In times of extreme stress and hardship, we have one key weapon that will allow us to defeat all opposition: worship! Join me to discuss how we can use this weapon effectively! Worship is our weapon!
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24
When we worship God, it will build our spirits and will lift our focus from the daily trials we face.
When we are spiraling in anxiety, and the circumstances surrounding us are seemingly insurmountable, we have a choice to shift our minds back to God trusting in His good and sovereign purposes. We do this through worship, and when we begin to worship Him the Holy Spirit helps us refocus . . .
On His word.
On His promises.
On His plan for our lives.
This is how I fight my battles.
Worship is my weapon of choice. When we worship, we stop looking at the fight in front of us and start looking at the God in us!
Worship through your worry.
Worship through your fear.
Worship through your stress.
Worship through your exhaustion.
OUR WORSHIP BRINGS BREAKTHROUGH!
The enemy does not want you to get this! He does not want you MOVING INTO WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU!
The fuel for your breakthrough is the air in your lungs—worship Jesus!
Worship breaks down walls.
Worships draws us near to the Father.
Worship reminds us of our reason for living.
Worship brings down heaven.
OUR WORSHIP CHANGES THE ATMOSPHERE!
God has already given you the key to change the atmosphere around you. There is a sound in your spirit, that when released, will shake the foundations, and bring forth peace and joy. As you discover this you will begin worshiping Him in the midst of any circumstance or situation.
The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. Where real worship is, there God is.
It is impossible to overestimate the power, victory, blessing, healing, encouragement, and inspiration embodied in this wonderful secret of worshiping the Lord.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
What does “be still” mean? The Hebrew for “be still” translates to let go of your grip, to make oneself weak. What a freeing idea! In our complete dependence on a God who will not ever fail us, we find freedom.
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Advertisements The great Shepherd, The Lord In Him I do not lack I rest in His presence in pastures green, and I am given the water of life Water refreshing my soul My guiding light on paths right Valleys are darkest – I fear nothing For the great shepherd is nearest A rod and a staff,Continue reading →
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In the last post in this series, I demonstrated how scripture reveals you are CHOSEN and PREDESTINED in Christ. Now, let’s look at how you are made a SAINT in Christ Jesus. Now lets find out how we are made FAITHFUL in Christ Jesus and can have His peace and His grace. You are blessed!
Sing with me!
Blessed!
Come with me to Ephesians 1: 3–Spiritual Blessings in Christ – 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…
You are blessed by God in a major way. It doesn’t matter what you see, or what you feel, the Bible tells you that you’re blessed, so you need to begin to believe it and see yourself that way.
Whenever you start to feel like you don’t have enough, or that you just aren’t enough, remember that you’re blessed in a big way. So start to see yourself as having all you need – all that God has put on your heart to do. Remind yourself that you are blessed!
The blessing belongs to God
Paul opens with “Blessed be” in order to establish a clear emphasis on God. In the next few verses he will address predestination, adoption, God’s will, grace, redemption, and God’s glory, all themes connected to God Himself and worthy of blessing.
After blessing the Father and Son, Paul notes God has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” This all-encompassing statement indicates that every blessing we could possibly need has been given in Christ. Christ came from heaven to earth from the Father to bring us every blessing we need. Paul will go on to describe these blessings in detail. Here, he emphasizes the fact that “every” spiritual blessing has been given.
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Paul was so amazed at the sheer magnitude of these blessings from God that he kept on writing and writing, and did not stop until he reached the end of verse 14 – this makes it the longest sentence in the Bible. And if we really take time to consider what these blessings are, we will be absolutely amazed as well. They will make us realise what an immense privilege we have to be God’s people.
The spiritual blessings that Paul wrote about in these verses include being chosen before the foundation of the world (v.4), predestined unto the adoption of children (v.5), accepted in the Beloved (v.6), redeemed and all our sins forgiven (v.7), initiated into the Divine Mystery (vv.8-10), obtaining an inheritance (v.11) and being sealed with the Holy Spirit (vv.13,14).
Added to them are many other significant blessings that Paul mentioned in the rest of his epistle to the Ephesians: They are blessings of hope (1:18), power (1:19), peace (2:14), boldness of access to God (3:12), strength (3:16), spiritual gifts for service (4:7), and the whole armour of God (6:11).
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And here is the best part: They are all ours – every one of them! What a great treasure trove of precious spiritual blessings we have!
I don’t know about you, but I would never trade these spiritual blessings for all the riches in the world, because they are absolutely priceless. To put it another way, these spiritual blessings are ‘out of this world’. That is probably the reason why Paul used the phrase ‘in heavenly places’ to describe them. The spiritual blessings that God has blessed us with are truly ‘out of this world’. They give us a wonderful foretaste of heaven, so that we will choose to set our affection on things above rather than on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2).
