But how has He done this?

First and foremost, this promise made to Abraham centers itself in the work and person of Jesus Christ. God saw the lost spiritual state of mankind, and knew that we were sinners in need of a Savior. So, God sent His only-begotten Son into this world to die for our sins on the cross. Though innocent and blameless, doing nothing deserving of death, He received the wrath and punishment of God for us on the cross. And in the conquering of death by means of His resurrection from the grave, Jesus Christ made it possible for man to be brought into a right relationship with Him, and experience the new life that is available to all who would become a part of His kingdom.

What comes with the new life for those who partake of His kingdom? First and foremost, with it comes being made righteous in the sight of God. And now being in right relationship with the Lord through the work of Christ on the cross, we can enjoy the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. Through being made at peace with God, we now know the love of the Father. Knowing that love, we can now have joy unspeakable. And having such overflowing joy, there is an accompanying glory that rests on our lives.

These are but a sampling of the blessings that are available to us now. So many more could be spoken of, and we haven’t even touched on all of the blessings that are yet to come when the Lord returns at the end of the present age, and in all the subsequent ages that follow. Suffice to say, the riches that are available in Christ are great. Being the King of kings and the Lord of lords, enthroned at the right hand of the Father in heaven, all things are His. And whatever is His, we have been made partakers of by virtue of our spiritual union with Him.

But, as I mentioned earlier, the blessings of heaven afforded to us are not ours to hoard selfishly for ourselves. Just as an apple tree grows fruit for others to consume, so we have been blessed in order that we might be a blessing. And so long as we live in the present age, it is our job as Christians to further God’s redemptive plan in history by dispensing these blessings to others.

Making A True Difference

What then does it mean to be a blessing to others? We all know people, sinners and saints alike, who are “nice” people that make a positive difference in the lives of others. But, if you look at this from a Biblical perspective, being a blessing to others goes beyond showing superficial displays of niceness to others. It goes beyond saying a simple, “God bless you,” to somebody who sneezes at the check-out line in the grocery store.

Indeed, the ability to bless others is a priestly function of the kingdom of God. When one “blesses” another person, they serve as a mediator between two worlds. When we bless others with the riches of Christ and His kingdom, an “I… you… world” relationship is established. And in that relationship, and in that blessing, something is communicated of the knowledge of God. And that knowledge of God is ultimately redemptive in power and scope.

Being a tangible thing that is actually capable of making a redemptive purpose in the life of the nations, it is therefore very important that the nations embrace the blessings God has charged us to dispense. That is why God told Abraham that whoever cursed him would themselves be cursed. For without the blessings God has given us to dispense to this lost and dying world, the nations are filled with nothing but hell and subject to the decay of the curse which began in the Garden. When the mind is left to its’ carnality, and nothing of the knowledge of God is communicated to it by those who minister on behalf of Jesus Christ, then nothing but a “curse” can continue to rule and reign in the lives of people.

When the Lord sent the apostles out on their first missionary journey, He instructed them as follows:

[11] "And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. [12] "As you enter the house, give it your greeting. [13] "If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. [14] "Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. [15] "Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. (Matthew 10:11-15)

The, “blessing of peace,” Christ instructed the apostles to minister, as you can see, is a very tangible thing that makes a practical difference in the lives of people. So much so, that should the apostles choose to remove that blessing of peace, an intolerable day of judgment would be reserved for the people from whom the blessing was withdrawn. A horrible vacuum of wrath is created in the lives of those who make no room for the redemptive blessings of God. And such wrath doesn’t always wait until the day of judgment to be demonstrated in some measure.

Such can be seen historically in any nation which has directly opposed the people of God and the gospel message. In 70 A.D., Jerusalem was raised to the ground by the Romans for their rejection of Jesus Christ and the blessings that come through His kingdom. Rome itself would eventually suffer the same fate as it eventually rejected the true knowledge of God for a counterfeit gospel message propagated by Catholicism. And in more recent times, Nazi Germany and Communist Russia came to similar violent ends in their rejection of the gospel and persecution of God’s people. Such should cause those who live in the United States, England, and many other countries to tremble at the steps actively being taken to oppose the work that the Lord is doing in their midst today. An intolerable day of judgment awaits them all.

A Priestly People

Now, I haven’t said all of this to take some opportunity to make an appeal that we put the Ten Commandments back in our court houses, and that we seek to have prayer re instituted in the classroom. Nor have I said all of this to throw some prophetic gauntlet down on the nations of the world, or to send terror into your bones. Rather, I have said all of these things simply to reinforce the idea that the blessings of God are very real and tangible things we have been called to minister. They are blessings the world has gone mad for in their lacking of them. They do make a difference. And if we as the people of God wish to make the redemptive difference God has called all of us to make, and to be a blessing, then we must look at these sobering thoughts as an opportunity to take up the serious nature of our calling to be the type of people that are capable of ministering such blessings. And I believe such requires us to be a “priestly” people.

For as I said earlier, these redemptive blessing of God is not a cheap niceness we exhibit in our conduct, but are tangible things that can only be ministered by those who are priests. Now of course, as the apostle Peter said, by virtue of our new birth, we have been made into a “royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9) But my question to you is, are you living up to that calling? Are you faithfully executing the duties of the priesthood Christ has given to you? Are you priestly?

If you truly wish to be the blessing God has called you to be, then you must become priestly in your mindset and way of life. “Priestly-ness” is marked by sacrifice. Your life must be something that is not your own, but is entirely the Lord’s. You must be holy and consecrated unto Him in all things. You must minister unto the Lord, and serve Him. You must know the word of the Lord, and be able to discern between the holy and the profane thing.

And while having access to the presence of God, you must also be willing to meet the people where they are at, to stand in their place, and get your hands on them. When being a priest, there is no place to be aloof from God or man. A true priest does not keep his distance from either, rather, he is drawn intimately close to both. And it is assuming this posture that the priest successfully bridges the gap between heaven and earth, and allows the blessing of God to rest upon all those who are willing to receive his ministry in the Lord, and the blessing that he brings.

Conclusion

The world is fallen and corrupt. It is suffering deeply because of the curse that was released upon it since man first turned his back on God in Eden. But God being rich in mercy set forth a plan of redemption to restore the blessings of heaven that were once lost to this world. God has chosen to restore those blessings, by making a promise to a man named Abraham, and ultimately through work and person of Jesus Christ and all of those who would follow Him, to yet again dispense those blessings to the uttermost ends of the earth. Such blessings aren’t to be confused with random acts of kindness or good manners, but rather, they are to be seen as eternal and tangible things that communicate a knowledge of God that is ultimately redemptive in value. And such blessings require a people who have surrendered their all in service to their God, and ultimately, their fellow man. For only in complete abandonment does a man find the ability to actually bless others, and bridge the gap between heaven and earth.

PRINCIPLES FOR A BLESSED MINISTRY

2012-08-30T12:26:00.001+03:00

Bro.Joe. Bavuma

God desires to bless us with more tremendous blessings than before. If we have experienced His presence, His blessings of peace and love during the beginnings of our Christian walk with the Lord, then God promises to do more. But there are principles that must be realized and followed for our ministry to be doubly blessed by the Lord. Deuteronomy 28

1. Covet to honor the Lord“For those who honor me I will honor and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed,”
(1 Samuel 2:30)

No honor can be so great than the honor that comes from the Lord of lords and King of kings. But God honors only those who give Him honor. Imagine a friend, who does nothing for you but disgrace, do you think you will honor such a man? In the same way, God shall esteem lightly those who despise Him and His cause in the ministry.

