Prayer: Lord I humble myself before your holy and righteous throne. You are above all our ways. Lord guide men in your righteousness and cleanse me of all impurity. Thank you for your unending grace and love in this and every day. In Jesus name. Amen.
Verse of the Day: "Our LORD, no other gods compare with you- Majestic and holy! Fearsome and glorious! Miracle worker!" Exodus 15:11(CEV)
Worship Song of the Day: God of Wonders by Marc Byrd and Steve Hindalong
Welcome back. Today is the 3rd day of the Core devotionals that we are doing at Beltway and as the title of my post says its all about God's Holiness, Righteousness and Justness. We are continuing to study more about who the bible says God is. In this case I find this easier to grasp that some other concepts around God. These are identities of God that I continually stand in awe of. I see my own weakness and shortcoming and think how awesome is it that there is one being in all the universe that is above such weakness and is perfect in every way. Then I think about how awesome it is that Christ has made me perfect in God's eyes through faith in him.
Its interesting in the devotional today is makes a statement that if God is anything less than holy, righteous, and just, then He would not be worthy of our deepest affections and adoration. In what ways do you notice God's holiness and righteousness and justness? Perhaps you never have given it much thought other than words you have sung in a worship song. Its easy to go through life and fail to see God's miracles. Even the small ones out there. All miracles are not big grandiose moving mountains types of miracles. Things we experience in daily life like the birth of a baby or how we can harness electricity. Science has explained these things but does it make them any less miraculous and awesome?
I'm going to go ahead and leave it there for today. Tomorrow is day 4 of Core and learning more about who the bible says God is. I challenge you that in your worship today that you praise God for being holy, righteous and just. To God be the glory forever and ever.
In Him,
Brian
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Day 2: Good and Loving
Prayer: Lord please reveal to me more deeply the love you have for me. I can never thank you enough for your grace and your mercy which you have poured out to your children. Lord help me to show others your goodness and love in my life. In your holy name. Amen.
Verse of the Day: "The LORD is merciful He is kind and patient, and his love never fails." Psalm 103:8(CEV)
Worship Song of the Day: Father of Lights by John Barnett
Good morning friends. It is day two of the Core series devotionals and today is all about God's love and goodness. Well there is obviously a lot that can be said about how great our God is. The bible is full of references to his love and patience. One of the things we can struggle with sometimes, or at least I can, is the depth of God's love. While I know in my heart that he sent Jesus to die for me so that I could have eternal life, I sometimes don't understand the true depth of his love for me. When the bible says that nothing can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus that is a powerful statement. It means that no batter how bad I screw up(believe me I screw up plenty bad), I can never lose God's love. That is an amazing feeling to know that despite my flesh which gets in the way I know I always have God to help me and pick me up.
Song's about God's love are also all over the place in Worship. You would be hard pressed to find a worship song that doesn't mention God's love. The one I chose for today's worship song is a personal favorite of mine from a few years back. Father of Lights is a simple worship song which reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from God. God delights in us, his children. That's right the God of heaven ,that created all things, delights in you. That is the depth of his love. That he would delight in the things I do even though they aren't hugely kingdom moving things, is beyond my grasp of understanding. I mean, who am I that God would think of me?
Take some time today to ponder God's love and the depths of his goodness. Also ask God to reveal to you how you can better share that love with others in your life. Keep on reading and I will talk to you all tomorrow. Until then blessings and praise to the God of love Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "The LORD is merciful He is kind and patient, and his love never fails." Psalm 103:8(CEV)
Worship Song of the Day: Father of Lights by John Barnett
Good morning friends. It is day two of the Core series devotionals and today is all about God's love and goodness. Well there is obviously a lot that can be said about how great our God is. The bible is full of references to his love and patience. One of the things we can struggle with sometimes, or at least I can, is the depth of God's love. While I know in my heart that he sent Jesus to die for me so that I could have eternal life, I sometimes don't understand the true depth of his love for me. When the bible says that nothing can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus that is a powerful statement. It means that no batter how bad I screw up(believe me I screw up plenty bad), I can never lose God's love. That is an amazing feeling to know that despite my flesh which gets in the way I know I always have God to help me and pick me up.
Song's about God's love are also all over the place in Worship. You would be hard pressed to find a worship song that doesn't mention God's love. The one I chose for today's worship song is a personal favorite of mine from a few years back. Father of Lights is a simple worship song which reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from God. God delights in us, his children. That's right the God of heaven ,that created all things, delights in you. That is the depth of his love. That he would delight in the things I do even though they aren't hugely kingdom moving things, is beyond my grasp of understanding. I mean, who am I that God would think of me?
Take some time today to ponder God's love and the depths of his goodness. Also ask God to reveal to you how you can better share that love with others in your life. Keep on reading and I will talk to you all tomorrow. Until then blessings and praise to the God of love Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
Brian
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Day 1: Real and Personal
Prayer: Lord help me draw near to you. God my desire is that you more fully reveal yourself to me. Lord give me spark that causes me to pursue you with all that I am. Help me to never boast in myself but boast only in your and the good things that you do. In your son's holy name. Amen
Verse of the Day: " The LORD says, 'Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich. If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I, the LORD, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the Earth and that I desire people to do these things,' says the LORD."( Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Worship Song of the Day: Our God is Greater by Chris Tomlin
Good Morning or Evening or Night depending on when you read this blog. Well today was my first day of personal devotionals accompanying the Core series at Beltway. Well first off let me say again how excited I am about this series. I desperately need to reconnect to God and discover more about his nature and exactly who the bible says he is. I have all too often fallen into the trap of trying to define God to fit in my own little box and world view. As someone who on occasion actually tries to write worship songs it makes what you write a little narrow.
The best worship leaders and songwriters have some of the deepest understandings of who the bible says God is. For example our song of the day is by Chris Tomlin, who I consider to be one of the best worship leaders and songwriters alive. His songs have such depth and biblical root that it gives the song that much more power. This is what separates a great worship song from just a song sung about God. This is part of the reason I'm so excited to learn more about the depth of God and the reality of him in the word. I desire to do as John 4:23 says and worship God in spirit and in truth. See all too often we are guilty of just worshiping in spirit or just worshiping in truth.
I find it best to look at worship music in two ways. There are horizontal and vertical worship songs. If you have never head those two words then let me explain. Horizontal worship songs are songs that sing about God and vertical worship songs are songs sung to God. Think about some of your favorite worship songs and identify which category they fit into. The other thing that I tend to look at is that horizontal worship songs tend to be focused on truths about God and therefore might go under the category of worshipping in truth. Vertical songs however tend to be sung from the hear to God and might qualify as worshipping in spirit. While there is truth and spirit in both types of worship songs it seems each one is more focused how I described them above.
That's where I'm going to leave things today. As you do your bible reading today perhaps you can identify some worship music your fond of that use the qualities of God that you read about today. Seek hard after him and worship him in spirit and truth. Until next time blessings from the God of heaven and his son Jesus Christ.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: " The LORD says, 'Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich. If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I, the LORD, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the Earth and that I desire people to do these things,' says the LORD."( Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Worship Song of the Day: Our God is Greater by Chris Tomlin
Good Morning or Evening or Night depending on when you read this blog. Well today was my first day of personal devotionals accompanying the Core series at Beltway. Well first off let me say again how excited I am about this series. I desperately need to reconnect to God and discover more about his nature and exactly who the bible says he is. I have all too often fallen into the trap of trying to define God to fit in my own little box and world view. As someone who on occasion actually tries to write worship songs it makes what you write a little narrow.
The best worship leaders and songwriters have some of the deepest understandings of who the bible says God is. For example our song of the day is by Chris Tomlin, who I consider to be one of the best worship leaders and songwriters alive. His songs have such depth and biblical root that it gives the song that much more power. This is what separates a great worship song from just a song sung about God. This is part of the reason I'm so excited to learn more about the depth of God and the reality of him in the word. I desire to do as John 4:23 says and worship God in spirit and in truth. See all too often we are guilty of just worshiping in spirit or just worshiping in truth.
I find it best to look at worship music in two ways. There are horizontal and vertical worship songs. If you have never head those two words then let me explain. Horizontal worship songs are songs that sing about God and vertical worship songs are songs sung to God. Think about some of your favorite worship songs and identify which category they fit into. The other thing that I tend to look at is that horizontal worship songs tend to be focused on truths about God and therefore might go under the category of worshipping in truth. Vertical songs however tend to be sung from the hear to God and might qualify as worshipping in spirit. While there is truth and spirit in both types of worship songs it seems each one is more focused how I described them above.
That's where I'm going to leave things today. As you do your bible reading today perhaps you can identify some worship music your fond of that use the qualities of God that you read about today. Seek hard after him and worship him in spirit and truth. Until next time blessings from the God of heaven and his son Jesus Christ.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Monday, August 27, 2012
Excited About Core
Prayer: Lord I just ask for your grace during this week as I endeavour to draw closer to you. I love you Lord and thank you for all you do. In your holy name I pray, Amen.
Verse of the Day: " For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7(NKJV)
Worship Song of the Day: The Heart of Worship by Matt Redman
Well hello again. I obviously took a couple month hiatus from writing. Life gets busy from time to time and I was trying to focus on other things but I am back. I am super excited to share with you again. The thing that has me excited and what I want to share about today is our new series at church called Core.
Over the next few months our church is going to be focusing on the Core of who God is and why we believe what we believe. One of things that struck me in Pastor David's first sermon was that we somehow think we can create God. All too often we have a picture of who we think God is in our lives. Some people prefer to see God as an old father time, or perhaps you see him as mainly an encourager. There are many things God is but all too often we tend to focus on a particular aspect of God and neglect the rest. When we do this we are creating our own Idol. The whole of who God is can only be found in his word.
This connects with our worship song of the day as well. Going back to the heart of worship is more than just how you feel or communicate with God, it is also worshiping him in spirit and truth. How can any of us reach that goal of worshiping in both spirit and truth when we don't read his word and don't know what the bible says about who God is. Would you step out on a limb with me and commit for the next week to read your bible for at least 15 minutes a day. As Pastor David said if you think you don't have 15 minutes to spend ask yourself how much TV you watch? The interesting statistic there is that the average person will watch 9 years of TV in their lifetime. If you truly have a problem finding 15 minutes to read the Bible then your doing too many things in your life right now. How can God ever be a priority in our lives if we can't even spend 15 minutes reading his word?
So lets get reading. I will talk to you all tomorrow. Be blessed and continue praising our great God in heaven.
In Him,
Brian
Verse of the Day: " For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7(NKJV)
Worship Song of the Day: The Heart of Worship by Matt Redman
Well hello again. I obviously took a couple month hiatus from writing. Life gets busy from time to time and I was trying to focus on other things but I am back. I am super excited to share with you again. The thing that has me excited and what I want to share about today is our new series at church called Core.
Over the next few months our church is going to be focusing on the Core of who God is and why we believe what we believe. One of things that struck me in Pastor David's first sermon was that we somehow think we can create God. All too often we have a picture of who we think God is in our lives. Some people prefer to see God as an old father time, or perhaps you see him as mainly an encourager. There are many things God is but all too often we tend to focus on a particular aspect of God and neglect the rest. When we do this we are creating our own Idol. The whole of who God is can only be found in his word.
This connects with our worship song of the day as well. Going back to the heart of worship is more than just how you feel or communicate with God, it is also worshiping him in spirit and truth. How can any of us reach that goal of worshiping in both spirit and truth when we don't read his word and don't know what the bible says about who God is. Would you step out on a limb with me and commit for the next week to read your bible for at least 15 minutes a day. As Pastor David said if you think you don't have 15 minutes to spend ask yourself how much TV you watch? The interesting statistic there is that the average person will watch 9 years of TV in their lifetime. If you truly have a problem finding 15 minutes to read the Bible then your doing too many things in your life right now. How can God ever be a priority in our lives if we can't even spend 15 minutes reading his word?
So lets get reading. I will talk to you all tomorrow. Be blessed and continue praising our great God in heaven.
In Him,
Brian
Friday, June 15, 2012
A Man After God's Heart
Prayer: Lord please make me a man after your heart. Give me the grace to live out the destiny you have laid down for my life and to do your will in all areas of my life. Thank you for blessing me with everything and everyone you have put into my life. You are the awesome God and I will forever praise you. Amen.
Verse of the Day: "After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.' (Acts 13:22)
Worship Song of the Day: Hosanna by Brooke Fraser
Good morning everyone. It seems like forever since I have posted. I feel like I want to share with you a little about our study from church last Sunday about David. David is a very intriguing man. He was the lowest regarded of his brothers yet God chose him to replace Saul who by all rights seemed like a good king. However as pastor David told us Saul's heart wasn't quite right. When he defied God he failed to have a repentant heart about it. He made excuses and tried to justify himself. For that reason God rejected him and selected David whom he called "A man after My own heart".
David had his struggles no doubt. I mean this man was a murderer and adulterer among other things. So what I found fascinating was how God determined that David and not Saul was the man after his heart. Pastor David said something that struck me and that was the fact that in many peoples earthly eyes you would see what David had done vs. what Saul had done and think David was way worse. However, God looks at different things than man. God does not see one sin and worse than another. God looks at your heart and he saw that Saul was a man full of rebellion and would not admit and turn from that rebellion. David on the other hand was humble and repentant and God saw that in him.
This statement alone should give you some serious hope. This was pointing to God's grace already. God already saw David's heart desired after God's will and was truly contrite after committing his grievous sins. So it was already pointing to the grace of God to say you can never screw up bad enough for me to not love you. He just desires you own up to your sin and repent. A repentant heart is a true heart of worship. Look at David. The guy wrote most of the psalms which where the worship songs of the Israelites. David was a true man. He was both warrior and poet. He embraced his warrior nature and yet was gentle enough to write songs and poems.
