What is worship? When should we worship? Is there a right and a wrong way?

Worship is to God, praise is about Him

Let's start with The Lords Prayer:

Our Father... first we acknowledge God for who He is. 

Who art in heaven... we acknowledge Him for where he is. He rules over everything.

Holy is your name... we acknowledge him for what He is 

Luke 40 When Jesus comes to Jerusalem as king. For time's sake... I will not read the whole thing but it says

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

God wants to be praised or He will cause the rocks to cry out. Ain't no rock gonna give Him my praise!

Ps 7:17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of HIS righteousness.

Psalm 100

A psalm for giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, prizing God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ.

Let's Fight

Life, in general, can feel like a constant battle of some sort. We struggle with all sorts of things; family, emotions, health, and the list goes on.

But, there is good news! God has given us the tools to fight and they are listed in Ephesians 6: 10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Satan can't stand it when we are all suited up and ready to take him on because he knows that the armor of God makes him powerless over us. 

2 Cor. 10:3-4  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 

When it's all said and done, I want to be able to say: 

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing. -2 Tim 4:7

Now, that is something to fight for!


Be blessed,
Dawn

RESOLUTION

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word RESOLUTION? Making better choices than those from the year prior? Dieting, exercising, trading bad habits for good habits, etc.

A resolution is a decision or determination; firmness of purpose. 
Synonyms; resolve, perseverance, tenacity; strength, fortitude.

Many of us try changing our behaviors in hopes of changing our lives. But unfortunately, what happens in a lot of cases, is that those resolutions just become wishful thinking. We really DO want to change but the time and effort that go into making those changes lose the luster after the first few weeks.

Ephesians 4:22-24  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Since we were created in the image of God, we have the power to resolve that we can live a life that reflects His nature.

So, make the resolution (or determination) that your life will reflect His love to everyone you know.

Philippians 4:13 I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.

Be blessed,
Dawn

Your are accepted

   Ephesians 1:3-6

(NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.

(MSG) How blessed is God! And what a blessing He is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in Him. Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His beloved Son.

Feeling accepted is extremely empowering and liberating. Without fail, it will open the flow of joy in your life.  

God tells us that we are accepted as His children so we must choose to believe it and take Him at His word. He doesn't place conditions on us. He knows our faults, failures, attitudes, etc., but He still loves us and calls us His own.

For us to feel accepted by God, we must take our focus off things that have happened to us in the past.  Ask God to show you how to let go of the grip that you have on past hurts and disappointments. When we let go, it frees something inside us. It is then when we can begin to feel the acceptance from Him that has been there all along. 

This reminds me of The Prayer of Serenity which says, "God, grant me the serenity (peace) to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." 

1 Peter 2:9

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference He has made in you. 

From a nobody to somebody, from broken to beautiful, from rejected to accepted, from abandoned to belonging. You are His!


Be blessed,
Dawn

Mercy and Grace

Mercy and Grace - we are very familiar with these words but have you ever stopped to think about what each word really means? Recently, I found myself thinking about it, and there are two meanings that I would like to expound on now. 

Mercy is about forgiveness

One definition of mercy is compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power;  a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion.

The Latin word refers to benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social and legal contexts.

In the social and legal context, mercy may refer to compassionate behavior on the part of those in power (e.g. mercy shown by a judge).

In Ephesians 2:4, Paul refers to the mercy of God in terms of salvation: "God, being rich in mercy,... even when we were dead through our sins, made us alive together with Christ."

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Praise God! His mercies are new every morning. He is always quick to forgive us when we repent.  

Grace is about acceptance

One definition of grace is, unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works so that no one can boast. 

Romans 5:2 Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Grace is a gift that God has freely given to us. When we accept Him as Savior, He accepts us as His children. That acceptance just overwhelms me at times. I have to remember that it is not because of anything I've done, but because of everything Jesus did. God's love for us goes beyond all the wrong choices we have made; His sacrifice of His Son was the ultimate gift to you and to me.

If you have not yet accepted God's gift of salvation, you can stop where you are now and ask Him to be Lord of your life. He accepts you just the way you are. 


Be blessed,
Dawn

Mission Possible

Are we more focused on the mission than on the mission field?

Matthew 28:16-20, Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

What is our mission? Our mission is to reach out to a lost and dying world with the good news of the Gospel of Christ.

When you hear the words mission field what is the first thing that comes to mind? Most would agree that a desolate place in a foreign country would be the first thing. Well, what about your next door neighbor? Or perhaps, a family member or co-worker who doesn't know the Lord? Do you see them as mission fields? 

We know that people need Jesus and His forgiveness, we know that people need a touch from Him, and we know people need to surrender their lives to Him; but between what we know to do and what we do, there is a great chasm. In order to make a difference in the kingdom, we have to work in the fields. 

Here are words to a song that I remember from years ago and I have never forgotten them. How powerful they are! 

See the fields so dry and thirsty

They're dying from the lack of rain

And here I'm standing in the fountain

Watching them perish and who's to blame?

