I’ve been debating the best way to use this page. Lately, I’ve been listening to a ton of worship music and finding some great songs, that really aren’t all that popular. I think it’s because we just get in a rut, and stick with artists that we’re familiar with.
So, that’s what we’re going to do here!
Each week I’ll share with you a new worship song that I’m enjoying. I’ll tell you why, I’ll share some lyrics, and the YouTube video (if there is one). And you get to hear something new (hopefully), or perhaps uncover something you heard a long time ago and have simply forgotten. So check back next Wednesday, for a new installment of Wednesday’s Worship.
Wisdom is something I find myself praying for quite often, if not, every day. Wisdom as a wife, as a mother, as a believer. However, God has already given us His Word, and the book of Proverbs is chock full of wisdom! In fact, Proverbs 1:1-6 says that the book was written so that people might know skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction and discernment; and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity.
Why?
Why should we desire godly Wisdom? Because Wisdom comes from God, was with God before time began, and it’s priceless (Proverbs 3:19-22, 8:22-31)! Proverbs 3:14-15 says that the gaining of it is better than gaining silver, the profit better than gold; it’s more precious than rubies; and nothing can be compared to it. Also, those who love wisdom will inherit true riches (Proverbs 8:20-21); and Wisdom brings life, honor, glory, and blessings (Proverbs 3:14-18, 4:8, 13:14, 15:31, 19:23). Who wouldn’t want godly Wisdom?!
How?
So, what is the first step to gaining such wisdom? Fear the Lord, says Proverbs 1:7. “But how does that help me learn wisdom?” you may ask. Well, reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord means that we have utmost respect for Him, above all else. It means that we walk in obedience, we honor and worship Him, we are attentive to and accept His words, we seek understanding, and treasure His Word. Basically, it’s wise to fear the Lord; that’s why it’s the first step!
Additionally, Proverbs says, “the wise in heart will accept and obey commandments” (10:8, AMP); and “the mind of the prudent is ever getting knowledge, and the ear of the wise is ever seeking knowledge” (18:15, AMP). Like David said, the law of the Lord is perfect and sweet to those who love Him (Psalm 19:7-11). Therefore, because we love and respect Him we study His Word!
Spending time in the Word of God is how we’re going to learn more about the character of God and, in turn, the Wisdom of God. We can’t expect to gain the Wisdom of God, if we refuse to open up the Bible and examine it closely (for ourselves). It won’t just “come” to us, and we won’t find it in the world. Proverbs says “every word of God is tried and purified” (30:5, AMP); and that there’s no human wisdom or understanding that can prevail against the Lord (21:30, AMP). Therefore, every word contained within the Bible is useful to us; but only if we act on it.
“But I don’t understand the Bible,” you might be thinking. The thing is, the more we study and obey His Word, the clearer it actually becomes to us. Proverbs says, “if you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you” (1:23, AMP); and if we ask for understanding and insight, He will give it to us (2:1-12). But the Word also states, “the [reverent] fear and woshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil, pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverted mouth” (Proverbs 8:13, AMP). To repeat, we must apply the Word to our lives and have a teachable spirit.
In the book of Proverbs, Wisdom is given human characteristics so that we can better understand it. It says that we should treat Wisdom like a sister or close friend (Proverbs 7:4) and goes on to describe Wisdom as a woman crying out in the streets saying, “all the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing contrary to truth or crooked in them. They are all plain to him who understands [and opens his heart], and right to those who find knowledge and live by it” (Proverbs 8:8-9, AMP).
Conversely, the Word also describes foolishness/ignorance/thoughtlessness–the opposite of Wisdom–as the loose woman. The loose woman–or harlot–is tempting, pleasing to the eye, sly, cunning, turbulent, willful, and deceptive (Proverbs 5:3-11, 7:4-12), just like sin. We are to stay far away from her.
The Wisdom found in Proverbs covers practically everything, from marriage, to parenting, finances, friendships, and our spiritual relationship with God. As Proverbs states, “give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wise; teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning. The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding” (9:9-10, AMP). If we desire Wisdom, we must first fear the Lord, then by the power of His Holy Spirit we will obey the Lord, and continue learning and changing, from the inside out. As we learn and change, we draw closer to the Lord and get to know Him better, and we learn and change even further; this is called the process of sanctification. And now we’ve come full circle!
