...On Worship

Beware of seeing yourself through other people's eyes. It's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to discern what others think of you. Their views are variable, subject to spiritual, emotional, and physical conditions. This borders on idolatry. This turns into a priority to serve others. This dampens the desire we SHOULD have to please only God. It's much more real to see yourself through His eyes. His gaze is steady and sure, untainted by the world. Through God's eyes you can see yourself as one who is deeply loved and eternally treasured. Respond to God's loving presence by worshiping Him in spirit and truth!

It sounds so easy, right? Worshiping God in spirit and truth? NOT seeing yourself through the eyes of the world? Believing you're loved and treasured UNCONDITIONALLY by God?! It takes a lot of work to actually rest in the presence of the LORD; to not allow Satan to come in and turn your thoughts (your lovely thoughts) on a track that starts to spiral downward and never stops........but it is what God mostly desires for His people.

TRUE worshipers must worship in the power of God's spirit and in accordance with HIS truth. Not the world's. Romans 12 tells us to NOT conform to the ways of the world. In the book of John, truth is associated with Jesus strictly. We are to know and worship the One and ONLY God--and He is graciously revealed to us in the Bible, through Jesus. True worship is a matter of the HEART. It demands MORE than outward motions. It is a complete inner submission of yourself to God.

So how do we submit ourselves completely to God? We must intimately know God and accept His friend request! He wants to know us intimately! He wants to be our first love! He NEEDS to be our first love in order for us to submit. We need to commit daily to grow in Him through the many tools He provides to us. GROWTH IS NOT IMMEDIATE! It's a PAINSTAKING process that includes waiting, failing, losing, and being misunderstood by the world---but each of these things calls for extra doses of perseverance and armor against spiritual warfare, which God will provide. He equips those He calls! JOY EMERGES FROM THE ASHES OF ADVERSITY, THROUGH TRUST AND THANKFULNESS.

"Apply your heart to discipline and your ears to words of knowledge." -Proverbs 23:12

God is So Good

Wow. Lots has happened this past month. Sort of. It's been a wild roller coaster of very "up" days and rather boring days. I filled out many more job applications which went unanswered or were denied. I could not lose hope. I had to trust in God's plan. For He does have a plan for me, for you, for everyone. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD. "Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

I can skip over the monotony of applying for jobs, etc....but I do have to announce that I am officially an employed Registered Nurse now. God is SO GOOD. So faithful. He gave me the desires of my heart.

"Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4

Well, He gave me the desires of my fragile heart. I was disciplined, trusting in God's plan, living on hope. I persevered. I prayed, yearned for direction. God miraculously closed one door and opened another on the SAME DAY. He loves us with an everlasting love. He has drawn us with unfailing kindness.

"Go gently through this day, keeping your eyes on Me," He says. "I will open up the way for you as you take steps of trust along your path. If you come across an obstacle, turn to Me, focus on Me who is your shepherd and leads you in the way everlasting. My presence enables you to face each day with confidence."

I have reason to sing. God. Is. INCREDIBLE. I do not even know how to express it. Nothing will EVER do justice to His goodness, sweetness, faithfulness! His glory and face shines upon us. There is nothing more beautiful than learning about true surrender: what it entails, what it means, what it looks like. The actual act of surrender appears to be one of weakness; but in God's kingdom, it is the utmost for His highest. I attended a worship event tonight called Mudhouse. I surrender everything at the feet of Jesus....having fully understood what it means to revel in and understand my BROKENNESS, learning about the things that keep me from God. We learned, brokenness is NOT sin. SIN is what happens when brokenness is given to anyone else besides GOD. There was ample time to think about what keeps me personally from fully living in the presence of God. Believing that He meant to create everyone else in the world...except for me....or thinking that maybe He made a mistake or a glitch in me...this mask, so disguised, but which makes me so disgusting, useless, worthless, ugly, fat, undeserving of anything and everything...THAT is the cross I carry daily. And though I'm trying hard as I might to turn it over and use it for God's glory, I can't help wondering how I can use this to glorify God when it keeps me from Him at the same time. Of course it's possible....anything is possible in Christ.

I have spiritual weapons that DEMOLISH those strongholds in my life. They allow me to break free and depend COMPLETELY on Jesus. Truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation.....these weapons are all energized by prayer. I do not have to be a slave to appearances, to worth, to anything else BECAUSE OF JESUS. Everyone is a slave to something or someone, they could not possibly deny that truth. It's the master, however, who decides whether slavery results in life or death. Apart from God's awesome grace, we are slaves to sin. When sin is our master, we DIE. But when we become slaves of grace, God wins. We get life. Slavery only to God actually FREES us to fully be what we were created to be. God intended the law to help us see what sin really is. We know we have not fulfilled the law. We have broken it; we have sinned. Therefore, the law is good, necessary. It shows us that we CANNOT live in our own power! That only leads to death. But the law CAN lead to life through Jesus. He is the culmination and fulfillment of the law! He is the only one who can empower us to live through the Spirit. As long as we live in this broken, twisted, rebellious world, there will be sin. Be sure that it will come knocking on the door. But it does NOT HAVE AUTHORITY. Even though death can take the body, we gain life in Christ because of righteousness. Jesus was not overcome on the cross. He was the overcomer.