How can they hear without a preacher?

If they're not shown how can they see?

I'm gonna go out where they're hurting

and stop expecting them to come to me.

(chorus)

I'm gonna carry the water to the desert

Stop this hauling water to the sea.
I'm gonna seek out the dry and barren places
The sick ones need the doctor

I'm gonna stop this hauling water to the sea.

Ask God how you can become a better missionary in your everyday world. He wants to use you where you are to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be blessed,

Dawn

Heart Trouble

First, let me say, that this is hard to share with you.  It has always been a struggle for me to "just lay it all out there." It is very hard for me to share not only my feelings but even my opinions in some settings. 

So here goes...

Luke 6:45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 

This writing is directly from my heart -- the good, the bad and the ugly. For years, I have carried a lot of baggage that has kept me from walking in complete obedience to the Lord and using the gifts He has placed inside of me. 

Quite honestly, I have not only held onto the baggage but have embraced it; sometimes wearing it as a badge of honor. I know that sounds crazy but when you give more thought to what has happened to you in your past, it doesn't allow much room for God. He is always there but it's up to each of us to lay down our rights at the foot of the cross.

By rights, I mean thoughts that our actions or emotions are justified because of past, hurts, failures, disappointments, etc. All of those "he did this to me" or "she did that to me" statements become bigger and bigger until they fill up space in our hearts that God created for Himself. 

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be controlled by my emotions any longer. By dwelling on them, I've allowed satan to keep me from doing what God has called me to do. One of which, is to be an encourager. That is why you haven't seen a new blog post in quite a while. 

I just finished a book by Anne Graham Lotz entitled: "Wounded by God's People". When I got to the last few pages, the following paragraph gripped my heart and I have read it over and over again in the past several days. 

She writes: "Although you may not be in exile physically - you may still be going to church, attending Bible studies, involved in religious activities —could it be that your spirit is nonetheless in exile because you are stuck in the quicksand of past wounds? Is there a cold vacancy where there used to be a warm vibrancy of love for the things and people of God? Is there a root of bitterness that is strangling your spirit on the inside, threatening to choke off the future God has in store for you?" 

Wow!  It was then I realized, that I have given more thought to my hurts and trying to justify them than to the One who wants to heal those hurts. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments (even between my flesh and my spirit) and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

So, brothers and sisters, I'm taking back what the enemy has stolen from me!

Consider This

​Philippians 3:13 Brothers and sisters, I don’t consider that I have taken hold of it yet. But here is the one thing I do. I forget what is behind me. I push hard toward what is ahead of me.

Isaiah 43:18 “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.

So, what does consider mean?

verb (used with object)

1. to think carefully about: Do I consider myself to be a failure?
2. to reflect on: Do I consider my past mistakes to determine my future successes?
3. to regard as or deem to be: Do I consider myself to be unlovable?
4. to think, believe, or suppose: Do I consider that others think I am unlovable?
5. to bear in mind; make allowance for: Is my present situation because of my past mistakes?
6.  to pay attention to; regard: I will consider (believe) that my personal relationship with Jesus will enable me to live victoriously.  

Don't be convinced by people or even yourself, that you are paying for your mistakes - whatever they may be. When you ask Jesus to come into your life and change you, He will do just that! His love for you is without limits and is not based on anything you did or didn’t do. 

Here’s an exercise: write down 3 things that you feel are keeping you pulled down. 

Go ahead, I'm waiting...

Now, write down 3 things that God has brought you out of. 

Keep this list with you so that you will be reminded to pray for the struggles and praise for the victories.

Prayer: Father, may we always be thankful for the blessings that you have given us. I pray that you will help each of us to lay aside the things that have been holding us back, like unforgiveness, anger, hatred, bitterness toward someone, hurts, disappointments... We acknowledge you as Lord over every part of us. May your presence become so real and so strong to us, that we can't focus on the past but only anticipate what you have for us in the future. 

We give everything we have to you. 

In the Mighty name of Jesus!

Amen

Change - Part 6, Almost Home

It's official, we turned in our "move-out" notice and we are ecstatic! April 30th is the big day. All the necessary decisions have been made that need to be made. I'm pretty sure that our contractor is through with the questions. At least, I hope so.

As you know from my previous posts, it has been an overwhelming process for me. This life event has been, well, a learning curve. Here is what I have learned because of the fire:

  1) Don't hang on to stuff you don't need. That "one- day-I-might-need-it" day, almost never comes!

  2) Be prepared to share that little bit of information that we don't really want to announce like, what size clothes you wear, especially if that last 10 lbs. is still hanging on.

On a more serious note:

  1) Don't take anything you have, for granted. Even the small things become big when you realize you don't have them anymore.

  2) Don't waste time thinking about what you will grab should your house catch on fire while you are home. (ok, maybe a pair of shoes, if you're not wearing any.) In actuality, "things" never crossed my mind.

3) Don't push people away who want to help you. God gave each of us a need to feel needed. That was a hard one for me. I want to be the giver, not the receiver.

