Music4worship

23/10/2022

18/10/2022

Surrounded by the Right People

Very Often, we do not realize how important it is to surround ourselves with people who support and recognize the potential that God has placed within us. A resilient life is built using the right blueprints, unlearning the old to learn the new, pouring the good into us, and surrounding ourselves with the right people.

We need to realize that not every voice should be heard, not every book should be read, and not every podcast should be downloaded. We have to be intentional in opening the doors of our hearts, and always surround ourselves with the right voices.

Strong friendships are those that will inspire your dreams and speak life into your future; people who will always push you to be better, and who will believe great things along with you. They are the people who will pick you up when you feel tired, and remind you of your purpose.

If you surround yourself with people who seek to crush your dreams, speak negatively about you, and the situation around you, your life will not only be limited, it will not be resilient.

With whom do you surround yourself? Whose voice do you listen to?

Don't hang around hens when God has called you to fly like an eagle.

Some of my friends are people of faith who work in the sports, business, and arts industries. I have heard countless stories, where the voice of religion told them that their career was worthless in the eyes of God. I say the opposite to them, making sure that they pursue their dreams.

Today, I want to say to you also: You can shine in whatever environment you find yourself! You not only can, but God has called you to flourish. He positioned you where you are so that in that environment, you can be the hands and feet of Christ. God will never use you in a way that is contrary to how He designed you.

Surround yourself with the right people to live a resilient life.

The wolf will blow, and we may move, but we will not fall. The storm will arise, and we may get wet, but we will not drown. The furnace of fire will ignite and we may get hot, but we will not get burned.

Why not? Because we know where we stand: in Christ Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who never failed, and never will.

25/08/2022

The Power to Transform Lives
Along with the command to take the good news of salvation to the world, God has given us the only message that has the power to transform lives—the gospel of Jesus Christ. All around us, people are trying all sorts of tools for life transformation. They are turning over new leaves, attending training classes, joining recovery programs, seeing counselors...the list goes on. But the only thing that can truly change lost and sinful human nature is the power found in the gospel.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “In 1857, a day or two before preaching at the Crystal Palace, I went to decide where the platform should be fixed; and, in order to test the acoustic properties of the building, cried in a loud voice, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ In one of the galleries, a workman, who knew nothing of what was being done, heard the words, and they came like a message from heaven to his soul. He was smitten with conviction on account of sin, put down his tools, went home, and there, after a season of spiritual struggling, found peace and life by beholding the Lamb of God.”

The power to see people saved and transformed does not lie in us, but in the message we have been entrusted to deliver. That is our responsibility—not the results. If we are faithful in presenting people with the gospel, God will do the work of saving and remaking their lives.

Growth Principle:

What our world needs is not better methods, but the faithful proclamation of the message of the gospel.

23/08/2022

God Is Good

Good is a word we use to describe how our day is, how we’re feeling, or how a particular meal tasted. Yet, it’s also a word that we use to describe our mighty, majestic, and miraculous God. Seems odd, doesn’t it? To use a word to describe God that we’d also use to describe how we felt about our lunch.

We can see evidence of God’s goodness everywhere, in every day, and in every situation. Even when we’re not aware of His goodness, He’s still good. While God does do good things, His goodness is more than just what He does. It’s who He is.

Psalm 25:8 NLT says,“The Lord is good and does what is right; He shows the proper path to those who go astray.” The Hebrew word for good in this verse is towb, and it means “good, pleasant, agreeable, excellent, and valuable in estimation.” God is all of those descriptions!

When we get that promotion at work, we yell, “God is good!” When our lives are problem-free, we say, “God is good!” When someone has been healed, we shout, “God is good!” But, what about when times are troubling? Or when challenges come our way? Or when life just feels hard?

When our loved one passes away...
When we are furloughed from our job…
When the cancer report says “malignant”…
When our spouse betrays us…
When our child continues to rebel...

Is God still good in those situations? Are His ways still excellent? Is He still more valuable to us than anything?

The truth is that God’s goodness doesn’t leave when our circumstances change. He’s always the same. Not only that but God is truly good all of the time. He can’t not be good. It’s who He is. He’s the definition of good.