The first step for us to honor the Lord is to have that passionate love for Christ. This kind of love for Christ is being reflected in the manner we live our lives as well as in the manner we take care of God’s ministry. We should develop the habit of giving honor to God by properly handling and managing the ministry. Be reminded, “curse is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,” (Jer. 48:10). Every form of deceit in the ministry of the Lord is a strength and soul if we struggle in doing even the littlest task in the ministry. If we have that passionate love for Christ, we will be cheerful in everything that we do to serve our Master – the Lord Jesus.

To have this kind of love for the Lord, we have to ask Him to fill our hearts with a passion to love Him. If we have this, there will be no hindrance that we cannot overcome. God can use us in a mighty way. Let us covet to honor the Lord as long as we live.God needs you to add one more day in ministry so that he may give you more steps in your live both spiritual and normal life.

Let us develop a passionate love for God. We should love God more than anybody else and even more than our own reputation. The ministry of WSHP where we belong is no ordinary ministry. This is not a ministry established by men. It was not born in the heart of any man, not even in my heart but only in the very heart of the Lord. That is why we have to be extra careful in caring for God’s ministry entrusted unto us. Anyone who will try to harm us, if we are faithful to the Owner of this ministry is harming the very apple of God’s eye.

If we remain faithful to God, He is obligated to help, support and equip us with all the necessary “ammunitions” as we finish our assignments from Him. We can be assured of His assistance if we continue to depend on Him for anointing and grace in ministering to the people. No one has the right to boast of anything. We must never be tempted to share or touch even an iota of the glory that exclusively belongs to God.

Personal, family, business and political decisions must be motivated by our passionate love for God with an obsession to please His heart and to glorify His Holy Name.

2. Seriously establish integrity in the MinistryA person of integrity is closest to God’s concessional blessings. This character is what Joseph possesses (Genesis 37-45). He was then the object of envy of his brothers who attempted to kill him. But then they thought of selling him instead as a slave in Egypt. When Potiphar bought him and brought him into his house, he saw the hand of God upon Joseph. So he promoted Joseph as head over his entire household and field.

Potiphar’s wife tried to entice Joseph but he refused saying in Gen. 39:8, “My master does not concern himself with anything in this house but has entrusted it into my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. How then can I do such wicked thing and sin against God?”

No wonder God exalted Joseph to be the most powerful man in Egypt, second to Pharaoh who was then just a figure head. He was a real man of integrity.

If we do not have integrity, God cannot entrust to us this ministry and the anointing that goes with it. A person of integrity is one who can be entrusted even with small things. “He that is faithful in little is faithful also in much,” (John 16:10a).

For us to be used by God to the fullest, we have to live and serve in the Ministry with integrity. When we enter eternity, all our deeds in service of the Lord will be tested by fire (1 Corinthians 3:11-15) and the reward we will acquire is based on what we did here on earth. We must desire therefore to seriously establish integrity in the ministry.

Moses, when he was heir to the throne of Egypt, “refused to be known as the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead in his reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26).

Moses denied himself of the pleasures in this world to obey the purpose of God for his life. He was also a man of integrity.

3. Faithful stewardship of one’s calling

The fact that God has called us into the Ministry of WSHP, it is undeniable therefore that we have become stewards or trustees of His purpose and calling in our lives. And “it is required in stewards that one can be found faithful,” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

If we will not nurture and take care of the calling or ministry where God has called us into, it will surely die a natural death. Remember the parable of the talents (Matthew 25) where the first two servants used their talents and gained more in the end. But the third servant who was so afraid and thought evil towards his master dug into the ground and buried his single talent. In the end, that servant was punished for being a foolish steward of God’s talent or calling.

We must therefore have a program for self-improvement and personal spiritual growth. Aside form reading the Bible, we must also read different good books that can nurture our relationship with the Lord. Remember, to the level that we want to know God, that will be the same level that we will truly know Him.

Surely, “a faithful man shall abound with blessings” (Proverbs 28:20a). God will never fail to bless, even to doubly bless, the work of a faithful steward of His gifts, calling and mandate.

4. Willingness to pay the price for God’s anointing

Many Christians are saying, “Lord give me the anointing, give me more anointing.” But they are not willing to pay for its price.

Katherine Khulman, an anointed woman of God, was once asked by Christian educators and researchers about her formula or secret as to why many that are sick got healed and many were blessed by her ministry. No doubt it is the anointing of God in her.

It has been told that when Khulman was ministering in Japan, she preached for five hours and after that she still wouldn’t pray for the sick. Some people urged her to start praying for the people are already exhausted. But she answered them, “there is no anointing yet.”

But when the Holy Spirit began to move, the people got healed even without Khulman praying first. Many got healed during her ministering that a truck behind the stage was reportedly seen to be filled with crutches of those who were formerly lame.

Khulman had no credentials. She had been an object of ridicule. Yet one no one was used by God in the same way she was used. To get the anointing that she had, she said with tears in her eyes, “It costs me everything. I always die daily. Before I preach I have to die first.”

Saint Paul in the same way gave his all, just to fulfill God’s purpose in his life and even forgot to marry for the sake of the Gospel. He said, “woe to me if I preach not the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.” St. Paul paid the highest price to get God’s precious anointing.

In the same way, we too should be willing to pay the price. It is no ordinary price. As long as we live on earth, we must continue to pay the price for the anointing of God. If we will stop, the anointing will also stop flowing and manifesting in our lives.

Don’t hesitate to take the sacrifice. We should not cease in following Jesus’ footsteps faithfully. This is the common mistake of those who had been in the ministry for a long time already. They have stopped paying the price and taking the sacrifices necessary in receiving God’s anointing. We must not allow this to happen lest our ministry become futile on the sight of men and of God.

If we live by these principles, only then can God’s promise in Ezekiel 36:11 be a reality to us and to the ministry He has entrusted to us.

“… I will do better for you than at your beginnings, then you shall know that I am the Lord.”

7 Principles To Release Blessing In And Around You

What kind of principles do you live your life by? Blessed people do not become that way by accident. They have chosen intentionally to live according to the truths in God’s Word. The following 30 principles are ones which, when put into practice, will help you to live a life that is truly blessed.

1.ThePrinciple ofKnowingThatGodOwns It All

The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the LORD Almighty. Haggai 2:8‐9 NIV Not only is the silver and the gold the Lord’s, but everything belongs to God. So why not give it all to Him? Paul says in I Corinthians 4:2 that it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. A steward is simply a manager of someone else’s money and possessions. We give it all back to God and manage it as He would have us to. For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. Psalm50:10 NIVA successful businessperson by the name of R.G. LeTourneau was in the business of manufacturing earth-moving equipment.

As his business grew and prospered, he decided to increase his tithe over and above the tenth. In time, he eventually increased his giving to ninety percent of his income and lived on the rest. Instead of giving the tenth, he lived on the tenth. God blessed this man bountifully and used his inventive God-given genius and creativity to reach the world for the gospel. While there are many great giving scriptures in the Bible, none seems more specific than the directive that every person should give what is in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. Mr. LeTourneau certainly recognized the value of 2Corinthians 9:7 and that it was God who gave him the power to gain wealth.

2.ThePrinciple ofGiving from the Top

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. Genesis14:20 NIV Abraham tithed the tenth before any other commitment was made. Jacob paid a tithe. Joseph instructed the people to prepare for years of famine by tithing 20 percent on their current abundance of harvest. Zaccheus gave one half of all his money. Barnabas gave a parcel of land.

The widow gave all that she had. Whatever we give, either the tenth or beyond the tenth, it should be given from the start, off the top, before we commit to anything else. Proverbs 3:9 directs us to honor the Lord with our wealth by giving the first of all our produce. The Jews were told to dedicate the first-born son and the firstborn beast to God. It was all to be given from the top.

3.ThePrinciple of Supernatural Provision

So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah. 1Kings17:15‐16 NKJV Supernatural provision happens when the natural is not enough. If we can make it happen on our own, there is no need for faith. No need for trusting God. And it follows that if we do not have faith and have no need for God, He will not step into areas that we

have reserved for our own self-control. The principle of supernatural provision is that He is strong when flesh cannot be.