His humble and repentant heart helped him to be a true worshipper of God. The bible says God desires people who worship in Spirit and in Truth. The power behind David's psalms weren't just that they were true but that they came from his heart. Remember its a heart God has said was after His own. One thing I have often on this blog is that any activity can be worship if its done with the right heart or mind towards God.
I have a confession with a good ending. My wife and I had not been tithing the last few years even though we sort of knew we should. Recently we started tithing again and God is right about one thing. This is indeed something to test him in. We didn't know how we would make it giving God 10%. We make it by but not by some great excess and to sacrifice 10% of our income seemed to be more than we could do. But immediately upon our being faithful to do so. God in turn began living up to his faithfulness and we have had no added financial stress to speak of. In fact God has continued to bless us in many ways. I would encourage you to Tithe. The first fruits of our labor belong to God. If we keep it we are in essence stealing from God. Also on this point its the only time in the Bible that god tells us to test him in something. Be faithful and give with a cheerful heart and God will return to you and multiply that which you have. On that note we shall end for today.
Love you guys and blessings to you and praise to the Great I Am our king Jesus.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.' (Acts 13:22)
Worship Song of the Day: Hosanna by Brooke Fraser
Good morning everyone. It seems like forever since I have posted. I feel like I want to share with you a little about our study from church last Sunday about David. David is a very intriguing man. He was the lowest regarded of his brothers yet God chose him to replace Saul who by all rights seemed like a good king. However as pastor David told us Saul's heart wasn't quite right. When he defied God he failed to have a repentant heart about it. He made excuses and tried to justify himself. For that reason God rejected him and selected David whom he called "A man after My own heart".
David had his struggles no doubt. I mean this man was a murderer and adulterer among other things. So what I found fascinating was how God determined that David and not Saul was the man after his heart. Pastor David said something that struck me and that was the fact that in many peoples earthly eyes you would see what David had done vs. what Saul had done and think David was way worse. However, God looks at different things than man. God does not see one sin and worse than another. God looks at your heart and he saw that Saul was a man full of rebellion and would not admit and turn from that rebellion. David on the other hand was humble and repentant and God saw that in him.
This statement alone should give you some serious hope. This was pointing to God's grace already. God already saw David's heart desired after God's will and was truly contrite after committing his grievous sins. So it was already pointing to the grace of God to say you can never screw up bad enough for me to not love you. He just desires you own up to your sin and repent. A repentant heart is a true heart of worship. Look at David. The guy wrote most of the psalms which where the worship songs of the Israelites. David was a true man. He was both warrior and poet. He embraced his warrior nature and yet was gentle enough to write songs and poems.
His humble and repentant heart helped him to be a true worshipper of God. The bible says God desires people who worship in Spirit and in Truth. The power behind David's psalms weren't just that they were true but that they came from his heart. Remember its a heart God has said was after His own. One thing I have often on this blog is that any activity can be worship if its done with the right heart or mind towards God.
I have a confession with a good ending. My wife and I had not been tithing the last few years even though we sort of knew we should. Recently we started tithing again and God is right about one thing. This is indeed something to test him in. We didn't know how we would make it giving God 10%. We make it by but not by some great excess and to sacrifice 10% of our income seemed to be more than we could do. But immediately upon our being faithful to do so. God in turn began living up to his faithfulness and we have had no added financial stress to speak of. In fact God has continued to bless us in many ways. I would encourage you to Tithe. The first fruits of our labor belong to God. If we keep it we are in essence stealing from God. Also on this point its the only time in the Bible that god tells us to test him in something. Be faithful and give with a cheerful heart and God will return to you and multiply that which you have. On that note we shall end for today.
Love you guys and blessings to you and praise to the Great I Am our king Jesus.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Sinful Desire
Prayer: Lord please help me keep my thoughts ever on you and off of impure thoughts. Lead me safely through the valley of temptation so that I can continue to walk strong in the faith. Thank you for your love and understanding it leaves me in awe every day. Amen
Verse of the Day: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13(NIV)
Worship Song of the Day: Overcome by Jon Egan
Today I want to talk a bit about standing up to temptation and correcting our own fleshly desires. This is a difficult thing to me as it is for most believers. Denying our flesh and resisting temptation is one of the toughest parts of our daily walk. We are constantly deceived by Satan who is very very good at his job as deceiver. Sometimes Satan has to work hard to deceive but most of the time we ,as Christians, make it very easy on him by having our focus in other places than where it belongs, with Christ.
Satan also has an easy go of deceiving us because of a lack of knowledge of God's word. I've said before how vital reading God's word is but I want to let you know that if you hope to defend yourself against the arrows of sin that Satan launches in your direction you better know the word so you can stand up to him with scripture. Our authority comes from Christ who is the living word of God. Not reading the bible would be like trying to fight a war with a water balloon instead of an M16 or using a golf cart with a water gun attached instead of a Tank. Don't get caught in the battlefield without your weapons.
The best part about temptation is that the word says temptation will never be too great for us to stand up to it. If you seek God's heart and resist the devil he will flee from you. Be ready though as you start walking in faith and resisting him cause if he can't tempt you he will try to knock you down with other trials in your life. He will try to discourage you and make you give up or change your focus to some problem you are dealing with in your life and then when you are most vulnerable he will come in and entice you into sinful desires.
We were created by God to worship so if you aren't worshipping God then you will worship something. It could be yourself, video games(guilty before), movies, TV, Money(how many of us on this one), or for the musicians out there how about your gift for music. It can be easy to focus on the creation and not the creator. When your focus switches to the creation from the creator God then you are wrong. Do all things to the glory of God in Christ Jesus.
Helping to control fleshly desire is largely about where your focus remains throughout your day. Is your mind always on the things of the kingdom? Let your mind focus where it needs to be to accomplish a task but a part of your mind should always be focused on Jesus. Its hard to do. I struggle with that a lot but I have noticed that I don't sin while I'm truly focused on Jesus. When my mind and heart wander is when I fall into the trap of temptation. Jesus told us that all the thins he did we will have power to do and greater than that. Well the Bible says that Jesus was tempted in every way and yet he stood up to the temptation because of having the fullness of the Holy Spirit in him. We now have that gift as well and have the power to fight off the evil one.
Fight hard and be blessed. Praise to the Lion of Judah who sits on the throne.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13(NIV)
Worship Song of the Day: Overcome by Jon Egan
Today I want to talk a bit about standing up to temptation and correcting our own fleshly desires. This is a difficult thing to me as it is for most believers. Denying our flesh and resisting temptation is one of the toughest parts of our daily walk. We are constantly deceived by Satan who is very very good at his job as deceiver. Sometimes Satan has to work hard to deceive but most of the time we ,as Christians, make it very easy on him by having our focus in other places than where it belongs, with Christ.
Satan also has an easy go of deceiving us because of a lack of knowledge of God's word. I've said before how vital reading God's word is but I want to let you know that if you hope to defend yourself against the arrows of sin that Satan launches in your direction you better know the word so you can stand up to him with scripture. Our authority comes from Christ who is the living word of God. Not reading the bible would be like trying to fight a war with a water balloon instead of an M16 or using a golf cart with a water gun attached instead of a Tank. Don't get caught in the battlefield without your weapons.
The best part about temptation is that the word says temptation will never be too great for us to stand up to it. If you seek God's heart and resist the devil he will flee from you. Be ready though as you start walking in faith and resisting him cause if he can't tempt you he will try to knock you down with other trials in your life. He will try to discourage you and make you give up or change your focus to some problem you are dealing with in your life and then when you are most vulnerable he will come in and entice you into sinful desires.
We were created by God to worship so if you aren't worshipping God then you will worship something. It could be yourself, video games(guilty before), movies, TV, Money(how many of us on this one), or for the musicians out there how about your gift for music. It can be easy to focus on the creation and not the creator. When your focus switches to the creation from the creator God then you are wrong. Do all things to the glory of God in Christ Jesus.
Helping to control fleshly desire is largely about where your focus remains throughout your day. Is your mind always on the things of the kingdom? Let your mind focus where it needs to be to accomplish a task but a part of your mind should always be focused on Jesus. Its hard to do. I struggle with that a lot but I have noticed that I don't sin while I'm truly focused on Jesus. When my mind and heart wander is when I fall into the trap of temptation. Jesus told us that all the thins he did we will have power to do and greater than that. Well the Bible says that Jesus was tempted in every way and yet he stood up to the temptation because of having the fullness of the Holy Spirit in him. We now have that gift as well and have the power to fight off the evil one.
Fight hard and be blessed. Praise to the Lion of Judah who sits on the throne.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Monday, June 4, 2012
Our Worship Battle
Prayer: Lord may my worship to you always be as incense that is a pleasing aroma. May you ever move my heart in worship and reveal yourself more deeply to me in my walk with you. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. Its in Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Verse of the Day: "May my prayer be counted as incense before you; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering." Psalm 141:2(NASB)
Worship Song of the Day: One Thing Remains by Brian Johnson, Christa Black & Jeremy Riddle
I wanted to talk a bit today about some worship concepts and what I think makes worship great. All too often in the past I have looked for music that had a catchy tune ,but more recently I have started looking for songs that really reflect my heart in worship no matter the tune associated to it. I believe it is more important what the song says than how it sounds. We can't get much better in a worship song than singing direct words of the bible that describe God and what he has done.
The best worship song writers do this so well. Your Chris Tomlins and Matt Redmans of the worship world write powerful music because it speaks to the awesomeness of our creator. Songs like 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman are great examples of what I am talking about. The song is taken right out of scripture. There a many countless songs like that as well. Almost all worship music has its concepts at least taken from scriputre but I find some of the most powerful worship is worship that takes its lyrics directly from scripture.
I have said this before but Worship is not about what you sing or the instruments used. Its about a response to the moving of God in your heart. Worship is not a spectator sport. We are active duty in the army of the Lord. Basic training is like reading the word. It is the manual that all believers need to be intimately familiar with to be a successful warrior for God. Worshiping puts you on the front lines of the war though. In the old testament when the Israelites would go to fight a battle it was the priests and worshipers that went before the army to seal up the victory for the children of God. In God's warfare worship is the weapon at the forefront of the battle. So if knowing the bible is our basic training then worshiping in spirit and in truth(John 4:24) is the first weapon we as believers need to know how to use. Worship gives us strength to fight in the battle. It is also warfare itself. When you worship as John 4:24 says then Satan is cringing and cowering. When you worship you put the enemy on the run. So seek out worship music that accurately reflects the character of God and find lyrics you can honestly sing in Spirit and Truth.
Don't sing just to sing. If the words are not in your heart then be silent and seek out God's heart while worship is happening. You have to believe the words in your heart for your worship of God to be truly effective. Don't be a casual worshiper. Be a professional. This doesn't mean you have to have a perfect voice or be able to play an instrument even. It means to sell out in worship. Give your wholeself to God in that act. We are all priests of God in Christ. So participate in worship. You were called and God wants speak to you in worship.
Well lets leave it there for today. Remember to be active duty and don't set back in the reserves. Its our battle to fight and worship prepares us and helps us fight that battle. Always praise God in all you do.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "May my prayer be counted as incense before you; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering." Psalm 141:2(NASB)
Worship Song of the Day: One Thing Remains by Brian Johnson, Christa Black & Jeremy Riddle
I wanted to talk a bit today about some worship concepts and what I think makes worship great. All too often in the past I have looked for music that had a catchy tune ,but more recently I have started looking for songs that really reflect my heart in worship no matter the tune associated to it. I believe it is more important what the song says than how it sounds. We can't get much better in a worship song than singing direct words of the bible that describe God and what he has done.
The best worship song writers do this so well. Your Chris Tomlins and Matt Redmans of the worship world write powerful music because it speaks to the awesomeness of our creator. Songs like 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman are great examples of what I am talking about. The song is taken right out of scripture. There a many countless songs like that as well. Almost all worship music has its concepts at least taken from scriputre but I find some of the most powerful worship is worship that takes its lyrics directly from scripture.
I have said this before but Worship is not about what you sing or the instruments used. Its about a response to the moving of God in your heart. Worship is not a spectator sport. We are active duty in the army of the Lord. Basic training is like reading the word. It is the manual that all believers need to be intimately familiar with to be a successful warrior for God. Worshiping puts you on the front lines of the war though. In the old testament when the Israelites would go to fight a battle it was the priests and worshipers that went before the army to seal up the victory for the children of God. In God's warfare worship is the weapon at the forefront of the battle. So if knowing the bible is our basic training then worshiping in spirit and in truth(John 4:24) is the first weapon we as believers need to know how to use. Worship gives us strength to fight in the battle. It is also warfare itself. When you worship as John 4:24 says then Satan is cringing and cowering. When you worship you put the enemy on the run. So seek out worship music that accurately reflects the character of God and find lyrics you can honestly sing in Spirit and Truth.
Don't sing just to sing. If the words are not in your heart then be silent and seek out God's heart while worship is happening. You have to believe the words in your heart for your worship of God to be truly effective. Don't be a casual worshiper. Be a professional. This doesn't mean you have to have a perfect voice or be able to play an instrument even. It means to sell out in worship. Give your wholeself to God in that act. We are all priests of God in Christ. So participate in worship. You were called and God wants speak to you in worship.
