Everyday All Day

Some of us wait until church on Sunday before we praise God, and even then we don't come with praise and thanksgiving in our heart. Instead we come with our bad feelings and wait for someone to make us feel better.
Maybe you were up all night with the baby, you had a fight with your husband over breakfast, or your kids acted up in the car on the way to church. Whatever the reason, you come to church in a bad mood.
The apostle Paul instructs us to have a quite different attitude and disposition:
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:19–20).
This means that before you get to church, you're supposed to be praising God. Even before you get into the car, you are supposed to have had your own private praise service So that when you get with the rest of God's family, you are ready to ascend into God's presence with everybody else.
In essence, when you prepare in private for public praise, you don't need a worship leader to make you feel like praising God. Yes, there is a place for worship leaders in our corporate worship, but is not their job to make you feel good enough to tell your Daddy how great he is. If you have been talking to your own soul throughout the week the way you are supposed to be, you won't need anyone to get your attention and stir you up. You'll already be eager and ready to go. In fact, you will be like David, who said, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord (Psalm 122:1). David rejoiced when the doors of God's house were open and he could go in. He was excited to worship with God's people. The same should be true for you. Your worship in private throughout the week should prepare you for Sunday worship with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
In essence, all of us are worship leaders because we are temples of the Lord. What we do it our own house affects what we do with everyone else. When we sanctify our house through righteous praise at home, we are then ready to sanctify the whole place when we come together!
Let's praise Him everyday all day!

Good word

Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. You’ve already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it’s time to be done with it for good. Of course, your old friends don’t understand why you don’t join in with the old gang anymore. But you don’t have to give an account to them. They’re the ones who will be called on the carpet—and before God himself. Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it.
He’ll Promote You at the Right Time (1 Peter 4:1-5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 19 MSG)

Spoke To Me This Morning

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16 NKJV)

All For Love

According to the worlds standards, everything that we put effort or work toward is for the outcome of payment. Today I'm sitting here thinking about the efforts that we put toward kingdom purpose. Why do we labor? Is it for money payment? Is it for the outcome of seeing our churches grow? I feel like my heart is free of motive. I serve to see people added to the kingdom of God not for money however, in doing a self evaluation I heard the Spirit say, "Would you labor if there were no outcome? Would you labor if all that you strived for was because of your great love for me?" I know that the Lord wants people added to the kingdom but in saying that, I believe that He wants us to get back to the organic state of our first love. It's in giving our lives from the place of love that laboring for him no longer wears you down. It's in that place that you can give love and receive love to the point that you no longer exist.... It's Christ in the world completing all that He set out to do through you as a vessel. Keeping ourselves in the organic state of love, everything naturally falls into place.

Today's Devotional

"None of us lives to himself..." Romans 14:7

This is the devotional that I read today from "My Upmost From His Highest" by, Oswald Chambers I had to share:

Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people? For instance, if I allow any turning away from God in my private life, everyone around me suffers. We set together in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6). If you allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity, our spiritual weakness, everyone in contact with you will suffer. But you ask, "Who is sufficient to be able to live up to such a lofty standard?" Our sufficiency is from God... and God alone (2nd Corinthians 3:5).
"You shall be witnesses to Me...Acts 1:8. How many of us are willing to spend every bit of our nervous mental, moral, and spiritual energy for Jesus Christ? That is what God means when He uses the word witness. But it takes time so be patient with yourself. Why has God left us on the earth? Is it simply to be saved and sanctified? No it is to be at work in service to Him. Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose and one alone- to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life in service to God is the way I say thank you to Him for His inexpressively wonderful salvation. Remember it is quite possible for God to set any of us aside if we refuse to be of service to him... Lest when I have preached to others I myself should become disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27

Powerful! We are not made to be sheep that only sit in the seats. God called us to go! Great word!

The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. psalm 87:2
Zion is the church. This scripture is saying that the Lord loves the doors to the church more than any other place established on earth.
Psalm 87 goes on to say that the Lord establishes Himself in the church. He loves it so much that He has set His foundation upon it. If we say that we love the Lord and we don't regularly attend church then we need to evaluate our definition of love. When you love someone you want to please them. Find a good Bible believing church and plug yourself into the place that God has set His foundation upon.

Location:Is Going To Church of Today?

Diamond in His Hands

There is a war going on that you cannot see. That war is waging against your soul. The enemy knows that if he can take your fire and your passion, you will eventually die spiritually. Last night I was thinking about the body of Christ and wondering how many of us actually know that it is our responsibility to kindle and fan the flame that is inside of us. I asked this question on Facebook, "What do you do on a daily basis to keep your flame burning?" I have to say that if your seeking God daily there really is no wrong answer to that question. Everyone has a distinct walk that works for them. I couldn't stop smiling as I read the responses to my semi loaded question. One answered, "fanning the flame is simply living the Word as a lifestyle." Another said, "I stay aware that the Lord's presence is always with me and I always listen to worship music." One answered that they meditate on the Word and all that Christ has done for them, always making sure to keep a song in their heart. I have to add that it's very interesting to me that the first three letters of the word song is S-O-N!
I mentioned that my question was semi-loaded: I wanted to honestly know what people do to maintain and increase the flame however, I also wanted to see first if people knew that it was our responsibility. I wondered if they did anything at all.
This morning the Lord gave me a vision of his hands holding what looked like a huge clear diamond. This diamond was polished, cut, reflected glorified light and was extremely beautiful. Much like we are in the eyes of the Lord. As I got closer to the diamond I saw it slowly transform into a set of praying hands. Instead of a diamond, the Lord was now holding a set of praying hands.



As I moved closer to the hands of the Lord I saw the praying hands transform into a red hot flame. I began to move closer and I saw the flame turn into red hot praying hands. As I moved closer the praying hands changed into a flame, back into praying hands and back into a flame again. The cycle never stopped as long as the diamond remained in the hands of the Lord!



I realized that the Lord molds us into a beautiful diamond but it's our responsibility to take that diamond and turn it into hands of prayer. As we pray a flame enters our hearts. This cycle repeats and the flame never leaves, it only gets bigger! In my life prayer is the keeper of my flame!
Lord,
Teach us today that Your presence is what keeps us hungry and passionate. Father, increase our understanding of how vital to our lives prayer is.
In Jesus Name!