4.The Principle ofBeingProactive

Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth. Matthew17:27NIV We are to take action—to be pro-active. The abilities and gifting that He provides motivate us to action. Sometimes, it takes our persistence in doing the same things faithfully with the heart of a servant. Other times, it is useful to try new things or new methods and seek after new opportunities. Sometimes, it is the steady plodding that brings the success of the blessed life.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 says, “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all” (NIV).

Hebrews 12:1-2 advises, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on

Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” (NIV).

Proverbs 21:5 instructs us that, “Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty” (TLB).

“If we can make it happen on our own,there is no need for faith.”Taking action, being proactive and not giving up are principles for living the life of a blessed person.

5.ThePrinciple ofKnowing HowtoBe Content

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1Timothy6:8‐9NIV Millions of people today are on a quest to accumulate possessions and even wealth. It is hard for all of us to be content with what we have when the world’s entire system is geared toward making us unhappy with everything we don’t have. From advertising to attitude, we face a discontented culture. How much money is enough? Usually, just a

little bit more. Money cannot buy contentment or happiness. We need to strive for contentment and contend for happiness.

There is certainly nothing wrong with making money, as long as we do not violate the laws of our land and the principles of God’s Word. The all-for-me and none-for-others way of man’s thinking is immoral. The person of principle who subscribes to the values of the Bible will be a good steward who obeys the law of giving. This person will find happiness in exact proportion to his giving. He will be content with his life and all that it affords.

6.ThePrinciple of Resisting World Views

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.

Romans12:2TLB We must resist the world’s view of wealth, happiness and possessions. We do not have

to have it all! Our culture and society have sold us a bill of goods. They teach us that in order to be happy, we have to have certain things. We must resist the world’s view of wealth, happiness and possessions. We do not have to have it all! We don’t have to wear just the right clothes, drive that certain brand of car, have the latest model available, buy a bigger home, own six televisions, possess the latest camera and carry a

dozen credit cards in our wallet. We must not allow the world to dictate to us their view of what things our life should consist of.

The world should not be allowed to determine our lifestyle. The world should not tell us what success is and what the picture of affluence should look like. Success is doing what God wants done. It is having only what you need to exist on. Wealth is more than money. It is having a local church that inspires you to draw close to God. It is having a loving spouse and the blessing of children. Wealth is enjoying great health, great relationships and friends. You can experience great success and great wealth as long as your giving is in proportion to your getting.

7.ThePrinciple of Plenty Left Over

God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more so that there will not only be enough for your own needs but plenty left over to give joyfully to others.

2Corinthians 9:8‐9TLB It’s not about God making you rich just because you tithe regularly. However, God has promised to meet your needs. That promise may come by way of a job so that you can work hard and provide for your family.

When you give, it is with complete confidence that God is faithful to His Word. You can trust Him to take care of you. You can trust him with your whole heart and your whole mind; you can trust Him with your life. Some of us find it easier to trust God for eternity than for today’s bills and tomorrow’s problems. When it comes to giving, we must do so in complete confidence that our God will not only meet our needs, but allow us to have plenty left over so that we can joyfully share it with

others.

My Living God bless you guys as you get to read this, Amen, Please if having any comments don't hesitate to post

GIVING PRAISE TO GOD

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Psalm 100: 1-5: Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us , and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

As followers of Christ we should never take lightly or forget that we should come before God daily in worship and praise. Many of us “faithfully” check our email on our phones or log into Facebook many times a day, but how often do we pause to check in with the creator of our universe, the redeemer of our souls, the one who sustains our very lives? If we honestly answer that question, we would probably be embarrassed.

God created each of us to come before Him daily in worship. Psalm 106:1 instructs us to“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” God wants and deserves our praise and He wants to fill our hearts and our souls with all of the good things of His kingdom.

Praising God for me comes through in my love for music, that somehow spiritually connects me in a closer way to God. We sang a beautiful version of “Great is thy Faithfulness” this past Sunday in church. My heart was stirred as we sang that great old hymn. I feel and draw closer to God through not only the great old gospel hymns of our faith but also through many modern performers and contemporary Christian music.

I urge you to commit yourself to drawing closer to God each day. God greatly desires to draw you into a closer relationship with Him. There is nothing that you can do to draw closer to God, except to have faith and ask Christ to come into your life and restore in you a fullness of His grace, which will draw you into a more intimate and personal relationship with your Saviour.

Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Michael W. Smith says is perfectly for me as I consider the great sacrifice and love that Christ demonstrated for each of us and that He is most certainly worthy of our worship and adoration. I encourage you to listen to the song, Here I am to Worship. I hope that it fills your heart with love and praise for God, our creator who loves us and desires our worship.

WHEN GOD IS SILENT

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Psalm 102: 1-7: Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food. Because of my loud groaning I am reduced to skin and bones. I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins. I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof.

We live in a world where there is constant noise and very little silence. Noise is something that we are accustomed to and when there is silence, we become uncomfortable. When the pastor asks the congregation to pray in silence, before the pastoral prayer, I take notice of people moving around uneasily. Even in the middle of a church service, we are anxious when it comes to silence.

Silence is especially painful when it is the silence of God in our lives. And it seems that when we are going through a painfully long period of silence from God, there are many people that want to tell us about how God has “spoken” to them. That tends to trouble me, because I begin to wonder why God is speaking to them and not to me. The silence that I am feeling becomes agonizing and then uncertainties begin to settle in my mind, and I pray really hard for some kind of answer, and it seems that all I get from God is silence.

When God is silent we can simply become upset with God, we become confused, we start to doubt. The truth is that we just don’t know what to do with God’s silence. There is some sort of anguish in my life, I am suffering and in pain like the psalmist. And it seems that I have been praying to God for a very long time, to help me with my problems, and all that I am met with, is silence from God. Then I begin to question if God has given up on me or has stopped listening to me and my prayers.

The Old Testament story of Job, is a reminder of crying out to God for answers and receiving silence. Job cried out to God for the first thirty seven chapters of the book of Job and God finally answered him in chapter 38. God said, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?” (Job 38:4-5). That is God’s way of reminding us that God continues to be in charge of this universe.

The psalmist, in our scripture reading today, seems to be asking, “God, are you even listening to these prayers of mine that I am pouring out to you?” I’m hurting Lord, I’m in deep anguish God, please hear my prayers. The psalmist is reminding us that it’s allright to complain to God. We don’t have to hide our feelings from God because He knows what they are already.

It could be that God is not silent after all; it’s possible that we are not tuned into hearing God. We are surrounded by background noise and countless distractions. God is trying to communicate with us, but we can’t hear God because we have blocked him out. Our minds are tuned into the internet or the television instead of reading our Bible daily or a few moments of quiet prayer with God. It is in those moments that we can hear that still, small voice of our creator God. And it is in those moments that we can receive answers to our worries or concerns.

1 Kings 19:11-12: The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

This is why it is crucial to have a daily quiet time with God, so that through reading the Bible, or through prayer, God can speak to your heart through the Holy Spirit, in that still, small voice. Don’t allow yourself to be too busy that you don’t take the time to listen.

There is a story that you may have heard about a man who once lost his valuable watch in an ice house. All of his fellow workers diligently searched the ice house looking for the watch. They combed every inch of it, but they couldn’t find it. A little boy, hearing about their search, slipped into the ice house and quickly emerged with the watch. All of the men were amazed and they said, “How did you find it?” And he said, ” Well I simply went to the ice house, closed the door, laid down quietly on the floor, and then I began to listen. After a while, I could hear the tick, tick, tick of the watch.” Are you training yourself to listen for that still, small voice of God?