Lastly, godly Wisdom isn’t something we’ll ever fully attain. There will never be a time on this earth that we’ll know all or understand all, but that shouldn’t prevent us from seeking out Wisdom, discernment, or understanding. Especially, because godly Wisdom isn’t just for us to hoard, but it’s for us to share with our friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors, that we might draw men to Christ through our words and actions.
Be sure to come back next week as we continue our series on the book of Proverbs. I love y’all and God bless!
Last week, in bible study, we were discussing the days leading up to the day of Pentecost, in the first chapter of Acts. We talked about how God took a group of ordinary people and brought them to a new level with Him, based on their obedience, unity, and prayer.
Somewhere during the discussion, we began sharing about how sometimes it’s so difficult to set aside time to build our personal relationship with God. For many of us there were periods in our lives where we had all the time in the world to study the Word, pray, or worship. It may have been a time when we were without a job, or as we sat beside a sick or dying loved one, or when we were simply at the end of our rope and had hit rock bottom, and the only way up was to cling to the hope found in Christ. But then there are periods in our life when we are overwhelmingly busy with family, jobs, community service & outreach opportunities, church–the list seems to never end–and our relationship with the Lord takes the back burner.
However, we must remember that we need God’s presence in every season of our life, not just the most difficult. Ironically enough, just like Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, when we feel at our weakest and turn to Christ for strength, is when we are truly strong, and when we feel strongest and try to make it without Him, we’re actually at our weakest! The Israelites were notorious for forgetting the blessings and promises of God during the good times in their lives and neglecting their worship and obedience to Him; thus causing them to eventually lose those very blessings and promised land.
As is often pointed out during these types of discussions, someone brought up the fact that we can approach God in prayer during any moment of the day. This is aligning with Scripture; I mean, the Bible actually tell us to pray without ceasing, to pray continually in the Spirit, and to pray persistently and on every occasion (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18). But I also like to point out that Jesus Himself, often stole away from the busy-ness of His ministry to spend alone time with His Father (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12).
The truth is, when we desire to strengthen a relationship with someone we spend quality time with them. We participate in activities together, we communicate, we make time for one another; we try to learn as much as we can about one another. Sure, we can do that surrounded by others, but is our undivided attention upon the other individual? Or are we distracted by the television, the other cars on the road, the next activity or responsibility on our to-do list? As a newly married individual, I know that with two jobs, community service & outreach activities, and church, I may see and talk with my husband every day, but I know it’s not the same thing as spending quality time with him. Because I love him and want to continually develop and strengthen our marriage we still schedule “date nights.” We schedule that time because it’s important to us and important to our marriage.
Likewise, when our time and attention are pulled in multiple directions and we’re not spending the quality time we need with our heavenly Father, no matter how many things we try to do or accomplish, we’re never going to get to the place where God can really use us the way He desires to use us. It’s just like we discussed before in Blemished Sacrifices about giving God our best, our first-fruits, instead of offering Him the leftovers. If we can schedule date nights, doctor’s appointments, coffee dates with our friends, mommy-and-me play dates, time to workout in the gym, or any other activity we deem important, then we can most certainly schedule quality personal time in the Word, prayer, and worship. If we call ourselves believers and we profess that Jesus is Lord of our life and that He comes first and foremost in our lives, then this is most certainly something we can, should, and desire to do.
HOW…
Now let’s get practical and discuss how we can do this. Some people are morning people. They have no trouble getting up early in the mornings to set aside time for prayer and the Word. I’m a morning person, but I still have trouble getting up earlier than I need to; in a perfect world I would study the Word between the hours of 9-11. But obviously, we don’t live in a perfect world, and I’m at work during these hours. Since I recently took on a second job, I now keep a written schedule that helps keep me on track and helps me manage my time better so that I can accomplish all my goals, rather than having time manage me.
