This Is A Season Of Worship

What is worship?
Singing praises, dancing, clapping and the lifting of hands?
Worship goes even deeper than that!
Worship comes from the heart.
Close your eyes for a moment and picture yourself dancing with the One that you love.
He holds you gently and protectively in His arms, and twirl you around to the soft and soothing music that is playing.
As you gaze into His eyes, you see security and love.
As the arms of the Almighty holds you tight, He gives you the feeling of everlasting protection and security, which fills you with all the peace that you need to conquer the world.

Worship!
The perfect way to communicate to your Lord and Savior.
When you are feeling hurt, worship can soothe your pain.
When you are feeling down and out, worship can lift your spirits high.
When you are feeling anxious, fearful and confused, worship can bring you much needed clarity.
Worship reminds you that God is always there for and with you.


Even though you may be walking through a dark valley, you have no need to fear because the Lord God Almighty is with you. He is walking beside you with His rod to ward off the terrors and His staff to guide, protect and comfort you. (Psalm 23:4)


He is giving you a reason to Worship!
He is assuring you that you need not bow your head in tearful sorrow, but lift it high and sing praises to Him. Giving Him thanks for all that He is doing, all that He has done and all that He is about to do.
When you worship, thoughts of circumstances that God has pulled you through comes to mind and gives you fuel to praise Him even more.

The bible talks about a sinful woman who anointed the feet of Jesus. This was an example of true worship.
It didn't matter to her what people were saying about her, she continued doing what the Spirit had led her to do.
She lived a life filled with sin, yet when she got the opportunity, she praised her Savior by washing His feet with her tears, drying them with her hair and anointing them with perfume from her alabaster jar.

The Pharisee's that witnessed this act, complained about who she was and the sins that she had committed. But Jesus only saw her act of love and her need for His mercy, grace, forgiveness and love. All of which He gave to her at that moment. (Luke 7:36-50)

Those around you may not understand why you are worshiping and they may be holding on to your sinful nature in their heart and mind without even knowing the depths of your pain. 
But Jesus.....
He doesn't care what anyone has to say about you, He just wants to bask in the praises that you are giving to Him.

So worship, sing praises, clap your hands and dance for your Savior because He is the only One that can take away your sorrow and give you peace.....

Be blessed by CeCe Winans as she ministers to us through her words and explains to us what true worship is all about......

My Name Is Victory!

God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not a human, that he should change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? (Numbers 23:19)

VICTORY! 

I command you - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.  (Joshua 1:9)

VICTORY!

Lord, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army with my God I can scale any wall. As for God, his way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. (Psalm 18:28-29)

VICTORY! 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding! (Proverbs 3:5)

VICTORY! 

He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.  

(Isaiah 40:29-31)

VICTORY! 

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

VICTORY!

But in that coming day, no weapon turned against you will succeed. And everyone who tells lies in court will be brought to justice. These benefits enjoyed by the Lord, their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken! (Isaiah 54:17)

                                 VICTORY!

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)

VICTORY!

For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. (Philippians 4:13)

VICTORY! 

And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for. (1John 5:14-15)

VICTORY!

God's word is evident to us all that we have Victory! 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that  everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. (John 3:16-17) 

Through His word, we are given the confidence to soar, to trust, to hope, to love but best of all, to be VICTORIOUS!!!!

 

The Fight Of Your Life!

Genesis 32:22-31

Jacob Wrestles with God

 But during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a Man came and wrestled with him until dawn. When the Man saw that he couldn't win the match, he struck Jacob's hip and  knocked it out of joint at the socket. Then the Man said, "Let me go, for it is dawn." 
But Jacob panted, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
"What is your name?" the Man asked.
He replied, "Jacob."
"Your name will no longer be Jacob," the Man told him. "It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and men and have won."
"What is your name?" Jacob asked Him.
"Why do you ask?" the Man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
Jacob named the place Peniel - "face of God" - for He said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared." The sun rose as he left Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.