What happens when prayers seem to go unanswered or not answered in the way that we wanted them to be? For me, it’s continuing to have faith and trust in God and His plan for my life. I have struggled lately with my calling and why things have not worked out in the time frame that I have wanted them to. I feel that I have been faithful to God and sometimes I just can’t understand why opportunities have passed me by and doors have been closed on me. Someone told me several weeks ago that God closes one door in order to open up another one. I don’t know about you, but I am getting tired of all those doors slamming shut in my face.Revelation 3:8 "

⁸I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

However, I continue to have faith and hope, and I trust in God’s promises. I pray that you will continue to have faith and seek out some quality, quiet time with God. I believe, that it is in those quiet moments, that we have the opportunity to experience God revealing himself to us and making clear His will for our lives. We must train ourselves to be quiet, and to listen, and then respond, to our creator God.

Hope you're blesses please send you comments....tell me how do you respond when God doesn't seem to hear you........Be blessed

FAITH, HOPE & LOVE

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Despite all devil's plans in our lives mostly to make our lives a living hell still there is hope, faith and love for us. God Him self says that "He will never leave or forsaken us let us have faith in Him, love Him..The following selection is taken from Holy Living mostly concerning about Hope, Faith and Love. - Joe Bavuma

The Acts of Faith Are:

1. To believe everything that God has revealed to us; and when once we are convinced that God has spoken it, to make no further inquiry but humbly to submit; ever remembering that there are some things that our understanding cannot fathom, nor search out their depth.
What Is Hope?
The Acts of Hope Are:
About Love
The Acts of Love of God Are:

2. To believe nothing concerning God but what is honorable and excellent. Faith is the parent of love, and whatever faith entertains must be apt to produce love to God; but he that believes God to be cruel or unmerciful, or a rejoicer in the unavoidable damnation of the greatest part of mankind, or that He speaks one thing and privately means another, thinks evil thoughts concerning God. We would hate a man for such things, and therefore such thoughts are great enemies of faith, being apt to destroy love. Our faith concerning God must be as He Himself has revealed and described His own excellencies. In our discourses we must remove from Him all imperfection, and attribute to Him all excellency.

3. To give ourselves wholly up to Christ in heart and desire, to become disciples of His teaching. It means standing in the presence of God but as fools, that is, without any principles of our own to hinder the truth of God; but eagerly drinking in all that God has taught us, believing it infinitely, and loving to believe it. For this is an act of love, reflected upon faith; or an act of faith, leaning upon love.

4. To believe all God’s promises, and that whatever is promised in Scripture shall on God’s part be as surely performed as if we had it in possession. This act makes us rely upon God with the same confidence as we did on our parents when we were children, when we had no doubt but that whatever we needed we should have it, if it were in their power.

5. To believe also the conditions of the promise, or that part of the revelation that concerns our duty. Many are apt to believe the article of remission of sins, but they believe it without the condition of repentance, or the fruits of holy life. To do so is to believe the doctrine other than God intended it. For the covenant of the Gospel is the great object of faith, and that supposes our duty to answer His grace; that God will be our God so long as we are His people. Anything other than this is not faith, but flattery.

6. To profess publicly the doctrine of Jesus Christ, openly owning whatever He has revealed and commanded, not being ashamed of the word of God, or of any practices enjoined by it; and this, without complying with any man’s interest, not regarding favor, nor being moved with good words. Not fearing disgrace, or loss, or inconvenience, or death itself.

7. To pray without doubting, without weariness, without faintness, entertaining no jealousies or suspicions of God. Rather, faith means being confident of God’s hearing us, and of His answering us, whatever the manner or the timing may be. Faith believes that if we do our duty, His answer will be gracious and merciful.

The servants of Jesus maintain these acts of faith in varying degrees. Some have it but as a grain of mustard seed; some grow up to a plant; some have the fullness of faith. Nevertheless, even the smallest amount of faith must be a persuasion so strong that it moves us to undertake all the duties that Christ built upon the foundation of believing.

Faith differs from hope, in the extension of its object, and in the intention of degree. St. Augustine describes their differences this way: Faith pertains to all things revealed, good and bad, rewards and punishments, of things past, present, and to come, of things that concern us, and of things that concern us not. But hope has for its object only things that are future, are good, and that pertain to ourselves. The certainty of hope is less than the adherence of faith. To illustrate, faith tells me that it is infallibly certain that there is a heaven for all the godly and that heaven will include me if I do my duty. However, to believe that I shall enter into heaven is the object of my hope, not of my faith. It is only as sure as my perseverance in the ways of God.

1. To rely upon God with a confident expectation of His promises, ever esteeming that every promise of God is a storehouse of all the grace and relief that we can need in the instance for which the promise is made. Every degree of hope is a degree of confidence.

2. To esteem all the danger of an action, and the possibilities of failure, and every mishap that can intervene, to be no defect on God’s part, but either a mercy on His part, or a fault on ours. For then we shall be sure to trust in God, when we see Him to be our confidence, and ourselves to be the cause of all failures. The hope of a Christian is prudent and religious.

3. To rejoice in the midst of a misfortune or seeming sadness, knowing that this may work for good, and will, if we are not found lacking. This is a direct act of hope, to look through the cloud and see a beam of the light from God. This is called in Scripture, rejoicing in tribulation,” when “the God of hope fills us with all joy in believing.” Every degree of hope brings a degree of joy.

4. To desire, to pray, and to long for the great object of our hope, the mighty price of our high calling. Hope is to desire the other things of this life as they are promised-that is, only so far as they are necessary and useful to us in order to further God’s glory and the great end of souls.

Love is the greatest thing that God can give us, for He Himself is love. Love is also the greatest thing we can give to God, for in it we also give ourselves, and carry with it all that is ours. The apostle calls love the bond of perfection. It is the old, and it is the new; it is the great commandment, and it is all the commandments. For love is the fulfillment of the Law. It does the work of all other graces. The love of sin makes a man sin against all his own reason and all the advice of his friends. Similarly, the love of God makes a man chaste even without the laborious arts of fasting and exterior disciplines. It makes him temperate in the midst of feasts. It is a grace that loves God for Himself, and our neighbors for God. The consideration of God’s goodness and generosity, the experience of those profitable and excellent gifts from Him, may be, and most commonly are, the first motive of our love. But once we have entered into God’s love, and have tasted the goodness of God, we love the spring for its own excellency, passing from lust to reason, from thanking to adoring, from sense to spirit, from considering ourselves to a union with God. This is the image and little representation of heaven; it is beatitude in picture, or rather the infancy and beginnings of glory.

We need no incentives to move us to the love of God. There is in God an infinite nature, immensity or vastness without extension or limit, immutability, eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, holiness, dominion, providence, bounty, mercy, justice, perfection in Himself, and the end to which all things and all actions must be directed, and will at last arrive. Our appreciation of these things is heightened when we consider our distance from all these glories: our smallness and limited nature, our nothingness, our inconstancy, our brief age, our weakness and ignorance, our poverty, our mistakes and lack of consideration, our disabilities and disaffections to do good, our harsh natures and unmerciful inclinations, our universal iniquity, and our necessities and dependencies.

God is a torrent of pleasure for the voluptuous; He is the fountain of honor for the ambitious; and He is an inexhaustible treasure for the covetous. Fulfillment of our vices can truly and really be found nowhere but in God. [That is, true love of God will replace our earthly vices.] How much more so, then, will our virtues find a proper object in love of God. It is certain that this love will turn all into virtue. When all has been summed up, and it is asked whether someone is a good man or not, the answer is not found in what he believes, or what he hopes, but what he loves.

1. Love does all things that may please the beloved person. It performs all his commandments. “This is love, that we keep His commandments.” Love is obedient.

2. It does all the intimations and secret significations of his pleasure whom we love. Great love is also pliant and inquisitive in the instances of its expression.