When something good happens, God is good. And when something bad happens, He is good. As hard as it can be to say that, it’s true. Even if and especially when...God is still good.

It’s much like the sun on a cloudy day. We say we can’t see it because it’s hidden behind clouds. But it’s still there. The same is true for the hurts and disappointments in our lives. They can cloud us from seeing God’s goodness, but rest assured, it’s always there because it’s who He is.

It’s usually in our disappointments and difficulties when we call into question the goodness of God. But turning from God in the midst of our pain removes the only truly good thing from our sad equation—God. So when we’re tempted to doubt and allow our current scenario to dictate what we believe, let’s dive into God’s Word to remind ourselves of this truth.

He’s a good God.

20/08/2022

A Very Important Question
How do we do live the Christian life?

The word that pops up four times in the first four verses of the second letter of the apostle Peter is the word “through.”

Do you know how many of us are spelling “Christianity”? We are spelling it “D-O, do.” But it should be “T-H-R-O-U-G-H, through.” Through Jesus.

How do we live this kind of life? With Jesus living THROUGH us. We live it THROUGH Him.

My greatest desire is to live a life pleasing to God.

Time and attention to Christ – listening, watching, seeking, and questing after Him – results in love and in honor to Jesus. And when we love and honor Jesus, we live a life that is pleasing to God.

How do we do live this type of life? Through Christ. He does it through us. (Romans 8:37) That simply happens when we surrender our time and attention to Him so that we can love and honor Him.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as Your Savior, and you’ve never laid down your life at the Cross, say out loud, “Jesus, I want to trust in You. Not in my wit, not in my own way of doing life. I want You. I lay down my life at the Cross and say, Jesus, I want You to be my Savior. I want You to wash me clean. I am trusting in You alone for salvation in heaven when I die.”

That’s what it means to be saved. That’s what it means to be born again. That’s what it means to know Jesus personally. Through the Cross and the resurrection of Christ, place your faith in Him.

Maybe you already know Him as Savior, but you’re not walking in spiritual maturity. Walk pleasingly before the Lord because He loves you, and let Him live His life through you as you live your life through Him.

22/04/2022

The Greatest Sacrifice

What would you do to rescue a weary, broken world?

Jesus stood in a courtyard as armed men surrounded and stripped Him. He stood there as they beat Him and spit on His face. He didn’t leave when they forced Him to publicly carry a cross that nearly crushed Him. He didn’t back down when they whipped Him. The same person who raised the dead allowed Roman soldiers to raise Him up on a cross.

He knew the amount of hurt, hardship, pain, and evil that humanity had inflicted upon itself. And He knew that in order for there to be justice, we needed to be punished. So He volunteered to take the penalty of our punishment upon Himself.

He gave up everything because we needed rescuing.

And it’s because of His sacrifice that we have access to an eternity spent in His presence. When we accept that Jesus sacrificed His life for us and decide to give Him our lives, the weight of our mistakes is taken off of us.

We are allowed to live in freedom because Jesus paid the price to set us free.

Take a few moments and think about some of your past mistakes and questionable decisions. Now imagine Jesus taking all of those things off of you, and replacing it with His peace and joy. What would your response to Jesus be?

20/04/2022

Our healing, our abundant life, it isn’t just for our sake. That sounds a little odd, but take a minute to think about your day—think about the people you see who are struggling just as you have, who long for freedom and healing and peace. When we live abundant lives through the power of Jesus and his finished work on the cross, we stand as a source of life for others.

Our testimonies are the fruit of God’s goodness in our lives, feeding the faith of others as we travel through each season and encounter His power and love in new ways. Under the light of the Son of God, we’re nourished by his presence—body, soul, and spirit. We’re able to offer healing words, empowered prayers, and a glimpse of life in Christ to others longing for an encounter with Jesus. We become a vessel for the healing of our spouses, our coworkers, the barista we see each day on our way to school.

Today, SHARE one testimony of God’s goodness in your life with someone you haven’t told. Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight one person who needs to encounter the healing power of Jesus. Ask if you can pray for anything they’re struggling with—really listen to them talk about that struggle—and watch Jesus transform their lives into lives of abundance. YOU were purchased with the sacrifice for a life that overflows with blessing into the lives of others.