Well lets leave it there for today. Remember to be active duty and don't set back in the reserves. Its our battle to fight and worship prepares us and helps us fight that battle. Always praise God in all you do.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Friday, June 1, 2012
Service to Others
Prayer: Lord will you give me a deeper heart of service to others. I want to thank you for coming and dying for my sins and I want to live for you. I want to have a heart for service like you had and to live out the very definition of being a Christian. In your name Lord Jesus. Amen
Verse of the Day: "Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:5(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: You Said by Reuben Morgan
Well it occurred to me as I was praying that service to others is what Christ was all about and what better way to worship him than to do something for others. Depending on the task I have never minded helping someone out but, It would be a total lie to say I have not said no to helping someone just cause I thought I had something better to do. I think to an extent we have all done that. When we put our own selfish desire above that of God and even to some extent others then we are guilty of sin. It is our duty to serve those in need as Christians.
To look further at that Jesus said after having finished washing his disciples feet. "You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do just as I have done to you."(John 13:13-15).
Jesus gives us a greater calling. Too often as Christians I think we have a tendency to think of ourselves above such service but even our Lord Jesus humbled himself to the washing of the feet of men far less great than himself. Jesus has also said that those who are the least among you will be the first in the kingdom of heaven and those who are greatest among you will be the least in the kingdom. What do you do in joyful service for your fellow man?
Sometimes I find it hard to answer this question because I'm still trying to develop my heart for service. I have spent a lot of my life being pretty selfish and only by God's grace is that starting to change. It is still a challenge and one that I don't often meet very well. One simple way you can serve others is even volunteering at church as a greeter or usher. Its a simple act of service that takes 1 day a week. Next time someone asks you for help think twice before you turn down the opportunity to serve.
I can guarantee there are plenty of volunteer opportunities out there in your community in which you can serve your fellow man but even without that there are people in your life that need your help so serve with a joyful heart.
Another situation is that sometimes I think we as a people can be a bit prideful and not want to accept help from others. Don't be to proud to seek out help if you need it. If someone offers there help don't be afraid to accept it. Pride never got anyone anywhere. I know a lot of proud people that have lost everything because they wouldn't accept help from anyone. I have that tendency myself to want to get by on my own and not ask my friends or family for help but I learned a long time ago that if I need the help then there is no shame in asking. Let others worship God through service to you if you need it. Our second commandment Christ gave us is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Give yourself the chance to show people that love through service and in turn you will be worshiping God with your heart of service.
Well we have come to the end of another post. If you have noticed I am not posting every day anymore and part of that is so I can reflect more on what I want to share and also so I am not consuming too much time on this Blog so I can put some of the things we are talking about in it into practice. Shalom and all praise to our Wonderful Counselor Jesus Christ.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:5(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: You Said by Reuben Morgan
Well it occurred to me as I was praying that service to others is what Christ was all about and what better way to worship him than to do something for others. Depending on the task I have never minded helping someone out but, It would be a total lie to say I have not said no to helping someone just cause I thought I had something better to do. I think to an extent we have all done that. When we put our own selfish desire above that of God and even to some extent others then we are guilty of sin. It is our duty to serve those in need as Christians.
To look further at that Jesus said after having finished washing his disciples feet. "You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do just as I have done to you."(John 13:13-15).
Jesus gives us a greater calling. Too often as Christians I think we have a tendency to think of ourselves above such service but even our Lord Jesus humbled himself to the washing of the feet of men far less great than himself. Jesus has also said that those who are the least among you will be the first in the kingdom of heaven and those who are greatest among you will be the least in the kingdom. What do you do in joyful service for your fellow man?
Sometimes I find it hard to answer this question because I'm still trying to develop my heart for service. I have spent a lot of my life being pretty selfish and only by God's grace is that starting to change. It is still a challenge and one that I don't often meet very well. One simple way you can serve others is even volunteering at church as a greeter or usher. Its a simple act of service that takes 1 day a week. Next time someone asks you for help think twice before you turn down the opportunity to serve.
I can guarantee there are plenty of volunteer opportunities out there in your community in which you can serve your fellow man but even without that there are people in your life that need your help so serve with a joyful heart.
Another situation is that sometimes I think we as a people can be a bit prideful and not want to accept help from others. Don't be to proud to seek out help if you need it. If someone offers there help don't be afraid to accept it. Pride never got anyone anywhere. I know a lot of proud people that have lost everything because they wouldn't accept help from anyone. I have that tendency myself to want to get by on my own and not ask my friends or family for help but I learned a long time ago that if I need the help then there is no shame in asking. Let others worship God through service to you if you need it. Our second commandment Christ gave us is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Give yourself the chance to show people that love through service and in turn you will be worshiping God with your heart of service.
Well we have come to the end of another post. If you have noticed I am not posting every day anymore and part of that is so I can reflect more on what I want to share and also so I am not consuming too much time on this Blog so I can put some of the things we are talking about in it into practice. Shalom and all praise to our Wonderful Counselor Jesus Christ.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Devotionals and David
Prayer: Lord may you guide my every action today. I give you praise Lord for all your awesome wonders. You know every step of my journey and I thank you for calling me to your service. Thank you for all you do father God. In Jesus name. Amen
Verse of the Day: "But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7(NIV)
Worship Song of the Day: Lord Most High by Don Harris and Gary Sadler
Blessings all. Well its the beginning of a new week and I haven't posted in a little while. Hope everyone had a great holiday. Mainly today I wanted to talk a little about what we talked about in church sunday and about the devotional my wife and I are doing right now.
Pastor David is currently preaching a sermon series on the life of David. David is one of the great heroes of the bible and one of my favorite due to his unimpressiveness. This weeks sermon was on David being chosen by God despite his brothers being far more impressive and higher in order than him. Isn't a good thing that God chooses us not based on our apperance or if we have it all together or not? Guys like David and Gideon mirror my unimpressiveness but God chose them anyway. David became the most famous King of Israel and it was from his lineage God would send his son to redeem mankind.
David of course had his faults and some of them very big faults but the bible says he was a man after God's own heart. The heart is central to our walk with Jesus as it is with our hearts we worship God and, it is to our heart that God speaks to us and through us. God looks far beyond the physical things of the world and looks at our heart. One of the main points of this blog being about worship is that worship is something that takes place in our heart. Our actions and words and songs can be a reflection of that worship but the act of worship takes place completely in your heart.
I am also quite excited about the devotional my wife and I have started. Its the Beth Moore devotional entitled Paul. Its about the life of Paul and God's call on him. Thus far its mainly about his childhood and his religious education. It is nice to get a better idea of how Paul may have lived as a child and developed into the Christian hating Pharisee and then into the greatest voice Christ would use to call the gentile unto him. I find that devotionals are the ways its easiest for me to study the word. Mainly because it gives me focus but also because you can dig a bit deeper than the surface of the words in the Bible and find out maybe some cultural significance for some of the things that are taking place.
Well thats all for today. Sort of short today but I just wanted to touch a bit about these things. I will be back tomorrow with more. Blessings to you and all praise to the great God of Wonders.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7(NIV)
Worship Song of the Day: Lord Most High by Don Harris and Gary Sadler
Blessings all. Well its the beginning of a new week and I haven't posted in a little while. Hope everyone had a great holiday. Mainly today I wanted to talk a little about what we talked about in church sunday and about the devotional my wife and I are doing right now.
Pastor David is currently preaching a sermon series on the life of David. David is one of the great heroes of the bible and one of my favorite due to his unimpressiveness. This weeks sermon was on David being chosen by God despite his brothers being far more impressive and higher in order than him. Isn't a good thing that God chooses us not based on our apperance or if we have it all together or not? Guys like David and Gideon mirror my unimpressiveness but God chose them anyway. David became the most famous King of Israel and it was from his lineage God would send his son to redeem mankind.
David of course had his faults and some of them very big faults but the bible says he was a man after God's own heart. The heart is central to our walk with Jesus as it is with our hearts we worship God and, it is to our heart that God speaks to us and through us. God looks far beyond the physical things of the world and looks at our heart. One of the main points of this blog being about worship is that worship is something that takes place in our heart. Our actions and words and songs can be a reflection of that worship but the act of worship takes place completely in your heart.
I am also quite excited about the devotional my wife and I have started. Its the Beth Moore devotional entitled Paul. Its about the life of Paul and God's call on him. Thus far its mainly about his childhood and his religious education. It is nice to get a better idea of how Paul may have lived as a child and developed into the Christian hating Pharisee and then into the greatest voice Christ would use to call the gentile unto him. I find that devotionals are the ways its easiest for me to study the word. Mainly because it gives me focus but also because you can dig a bit deeper than the surface of the words in the Bible and find out maybe some cultural significance for some of the things that are taking place.
Well thats all for today. Sort of short today but I just wanted to touch a bit about these things. I will be back tomorrow with more. Blessings to you and all praise to the great God of Wonders.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Lord Who Do You Say That I Am?
Prayer: Lord you are so good and your ways are so far above my ways. Lead me today in your ways for my life. Help me be about your business Father God. Its in the name of Jesus I pray. Amen
Verse of the Day: " Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heris of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:17
Worship Song: Friend of God by Michael Gungor and Israel Houghton
Today I want to talk a bit about or Identity in Christ. There are so many verses that point to who God says we are. They gave us this paper at boot camp with our identity in Christ on it. I am going to share that with you and then talk about what we can do to find our specific identity in the Lord's army.
My Identity in Christ
I am a child of the king, a joint-heir with Jesus.
All that Jesus bought and paid for is my inheritance.
Jesus redeemed me from hell and gave me a new destiny.
I am saved by grace through faith in Christ.
I have great worth apart from my peformance because Christ gave his life for me.
I am deeply loved, fully pleasing, totally forgiven, accepted, and complete in Christ.
I am one with Christ.
I have died with Christ, was buried with Christ, and raised with Christ to walk in new life and renewed fellowship with God the Father.
I carry the authority of Christ-- Authority over sickness, over demons, over sin, and over the world.
I am the light of the world.
Christ in me displaces the darkness of my old life.
Because I am one with Jesus, I am righteous.
I am holy.
I am a saint of God.
I am a new creation.
The old is gone, I have been made new.
I have spiritual weapons and armor, given by God and divinely powerful, to tear down strongholds of darness and build strongholds of righteousness in their place.
Because I am one with Jesus, I can resist the devil and he will flee from me.
I can do all things through Christ who is my strength.
I can live a vicorious life because greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.
The same Spirit of Power who raised Jesus from the dead lives in me!
That was long I know but its important to know these things about who God says you are. If you ever doubt your worth or Satan is telling you that your not worthy recite those things out loud and call Satan out as the lier he is. You tell Satan what God says about him that he has a future of eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
Now for what we can do to find out our specific identity in Christ. There are several times in the bible where God gave someone a new name that better identified them after a call from God on their life. Abram became Abraham when he was to made the father of the nations, Saul became Paul when he found new life in Christ, Jacob was renamed Israel when he wrestled with the Angel of the Lord, Simon became Peter when Jesus called him.
We all have a name in Christ Jesus. When you accepted Christ you became a new creation and Christ gave you a purpose. Its time to seek that purpose. Sit and meditate quietly and listen for God to speak to you. Ask God who he says you specifically are and see what God reveals to you. This is something we did at boot camp and can be powerfully revealing for you to know perhaps some of your spiritual gifts or even your direct purpose in the church. It could come to you as an actual name or perhaps a phrase. God may even say your current name fits who you are in him.
I was given my name in my first boot camp four years ago. I got the phrase Worship Warrior which lines up heavily with my spirit. As I have said, when I worship it is the closest I ever feel towards God. My soul rejoices in worshiping the Father. The warrior part took me a bit by suprise but it shouldn't really as we are all called to be warriors in the kingdom. Also its a good parallel to how in Israel the worshippers and priests would go out in front of the battle. I am interested to know what name you may be given by God. If you feel a strong urging from God about your name then tell me about. Email me or leave a comment.
Well we have come to the end of another post. I have to say I am having fun writing this blog and it has helped me a lot with how I seek to draw closer to and worship God. I hope you have been equally blessed. Well until tomorrow may you be ever blessed by Lion of Judah and all praise to him who sits on the throne.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: " Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heris of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:17
Worship Song: Friend of God by Michael Gungor and Israel Houghton
Today I want to talk a bit about or Identity in Christ. There are so many verses that point to who God says we are. They gave us this paper at boot camp with our identity in Christ on it. I am going to share that with you and then talk about what we can do to find our specific identity in the Lord's army.
My Identity in Christ
I am a child of the king, a joint-heir with Jesus.
All that Jesus bought and paid for is my inheritance.
Jesus redeemed me from hell and gave me a new destiny.
I am saved by grace through faith in Christ.
I have great worth apart from my peformance because Christ gave his life for me.
I am deeply loved, fully pleasing, totally forgiven, accepted, and complete in Christ.
I am one with Christ.
I have died with Christ, was buried with Christ, and raised with Christ to walk in new life and renewed fellowship with God the Father.
I carry the authority of Christ-- Authority over sickness, over demons, over sin, and over the world.
I am the light of the world.
Christ in me displaces the darkness of my old life.
Because I am one with Jesus, I am righteous.
I am holy.
I am a saint of God.
I am a new creation.
The old is gone, I have been made new.
I have spiritual weapons and armor, given by God and divinely powerful, to tear down strongholds of darness and build strongholds of righteousness in their place.
Because I am one with Jesus, I can resist the devil and he will flee from me.
I can do all things through Christ who is my strength.
I can live a vicorious life because greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.
The same Spirit of Power who raised Jesus from the dead lives in me!
That was long I know but its important to know these things about who God says you are. If you ever doubt your worth or Satan is telling you that your not worthy recite those things out loud and call Satan out as the lier he is. You tell Satan what God says about him that he has a future of eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
Now for what we can do to find out our specific identity in Christ. There are several times in the bible where God gave someone a new name that better identified them after a call from God on their life. Abram became Abraham when he was to made the father of the nations, Saul became Paul when he found new life in Christ, Jacob was renamed Israel when he wrestled with the Angel of the Lord, Simon became Peter when Jesus called him.