4) Don't question God as to why. He will show you in His time. One day, we will understand. Just trust that He is in control and will bring you through your battle when you lean on Him.

Even though things will look different than before, I still can't wait for the familiarity and comfort of Home Sweet Home!

God is good, all the time!


Be blessed,
Dawn

Come

Matthew 14:28-30 " Lord, if it is you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."  "Come, he said." Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But, when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, he cried out loud, "Lord, save me!"

There are a few things we can learn from this passage and I would like to break them down and share my thoughts on them. 

1) Obedience -  Then Peter got down out of the boat... Peter, first, had to obey the word of Jesus. He did not step out onto the water without calling out to Jesus first. He knew if he stepped out on his own, he would have drowned.  

2) Faith -  ...and he walked on the water... Peter acted in complete faith that Jesus had the power to hold him up. He did not let the fact that the water was raging, and he could have easily been pulled under by the currents, keep him in the boat.

3) Distraction - But when Peter saw the wind... For Peter to see the wind, he had to take his eyes off of Jesus. He, instead, focused on the fact that he could have drowned. 

4) Emotions - ...he was afraid... Peter let the fear of drowning override his faith in the One who was reaching out to him. 

5) Rescue - he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Even though he was sinking, Peter did not let his lack of faith keep him from calling on the name of Jesus. 

So often, we let fear keep us from proceeding with what God is telling us to do. We tend to live in the what-ifs more often than we should. What if it's just me and not the voice of God? What if I step out to (fill in the blank) and no one responds? What if people try to pull me down?

What if? What if? What if? The what ifs are ok but we just can't stay there. When we let them take control, then we will miss out on what God has for us. There are blessings in obedience.

In order to increase our faith, we must spend time in God's Word. Romans 10:17 says, Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.  Our faith increases as we spend time with the Lord. God wants us to be in relationship with Him on a continual basis. It is easy to praise Him when things are good, but when things are not so good, we can lose our faith if our eyes are not fastened on Him. 

So, when you feel yourself sinking, just call on the name of the Lord. He will always be there for you. He simply says, "Come."

Be blessed,
Dawn

     

     

Medicate on the Word

Let me preface this by saying that this post is NOT about taking- or not taking- medication. I am dependent on a daily dose myself. This is intended to encourage you and to show you that God's Word is alive and powerful! 

Proverbs 4:20-22

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 

Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 
for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.

Yes, you read that right! I said MEDICATE.  You have probably read the scripture in Psalm that says, "I will meditate on the Word day and night."   There are so many scriptures in God's Word that pertain to what each of us goes through from time to time and it is up to us to search them out and apply them to our everyday lives.

I will be listing a few of them here as we go along. You may want to jot these down and keep them handy. Index cards are great to use because you can keep them with you or post them around the house, in the car, etc.

A lot of times, we get discouraged because we don't know how to pray about things. The problem lies in the fact that we can allow ourselves to become intimidated, or even believe, that our prayers will not change anything. The best way to pray effectively is to pray scripture. Yes, we read them but when we speak them out loud, they become more powerful.

Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue..., so, as believers, we need to pray the Word of God. Speak life over every area of your life. God wants us to walk in victory, not defeat. Don't let the enemy keep you in despair. 

Here are some scriptures to remember when you are feeling:

Overwhelmed - 1 John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Sick/ill -  1 Peter 2:24, ...by His wounds, I have been healed.

Hopeless/depressed - Psalm 42:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Fearful - 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

Anxious - Phil. 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

                                                                                                        ...plus many more.

Whatever you are struggling through, you can find a scripture that you can pray to help you. Use the concordance in your Bible, or you can use search engines online. You can also ask others to share a favorite scripture with you. Then speak or pray them out loud. 

Romans 10:17, So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ. (GNT)

So increase your faith by praying the Word and preaching to yourself!


Be blessed,
Dawn

Between the Ash Heaps

Today was rather surreal. I was honored with the task of transporting the ashes of a very dear friend back to his home. What his wife and I both thought was a just a trip to pick up copies of the death certificate, turned out to be a final transport home. Neither of us had prepared ourselves for that. 

Last week, Mr. William Lucas passed away at the age of 75. He had not been feeling well for quite some time. Since his wife doesn't drive, she called a friend and asked her to take him to the ER. Once there, his condition quickly took a change for the worse. By that evening, he had become unresponsive and was put on life support. What they found was that he had an infection in his heart. The doctor told his wife he had probably had it for a while but just didn't know it. Less than 48 hours later, he was gone.   

He and his wife have become very dear to me. He loved to write poems about everything and was quick to quote them to anyone who would listen. How he remembered all of them, I don't know. A lot of them were limericks that he would think up on a whim.

Genesis 2:7

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 3:19

By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust, you will return.”

So, what do we do between the ash heaps? From the moment we all were even thought about, God had a plan in place. His divine plan for each of us is that we would love and serve Him all of our days. 

We should live our lives in such a way that honors God and His design. He has given us a great commission in Matthew 28:19-20;

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Be blessed,
Dawn