3. Love gives away all things so that the lover may advance the interest of the beloved person. It relieves all whom the loved one would have relieved. He never loved God who would quit anything of his religion in order to save his money. Love is always liberal.

4. It suffers all things that are imposed by its beloved, or that can happen for his sake, or that intervene in his service. Love does this cheerfully, sweetly, willingly-expecting that God will turn them into good, and instruments of joy. “Love hopes all things, endures all things.” Love is patient and content with anything, so long as the lover can be together with his beloved.

5. Love is also impatient of anything that may displease the beloved person, hating all sin as the enemy of its friend. For love contracts all the same relations, and marries the same friendships and the same hatreds. Any fondness for a sin is perfectly inconsistent with the love of God. Love is not divided between God and God’s enemy. We must love God with all our heart; that is, give Him a whole and undivided affection, having love for nothing else but such things that He allows and that He commands or loves Himself.

Prayer of Confession

Pray these words heartily and believe in them, for God is going to work on you right now as you start praying following these words.Say

God of hope and safety, like sheep who go astray, we have wandered from your paths of life and light. We have heard the Shepherd's voice calling us by name, but we have turned instead to our own way. Show us your tender mercy; restore us in the security of your fold. Lead us back to still waters, seat us again at your bounteous table. Fill us with your Spirit, that we might bear glad witness to your saving mercy, revealed to us in the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Protestant/Comfort/Prayer-Of-Confession.aspx#ixzz24jw7jyw7

DO GOD'S PROMISES COVER WHAT YOU WANT...?? - Joe Bavuma

2012-08-27T12:49:00.004+03:00

Bible faith is based on the Word of God. It comes by hearing the Word of God.Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If you get out beyond the Word of God, you have no basis for faith-and you will get into trouble.

It seems to me people ought to have a little sense. In other words, I do not understand how some people can go around spouting off things, endeavoring to believe and calling it faith when it is merely presumption and folly.

Christians need to have enough sense to know where faith will work and where it won’t. Never get out beyond the Word of God. You get into trouble when you move beyond the Word of God and have no basis for faith.

To have a foundation for your faith, be certain that the promises of God cover what you’re believing for. You have a right to believe for anything God’s Word promises you. But if you get out beyond that, you are out in presumption or foolishness. For instance, sometimes single people, because “you can have what you say,” will pick out someone and claim him or her as a mate.Make these confessions aloud today:
I am not a doubter.
I do have faith.
My faith works.
My faith is in God the Father.
My faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
My faith is in the Holy Bible, the Word of God.
God’s Word is true.I believe the Word of God.
Therefore, I believe God. God’s Word works!

Single people have a right-because there is scripture for it-to claim a wife or husband. But they do not necessarily have the right just to pick out a particular person and say, “I’m going to claim So-and-so.” That other person has a say in the situation! Singles have the right to believe God for a wife or husband, but they should let the Lord send them one.

A young graduate from a denominational seminary was in some of our meetings in Texas. He had been filled with the Holy Spirit and had been kicked out of his denomination. He took my wife and me out for lunch one day where he announced, “I’m getting married.” “Oh,” my wife said, “who is the lucky girl?” He proceeded to tell us about a woman who sang in the choir at the church he attended. He did not even know her name. He had never met her. He just liked the looks of her sitting up there in the choir.

He said, “I claimed her. Brother Hagin preaches you can have what you say. I’ve already said it.”

My wife asked, “And you never even have had a date with her?”

“No. I never have shaken her hand or even seen her up close.”

Well, when he got up close, she might not have looked as good as she did from a distance! Kidding aside, the woman has a say in the matter! He cannot override her will. He has a right to claim a wife. The Bible says, “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord” (Prov. 18:22). He has a right to claim a wife-but he should let God bring him the one He wants for him.

I started preaching when I was 17. It seemed as if someone was always trying to make a match for me. One girl came and told me that God showed her she was supposed to marry me. “Well,” I said, “when He tells me, I will accept it.” God never did tell me. Such things would be funny if they weren’t so pathetic. Lives have been ruined over things like this. Be sure the Scriptures cover what you are believing for. Don’t get out beyond God’s Word.

Through the years, many people have asked me to pray with them, saying, “Brother Hagin, I want you pray with me about such-and-such.” I purposely ask them, “What scriptures are you standing on?” Eight out of ten times-and I kept a record of it for years-they looked at me with a blank expression and said, “Well, none in particular.” I told them, “That’s what you’ll get then-nothing in particular. You have no foundation for faith. Faith is based on what God said. Faith in God is faith in God’s Word.”

Many times we use terms loosely. Recognize that when talking about faith, we’re talking about faith in God-and faith in God is faith in His Word. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). You’re not going to have faith for something if you don’t hear the Word of God on it.

So find scriptures that cover your case. Find scriptures that promise you the things you are praying for. Then you have a solid foundation for faith. If something arises-even though I know the scriptures which apply and can quote many of them from memory-I don’t pray about the matter immediately. I go to the Word. I read again the same scriptures I could quote. I go over them again and again sometimes for a day or two. (If an emergency arises, that is a different thing. In doing that, I am building the Word of God into my spirit. That way, when I get ready to act in faith, there is no doubt. I am solid.

I do not want to attract attention to myself-I tell this to glorify God and His Word-but not one single time in more than 50 years have I had a prayer go unanswered. (Now you understand I am talking about things concerning myself individually. When you are praying about someone else, that person’s will enters in.) As far as for me individually, I never prayed about anything without receiving the answer.

Sometimes it would take a little time. I just stayed in the Word every moment I could. I would meditate for hours on the scriptures that covered what I was believing for. Then I believed only what the Word said. I had a sure foundation for faith.

Sometimes I had to make adjustments before the answer could manifest. I made them in a hurry. For instance, in 1949, I left the last church I pastored and went out into a field ministry at the Lord’s direction. At the end of my first year of traveling, I spent three days fasting and praying. I reminded the Lord of something He said in the Old Testament: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isa. 1:19).

(That Scripture belongs to us, too. We can prove from the New Testament that we are heir to it. It means that you will prosper and have a good life. It does not mean you will never have any tests-because the devil will put pressure on you.)

I told the Lord, “Lord, my children are not even eating right. I’ve worn out my car; now I’m out here on the field on foot. I’m sure not eating the good of the land-yet You promised that I would. Something is wrong somewhere.” (I knew the trouble was with me. The problem is never with God.) The third day of my fast, just as plainly as somebody speaking, the Lord said, “That text you keep quoting to Me says, ‘If you be willing and obedient.’ You were obedient, but you weren’t willing. You don’t qualify. That’s the reason it’s not working for you.” I kept trying to magnify the obedience part-He got on the willing part! Just as a child can obey his parents and not be willing, so you can actually obey the Lord and not be willing and therefore still miss it. I got willing in 10 seconds! Don’t tell me it takes a long time to get willing. It didn’t take me 10 seconds to make a little adjustment right down on the inside.

Then I said, “Lord, I’m ready now. You already told me I was obedient. Now I’m willing. I know it. You know it. And the devil knows it. So I’m ready now to start eating the good of the land.”

He said, “Yes, you are. Now I will tell you what to do.”

He told me, and I’ve been “eating the good” ever since!

The psalmist of old said, “The entrance of thy words giveth light . . .” (Ps. 119:130). The entrance of God’s Word gives light. When there is light in a room, it is no problem at all to walk around. As long as the light is there, you can walk fine. But with all the lights out on a dark night, you may stumble and fall over objects in that room. The entrance of God’s Word gives light. The reason many fall and fail is because they have left the light of the Word of God. They are walking in presumption or folly.

What does God’s Word say? Too many answer, “Well, I don’t know.”