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Why settle for earthly blessings?
This is totally opposite to the Health-wealth-prosperity Gospel that is being preached so widely today and makes everyone set their affection on things of the earth. This false gospel teaches that God wants all believers to be physically healthy, materially wealthy, and personally happy. It has gained a very large following by endorsing materialism and promoting greed. Prosperity Gospel Preachers encourage their followers to pray for and even demand miracles and material prosperity from God. The books they write have titles like ‘Its Your Time’, ‘This is Your Day for a Miracle’ and ‘8 Steps to Create the Life You Want’.
The truth is that the Health-wealth-prosperity Gospel actually short-changes people drastically. It distracts us from our true eternal riches by turning our attention instead to the transient material riches of the world. But what are all these worldly treasures? They are reduced to nothing at all when compared to the vast spiritual riches that God has bestowed on us freely.
So, what relevance does all this have to you? It will give you the right perspective you need to have as you live in this world. Whenever you feel weary or disheartened, take time to review all the spiritual blessings that God has blessed you with. Whenever you suffer any loss or feel unjustly deprived of anything, just focus your thoughts on the spiritual blessings you have from God.
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Advertisements It is vitally important for ever Christian to grow spiritually. We ought to seek growth in our relationship with God. We do this by preparing the soil of our hearts. That is the theme of this post – prepare the soil of your heart. Today, we look at God’s voice and how God’s voiceContinue reading →
Advertisements by Hazel Straub How many times have we let pride, self exaltation, self absorption or arrogance consume us? We rely on ourselves and think we have to solve all our problems by ourselves, with our hard work. We use our own intellect, resources and religious formulas. However, we fail to trust God and don’tContinue reading →
The internet is full of quick resources and self-help advice amidst times of calm and times of crisis. You can find help on literally anything on the go anytime, anywhere. But how much of it is true and actually helpful and how much of it is just click-bait and sensationalism. Thankfully, we have a book that has stood the test of time. King Solomon, the wisest man to have ever lived (excluding Jesus fully-man of course). Solomon, Son of David, when asked by God he can have anything he wants, Solomon responded “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (2 Chronicles 1:10). It is through this godly wisdom that we have the book of Proverbs today! Today we focus on Proverbs 12 – It’s just a game.
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.
2 Good people obtain favor from the Lord, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.
3 No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
4 A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.
5 The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm.
8 A person is praised according to their prudence, and one with a warped mind is despised.
9 Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.
10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
11 Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.
12 The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers, but the root of the righteous endures.
13 Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk, and so the innocent escape trouble.
14 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.
15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
16 Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.
17 An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies.
18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.
21 No harm overtakes the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
22 The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.
23 The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.
24 Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
25 Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
26 The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27 The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
28 In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.
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Be the light
Lately, God has been showing me that I need to be a light in this dark world, and it has happened within my own life…I have been through a very dark place in my life and it took some drastic measures and decisions to find the light. I have learned that I have to step back and simply enjoy my life. I’ve learned to adopt “It’s not my monkey, it’s not my circus”, but rather enjoy my life, my wife, and my two dads living with us. Instead of focusing on what’s happening around me that is dark, I focus purely on the joy they each bring me.
The first line in Proverbs 12 says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.” (Proverbs 12:1)
That is a hard one to swallow, isn’t it? Who likes to be disciplined? And look at the last part – if you don’t like to be corrected, you are stupid. Yikes!
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Think about it
My question for you today is, “How is God trying to discipline you so you gain some knowledge about who you are and who God is to you?
What is it that makes you simply lose your mind about? Is it traffic, long queues, people been late to a function annoying neighbours…what is it?
Then step back. Pray about it and let God guide you through what He may need you to correct. There are so many things in our lives that get us all worked up, but sometimes we simply have to tell ourselves, “it’s just a game.” Enjoy life! Enjoy your family, your marriage, and God!
My correction now is that I just love and live life – no more focusing on the negativity, but focusing on where I can correct myself to be positive. It’s just a game.
Advertisements It is vitally important for ever Christian to grow spiritually. We ought to seek growth in our relationship with God. We do this by preparing the soil of ourContinue reading →
Advertisements It is vitally important for ever Christian to grow spiritually. We ought to seek growth in our relationship with God. We do this by preparing the soil of ourContinue reading →
Advertisements In a world filled with injustices, social and political unrest and division, self-absorbed and self-serving opinions, what does Abba Father want us to do? Living in South Africa whereContinue reading →
