Tuesday, October 7, 2014

///WORSHIP///

///WORSHIP///

I just wanted to take the next few minutes and share on the WHY of worship.

I think there's different categories of people when it comes to the topic of worship.

WHY do we routinely worship?
Sometimes I can be routinely driving a place I've been multiple times and look up and realize i'm at my destination and I have no idea how I got there, because I did it out of routine and was thinking about other things.

We can so easily come in to church and just routinely throw up our hands, and routinely sing a few songs.
Or some of you may be new to a place like church and wondering "WHY are they raising their hands, WHY are they singing so loud, WHY are they jumping dancing like crazy"! haha

We lift our hands because the bible says in Psalms‬ ‭141‬:‭2‬ AMP--
"Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."
It's just an outward sign of an inward sacrifice. Hands raised is a universal sign of surrender. 

When we truly understand the heart of why we're doing something we'll be able to recognize the fruit in our life from doing it. 

Worship is a focus shifter, from our circumstances to God. It switches our thoughts and focus to our Father. 

Just like when you're taking a selfie on an iPhone, you can hit that Switch Button on the camera for it to face outward. We need to hit that button on our worship and go from US to GOD, to make that focus shift from our circumstances to His provision!

The Lord wants us to come as we are. We don't have to get our act all together before we come and worship.

Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ AMP says-
"Let us then fearlessly, confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy for our failures and find grace to help in good time, for every need, appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it." 

There's nothing like well timed help coming along! God wants to be our relief. He has what you need and it's found in worshiping Him. It's found in lifting Him up. Solutions and answers are found in His presence.

Psalms 22:3 says--
"He Inhabits the praises of his people"
Inhabits means-
 to occupy the environment, to make ones home in. 
Jesus comes and makes His home in an atmosphere of worship and praise. It's not limited to the walls of a church building. He wants to make His home in your home and work space. He promises to come when we worship him!

Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭20 & 22-23‬ NLT says--
"By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been made clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."

Worship is a choice to expression our adoration for him. I came to a time in my life where I had to MAKE THE CHOICE.
My mom had cancer for 8 years and after much prayer and believing God for healing she died in October of 2010. I remember the 1st church service I went in to, I sat in the back and crossed my arms during worship. After service I went to lunch (with my now husband), with my boyfriend at the time right after service. I remember clearly him leaning across the table saying "Natalie, you're going to have to make a choice". I had to make the decision to worship no matter what I saw or felt. 
Every time after that wasn't a mountain top worship experience but God always proved faithful to show up when I made the CHOICE to worship no matter what the circumstances looked like or sounded like. 

HE IS A GOD WHO CAN BE TRUSTED TO KEEP HIS PROMISE, like the verse above so clearly says!

Isaiah‬ ‭65‬:‭1‬ NLT says--
"The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name."

This verse is so powerful because it's a wake up call to seek God like never before. We don't want to be known as the generation that didn't seek the heart of God, we want to be knows as the generation that sought him with all of our hearts and found Him. 

I want to leave you with a thought-Are we so busy accomplishing things on our own that we're forgetting to call out to the one who's waiting to come to our rescue and be the solution to our needs? He is always available and waiting.