Find out what it says. Find the scriptures that promise you the things you are praying for. You’re always on safe ground when you’re standing on the Scriptures. When you get away from God’s Word, you are in a gray area. Some people want to step over into the dark, and whether or not the Word of God promises it, they say, “I’m just going to believe.” Believing God is believing His Word. Oh, how necessary it is to know the Word of God. Thank God, He has given us His Word. We need not be in the dark. The entrance of God’s Word gives light.

What does it mean to walk in the light? It means to walk in the Word! Walking in the Word is walking in the light. To walk away from the Word means to walk into darkness.

I am a believer.

Hope you are blessed please send your comment on how you see God's promises in you working ..........

THE POWER OF PRAISE & WORSHIP

2012-08-24T14:40:00.001+03:00

Acts 16:23-26 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
(24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
(25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
(26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”

This Bible story begins the unjust arrest of Paul and Silas. Because they had cast a spirit of divination out of a girl, the local Philippian authorities beat them and then threw them into a jail cell. Besides the trauma of the severe beating, they were fastened in stocks which clamped their arms and legs in an immobile position, causing cramps and loss of circulation. The atmosphere there was depressing. According to the standards of that day, a prison was more like the resemblance of a dungeon. A dark, damp, stench-ridden place, with no facility for waste or comforts of any kind.

Yet, in spite of the throbbing pain in their bodies and the disheartening atmosphere, at midnight Paul and Silas were heard praying and singing praises to God! What a strange sound this must have been to the other prisoners, who were used to only hearing the groans or cursings of those who had been beaten.

Then suddenly, there was an earthquake that shook the prison! The doors flung open, and amazingly, the bonds of Paul, Silas, and every other prisoner were released! What caused this mighty discharge of power?

Praise Elevates us into God’s Presence and Power

Paul and Silas knew the secret of how to lift their hearts above their troubles and enter into God’s presence and power. Through praise and worship their hearts were raised into the joyous presence and peace of God,and provided God a channel for his power to operate in their circumstances.

The Bible says that God inhabits in the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3). In other words, God “dwells” in the atmosphere of His praise. This means that praise is not merely a reaction from coming into His presence - Praise is a vehicle of faith which brings us into the presence and power of God! Praise and worship is the “gate-pass” which allows us to enter the sacredness of His glory. The psalmist writes, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalms 100:4).

This corresponds with Jesus’ teaching, that His presence will inhabit the gathering of believers who congregate in His name: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). A “gathering in His name” means that Jesus must be the focus, the center of the assemblage. He must be the one preached about, sung about — the one praised and worshiped. “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (Hebrews 2:12). Consequently, Christ’s presence, along with His virtue and anointing, is manifested in this type of gathering.

Have you ever noticed when “gifts of the Spirit” operate in a church service? The power and anointing of the Holy Spirit usually becomes evident, subsequent to a time of worship and praise. Some think that worship is a response after the Holy Spirit moves upon them. However, it’s the other way around. God’s presence responds when we move upon Him with worship! Lifting up Jesus Christ through praise and worship invokes the Lord’s presence and power to flow in our midst.

What is Praise?

Praise means “to commend, to applaud or magnify.” For the Christian, praise to God is an expression of worship, lifting-up and glorifying the Lord. It is an expression of humbling ourselves and centering our attention upon the Lord with heart-felt expressions of love, adoration and thanksgiving. High praises bring our spirit into a pinnacle of fellowship and intimacy between ourselves and God — it magnifies our awareness of our spiritual union with the most high God. Praise transports us into the realm of the supernatural and into the power of God. “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance” (Psalms 89:15).

There are many actions involved with praise to God — verbal expressions of adoration and thanksgiving, singing, playing instruments, shouting, dancing, lifting or clapping our hands. But true praise is not “merely” going through these motions. Jesus spoke about the hypocrisy of the pharisees, whose worship was only an outward show and not from the heart. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8). Genuine praise to God is a matter of humility and sincere devotion to the Lord from within.

Unpretentious praise and worship pleases the Lord. He delights in the love and devotion of His children. According to the scriptures, the various expressions of praise bring blessing to the Lord. He eagerly awaits the fragrance of our affections, desiring to manifest His sweet presence and power in our midst. “...the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23).

Praise to God is a Lifestyle

All too often, praise to God is something that many people leave at church, an event that happens only when they come together with other Christians. However, praise should be a part of a believers lifestyle, inter-mingled as a part of their daily prayer-life. At work, in the car, at home in bed, or anywhere; praise to the Lord brings the refreshing of the Lord’s presence, along with His power and anointing. “...I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalms 34:1).

Praise is an expression of faith, and a declaration of victory! It declares that we believe God is with us and is in control of the outcome of all our circumstances (Romans 8:28). Praise is a “sacrifice,” something that we offer to God sacrificially, not just because we feel like it, but because we believe in Him and wish to please Him. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

Praise Sends the Enemy Running

Since praise manifests God’s presence, we also realize that praise repels the presence of the enemy, Satan. An atmosphere which is filled with sincere worship and praise to God by humble and contrite hearts is disgusting to the Devil. He fears the power in the name of Jesus, and flees from the Lord’s habitation in praise. “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God” (Psalms 50:23).

When the children of Judah found themselves outnumbered by the hostile armies of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, King Jehoshophat and all the people sought the Lord for His help. The Lord assured the people that this would be His battle. He told them to go out against them, and He would do the fighting for them. So what did the children of Judah do? Being the people of “praise” (Judah actually means Praise), and knowing that God manifests His power through praise, they sent their army against their enemies, led by the praisers!

So on they went, ahead of the army declaring, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endureth forever!” And the scripture says, “...when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten” (2 Chronicles 20:22).

When God’s people begin to praise His name, it sends the enemy running! I challenge you to become a person of praise, and you will experience the release of the power of God!

Surely if you take yourself deep into praising God you shall acknowledge His power in you ....there are different kind or ways through which people of God may use to Praise and magnify our Lord God, the King of Kings....

Seven Ways To Praise

Praise. There are many forms of praise. Praise is a very important

aspect of our relationship with God. God inhabits our praise andwe should not be inhibited in our praise, for our praise glorifies God.Some people of the world do not always understand the different forms of our praise. Some would label us, but in the Hebrew language there are seven words that are synonymous with the English word praise. Here we would like to study these words and give you references to find in the Bible.

1. Declaring of thanks (Heb. 13:15)Thank You, Lord, for all the wonderful things that You are and that You do. ... The second thing we mean when we say, “praise the Lord,” is not only that we exalt .... We will praise the Lord among all of them and declare His works among them; ...

2. Clapping hands and shouting (Psalms 47)

This means that we can praise our Lord God by clapping our hands and shout to the world declaring the goodness of the Lord God we're saving, have you ever done such a thing before or you did it unknowingly .....!!!? now it is the time you do it because you know it already.

[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.]]

O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
(Psalms 47:1)

3. Musical instruments (Psm. 150:4)/Zamar

Playing any instrument that glorifies the Lord.

Psalms 150

Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! Praise him with the trumpet and with lute
and harp. Praise him with the drums and dancing. Praise him with stringed
instruments and horns. Praise him with the cymbals, praise him upon the
high sounding cymbals.

4. Singing praise songs (Psalms 9:11)/Tehillah

This one is the best. It is the combination of singing, shouting,

dancing, clapping and rejoicing before the Lord.

Psalms 47:1
O clap your hands, all ye people: shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

Psalms 47:6
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

Psalms 144:9
I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:
upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

5. Through Dancing/Halell

This means to rave and boast of the wonders of the Lord with
excitement through dance.

Psalms 149:3
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with
the timbrel and harp.

II Samuel 6:16
And as the Ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter
looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord.

Psalms 30:11
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:
thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.