Jacob fought with this Man because of his past sin.  He was preparing to meet up with his brother Esau, whom he had betrayed many years before. Jacob had talked his brother Esau into giving him his birthright one day when Esau came home starving from a long day of work. Esau had asked his brother Jacob for a bowl of the stew that he was cooking. But Jacob made him give up his birthright for the bowl of stew.
Jacob was a schemer in many different ways and proved this throughout his story.



Jacob was so afraid of facing his brother because of what he had done, that he felt as if God would allow Esau to kill him and his family.  
(O Lord, please rescue me from my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to kill me, along with my wives and children. Genesis 32:11)


So Jacob did what he knew was best. He sent every one and everything on ahead of himself and he spent the night in PRAYER!



He wrestled with the Man (a representation of an Angel) all night long!

Have you ever had a night of fighting with a situation that totally left you panting and then limping in the morning? (figuratively speaking of course)
Then you are like Jacob.
Jacob wrestled throughout the night with God. He called out, he cried out, he didn't give up and he didn't give in. He continued fighting for his life throughout the night.
Many times we sit up at night wrestling in prayer asking, begging and seeking God for solace. Our situation is filled with so much despair that we fight so hard with "the Man" and we won't let up until we win!
This was Jacob's issue. He wouldn't let up because he feared for his life and the life of his loved ones.
But God!
Allowed him to win and gave him a remembrance of his fight by touching his hip and knocking the joint out of socket so that with every limp, Jacob would remember what he had to go through in order to receive God's redemption from what he had done to his brother.
Jacob was sorry and wanted to mend the broken relationship with his brother, but he was just so fearful that his brother would not feel the same.
We fight over things we have no control over, and God fights along with us, knocking at the joint in our hearts and inflicting a good pain that we would be able to carry around with us as a remembrance and a testimony of his grace and mercy.
We fight throughout the night with tears, prayers, shouts and fists shaking at heaven. In the morning we are exhausted from our hard night.

(I cried out to the Lord in my suffering, and he heard me.  He set me free from all my fears.   

For the angel of the Lord guards all who fear him, and he rescues them. Psalms 34:6-7)

Do you know that God goes ahead of you and prepares the way for your situation to work out in your favor so that your fighting would not be in vain?

Jacob came face to face with God Almighty and lived to tell his story. God spoke to the heart of Esau and showed him another side of his brother Jacob that brought compassion to his heart and a notion of forgiveness and not resentment.

After his fight and Jacob limped off into the sunrise, he later met up with his brother and they made peace with each other.

(Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed low seven times before him. Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him affectionately and kissed him. Both of them were in tears. Genesis 33:3-4)

Do you know that weeping (fighting and praying really hard), may endure throughout the night, but joy (along with grace, mercy and God's unconditional redemption) comes to us in the morning!
As Jacob fought the battle of his mind throughout the night and after he was struck with a pain, he was asked the question; by the "Man" "what is your name?" When Jacob replied he was given another name, Israel, which meant that he fought with God and won.

REDEMPTION!

Jacob was released from a mind that was tormented by the sins he had committed in the past and he was given a new name as a representation of a deliverance, salvation and restoration.

After fighting your battle all night long,  what's your name?

God's Love Never Fails!

Have you ever been in a dark situation where you feel as if you are all alone?

Do you know that God is right there with you?

Have you ever felt as though nothing in your life is going right and the walls around you seem to be crumbling down?

God is right there with you!

Have you ever felt as though God has left you and you can't even feel His presence? 

Do you know that He is right there with His arms around you?

 

If that's so, why can't I feel His touch?

Is it because you are all tangled up in your own emotions? 

The situation that you are in may have you so consumed that the breath that God is breathing upon you can not be felt, because you are so overwhelmed with you?  

Jesus promises to never leave us or forsake us. 

Hebrews 13:5b - For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

  
Have you ever been so consumed with stress that all you want to do is cry?

 Do you know that God's joy comes in the morning?

With His joy come new mercy and grace that will carry you through any situation.

 

Psalm 30:5b - Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning.

Isn't it good to know that we can be washed with a new grace and a new mercy every day.