We all have a name in Christ Jesus. When you accepted Christ you became a new creation and Christ gave you a purpose. Its time to seek that purpose. Sit and meditate quietly and listen for God to speak to you. Ask God who he says you specifically are and see what God reveals to you. This is something we did at boot camp and can be powerfully revealing for you to know perhaps some of your spiritual gifts or even your direct purpose in the church. It could come to you as an actual name or perhaps a phrase. God may even say your current name fits who you are in him.
I was given my name in my first boot camp four years ago. I got the phrase Worship Warrior which lines up heavily with my spirit. As I have said, when I worship it is the closest I ever feel towards God. My soul rejoices in worshiping the Father. The warrior part took me a bit by suprise but it shouldn't really as we are all called to be warriors in the kingdom. Also its a good parallel to how in Israel the worshippers and priests would go out in front of the battle. I am interested to know what name you may be given by God. If you feel a strong urging from God about your name then tell me about. Email me or leave a comment.
Well we have come to the end of another post. I have to say I am having fun writing this blog and it has helped me a lot with how I seek to draw closer to and worship God. I hope you have been equally blessed. Well until tomorrow may you be ever blessed by Lion of Judah and all praise to him who sits on the throne.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Hearing God
Prayer: Lord Jesus I ask that you speak to the minds of those seeking you today and help them to be still and know that you are God. Grant me grace to carry my cross today and every day and follow you. Amen
Verse of the Day: "Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Revelation Song by Jennie Riddle
Good Morning, I feel as though I should share a bit about hearing from God in different forms today. There are several ways you can recognize God speaking to you. Most people think that hearing from God means he audibly speaking to you, which I would say is very rare. The idea of the bombing voice of God speaking to you isn't exactly accurate. Though he is capable of speaking directly to you he often seeks other avenues to communicate with us.
The first way you can hear from God is through his word. Pray and seek answer from God for something and then seek out your answer in his word. This is the most common way God speaks to us is through his word which contains all the info we need to have to live our life for him. This is why it is so important to read the bible every day. It is the field manual for the war we fight against the enemy. It is vitally important to know your main weapon against the enemy. If you don't know what the bible says about something then you cannot fight with it. It gives you the ability to tell Satan out loud what God says about him and what God says about you.
The second way you can hear from God is through others. God speaks to us through others often. This can be equated to prophecy though its often more subtle than bible prophesies of the end times. It might be more of another voice imparting a word to you from God. An example of this happened to me at boot camp. I was being prayed for by someone from the prayer team and they gave me a word of encouragement and knowledge that immediately lined up and felt right in my spirit. It was a confirmation of that which I was seeking at the time. This is more common than you might now.
The third way is that God speaks to us in our own voice. Often times when we are seeking God he may speak to us in our mind and reveal to us the right path or the out right answer to our question. Remember if you feel an urging of what is right in your heart then it is probably God impressing that it is the right decision on you. This goes back to knowing the word in order to test your heart. If you know what the bible says about something and you feel an urging to do something opposite you can safely assume its not of God and it will probably not feel right. Often times hearing from God this way requires you to be seeking him on an issue. When we have distractions and aren't actively seeking God we almost fail to hear him speak to us. Its like his voice is a whisper and everything else is a roar.So when you want to seek and hear from God do as the verse of the day says. Be still and know that he is God. He will reveal to you many things if you quietly and earnestly seek him.
One more way God often speaks to me is through worship. Worship speaks to our souls. Worship tends to recharge our spirit as it is one of the most intimate ways we can seek the Lord. Its easier to hear from God when our spirit is in line with him or is pouring out praise to him. Also it has to be more than you just singing the words at church because the song is catchy. Its about believing and meaning the words you sing to him. Next time your worshiping think about the words you are singing and how much they mean to you. Let the love of God surround you in worship and sometimes during worship its necessary to be still and seek him without singing anything.
The most important thing when trying to hear from God is recognizing these ways he speaks to us and reveals things to us. The next most important thing is that when you are asking God for something keep it simple. It doesn't have to be long winded or complicated. God already knows your heart and what you need he simply wants an invitation from you to intervene on your behalf or a chance to answer your questions. Keep it straight forward and don't be afraid to ask anything. The Holy Spirit communicates us every day in so many ways. Just stay focused on him. The closer you draw to him the closer he draws to you and the closer you are then communication with the Spirit of the Lord will become easier to recognize.
Well thats all for today. Be blessed and continue praising our Father in heaven.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Revelation Song by Jennie Riddle
Good Morning, I feel as though I should share a bit about hearing from God in different forms today. There are several ways you can recognize God speaking to you. Most people think that hearing from God means he audibly speaking to you, which I would say is very rare. The idea of the bombing voice of God speaking to you isn't exactly accurate. Though he is capable of speaking directly to you he often seeks other avenues to communicate with us.
The first way you can hear from God is through his word. Pray and seek answer from God for something and then seek out your answer in his word. This is the most common way God speaks to us is through his word which contains all the info we need to have to live our life for him. This is why it is so important to read the bible every day. It is the field manual for the war we fight against the enemy. It is vitally important to know your main weapon against the enemy. If you don't know what the bible says about something then you cannot fight with it. It gives you the ability to tell Satan out loud what God says about him and what God says about you.
The second way you can hear from God is through others. God speaks to us through others often. This can be equated to prophecy though its often more subtle than bible prophesies of the end times. It might be more of another voice imparting a word to you from God. An example of this happened to me at boot camp. I was being prayed for by someone from the prayer team and they gave me a word of encouragement and knowledge that immediately lined up and felt right in my spirit. It was a confirmation of that which I was seeking at the time. This is more common than you might now.
The third way is that God speaks to us in our own voice. Often times when we are seeking God he may speak to us in our mind and reveal to us the right path or the out right answer to our question. Remember if you feel an urging of what is right in your heart then it is probably God impressing that it is the right decision on you. This goes back to knowing the word in order to test your heart. If you know what the bible says about something and you feel an urging to do something opposite you can safely assume its not of God and it will probably not feel right. Often times hearing from God this way requires you to be seeking him on an issue. When we have distractions and aren't actively seeking God we almost fail to hear him speak to us. Its like his voice is a whisper and everything else is a roar.So when you want to seek and hear from God do as the verse of the day says. Be still and know that he is God. He will reveal to you many things if you quietly and earnestly seek him.
One more way God often speaks to me is through worship. Worship speaks to our souls. Worship tends to recharge our spirit as it is one of the most intimate ways we can seek the Lord. Its easier to hear from God when our spirit is in line with him or is pouring out praise to him. Also it has to be more than you just singing the words at church because the song is catchy. Its about believing and meaning the words you sing to him. Next time your worshiping think about the words you are singing and how much they mean to you. Let the love of God surround you in worship and sometimes during worship its necessary to be still and seek him without singing anything.
The most important thing when trying to hear from God is recognizing these ways he speaks to us and reveals things to us. The next most important thing is that when you are asking God for something keep it simple. It doesn't have to be long winded or complicated. God already knows your heart and what you need he simply wants an invitation from you to intervene on your behalf or a chance to answer your questions. Keep it straight forward and don't be afraid to ask anything. The Holy Spirit communicates us every day in so many ways. Just stay focused on him. The closer you draw to him the closer he draws to you and the closer you are then communication with the Spirit of the Lord will become easier to recognize.
Well thats all for today. Be blessed and continue praising our Father in heaven.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Monday, May 21, 2012
Boot Camp
Prayer: Help me Lord to be a true worship warrior. Give me the strength I need to fight in the great battle for those being held captive by the enemy. Thank you for winning the war and allowing me to simply fight the battles. You are Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am and its in your name I pray. Amen.
Verse of the Day: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? and who will go for us?' and I said, 'Here I am Lord. Send me!'" Isaiah 6:8(NIV)
Worship Song of the Day: Forever Reign by Jason Ingram and Reuben Morgan
Well to start off I just want to say that we serve an awesome God. This weekend at Beltway Boot Camp was a truely freeing experience. God is doing some amazing things in the hearts and minds of the men of Beltway Park. There is so much I learned this weekend that I didn't absorb from the first Boot Camp I went to 4 years ago. I got a great group of guys on my fireteam that I know I can count on to hold me accountable and fight along side me. A lot of wounds were healed and a lot of men were baptised including a member of my fireteam. We have a warning for Satan and that is you should be afraid. We are prepared and equipped to fight you and we have the ultimate leader in Christ Jesus.
One other thing I got form this weekend is I really need to get into a life group. I am looking for a men's group to join so If anyone has a group that has an opening let me know. I am praying that God sends me the right group of guys that I can daily walk with and grow with. I want to continue to grow in the ways of God and need some guys that will help push me and pick me up when I fall. In fact everyone needs a group of people they can walk with in this way. When you try to fight alone you open the door for Satan to take you out of the fight when you slip up or get stagnant.
There is so much I could share from my experience at Boot Camp this weekend. This is a worship blog so one thing I definately want to impart to everyone is that it is important to worship every single day. Put on a worship CD, and scream out your worship to God. Lift up shouts of praise. Worship is not a song you sing but it is your response to the moving of God. The words and music are simply a way for you to communicate that worship. Never be ashamed to worship anywhere and anytime. I would caution you however to not make it some spectacle that detracts from God. Worship has to be about God and not about you. I will spend most of this week probably revealing some truth's that I got out of Boot Camp.
Lets end there for today. Until tomorrow blessings to you and if you need prayer for something email me or contact me on facebook. my email is WorshipWarrior83@gmail.com . Be Blessed and give all the Glory to the Great I Am.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? and who will go for us?' and I said, 'Here I am Lord. Send me!'" Isaiah 6:8(NIV)
Worship Song of the Day: Forever Reign by Jason Ingram and Reuben Morgan
Well to start off I just want to say that we serve an awesome God. This weekend at Beltway Boot Camp was a truely freeing experience. God is doing some amazing things in the hearts and minds of the men of Beltway Park. There is so much I learned this weekend that I didn't absorb from the first Boot Camp I went to 4 years ago. I got a great group of guys on my fireteam that I know I can count on to hold me accountable and fight along side me. A lot of wounds were healed and a lot of men were baptised including a member of my fireteam. We have a warning for Satan and that is you should be afraid. We are prepared and equipped to fight you and we have the ultimate leader in Christ Jesus.
One other thing I got form this weekend is I really need to get into a life group. I am looking for a men's group to join so If anyone has a group that has an opening let me know. I am praying that God sends me the right group of guys that I can daily walk with and grow with. I want to continue to grow in the ways of God and need some guys that will help push me and pick me up when I fall. In fact everyone needs a group of people they can walk with in this way. When you try to fight alone you open the door for Satan to take you out of the fight when you slip up or get stagnant.
There is so much I could share from my experience at Boot Camp this weekend. This is a worship blog so one thing I definately want to impart to everyone is that it is important to worship every single day. Put on a worship CD, and scream out your worship to God. Lift up shouts of praise. Worship is not a song you sing but it is your response to the moving of God. The words and music are simply a way for you to communicate that worship. Never be ashamed to worship anywhere and anytime. I would caution you however to not make it some spectacle that detracts from God. Worship has to be about God and not about you. I will spend most of this week probably revealing some truth's that I got out of Boot Camp.
Lets end there for today. Until tomorrow blessings to you and if you need prayer for something email me or contact me on facebook. my email is WorshipWarrior83@gmail.com . Be Blessed and give all the Glory to the Great I Am.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Christian Vs. Secular Entertainment
Prayer: Jesus I come before you now and ask that you bless those reading these words today. I ask that you give me the words to write and that my praise be as incense rising up to you. Be glorified in everything I do Lord. Amen
Verse of the Day: "But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD!" Psalm 115:18(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman
Today Id like to tell you a bit about Christian vs. secular entertainment. What you are probably aware of if you have been reading my blog is that that worship extends beyond Sunday when your singing in church to the music you choose to listen to and sing a long with in the car. If listening to and singing along with Jay Z all day or Kanye West or Metallica or whatever it might be that is worldly how much harder will it be to focus on the king of kings in your life. It extends to the movies you choose to watch, the TV shows you watch, or even the video games you play. I'm sure you have heard the phrase good stuff in and good stuff out, but bad stuff in bad stuff out in regards to your diet. This is true in the physical but it is also the case in the spiritual. If your filling your head with ungodly music, images, etc all day long then what good fruit are you going to produce?
I understand liking different musical styles. I myself am very eclectic. I like everything from rap and hip hop to country but if I choose to listen to secular radio with those styles I am most often going to be exposed to a lot of ungodly principles. If I'm listening to Eminem all day then I'm doing myself no favors in my spiritual life. The good news is that for pretty well every genre of music out there, there is a christian alternative. Instead of listening to Eminem or Dr Dre I listen to Lecrae or KJ 52. Instead of Metallica I listen to Skillet or Thousand Foot Krutch. You will find that christian rock and pop and rap has come a long way in the last 20 years. In fact you have probably heard Skillet on the mainstream Rock station. There is some cross over there. I will say I don't always listen to christian music in the car but its on more than anything else in the car. I would encourage you do decrease the amount of time you expose yourself to secular entertainment and instead fill that time with more christian entertainment or more time with God.
The same extends into the other forms of entertainment. If your watching most secular movies they are giving you a skewed version of the world. If every movie your watching has nudity or bad language will that not over time start to impact your mind. If you say no then your lying to yourself. I'm not saying secular movies are bad there are some good ones out there that are family friendly and have a good message but what I am saying is you have to guard your heart and your mind more carefully than we tend to do. Video Games are another area that you should guard yourself. Is your library of games a bunch of M rated games? Mine has a lot of them. If your exposing yourself to that hours at a time then how will that not impact your mind at least some. The same goes for all entertainment. So lets see if we can limit our exposure to these forms of secular entertainment.