6. Making a joyful noise (Psalms 98:4)

4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

That is we can make a joyful noise unto Him as a praise giving ....All we've to do is to make sure that what we're doing or when we're making that joyful noise unto Him we mean the business.....if only we're doing it meanly surely we will see the power of Holly Spirit flows upon us and its when God will start ministering in our hearts....Now if we real want to praise God ,then its our choice unto which ways should we use to praise Him....Be blessed as you pass through this and let it work in your life....

7. Praising through speaking in tongues.

Speaking in Tongues

God has given us the gift to speak in a language we do not know by human means. This is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:10) and therefore of great help to us. Paul said: "Thank God, I speak in tongues more than any of you" (1 Cor 14:18). Through the gift of tongues, the Lord builds us up (1 Cor 14:4), enables us to utter "mysteries in the Spirit" (1 Cor 14:2), and empowers us to thank and praise Him (1 Cor 14:16-17). The gift of tongues is a sign, especially for unbelievers (1 Cor 14:22).

TONGUES AND PRIDE

However, many turn up their noses at God's precious gift, as if we couldn't trust God to give us good gifts. I myself, in my pride,ever since I received Lord as my savior i was to desperate to speak in tongue for I was told " there is no something so sweet than being in the spirit and speak in tongue , so i kept on seeking that Holly gift and so one day at my place i was living with my teachers who where also born again ,most of the time i was with them ,listening to their spiritual testimony, I loved the way they were spiritually connected as friends , Then i started asking them a lot of questions on how to speak in tongue...A week before attempting my exams at our home we were fasting and so we had a very God time for prayer ....what I remember , they told if any words come out of my mouth a shouldn't stop them from coming out....For sure i enjoyed that day because the moment we started praying , my mouth started trembling and right away started to speak in Tongue ....That was the day I became proud being a born again ....and the night that i received Holly Spirit when i was sleeping .....i was singing a certain Swahili song called "Neno lako ni taa ya miguu yangu" it was an awesome night to me and a lovely night ever in my life...

I encourage you my fellow born again seek that Holly gift of speaking in tongue and you shall see the work of God through Holly Spirit. God promised: "He who speaks in a tongue builds up himself" (1 Cor 14:4). Nevertheless, I didn't continue to pray in tongues but "prayed about it."

YIELDING TO TONGUES

I had accepted God's gift of tongues but was still confused about the interpretation of tongues. The Lord led me to an article that explained there are different "kinds of tongues" (see 1 Cor 12:10 in the Greek). Paul taught: "If there is no one to interpret, there should be silence in the assembly, each one speaking only to himself and to God" (1 Cor 14:28). Tongues are either interpreted for the upbuilding of the Church or are spoken only to ourselves and to God. This second kind of tongues is often called a "prayer language." It does not need to be interpreted since we are not speaking to human beings but to God, Who needs no interpretation (1 Cor 14:2).

I believe that any Christian can receive this personal prayer form of tongues (see Mk 16:17), although some do not because of ignorance and misunderstanding. The Holy Spirit, unlike the evil spirit, does not seek to manipulate us. He respects our freedom. Therefore, we must yield to His promptings. He will not force us to speak in tongues, just as He will not force us to speak in our native language. But the Spirit will take the lead and prompt us. We must respond by obeying and choosing to open our mouths. We speak in tongues the same way we speak in our native language. We speak in obedience to God.

For years, I did not speak in tongues because I had a double standard. I tried to speak in English in obedience to God, but I expected God to force any other language out of my mouth. I thought that, because I did not know what I was speaking in another tongue, God would have to make me speak rather than tell me to speak. God made it clear to me that whether or not I knew what I was saying was not the issue; obedience was. This was an important lesson for me to learn. It not only helped me pray in tongues but showed me the dynamics of life in the Spirit. The Spirit-filled life is not a matter of taking initiative but of obeying. Nor is it passively sitting there but actively responding. In the life in the Spirit, we never take the first step, but we should always respond to the first step of the Spirit.

HOW TO PRAISE THE LORD IN TONGUES

After we have given our lives to Jesus as Lord and received the Holy Spirit, we begin to realize that the purpose of our existence is to praise the Lord (Eph 1:12). Most of our earthly life will pass away, but praising the Lord will last forever. Although praising Him is our heart's desire and our eternal destiny, we have difficulty living a life of praise.

1) Giving thanks is the beginning of praising the Lord. We enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts (Ps 100:4). Those who are not familiar with praising the Lord should begin by thanking Him.

2) We naturally move to praise from thanksgiving (Ps 100:4). We move from focusing on the works of God to the God of works. We come to realize He is worthy to be praised (Rv 5:12).

3) After thanking and praising the Lord for a few minutes, we run out of ways to express ourselves. Not that there isn't more to say in praise of God, but our consciousness, memory, and vocabulary are limited. When someone or something exceeds our ability to communicate, we usually try to extend our powers of communication by shouting or singing. We may even get into non-verbal forms of communication, such as clapping, dancing, and liturgical actions such as lifting our hands, genuflecting, bowing, etc.

4) But even if we have the best Biblical vocabulary and are free and talented enough to shout, sing, and dance; we cannot sustain praising God for more than a few minutes. We need the Spirit's gift of praising the Lord in another language, the gift of tongues (1 Cor 12:10). As with our native language, we form the words but the Lord provides the motivation. We pray in other tongues in obedience, simply because we believe the Lord is telling us to do so.

5) Although praying and singing in tongues is a quantum-leap forward in our praise-power, it is still limited. Finally, our praise in tongues turns to silence (Zeph 1:7; Rv 8:1). We are so aware of God's glory that we are rendered speechless. This type of profound silence after praise in tongues is the ultimate praise of God by a person on earth.

LOVE AND TONGUES

"A man who speaks in a tongue is talking not to men but to God. No one understands him, because he utters mysteries in the Spirit" (1 Cor 14:2). When we speak in tongues, we utter mysteries to God. We communicate at a level which is beyond our human capabilities. Our prayer life is revolutionized, and our relationship with the Lord is appreciably deepened. To understand this, we can look at the example of communication in marriage. On some occasions, a married couple is able to communicate on a much deeper level. This transforms their relationship and is fulfilling for each of the marriage partners. Likewise, praying in tongues moves our relationship with the Lord into a deeper dimension. As we grow in His love, we realize more and more the need for the gift of tongues.

PRAYER FOR TONGUES

Father, fill me with love for You and a desire to praise You. In Jesus' name, stir up the Holy Spirit in me to pray in another language. Remove all obstacles in the way of receiving this gift. May I pray in tongues daily for several minutes. Thank You. Amen.

You have asked and received. Now, thank and praise the Lord in your native language. Then obediently extend your expressions of love by praying in tongues.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT DOES PRAISE MEAN...???

2012-08-23T16:58:00.000+03:00

GIVING GOD THE GLORY NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE FACING

Witnessing a magnificent fireworks display, hearing a stunning symphony, or seeing a glorious sunset can evoke a response of praise.But often, it's easier to praise a sunset than the Creator of the sunset. In that same way, the difficulties of life often cloud our vision and keep us from praising God. What can we do to restore a heart-attitude of praise?

THE NATURE OF PRAISE
Praise, according to the Scriptures, is an act of our will that flows out of an awe and reverence for our Creator. Praise gives glory to God and opens us up to a deeper union with Him. It turns our attention off of our problems and on the nature and character of God Himself.As we focus our minds on God and proclaim His goodness, we reflect His glory back to Him. The results can fill you with peace and contentment ( Isaiah 26:3) and transform your outlook on life.

REASONS TO PRAISE
Very simply, we praise God because He is worthy of our praise ( 1 Chron. 16:25; Rev. 5:11-14). He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is our Creator, Provider, Healer, Redeemer, Judge, Defender and much more.

Another foundational reason to praise God is simple obedience. The Bible says God is a "jealous" God who demands and desires our praise. "You shall have no other gods before Me," says the first commandment ( Deut. 6:7). As the psalmist said, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" ( Psalm 150:6).