03/04/2022

07/01/2022

https://www.facebook.com/113665230956093/videos/345242557128052/

17/12/2021

THE WORRIES OF THIS LIFE
In Mark 4:19, the Bible describes worry as one of the things that can choke the word of God in your life⎯ killing the joy, faith, and peace that it produces⎯ making it unfruitful. The worries of this world cause our heart to be divided and confused. Think of the things mentioned in this verse and how they affect our hearts and minds:

For one, the deceitfulness of wealth. We lose so much joy when we worry about money and are driven by greed. The illusion is that money and material possessions will make us happy, when in reality only God can fill the void in our hearts. So often we worry about not having the things we want and how those things are going to make us look in front of the people around us. But wealth, as stated in this verse, is deceitful. The only thing we achieve by worrying about it, is to choke the word of God that actually has the power to prosper us.

In this verse, Jesus also mentions desires for other things. Here, I believe He is referring to the constant desire we have for things other than the presence of God. The Bible teaches us that in His presence there is fullness of joy. This means our joy is complete and lacking nothing as we draw nearer to our Creator. Yet, the world tells us that we will be satisfied when we look better, have more friends, and make all of our problems go away.

So, we hope that a relationship, a career, a pill or a bottle can make us happy but do not realize these things do not produce fullness of joy. They can make us happy temporarily, but ultimately they will leave us wanting.

Psalm 103:5 tells us that God “satisfies our desires with good things,” and that when He does so our youth is renewed. He has the power to satisfy us with things that are good rather than harmful. Things that we don’t have to go crazy chasing because we get them simply by coming to Him. In Him, we find freedom from the worries of this world. Our job is to learn to seek Him before we begin to worry about wealth and all the other things that rob us of our peace. When we do this, He fills us with joy and renews our “youth:” our strength, our vigor, and our energy.

Thoughts for Meditation:

Have you ever tried reading the word of God, but found it unfruitful? Have you ever let worry keep the word from giving fruit in your life? Even now, are you struggling to chase after wealth or the things of this world?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me when the worries of this world threaten to choke the joy my life. Keep my heart from being divided. Protect me from desires for things that will not satisfy me, and help me to desire you, above all things. For you alone can satisfy my soul, and give me joy. Read Mark 4:19

31/10/2021

The most effective and powerful antidote for anxiety is thanksgiving and praise. When we feel it coming on or even begin to think about the possibility of it coming on we want to nip it in the bud. We want to immediately stop and "BOW." Here are three things to help us find the calm when we are encountering the overwhelming waves of anxiety.

BOW

Bow before Him. Bring all of your cares to Him! Lay them at His feet. Humble yourself before Him. Honor Him as God. He knows all. He can handle it all. Bring Him your heartache, your children, your spouse, your finances, your day, your future, your life — all of your concerns. He knows what is best, and He works all things according to His wise and loving will. Cast all of your cares upon Him believing that He cares for you. He is able. You are not. He is God. You are not!

Offload your angst. Humbly hold each thought up to the Word of God. Take your worry, your anxiety, your fear, your unbelief, your anger — all of the sin that is weighing down your little water craft — and confess them to the Lord. Throw each and every one overboard, and let them fall to the bottom of the sea of His grace.

Worship the Lord. Fix your eyes upon Him. Take your eyes off of yourself and off of your circumstances and set them securely upon your Lord. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and come into His courts with praise. Thank Him from the bottom of your heart following the example of the psalmists. Humbly acknowledge that you can't see all things, but He can. Worship Him in the spirit of holiness, praising and thanking God because He knows what is best. He is all powerful. He is in control. He knows what He is doing. No one can stay His hand. And He has you in the palm of that mighty hand.

Take a moment to practice taking these truths to heart. Turn to Psalm 96 in your Bible and bow before God. If you are not able to bow literally, humbly bow before Him in your heart. He is God. He loves you with a love that knows no bounds. He is good, and He is working on your behalf even as you pray. BOW before Him now.
Read psalm 100 psalm 106:1-3 psalm 107 :1-3 Philippians 4:4-9 and Colossians 3:1-3