Here is my challenge, can you limit your secular entertainment to 1 hour a day? This includes TV, Movies, Music, and Video Games? Or perhaps for you, you need to start smaller than that and increase your Godly entertainment to an hour a day. Either way do something to fill your mind and spirit with less ungodly things. Lets make this a 1 week challenge. If you willing to try to limit yourself to 1 hour of secular entertainment a day that is awesome. If you feel you have to commit to something less than that then by all means do so. It likely will be hard because it will mean choosing between some TV shows and probably cutting out all non christian movies completely for that week but you will find it equally uplifting and rewarding to do this.
Well that's it for today. Let me know through comment or email or facebook me if you are taking the challenge. I will even give you some of my favorite christian entertainment for you to try out below. Blessings my friends and praise be to the Alpha and Omega.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
List of Christian Music:
Air1 Radio
Christian Top 20 station on IheartRadio
Lecrae(Hip Hop/Rap)
KJ 52(Hip Hop/Rap)
Jamie Grace(Pop)
Skillet(Rock)
Owl City(Pop)
Jeremy Camp(Pop/Praise)
Jars of Clay(Sort of Aleternative/Pop)
Hawk Nelson(Punk Pop)
Five Iron Frenzy(Ska)
Toby Mac(Hip Hop/Pop)
Randy Travis(Country)
Bruce Carrol(Country)
God's Country Radio
There are countless Praise and Worship people Id suggest but a few of my favs are
Matt Redman
Chris Tomlin
Hillsong United
The City Harmonic(They are different for a worship group)
Paul Baloche
Also a good resource for some christian bands is A-Z Christian Bands and Genres
Verse of the Day: "But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD!" Psalm 115:18(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman
Today Id like to tell you a bit about Christian vs. secular entertainment. What you are probably aware of if you have been reading my blog is that that worship extends beyond Sunday when your singing in church to the music you choose to listen to and sing a long with in the car. If listening to and singing along with Jay Z all day or Kanye West or Metallica or whatever it might be that is worldly how much harder will it be to focus on the king of kings in your life. It extends to the movies you choose to watch, the TV shows you watch, or even the video games you play. I'm sure you have heard the phrase good stuff in and good stuff out, but bad stuff in bad stuff out in regards to your diet. This is true in the physical but it is also the case in the spiritual. If your filling your head with ungodly music, images, etc all day long then what good fruit are you going to produce?
I understand liking different musical styles. I myself am very eclectic. I like everything from rap and hip hop to country but if I choose to listen to secular radio with those styles I am most often going to be exposed to a lot of ungodly principles. If I'm listening to Eminem all day then I'm doing myself no favors in my spiritual life. The good news is that for pretty well every genre of music out there, there is a christian alternative. Instead of listening to Eminem or Dr Dre I listen to Lecrae or KJ 52. Instead of Metallica I listen to Skillet or Thousand Foot Krutch. You will find that christian rock and pop and rap has come a long way in the last 20 years. In fact you have probably heard Skillet on the mainstream Rock station. There is some cross over there. I will say I don't always listen to christian music in the car but its on more than anything else in the car. I would encourage you do decrease the amount of time you expose yourself to secular entertainment and instead fill that time with more christian entertainment or more time with God.
The same extends into the other forms of entertainment. If your watching most secular movies they are giving you a skewed version of the world. If every movie your watching has nudity or bad language will that not over time start to impact your mind. If you say no then your lying to yourself. I'm not saying secular movies are bad there are some good ones out there that are family friendly and have a good message but what I am saying is you have to guard your heart and your mind more carefully than we tend to do. Video Games are another area that you should guard yourself. Is your library of games a bunch of M rated games? Mine has a lot of them. If your exposing yourself to that hours at a time then how will that not impact your mind at least some. The same goes for all entertainment. So lets see if we can limit our exposure to these forms of secular entertainment.
Here is my challenge, can you limit your secular entertainment to 1 hour a day? This includes TV, Movies, Music, and Video Games? Or perhaps for you, you need to start smaller than that and increase your Godly entertainment to an hour a day. Either way do something to fill your mind and spirit with less ungodly things. Lets make this a 1 week challenge. If you willing to try to limit yourself to 1 hour of secular entertainment a day that is awesome. If you feel you have to commit to something less than that then by all means do so. It likely will be hard because it will mean choosing between some TV shows and probably cutting out all non christian movies completely for that week but you will find it equally uplifting and rewarding to do this.
Well that's it for today. Let me know through comment or email or facebook me if you are taking the challenge. I will even give you some of my favorite christian entertainment for you to try out below. Blessings my friends and praise be to the Alpha and Omega.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
List of Christian Music:
Air1 Radio
Christian Top 20 station on IheartRadio
Lecrae(Hip Hop/Rap)
KJ 52(Hip Hop/Rap)
Jamie Grace(Pop)
Skillet(Rock)
Owl City(Pop)
Jeremy Camp(Pop/Praise)
Jars of Clay(Sort of Aleternative/Pop)
Hawk Nelson(Punk Pop)
Five Iron Frenzy(Ska)
Toby Mac(Hip Hop/Pop)
Randy Travis(Country)
Bruce Carrol(Country)
God's Country Radio
There are countless Praise and Worship people Id suggest but a few of my favs are
Matt Redman
Chris Tomlin
Hillsong United
The City Harmonic(They are different for a worship group)
Paul Baloche
Also a good resource for some christian bands is A-Z Christian Bands and Genres
Monday, May 14, 2012
Happy Mothers Day
Prayer: Lord be with all the mothers out there. Thank you for the Godly women out there who are raising their families to fear and love you. I ask that you continue to give them strength to live as the women of God you have called them to be. In your son Jesus name. Amen
Verse of the Day: "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8 (ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Beautiful God by Jeremy West
First off I just want to say Happy Mother's day to all you mom's out there. Today we will talk about the blessing that Godly women are to the men around them. It is important to remember that even if you don't have kids you can still be a mother to many. A mom is more than someone that birthed you. Mom's are teachers as well.
I was very blessed to have a mom that taught me a lot and helped to mold me into the man I am today. This will be the 3rd year without my mom. Mom passed away from complications from cancer in November of 2009. Its amazing how tough my mom was. When mom got the news about her cancer she was determined to fight and did so valiantly. All during her cancer treatments, when most people would be sick in bed, she didn't miss work or any of my sporting or band events in high school. She had to miss one gymnastics meet the entire time I was in school. Mom made it a point to always be there for me even though I know she had to have been in pain or pretty ill. I was luckier than some people who's loved ones get cancer in that I got a lot of good time in with mom before she passed. Mom was always a source of strength for me personally and was a constant encourager of mine. He dedication to see me compete was more than enough for me. I feel very blessed in that. I saw some of my friends whose parent's never made it to their events and I knew that I was completely blessed. I love you and miss you mom but you taught me so many great lessons in life. I will forever have you in my heart.
I have also been lucky to have surrogate moms in my life as well. Currently my wife and I have a very dear friend that I would ascribe the moniker of mom to. I just want Miss Judy to understand that she means a great deal to me personally since I don't have my mom in my life anymore. We love you very much and thank you for love you have shown us. Thank you for opening up your home to us so often and feeding us. Thank you for also being a Godly influence on our lives. I appreciate your friendship more than you can know.
To connect all this to worship for our Creator which is the purpose of this blog, I would point to the 10 commandments. Honor your father and mother. Kids and adults alike remember to do that very thing. A great act of worship is in how you honor them. That is not just doing what mom and dad tell you but respecting them and loving them. Remember how hard your parents have worked to provide for you and remember it is their job to raise you so be sure to give them the thanks they deserve. Thank you to all you mom's out there on your special day.
Also I did not post the last few days so sorry about not having my daily readings on here but I hope you all got your 30 minutes in every day the last week. If you will commit to reading the word every day you will become equipped to stand up to and fight Satan. Also don't be afraid to share your testimony. One of our most powerful weapons is our testimony. Revelation 12:11 says "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..."
Until next time may you all be blessed by the Great I Am. All praise and honor and glory to his holy name.
Your Brother in Christ
Brian
Verse of the Day: "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8 (ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Beautiful God by Jeremy West
First off I just want to say Happy Mother's day to all you mom's out there. Today we will talk about the blessing that Godly women are to the men around them. It is important to remember that even if you don't have kids you can still be a mother to many. A mom is more than someone that birthed you. Mom's are teachers as well.
I was very blessed to have a mom that taught me a lot and helped to mold me into the man I am today. This will be the 3rd year without my mom. Mom passed away from complications from cancer in November of 2009. Its amazing how tough my mom was. When mom got the news about her cancer she was determined to fight and did so valiantly. All during her cancer treatments, when most people would be sick in bed, she didn't miss work or any of my sporting or band events in high school. She had to miss one gymnastics meet the entire time I was in school. Mom made it a point to always be there for me even though I know she had to have been in pain or pretty ill. I was luckier than some people who's loved ones get cancer in that I got a lot of good time in with mom before she passed. Mom was always a source of strength for me personally and was a constant encourager of mine. He dedication to see me compete was more than enough for me. I feel very blessed in that. I saw some of my friends whose parent's never made it to their events and I knew that I was completely blessed. I love you and miss you mom but you taught me so many great lessons in life. I will forever have you in my heart.
I have also been lucky to have surrogate moms in my life as well. Currently my wife and I have a very dear friend that I would ascribe the moniker of mom to. I just want Miss Judy to understand that she means a great deal to me personally since I don't have my mom in my life anymore. We love you very much and thank you for love you have shown us. Thank you for opening up your home to us so often and feeding us. Thank you for also being a Godly influence on our lives. I appreciate your friendship more than you can know.
To connect all this to worship for our Creator which is the purpose of this blog, I would point to the 10 commandments. Honor your father and mother. Kids and adults alike remember to do that very thing. A great act of worship is in how you honor them. That is not just doing what mom and dad tell you but respecting them and loving them. Remember how hard your parents have worked to provide for you and remember it is their job to raise you so be sure to give them the thanks they deserve. Thank you to all you mom's out there on your special day.
Also I did not post the last few days so sorry about not having my daily readings on here but I hope you all got your 30 minutes in every day the last week. If you will commit to reading the word every day you will become equipped to stand up to and fight Satan. Also don't be afraid to share your testimony. One of our most powerful weapons is our testimony. Revelation 12:11 says "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..."
Until next time may you all be blessed by the Great I Am. All praise and honor and glory to his holy name.
Your Brother in Christ
Brian
Friday, May 11, 2012
Thursday's Rain
Prayer: Dear Lord thank you for the rain you sent to us on Thursday. Thank you that you know the needs of your people and are faithful to fill those needs. I just ask that you continue to poor out your grace and wonders on your children. Amen
Verse of the Day: "Worthy are you our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
Worship Song of the Day: Agnus Dei by Michael W. Smith
Well we received a pretty good amount of rain around my area of Tx yesterday. The upshot is that we always need the rain since we would rather not have Abilene turn into a desert. The one down side was the parade for Western Heritage got cancelled so my wife didn't get to ride this year but it did give us a chance to do some spring cleaning. Today I want to touch on an area of worship that has alluded me completely.
The area I'm speaking about is house cleaning. Keeping a clean house could be a symbolic gesture to keeping a clean house of God. After all we house God's spirit in us when we become Christians. Do we really wan the creator living in a dirty house? I mean dirty literally and figuratively as well. Obviously taking good care of your body and staying clean is beneficial to your health but it is also pleasing to God. Look in the old testament at all the laws for cleanliness in Israel and tell me God didn't care how things looked. That doesn't mean you have to wear the finest clothes and jewelry, but it does mean you should take a little pride in your appearance. There are many times I have not followed this advice. If your ever depressed you may find it extremely hard to want to shower, shave, brush your teeth and other elements of good hygene. I have in the past been in that boat. I might be depressed or just super tired and don't feel like giving my body the attention it needs.
The second part is the figurative part. If we continue to live in sin then all we are doing is continually dirtying up the house and forcing God to continue cleaning. Its one of the reason the sin in our lives can so adversely affect our relationship with God. If your constantly asking God to forgive your sins your not building much of a healthy relationship with him. I do have a challenge that maybe we all honestly examine the sin in our lives and how we can work to change it. I would challenge you to take note of the sins you nottice in your life for just one day. I would guess the sin you nottice won't touch the tip of the sin you don't nottice. At least with the ones you nottice you can write down some ways to change them. After all we could all use some spring cleaning for our souls as well as our homes.
Well onto the reading for the day.
Judges 11-12
John 1:1-28
Psalm 101
Proverbs 14:13-14
Until tomorrow friends blessings to you all and to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "Worthy are you our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
Worship Song of the Day: Agnus Dei by Michael W. Smith
Well we received a pretty good amount of rain around my area of Tx yesterday. The upshot is that we always need the rain since we would rather not have Abilene turn into a desert. The one down side was the parade for Western Heritage got cancelled so my wife didn't get to ride this year but it did give us a chance to do some spring cleaning. Today I want to touch on an area of worship that has alluded me completely.
The area I'm speaking about is house cleaning. Keeping a clean house could be a symbolic gesture to keeping a clean house of God. After all we house God's spirit in us when we become Christians. Do we really wan the creator living in a dirty house? I mean dirty literally and figuratively as well. Obviously taking good care of your body and staying clean is beneficial to your health but it is also pleasing to God. Look in the old testament at all the laws for cleanliness in Israel and tell me God didn't care how things looked. That doesn't mean you have to wear the finest clothes and jewelry, but it does mean you should take a little pride in your appearance. There are many times I have not followed this advice. If your ever depressed you may find it extremely hard to want to shower, shave, brush your teeth and other elements of good hygene. I have in the past been in that boat. I might be depressed or just super tired and don't feel like giving my body the attention it needs.