As we praise God, we will discover incredible benefits for our lives. That's because human beings were created by God to praise Him ( Isa. 43:7, Matt. 21:16). Due to man's original sin, however, this relationship was disrupted. Praising God helps restore us to that right relationship, for God actually dwells in the praises of His people ( Psalm 22:3). As we draw near to the Father in praise, He draws near to us ( James 4:8).
Praise is also our ultimate destiny. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns again to earth, all creation -- including prideful mankind -- will recognize His glory and praise Him ( Phil. 2:9-11).

PRAISE FOR PROTECTION
God also gives us assurances of additional blessings as we praise Him. When we praise God, He honors us as His children, and provides His loving protection ( 2 Sam. 22:47-51). Failure to praise God, however, leaves us out of fellowship with God and out of His divine protection ( 1 Samuel 2:27-32).

Our praise can also serve as a powerful witness to those who do not know the Lord ( 1 Peter 2:9). Also, God can work miraculously through our praises. The ancient walls of Jericho came crashing down, giving victory to God's people, as a result of shouts of praise (Joshua 6:1-21). The prison doors shook open when Paul and Silas praised God ( Acts 16:25-26).

OBSTACLES TO PRAISE
Praise is both important and powerful. So why is it so difficult at times to praise God? The Bible explains that, even with the power of the indwelling Jesus, our hearts are still "more deceitful that all else" ( Jer. 17:9). We sometimes forget that we are always dependent on God to live victoriously in this life.Satan therefore tries to persuade us that we will eventually reach a point where we can "do it ourselves." The Scriptures are clear that Satan "prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" ( 1 Peter 5:8).Disguised as an "angel of light," the devil and his host seek subtly to subvert the praises the children of God owe to their heavenly Father.

God, however, has given us grace in times of need, provided we humble ourselves ( Matt. 23:12; James 4:5-10). Praising God allows us to defeat the strategies of the enemy. As God's adopted children, we no longer have to remain slaves to sin ( Gal. 4:6-7). We have a powerful spiritual weapon in praise, and it is guaranteed to be effective ( II Cor. 10:4-5).

LIVING A LIFE OF PRAISE
It is vitally important to live in an attitude of praise toward God. But what can you do if you are having difficulty maintaining a life filled with praise?

1. Commit your life to Christ. First, be absolutely sure that you have placed your complete faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. The Bible says that "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" ( Rom. 10:9). The life of praise begins here, with the confession of your mouth that "Jesus is Lord."

2. Confess sin and repent. Sin, including prideful self-reliance, separates us from God and from His love and protection. But we have the assurance of forgiveness if we come to Him in repentance ( 1 John 1:9). Confess any known sin and ask God to search your heart. Then, receive His forgiveness.

3. Praise God anyway! Despite your present feelings, it is important to offer praise to God, what Hebrews 13:15 calls a sacrifice" of praise. Despite our feelings or circumstances, God often asks us to take the first step, especially when He is trying to help us grow in our faith (James 1:2-4).

4. Join together with other believers. Sharing your struggles with another brother or sister in Christ is not only good idea ( Ecc. 4:9-10), it is commanded ( James 5:16). Uniting with other believers in regular worship is also a key to being able to praise God ( Heb. 10:24-25).

AS YOU PRAY
Are you living a life filled with praise for God? If not, take a few moments to examine your life and your relationship with Jesus. If you have not made Him Lord of your life, start there. Then, confess any known sin and receive His forgiveness. Ask Him to renew you and refresh your spirit.

"Lord, You have made me and You love me. Forgive me for failing to give You the praise which You deserve. I confess my need of You in all things. I desire to walk in joy and praise. Release me now into a deeper understanding of who You are, so that I may truly praise You. I ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen."

GOD'S WORD ON PRAISE
"Sing to the Lord, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods" ( 1 Chron. 16:23-25).

SCRIPTURES FOR STUDY
Psalm 33:1-4, Psalm 100:1-5, Isaiah 43:7 -- We are created for praise

1 Chronicles 16:7-36, Revelation 5:11-14 -- God is worthy of our praise

Psalm 34:1-9 -- Promised protection and praise

1 Peter 2:9-12 -- Praise as a witness to unbelievers

Hebrews 13:15-16 -- Perseverance in praise

DO YOU KNOW THE SECRET THAT IS IN PRAISE & WORSHIP...!!!!!!!??

2012-08-16T15:43:00.000+03:00

God’s Love Shown Through Jesus ChristGod Loves and Cares For UsWhat God Says About Love Respond To God’s Love Through ThankfulnessWas This Article Helpful?

Bible verses that describe God’s love for us are some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy this list of inspirational quotes showing just how much God loves you.

Featured Bible Verse on God’s Love

Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, evenwhen we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—

1 John 4:9-11 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Job 34:19 who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?

Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Romans 5:2-5 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

If this article was helpful to you, please consider linking this article to your own blog or sharing this through the social buttons to the left. You might also find some of these other good love related articles helpful:

25 Bible Verses About Love- What does the Bible say about love? Check out these great scriptures and quotes.

1 Corinthians 13: Study on Love- A Bible study on one of the most talked about chapters relating to love.

20 Bible Verses About Hope- A great collection of verses for those seeking hope and encouragement.

SEEK THE FACE OF GOD & YOU SHALL SEE HIM

2012-08-16T12:49:00.002+03:00

Kari Jobs...is an amazing singer whose singing dreams, mostly of being a true worshiper started when she was a 12yrs girl....ever since she loved become true worshiper...What she has sung in this video is so blessing and remind us of seeking the face of God often..It is definitely true that the more we seek the kind, mercy, loving face of God is the more we find his true love in us...the more we love him is the more God he draws close to us and deliver our desires...How do you seek God...?? Do you give yourself time to think of what he had already done at the cross for the costs that we couldn't even think of...??? Do you give God time to speak to you....do you learn to here his voice...?? People of God lets now seek Him more ......Sometimes we may feel that God's presence isn't around but that not true according to Psalm. 139

7* ¶ Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8* If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9* If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10* Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
Isn’t it a mind-boggling thing to consider that God never needs to go anywhere? Because he’s already there. God said through Jeremiah in chapter Jer. 23:23-24 "23* “Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off? 24* “Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.

There is no place where God’s presence is not. Theologians call this the omnipresence of God. It literally means he’s all present. He is not confined by location, time, or any dimension. This does not mean that God is everything, that would be a doctrine called pantheism. Some look around and say, “God is the sky. God is the mountain. God is the grass.” That’s not God, that’s his creation. Do not confuse the creation with the Creator. God is not everything, but our God is everywhere.

Paul said in Acts 17:28, "For in him (God) we live and we move and exist."That’s simply saying you couldn't move apart from God. You couldn’t exist without God. He’s holding it altogether, He is the cohesive force in this whole universe. And so the fact is: God is everywhere. He’s all around me. He’s always beside me.presence of God.

It literally means he’s all present. He is not confined by location, time, or any dimension.This does not mean that God is everything, that would be a doctrine called pantheism. Some look around and say, “God is the sky. God is the mountain. God is the grass.” That’s not God, that’s his creation. Do not confuse the creation with the Creator. God is not everything, but our God is everywhere.

Paul said in Acts 17:28, “‘For in him (God) we live and we move and exist.’” That’s simply saying you couldn’t move apart from God. You couldn’t exist without God. He’s holding it altogether, He is the cohesive force in this whole universe. And so the fact is: God is everywhere. He’s all around me. He’s always beside me. Hope you are blessed and now lets seek His face , let us desperately find Him and we shall see more of Him in our hearts,homes, work, Family, troubles....

I hope your going to be blessed as you're going through this...please post your comments....on how you've been seeking Him and what are the beneficiaries in Him to your life generally....