That is His promise to us and His word does not go out void.  Every promise in His book is true and just.  I have proven them over and over again.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to him purpose.

If you search deep within yourself you will see that His love has never failed......

Beauty

1 Peter 3:3-4

Do not let your adornment be merely outward, arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Beauty is not only skin deep, it goes much further than that.

Beauty should go right down to our heart.

Your heart is where all of your beauty lives.

You can have a beautiful face, nice figure and always dressed in the latest styles and fashion, but, if your heart is not right, then your beauty is not real. If your heart is pure and humble, it will shine on your face.

God's word tells us that we as women do not need to wear gold jewelry, braided hair and fine clothing to dress up our outward appearance.

What we need to do is work on our inner self.

We need to work on humbling ourselves (e.g. being more thoughtful of others), and also work on quieting ourselves (e.g. refrain from gossip) and this will show our worthiness to our Heavenly Father.

A lot of times we feel that we should 'dress up' our self-esteem. We should be a perfectionist, making sure that our shoes, hat, purse and outfit are all matching and we are wearing the correct accessories.
All of this will not get us into the kingdom of Heaven. God loves us just the way we are, know matter what our appearance. He loves us unconditionally.

The only thing that God is concerned about, is our hearts.

All we need to do is purify our hearts and our beauty will shine through and through. If we get God's word in our mind and heart every day, then we would see the lines underneath our eyes just diminish.

Instead of hiding behind expensive make-up and jewelry, simply pick up the word of God, get focus, read and act out His word, then we would see our beauty go 'heart deep'.

BEAUTY was taken from the book:
'My Feelings For You; Inspirational Thoughts For Comfort'
written by; Pamela Adderley

Love Them Know Matter What!

Luke 15:11-24 (The Message Bible)

Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'

"So the father divided the property between them. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs.

He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop,

but no one would give him any. 

"That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death.

I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you, I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' He got right up and went home to his father.

"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'
"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here - given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.

Does this story sound familiar to you. Yes, it's the story of the Prodigal Son. The son that asked for his inheritance and when he received it, he left his family and went off and squandered everything. He came back begging his Father to forgive him and take him back, even if he took him back as a hired servant. The Father didn't even let him get his prepared speech out, before he started embracing him and preparing for a welcome home celebration. The Father didn't care about the sons apology, what mattered to him was that his once thought to be lost or dead son, was back in his arms.
Isn't that just like our God Almighty, our Heavenly Father. He knows that you are straying away from His arms, His path, His plan. Yet, when you walk towards Him, He is running toward you with His arms open wide. When you take that long walk to the altar to ask for forgiveness, your Heavenly Father is meeting you halfway, loving on you and clearing the path for you to continue walking and by the time you've gotten to the altar, the feast and celebration has already began.

And don't you know where there is celebration, there is also criticism......

Luke 15:25-30 (The Message Bible)
"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast - barbecued beef! - because he has him home safe and sound.' 

"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'"

I'm sure that the older brother felt injustice and overlooked. Here he is working so hard at being the best son he could be. And here is the younger brother running off with his inheritance prematurely then come crawling back asking for forgiveness and then probably wanting another inheritance.
If you were the older sibling, wouldn't you feel wronged and overlooked?
If we allow pride and self to get into our thinking then we would agree with the older brother. But when we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to our mind, then we can understand that the older brother was wrong in the way he is thinking.
It's not up to us to judge anyone, and criticise how they are blessed. Know matter what sin a person has committed in the past, as long as the Father up above has forgiven them and has welcomed them back into His kingdom, then that's all that matters. Who are we to say that we've been here working so hard and yet we are overlooked?
Look around at all that you have that the same Father has given you!
Do not allow your own selfish pride to reek havoc upon someone else's blessing!

To those of you that may have a loved one who has strayed from the path that was etched out for them, don't give up on hope, keep on trusting, having faith and praying, knowing that God has a Master Plan (Jesus Christ) for their life and through this Plan, they will be redeemed!!

Luke 15:31-32 (The Message Bible) says; "His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours - but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!"