The second part is the figurative part. If we continue to live in sin then all we are doing is continually dirtying up the house and forcing God to continue cleaning. Its one of the reason the sin in our lives can so adversely affect our relationship with God. If your constantly asking God to forgive your sins your not building much of a healthy relationship with him. I do have a challenge that maybe we all honestly examine the sin in our lives and how we can work to change it. I would challenge you to take note of the sins you nottice in your life for just one day. I would guess the sin you nottice won't touch the tip of the sin you don't nottice. At least with the ones you nottice you can write down some ways to change them. After all we could all use some spring cleaning for our souls as well as our homes.
Well onto the reading for the day.
Judges 11-12
John 1:1-28
Psalm 101
Proverbs 14:13-14
Until tomorrow friends blessings to you all and to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Short Post Today
Prayer: Lord, I just come before you now to thank you for the blessings of rain we have had. I ask that you would just continue to open my eyes to your wonders every day. In Jesus name, amen.
Verse of the Day: "You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might mong the peoples." Psalm 77:14(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: God of Wonders by Steve Hindalong and Mark Byrd
Well today I just want to briefly talk about God's wonders. As I was going through my day, I just started to think about all the wonders God displayed in the Bible. We serve a mighty God. Just looking at the plagues of Exodus alone is enough to see, but then you look to Revelation and Daniel about prophecy concerning the end times and you can see that God has more to show us. Also the idea that Jesus might or might not come back during my lifetime is an exciting prospect. I just want to encourage you to spend a little time reading revelation and Daniel today. My daily reading will be there today but I will share that below. In the mean time Thursday will be a fun day. I have a half day at work and then its off to the stables to prep horses for the parade. So hopefully I will have good things to share tomorrow. I promised a short post and I am going to honor that instead of rambling so look below at the reading for today and I will talk to you all tomorrow.
Reading List:
Daniel 7
Revelation 4
Psalm 132: 1-18
Proverbs 29: 24-25
May you all be blessed by the Great I Am. .
Your Brother in Christ
Brian
Verse of the Day: "You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might mong the peoples." Psalm 77:14(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: God of Wonders by Steve Hindalong and Mark Byrd
Well today I just want to briefly talk about God's wonders. As I was going through my day, I just started to think about all the wonders God displayed in the Bible. We serve a mighty God. Just looking at the plagues of Exodus alone is enough to see, but then you look to Revelation and Daniel about prophecy concerning the end times and you can see that God has more to show us. Also the idea that Jesus might or might not come back during my lifetime is an exciting prospect. I just want to encourage you to spend a little time reading revelation and Daniel today. My daily reading will be there today but I will share that below. In the mean time Thursday will be a fun day. I have a half day at work and then its off to the stables to prep horses for the parade. So hopefully I will have good things to share tomorrow. I promised a short post and I am going to honor that instead of rambling so look below at the reading for today and I will talk to you all tomorrow.
Reading List:
Daniel 7
Revelation 4
Psalm 132: 1-18
Proverbs 29: 24-25
May you all be blessed by the Great I Am. .
Your Brother in Christ
Brian
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
A Little Lighter Subject Matter
Sorry of the delay of getting this posted. Just know when I say today I mean Tuesday and tomorrow means today which is now Wednesday. Blessings.
Prayer: Father, I come to you now humbly seeking your face. Lord I pray that there were those that were encouraged and helped by what we talked about yesterday. I also pray that you would begin working on the hearts of those affected by that sin as you have been working on mine. Thank you for your grace and mercy in this and in all areas of our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.
Verse of the Day: "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your ham, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faightulness by night" Psalm 92 1-2(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: We Give Thanks by Brenton Dowdy, Cara Dowdy, and Even Young
Well today was a great day. To start off I realize most of you will have never heard of the worship song listed above but It was written by one of the worship leaders at my church and it is an awesome song. I don't believe its available for download on itunes yet as Im not sure they have recorded it. But as soon as I know I will let you guys know.
I just want to take a moment to express how greatful I am from those that left comments or messaged me. Thank you for your support and for those that are going through dealing with this type of sin I hope yesterday helped you out.
Well, on to the events of the day. I had a pretty awesome day really. I think there are ups and downs in every day but the ups outweighed any bads and the bads weren't all that bad if you catch what I mean. Things at work went well and then my wife and I got to have dinner and fellowship with some friends. Also just because I'm a huge Texas Rangers fan I was happy to listen to the game last night as Josh Hamilton hit 4 HR's. Okay so enough about that how about our topic for today.
Today I want to hit on what musical worship means to me. I have played guitar since I was a senior in high school. My former youth pastor Mike taught me my first 3 chords and I have pretty well taught myself since. I learned how to play guitar specifically for worship. Since I was saved I have felt the call that worship was where I belonged. In the beginning of my walk I only saw that as songs and singing but of course I have since come to know its much more than that. Even before I was saved though, music always spoke to my soul. I was singing to songs as far back as I can remember. I have never been good mind you but I still sing just as loud as if I were at a rock concert. I also have always been quite diverse in the music I listened to. I grew up largely on country and classic rock but soon branced into pop and rock and later even hip hop. Mostly everything I listen to know would be classified as Christian in front of it.
So even though my musical taste is very eclectic my favorite music is still praise and worship music. It and some country are basically the only things I play on my guitar. I have played with groups and enjoy that but it is nothing like the satisfaction of sitting down with just me, my guitar and God. I often tell my wife that when I am worshiping that it is the time I feel closest to God. This is another goal of this Blog is me discovering other ways to achieve that same feeling of closeness when I don't have my guitar in my hands. I have done some song writing but I confess I'm not often a motivated writer. Though I am really starting to try to discover what God might have for me in this arena. This is one area of my worship I really want to grow in if God has that for me to do.
I am looking forward to picking up my guitar tomorrow and playing a little when I get home from the stables. While I don't often get to play every day. There is not a day goes by that I'm not worshiping even if its just by putting a CD on and singing along and reflecting on God's grace. I hope that through this Blog I am able to grown my understanding of worship into a full blown life of worship and I hope you too can discover those elements of worship that you never knew were there.
Well onto tomorrow's bible reading,
1 Samuel 14
John 7: 31-53
Psalm 109: 1-31
Proverbs 15: 5-7
Well until tomorrow keep on with a heart of worship. May the peace that passes all understanding be with you as you walk with the Lord tomorrow.
Your brother in Christ,
Brian
Prayer: Father, I come to you now humbly seeking your face. Lord I pray that there were those that were encouraged and helped by what we talked about yesterday. I also pray that you would begin working on the hearts of those affected by that sin as you have been working on mine. Thank you for your grace and mercy in this and in all areas of our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.
Verse of the Day: "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your ham, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faightulness by night" Psalm 92 1-2(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: We Give Thanks by Brenton Dowdy, Cara Dowdy, and Even Young
Well today was a great day. To start off I realize most of you will have never heard of the worship song listed above but It was written by one of the worship leaders at my church and it is an awesome song. I don't believe its available for download on itunes yet as Im not sure they have recorded it. But as soon as I know I will let you guys know.
I just want to take a moment to express how greatful I am from those that left comments or messaged me. Thank you for your support and for those that are going through dealing with this type of sin I hope yesterday helped you out.
Well, on to the events of the day. I had a pretty awesome day really. I think there are ups and downs in every day but the ups outweighed any bads and the bads weren't all that bad if you catch what I mean. Things at work went well and then my wife and I got to have dinner and fellowship with some friends. Also just because I'm a huge Texas Rangers fan I was happy to listen to the game last night as Josh Hamilton hit 4 HR's. Okay so enough about that how about our topic for today.
Today I want to hit on what musical worship means to me. I have played guitar since I was a senior in high school. My former youth pastor Mike taught me my first 3 chords and I have pretty well taught myself since. I learned how to play guitar specifically for worship. Since I was saved I have felt the call that worship was where I belonged. In the beginning of my walk I only saw that as songs and singing but of course I have since come to know its much more than that. Even before I was saved though, music always spoke to my soul. I was singing to songs as far back as I can remember. I have never been good mind you but I still sing just as loud as if I were at a rock concert. I also have always been quite diverse in the music I listened to. I grew up largely on country and classic rock but soon branced into pop and rock and later even hip hop. Mostly everything I listen to know would be classified as Christian in front of it.
So even though my musical taste is very eclectic my favorite music is still praise and worship music. It and some country are basically the only things I play on my guitar. I have played with groups and enjoy that but it is nothing like the satisfaction of sitting down with just me, my guitar and God. I often tell my wife that when I am worshiping that it is the time I feel closest to God. This is another goal of this Blog is me discovering other ways to achieve that same feeling of closeness when I don't have my guitar in my hands. I have done some song writing but I confess I'm not often a motivated writer. Though I am really starting to try to discover what God might have for me in this arena. This is one area of my worship I really want to grow in if God has that for me to do.
I am looking forward to picking up my guitar tomorrow and playing a little when I get home from the stables. While I don't often get to play every day. There is not a day goes by that I'm not worshiping even if its just by putting a CD on and singing along and reflecting on God's grace. I hope that through this Blog I am able to grown my understanding of worship into a full blown life of worship and I hope you too can discover those elements of worship that you never knew were there.
Well onto tomorrow's bible reading,
1 Samuel 14
John 7: 31-53
Psalm 109: 1-31
Proverbs 15: 5-7
Well until tomorrow keep on with a heart of worship. May the peace that passes all understanding be with you as you walk with the Lord tomorrow.
Your brother in Christ,
Brian
Monday, May 7, 2012
Bible Reading and Some Struggles(Warning Adult Subject Matter)
Word of Warning before we begin. I will broach the topic of sexual sin today and my struggles with it. So if your a young one this may be a conversation that is best skipped. I will be tasteful as I can with this subject but it is still what it is. I can tell you this isn't easy to talk about even on a Blog where no one can see me. As I have friends and even family that read this Blog, many of them are going to learn of this for the first time today.
Prayer: Lord help me clear my mind of impure thought and guide me in your word as I draw closer to you. Thank you Lord for all you have done and all you continue to do. Amen
Verse of the Day: "You have heard that i was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28
Worship Song of the Day: Overcome by the Desperation Band
Okay to start off an update on the bible reading. All went well today in my reading. I found myself over reading a bit over my goal. I will continue tomorrow with a similar format, but more of that at the bottom.
On to today's post. This is my first post having to do with a type of sexual sin. This time it took place completely in my mind, but as Jesus said above in Matthew all it takes to be in sin is for your gaze to be lustful. Today I had a moment of weakness. Luckily it never turned physical but I allowed my mind to drift to a certain Hollywood starlet that was on Yahoo today and all I could think was lustful thoughts towards her. I am grateful that I was able to control my physical urges to do something about it but that is far from where I wan to be in this struggle with sexual sin. One of my goals is to, with God's help, transform my mind to where I do not look upon any women but my wife in a sexual manor. I want to get to a point where I recognize beauty with no need to objectify the women that I see. When any of us objectify women in this way we are denying worship to the creator and we are worshiping the creation. Sexual sin is one of self worship.
My struggles with this started when I was quite young. I first viewed a nude women at the age of about 8 and even at that age when I had not reached any sort of sexual maturity I was already hooked. Any excuse to look and watch I was going to take. Even if it was just the bra and pantie ads in the news paper. Being exposed at that age to that skewed my views on right and wrong when it came to sex and prevented me from having a relationship with a women in which I did not try to sexualize things. Even after becoming saved at the age of 14, I still had no idea how to control my mind. I eventually learned that viewing those things and pleasuring myself were indeed sexual sin but at that point I was addicted and I never even thought to seek help in any way.
Fast forward with me to me getting married. I never knew how much my addiction affected my relationships and how much it could have cost me in my marriage. Luckily I am married to a wonderful and understanding partner who has encouraged me and given me great support. There have been times where I was sure I had this thing beat because I would avoid pornography for a few weeks and then in a moment of weakness Satan would drag me back into this world of fake love.
All this time I have thought I can do it all by myself, I don't need anyone to overcome this. The truth is that anyone struggling with addiction needs help. I would not dare put God in a box to say he couldn't or wouldn't instantly deliver someone from any addiction but most of the time God is looking for us to meet him half way. All I'm saying fellas is get a support group. I can promise you guys and gals there are many many others out there struggling with this. Even though its a secret sin that is not often seen by anyone but the sinner and sometimes their family, its still very prevalent in our society. Check with your church and get in a men's group or a women's group and get someone to help keep you accountable.
The second part of dealing with sexual sin is that you have to transform the way your mind views things. The problem I have run into time and again is that I never tried to change my mind from viewing women sexually and just simply tried to avoid seeing women with very little clothing on. Guys transforming your mind is essential to fighting Satan on this. Pastor David said on Sunday we have the choice to take a stand and refuse to objectify women.
Well I am ready to make that stand and I hope all you men out there are ready for that too. If you struggle with this form of sin please email me or talk to a pastor or a friend or someone you can trust. I can tell you if you email me there will be no judgement passed on you. After all this is my struggle as well so how bad would I be to somehow pass judgement on you.
Okay so that may have seemed totally aimed at men but I also want to say that this problem isn't just a problem for men. Though men are wired visually and women typically aren't, doesn't mean that there aren't women who struggle with this same sin. So ladies please do get help yourselves. Go to someone you can trust who isn't a male and get help.
I'm going to leave it at that for now. This subject I'm sure will come up again as it is in ongoing struggle and one that is not easily defeated. But as the worship song of the day says we will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. That is a powerful tool in our fight with Satan. Don't let your sin stay secret and let it control you any more.
okay on to tomorrows Bible reading. I find that the One Year Bible reading plan hits what I was looking for. Its an OT, NT Psalm and Proverb passage every day. So I will continue this week using this plan.
Psalm 108:1-13
1 Samuel 12-13
John 7:1-30
Proverbs 15:4
Well until next time, blessings to you and yours. And remember we will overcome. Praise to our redeemer and savior Jesus Christ.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Also here is my email for anyone desiring to contact me about our topic today.
WorshipWarrior83@gmail.com.
Prayer: Lord help me clear my mind of impure thought and guide me in your word as I draw closer to you. Thank you Lord for all you have done and all you continue to do. Amen
Verse of the Day: "You have heard that i was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28
Worship Song of the Day: Overcome by the Desperation Band
Okay to start off an update on the bible reading. All went well today in my reading. I found myself over reading a bit over my goal. I will continue tomorrow with a similar format, but more of that at the bottom.
On to today's post. This is my first post having to do with a type of sexual sin. This time it took place completely in my mind, but as Jesus said above in Matthew all it takes to be in sin is for your gaze to be lustful. Today I had a moment of weakness. Luckily it never turned physical but I allowed my mind to drift to a certain Hollywood starlet that was on Yahoo today and all I could think was lustful thoughts towards her. I am grateful that I was able to control my physical urges to do something about it but that is far from where I wan to be in this struggle with sexual sin. One of my goals is to, with God's help, transform my mind to where I do not look upon any women but my wife in a sexual manor. I want to get to a point where I recognize beauty with no need to objectify the women that I see. When any of us objectify women in this way we are denying worship to the creator and we are worshiping the creation. Sexual sin is one of self worship.
My struggles with this started when I was quite young. I first viewed a nude women at the age of about 8 and even at that age when I had not reached any sort of sexual maturity I was already hooked. Any excuse to look and watch I was going to take. Even if it was just the bra and pantie ads in the news paper. Being exposed at that age to that skewed my views on right and wrong when it came to sex and prevented me from having a relationship with a women in which I did not try to sexualize things. Even after becoming saved at the age of 14, I still had no idea how to control my mind. I eventually learned that viewing those things and pleasuring myself were indeed sexual sin but at that point I was addicted and I never even thought to seek help in any way.
Fast forward with me to me getting married. I never knew how much my addiction affected my relationships and how much it could have cost me in my marriage. Luckily I am married to a wonderful and understanding partner who has encouraged me and given me great support. There have been times where I was sure I had this thing beat because I would avoid pornography for a few weeks and then in a moment of weakness Satan would drag me back into this world of fake love.
All this time I have thought I can do it all by myself, I don't need anyone to overcome this. The truth is that anyone struggling with addiction needs help. I would not dare put God in a box to say he couldn't or wouldn't instantly deliver someone from any addiction but most of the time God is looking for us to meet him half way. All I'm saying fellas is get a support group. I can promise you guys and gals there are many many others out there struggling with this. Even though its a secret sin that is not often seen by anyone but the sinner and sometimes their family, its still very prevalent in our society. Check with your church and get in a men's group or a women's group and get someone to help keep you accountable.
The second part of dealing with sexual sin is that you have to transform the way your mind views things. The problem I have run into time and again is that I never tried to change my mind from viewing women sexually and just simply tried to avoid seeing women with very little clothing on. Guys transforming your mind is essential to fighting Satan on this. Pastor David said on Sunday we have the choice to take a stand and refuse to objectify women.
Well I am ready to make that stand and I hope all you men out there are ready for that too. If you struggle with this form of sin please email me or talk to a pastor or a friend or someone you can trust. I can tell you if you email me there will be no judgement passed on you. After all this is my struggle as well so how bad would I be to somehow pass judgement on you.
Okay so that may have seemed totally aimed at men but I also want to say that this problem isn't just a problem for men. Though men are wired visually and women typically aren't, doesn't mean that there aren't women who struggle with this same sin. So ladies please do get help yourselves. Go to someone you can trust who isn't a male and get help.
I'm going to leave it at that for now. This subject I'm sure will come up again as it is in ongoing struggle and one that is not easily defeated. But as the worship song of the day says we will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. That is a powerful tool in our fight with Satan. Don't let your sin stay secret and let it control you any more.
okay on to tomorrows Bible reading. I find that the One Year Bible reading plan hits what I was looking for. Its an OT, NT Psalm and Proverb passage every day. So I will continue this week using this plan.
Psalm 108:1-13
1 Samuel 12-13
John 7:1-30
Proverbs 15:4
Well until next time, blessings to you and yours. And remember we will overcome. Praise to our redeemer and savior Jesus Christ.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Also here is my email for anyone desiring to contact me about our topic today.
WorshipWarrior83@gmail.com.
Sunday Worship
Prayer: Lord will you give me the ability to live out the call of God on my life as a man? Grant me the strength to be the protector of my home and to protect the honor of the women in my life. Thank you for your unending grace. In your name I pray. Amen
Verse of the Day: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" Psalm 34:8(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Oh Taste and See by Brian and Jenn Johnson
Today's post will be a bit more focused on manhood today as that is what is currently on my mind. Well to share a bit from church today. Pastor David has been preaching about the equality, yet differences, between men and women the last few weeks. This week was a focus on men of God and what we are called to be. Something that struck home with me was in man's purpose to be protectors. I have never given enough thought to my role as a man of God. I have thought about my place in the kingdom and what ministry I was called to, but never to my role as a man. I've always known what was expected of me as a man from societies point of view, but who does God say I need to be?
The truth is that we as men are called to be protectors of our home and righteous leaders. This call is not to make us dictators of our household but to be loving serving protectors of it. In fact its just another aspect of worship that can be lived out. Is it not worship to protect the creators creation? The fact is we are at war and it is a war, not of flesh and blood, but one of a deeply spiritual nature. If it were a war of flesh and blood, Id fight it but anyone who knows me, knows it would be a short fight. Pastor made a good point today, if we want to fight this fight and protect our household and all our brothers and sisters from the sting of the enemy. Then we have to engage in the guide to war. Our guide is not about machine guns and bazookas, but about prayer and praise. How can we use our sword if we never practice with it? The bible is our sword in the armor of God and we must train with it as faithfully as a soldier would with his rifle.
I urge you men and women do not go into battle without knowing how to use your equipment. This is a place of personal struggle for me because I always feel I don't read the bible enough. Is your only exposure to the bible on Sunday? Have you made a commitment to read every day? The bible says that God desires those that worship in spirit and in truth. How can you worship in truth if you don't know what the ultimate truth says?
So I am going to issue another challenge. This is a challenge more for myself than anything but all that would join with me on this challenge, will find the tools you need to fight Satan and what he would have us become. My challenge is that you commit to spend at least 30 minutes a day reading the word. That's one sitcom worth of time. If you have to break it up then by all means do, but lets stop letting Satan dictate our lives to us because we don't know the truth about his great lie. Lets set this challenge at a week. 30 minutes a day for a week. Can you do it? Can I do it? I even have a suggestion for how you can do it. Pick a passage from the OT, the NT and a Psalm every day this week. I will post what my passages will be every day in my blog. If you want then please feel free to read along with me. Lets go on a great adventure in the pages of the living word.
Here is my bible reading for tomorrow.
Psalm 1
Genesis 1-3
Romans 1-2
Now I'm not sure how close to 30 minutes that will figure for me but Id say its a good place to start. If you find you whip through it too quickly pick up a couple more psalms. Good luck brothers and sisters
Until next time my friends, praise and honor and glory to Yahweh the almighty and unto the lamb who sits on the throne.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" Psalm 34:8(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Oh Taste and See by Brian and Jenn Johnson
Today's post will be a bit more focused on manhood today as that is what is currently on my mind. Well to share a bit from church today. Pastor David has been preaching about the equality, yet differences, between men and women the last few weeks. This week was a focus on men of God and what we are called to be. Something that struck home with me was in man's purpose to be protectors. I have never given enough thought to my role as a man of God. I have thought about my place in the kingdom and what ministry I was called to, but never to my role as a man. I've always known what was expected of me as a man from societies point of view, but who does God say I need to be?
The truth is that we as men are called to be protectors of our home and righteous leaders. This call is not to make us dictators of our household but to be loving serving protectors of it. In fact its just another aspect of worship that can be lived out. Is it not worship to protect the creators creation? The fact is we are at war and it is a war, not of flesh and blood, but one of a deeply spiritual nature. If it were a war of flesh and blood, Id fight it but anyone who knows me, knows it would be a short fight. Pastor made a good point today, if we want to fight this fight and protect our household and all our brothers and sisters from the sting of the enemy. Then we have to engage in the guide to war. Our guide is not about machine guns and bazookas, but about prayer and praise. How can we use our sword if we never practice with it? The bible is our sword in the armor of God and we must train with it as faithfully as a soldier would with his rifle.
I urge you men and women do not go into battle without knowing how to use your equipment. This is a place of personal struggle for me because I always feel I don't read the bible enough. Is your only exposure to the bible on Sunday? Have you made a commitment to read every day? The bible says that God desires those that worship in spirit and in truth. How can you worship in truth if you don't know what the ultimate truth says?
So I am going to issue another challenge. This is a challenge more for myself than anything but all that would join with me on this challenge, will find the tools you need to fight Satan and what he would have us become. My challenge is that you commit to spend at least 30 minutes a day reading the word. That's one sitcom worth of time. If you have to break it up then by all means do, but lets stop letting Satan dictate our lives to us because we don't know the truth about his great lie. Lets set this challenge at a week. 30 minutes a day for a week. Can you do it? Can I do it? I even have a suggestion for how you can do it. Pick a passage from the OT, the NT and a Psalm every day this week. I will post what my passages will be every day in my blog. If you want then please feel free to read along with me. Lets go on a great adventure in the pages of the living word.
Here is my bible reading for tomorrow.
Psalm 1
Genesis 1-3
Romans 1-2
Now I'm not sure how close to 30 minutes that will figure for me but Id say its a good place to start. If you find you whip through it too quickly pick up a couple more psalms. Good luck brothers and sisters
Until next time my friends, praise and honor and glory to Yahweh the almighty and unto the lamb who sits on the throne.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Saturday, May 5, 2012
At Work and Play
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for this gorgeous day today. I pray for my pastor, that you would guide his words tomorrow as he speaks your word. I also pray for the worship team, that they would be an example of true worship, not just tomorrow but also in their every day life. Thank you as always for the sacrifice your son Jesus gave us on the cross. In his name I pray. Amen
Verse of the Day: "You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you." Nehemiah 9:6
Worship Song of the Day: Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture
So first things first, how did everyone do with the prayer challenge today? I just finished by 10th prayer above. I will say it was harder to do than I anticipated. It requires that you are quite frequently thinking about God. The greatest thing I got out of it today was that I noticed and thanked God more for the beauty of his creation. I found myself several times today while I was out at the stables just silently praising God for so many things. This morning started out like I thought it would. With me asking God to give me a heart for the yard work I did. I still have weed eating to do tomorrow but praise the Lord I got the mowing done today. The yard work didn't seem as bad today. Maybe that was because of the fact that the last few times Ive done it with a weed eater and this time I borrowed dad's mower and so it wasn't a half a day adventure.
After getting the yard done, I got a little worship time in with my guitar and God. Oh and my dog Bret joined in too. As I was worshiping I felt so alive. I had just accomplished something and now I was getting to spend time doing one of my favorite activities. One thing I have always said to my wife is that I never feel as close to God as I do when I am singing in worship. Part of the point of this Blog is my journey to discovering ways to always feel that close to him. All too often I fell into the trap most of us are guilty of and that is only focusing on God for a couple of hours on Sunday morning or when I have some down time with nothing to fill it with. In reality our real focus should be God and everything else should just be the time we are filling between worship sessions or prayer sessions.
So between working in the yard and playing at the stables I felt a closeness with God today that I can hardly describe. On top of all that Rags(my horse I ride) and I got to swim together for the first time. What an exhilarating experience that was. I was laughing and having a great time, even when Rags got a bit scared and I sort of fell off in the water. Also as a disclaimer please kids never ever try to swim or go through water on a horse without adult supervision and preferably with an experienced horse person. So today showed me that worship can happen at work and play. All the time I was spending with Ragzilla today I was praising God for the bond between horse and rider and that he saw fit to give man dominion over the animals and saw fit to give us such beautiful creatures as horses to be our companions.
Well I believe we shall leave it there for tonight. Church in the morning. I can't wait. Then going to see Avengers and doing the weed eating. Remember this is the day that the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it. Blessings to you and yours. All praise to the Prince of Peace.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you." Nehemiah 9:6
Worship Song of the Day: Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture
So first things first, how did everyone do with the prayer challenge today? I just finished by 10th prayer above. I will say it was harder to do than I anticipated. It requires that you are quite frequently thinking about God. The greatest thing I got out of it today was that I noticed and thanked God more for the beauty of his creation. I found myself several times today while I was out at the stables just silently praising God for so many things. This morning started out like I thought it would. With me asking God to give me a heart for the yard work I did. I still have weed eating to do tomorrow but praise the Lord I got the mowing done today. The yard work didn't seem as bad today. Maybe that was because of the fact that the last few times Ive done it with a weed eater and this time I borrowed dad's mower and so it wasn't a half a day adventure.
After getting the yard done, I got a little worship time in with my guitar and God. Oh and my dog Bret joined in too. As I was worshiping I felt so alive. I had just accomplished something and now I was getting to spend time doing one of my favorite activities. One thing I have always said to my wife is that I never feel as close to God as I do when I am singing in worship. Part of the point of this Blog is my journey to discovering ways to always feel that close to him. All too often I fell into the trap most of us are guilty of and that is only focusing on God for a couple of hours on Sunday morning or when I have some down time with nothing to fill it with. In reality our real focus should be God and everything else should just be the time we are filling between worship sessions or prayer sessions.
So between working in the yard and playing at the stables I felt a closeness with God today that I can hardly describe. On top of all that Rags(my horse I ride) and I got to swim together for the first time. What an exhilarating experience that was. I was laughing and having a great time, even when Rags got a bit scared and I sort of fell off in the water. Also as a disclaimer please kids never ever try to swim or go through water on a horse without adult supervision and preferably with an experienced horse person. So today showed me that worship can happen at work and play. All the time I was spending with Ragzilla today I was praising God for the bond between horse and rider and that he saw fit to give man dominion over the animals and saw fit to give us such beautiful creatures as horses to be our companions.
Well I believe we shall leave it there for tonight. Church in the morning. I can't wait. Then going to see Avengers and doing the weed eating. Remember this is the day that the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it. Blessings to you and yours. All praise to the Prince of Peace.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Friday, May 4, 2012
More Praying Without Ceasing
Prayer: Daddy, Thank you for the blessings in my day. Thank you for my friends at the stables and the joy they all bring into my life. Lord I ask that you would bless and keep them and guide them ever in your ways. In your blessed son Jesus' name. Amen.
Verse of the Day: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18)
Verse of the Day: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18)
Pray Without Ceasing
Before we start sorry for the delay in getting posted. My Internet went down at home last night so I had to save posting this till this morning. Now to your regularly schedule Blog.
Prayer: Lord thank you as always for your grace and mercy and all the blessings you have granted in my life. Father I ask that you give me a heart for prayer and a greater love for spending time in your presence. In Jesus name, Amen
Verse of the Day: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Give Us Clean Hands by Charlie Hall
As I was going through my day Thursday I kept thinking about the above verse and realized I have an easier time with rejoicing always than I do with praying without ceasing or giving thanks in all circumstances. For some reason prayer is one of those areas of my relationship with Christ I haven't spent nearly enough time on. Even in my quite time I spend more time reading the word or worshiping than I do just having a conversation with God. I started to dwell on how to have a more prayerful life and where that starts.
I think sometimes that we might think God doesn't need to be bothered about the little things in my daily life, but in reality God desires to hear from us always. He has called us into relationship with him. Like any parent he wants to hear from his children frequently. What God seems to be revealing to me about that is if your not willing to take the small things to me, how much more likely are you to delay bringing the big things to me. I think this is likely one of the biggest challenges for me. I sometimes feel like I'm taking advantage of God by asking him to intervene in my problems even though I know that is what his word says he wants from me. So I am trying to make a stronger commitment to praying about the small things as well as the large. I have been praying that God would turn me into a prayer warrior.
Another thing that I sometimes loose sight of is that I don't always have to have a problem to talk to God. This is where giving thanks comes in. Sometimes things might just be going well and I desire nothing but in those times I need to remind God how much I love him and how thankful I am that he loves me. He doesn't need to hear it but I need to say it. It is great that I have a God who loves me and I need him to hear that from me more. Its much like saying I love you to my wife. There have been times I have gone days without uttering it, during those days I didn't stop loving my wife but I didn't think about telling her how much she means to me. It works the same way with God. Just because I haven't been telling him thank you enough and how much I love him doesn't mean I don't. It is important however that I remind God how much I love him, not for his benefit but for my own. God is not dependant on me in any way but I am dependant on God.
When you pray without ceasing as the above verse describes what you are really doing is putting God first in all things. If your first thought before an activity is of God then you are putting him before all things. Also if your focus throughout your day is on God, it makes it easier to say no to sin.
Finally, I will say that prayer is a true act of Worship. Be ever prayerful in through your day and lets grow together in that.
Well I shall leave it there for today. As always I hope you are very blessed and I will be praying for you all as I endeavor to become a true prayer warrior. Praise be to the Great I AM.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Prayer: Lord thank you as always for your grace and mercy and all the blessings you have granted in my life. Father I ask that you give me a heart for prayer and a greater love for spending time in your presence. In Jesus name, Amen
Verse of the Day: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Give Us Clean Hands by Charlie Hall
As I was going through my day Thursday I kept thinking about the above verse and realized I have an easier time with rejoicing always than I do with praying without ceasing or giving thanks in all circumstances. For some reason prayer is one of those areas of my relationship with Christ I haven't spent nearly enough time on. Even in my quite time I spend more time reading the word or worshiping than I do just having a conversation with God. I started to dwell on how to have a more prayerful life and where that starts.
I think sometimes that we might think God doesn't need to be bothered about the little things in my daily life, but in reality God desires to hear from us always. He has called us into relationship with him. Like any parent he wants to hear from his children frequently. What God seems to be revealing to me about that is if your not willing to take the small things to me, how much more likely are you to delay bringing the big things to me. I think this is likely one of the biggest challenges for me. I sometimes feel like I'm taking advantage of God by asking him to intervene in my problems even though I know that is what his word says he wants from me. So I am trying to make a stronger commitment to praying about the small things as well as the large. I have been praying that God would turn me into a prayer warrior.
Another thing that I sometimes loose sight of is that I don't always have to have a problem to talk to God. This is where giving thanks comes in. Sometimes things might just be going well and I desire nothing but in those times I need to remind God how much I love him and how thankful I am that he loves me. He doesn't need to hear it but I need to say it. It is great that I have a God who loves me and I need him to hear that from me more. Its much like saying I love you to my wife. There have been times I have gone days without uttering it, during those days I didn't stop loving my wife but I didn't think about telling her how much she means to me. It works the same way with God. Just because I haven't been telling him thank you enough and how much I love him doesn't mean I don't. It is important however that I remind God how much I love him, not for his benefit but for my own. God is not dependant on me in any way but I am dependant on God.
When you pray without ceasing as the above verse describes what you are really doing is putting God first in all things. If your first thought before an activity is of God then you are putting him before all things. Also if your focus throughout your day is on God, it makes it easier to say no to sin.
Finally, I will say that prayer is a true act of Worship. Be ever prayerful in through your day and lets grow together in that.
Well I shall leave it there for today. As always I hope you are very blessed and I will be praying for you all as I endeavor to become a true prayer warrior. Praise be to the Great I AM.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Worship in the Saddle
Prayer for the day: Lord thank you for the beauty of your creation. Thank you for allowing me to walk through life with so many great friends and such a great family. Grant me peace throughout my day and give me strength to stand against Satan and his forces. In your son Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Verse of the Day: "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Friend of God by Israel Houghton.
As I sit to write this at the end of a long but fulfilling day, I can't help but reflect on the awe I feel that God has called me friend. Despite my iniquities and my sins, God saw fit to save me and call me into relationship with him.When I think of the sacrifice he made by sending his one and only son to die for me, I cannot help but praise him.
Today as I sat on my horse in the beauty of the environment around me, I thought how lucky I am and how much I have to be thankful for. Its awesome to think that everything I do can be considered an act of worship. Even the way I ride or the work I do at the stables can be considered an act of worship. God has blessed my wife and I with some amazing friends that own stables just outside of town. We have the chance to help them out and bless them with physical labor and they in turn bless us in more ways than we can count. I have noticed that the attitude with witch your work and play determines if it would be considered worship to God. The more time I spend out there the more my heart for service is opened. There was a time when the thought of physical labor,especially outside in the heat, would have made me plop right down on my couch and take a nap. Now I have found a new love for physical work that I didn't know existed in me and I can only attribute this to God working a change in my life.
There is still some complaining in my with house hold chores but I am trying to get better every day. When my wife asks me to do something I find myself grumbling less and wanting to do it to help make her day better. So my goal for tomorrow is to have a joyful heart for service at work tomorrow and to spend my lunch break reading the word instead of watching Netflix. Since this will likely be read by most of you on Thursday anyways I won't say goodnight but instead until next time.
Be Blessed by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
Brian Woodyard
Verse of the Day: "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Friend of God by Israel Houghton.
As I sit to write this at the end of a long but fulfilling day, I can't help but reflect on the awe I feel that God has called me friend. Despite my iniquities and my sins, God saw fit to save me and call me into relationship with him.When I think of the sacrifice he made by sending his one and only son to die for me, I cannot help but praise him.
Today as I sat on my horse in the beauty of the environment around me, I thought how lucky I am and how much I have to be thankful for. Its awesome to think that everything I do can be considered an act of worship. Even the way I ride or the work I do at the stables can be considered an act of worship. God has blessed my wife and I with some amazing friends that own stables just outside of town. We have the chance to help them out and bless them with physical labor and they in turn bless us in more ways than we can count. I have noticed that the attitude with witch your work and play determines if it would be considered worship to God. The more time I spend out there the more my heart for service is opened. There was a time when the thought of physical labor,especially outside in the heat, would have made me plop right down on my couch and take a nap. Now I have found a new love for physical work that I didn't know existed in me and I can only attribute this to God working a change in my life.
There is still some complaining in my with house hold chores but I am trying to get better every day. When my wife asks me to do something I find myself grumbling less and wanting to do it to help make her day better. So my goal for tomorrow is to have a joyful heart for service at work tomorrow and to spend my lunch break reading the word instead of watching Netflix. Since this will likely be read by most of you on Thursday anyways I won't say goodnight but instead until next time.
Be Blessed by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
Brian Woodyard
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
A morning of reflection
Prayer for the day: Lord I ask that you grant me the ability to recognize my faults and the strength to change those things I do or say that prevent me being closer to you. Amen.
Verse of the Day: "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man."- Proverbs 27:19(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Beautiful One by Tim Hughes
I am a member of a Christian bowling league in my home town and I was reflecting over our night last night. It is clear to me that there are those that are there for the fellowship and the bowling is second ,and then there are others so wrapped up in the bowling that when they have a bad night of bowling all they do is complain about every little thing that annoys them. I have realized that at times I have been a little of both. The team we bowled against last night however is the only team that is so focused on competition. They have already intimated they would not return to the league next year.
The attitude they have made me think more about my attitude and how sometimes, I too get an attitude like that. Just this morning one of my co-workers called in sick and this co-worker has been sick a lot lately. Since he does the same job as me when one of us is sick it makes a big impact on the other. Instead of being understanding I have been guilty of complaining of the increased workload and even intimated that I didn't believe he was sick most of the times. Its not my place to make that judgement or to complaining about doing my job but its easy to do in situations where your day gets thrown off a bit by something unexpected.
That has a lot of parallels in my relationship with God. When something throws off my day it tends to have a greater impact on if and when I will worship God. Worship is not just songs we sing but also how we serve others. My job is to serve others and help with their hearing needs but if I do it with a grumble because I let a co-worker or my home life get to me then I am failing to worship God in my work. So I find I must stop and pray and return my focus to the King of Kings and in doing this I find my attitude changes back to one of joy and peace.
Jesus has revealed to me that I must be not so quick to judgement of others and just focus on how I can best serve him and the people in my life.
Until next time. Blessings to you and may your worship be as incense to the Lord of Lords.
Blessings,
Brian
Verse of the Day: "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man."- Proverbs 27:19(ESV)
Worship Song of the Day: Beautiful One by Tim Hughes
I am a member of a Christian bowling league in my home town and I was reflecting over our night last night. It is clear to me that there are those that are there for the fellowship and the bowling is second ,and then there are others so wrapped up in the bowling that when they have a bad night of bowling all they do is complain about every little thing that annoys them. I have realized that at times I have been a little of both. The team we bowled against last night however is the only team that is so focused on competition. They have already intimated they would not return to the league next year.
The attitude they have made me think more about my attitude and how sometimes, I too get an attitude like that. Just this morning one of my co-workers called in sick and this co-worker has been sick a lot lately. Since he does the same job as me when one of us is sick it makes a big impact on the other. Instead of being understanding I have been guilty of complaining of the increased workload and even intimated that I didn't believe he was sick most of the times. Its not my place to make that judgement or to complaining about doing my job but its easy to do in situations where your day gets thrown off a bit by something unexpected.
That has a lot of parallels in my relationship with God. When something throws off my day it tends to have a greater impact on if and when I will worship God. Worship is not just songs we sing but also how we serve others. My job is to serve others and help with their hearing needs but if I do it with a grumble because I let a co-worker or my home life get to me then I am failing to worship God in my work. So I find I must stop and pray and return my focus to the King of Kings and in doing this I find my attitude changes back to one of joy and peace.
Jesus has revealed to me that I must be not so quick to judgement of others and just focus on how I can best serve him and the people in my life.
Until next time. Blessings to you and may your worship be as incense to the Lord of Lords.
Blessings,
Brian
Monday, April 30, 2012
Welcome
Welcome to my Blog. My name is Brian and I just wish to share my life with your as I attempt to live a life of worship. I want this to be a real Blog that contains my struggles with living my life for Christ. There will be posts about how my life is going both the ups and downs. It will contain personal information about my sin and how it impacts my relationship with God. I will also cover a lot about different types of worship but more about that in my next post. I hope this Blog is helpful to everyone who struggles to follow Jesus' example for our lives. Every Blog post will open with a prayer and a verse. I will try to be as tactful as I can but sometimes my posts may contain some things that may be a bit edgy for a very young audience. I will be real about things but in no way will I be tacky. Sometimes the issue of sexual sin will come up as it has been a personal struggle for me. It is also a very nasty sin as it is most often a private sin that others don't see.
There is more about me under my about me page. I hope this Blog will be a blessing to you in your life.
Blessings to you and Praise to the King of Kings,
Brian W
There is more about me under my about me page. I hope this Blog will be a blessing to you in your life.
Blessings to you and Praise to the King of Kings,
Brian W
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