Let me tell you, this has been one of the best decisions ever! Try it! Spend 30 minutes of your morning planning out your day. How long does it take you to get ready? When do you eat lunch? How long do you spend commuting? When do you eat lunch? Cook dinner? Go grocery shopping? Planning out your day is a lot like creating a financial budget; you only have so many hours in a day and you want to spend each of them wisely. Ever since I’ve started this I feel like I get so much more accomplished. You never realize how much time is wasted surfing the internet, watching TV or YouTube, or playing games until you give an account for each moment of your day.
Don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean I don’t have fun or time to relax. Even with a schedule, sometimes I still find a few free moments to scroll through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And there are still days when I keep part of my schedule clear so that I don’t always feel so hurried. Lastly, I think even when we have a schedule, we still have to maintain some level of flexibility. Sometimes something just comes up. Plans have to be rearranged, or changed, altogether; but this shouldn’t be a regular occurrence.
Some days I choose to use my 30 minute lunch break as my time to search the Word, while other days I get to spend 45 minutes of delicious time in His presence. But it’s only because I make it a priority. If we want to spend time in His presence, we must prioritize our time; because if we don’t, all the other activities of the day will consume us, and we will have nothing left to offer Him, but our leftovers.
If you’ve been following for some time, you’d know that I help out with children’s worship once a month. Well, once a month we also hold a children’s worship practice, where we introduce new songs and motions to our children’s worship team. And every month I struggle with tying to figure out what new songs I’d like to add to our slowly growing list.
Now, it’s not that I don’t have songs that I love, however, everybody has their own style of worship and artists they prefer, and I’m no different. I love upbeat and energetic praise songs and I love worship, but I’m also very lyrically driven. Obviously, I’m a writer, so I tend to be drawn to songs with powerful, biblically sound lyrics. I mean, the Bible says that true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth, and the Word is Truth (John 4:23-24).
However, when it comes to children’s worship, I can’t always choose to share or lead the same songs that I enjoy during my personal worship time, because the lyrics are sometimes too complex for children between the ages of 5-12. That’s not to say that I choose watered down songs, because that would mean I’d be underestimating the understanding of the children; and children understand much more than we often give them credit for. (That’s why Jesus said that we should be more like little children in Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18.) However, sometimes I really struggle with finding age-appropriate songs, especially because our group varies so vastly in age.
I think this is a challenge that someone leading any type of worship–adults, children, teens, etc.–faces: choosing the right songs for the particular group you’re leading. Leading adult worship, for instance, means you have to choose songs that reach a multitude of generations (unless your church has only one primary age group).
Here are three things that I started taking into consideration when choosing songs for Children’s Worship:
Tempo
Because I’m working with kids this is an important one. If we want the children to be excited about worship, we need some up-tempo songs to begin with and we have to be careful when we slow down our praise and enter into worship. Usually, I like to have a transition song, something mid-tempo, before going into worship, but sometimes it’s not always possible. Their attention span is pretty short and I’ve found that if we sing any more than one worship song, we usually lose them.
Lyrics
This is the most challenging for me. Some of my favorite worship songs are very lyric heavy. They either have a lot of lyrics or the lyrics are complex. In the days leading up to our most recent practice, for example, I went back and forth on a song that I really loved, but eventually decided against because I felt that the kids couldn’t handle it. The best songs for them tend to be those with simpler lyrics and repeating choruses, although I have found some exceptions. Songs that they are familiar with, because they hear them repeatedly on the radio, tend to do extremely well with this group! So much so, that we’ve begun to use more of such songs during worship.
Song Length
Unfortunately, we don’t have a live band for our children’s worship, so we use tracks (usually, including the lyrics). Sometimes the track we have is too long or there’s too much ad-lib going on in the track. I’ve been making notes of which songs these are, so that I don’t continue to use them or I request that a new/different version of the song be purchased. Again, I can’t lead an 8 minute worship song with this age group, since they just don’t have the attention span, and they don’t know what to do when someone is ad-libbing.
Still, even after taking these things into consideration, we just have to lead the song a few times and see how the children respond to it. Sometimes they pick it up easily and other times we end up disappointed and end up removing the song from our list.
Now I have questions for you…How do you choose which songs to use in your worship services? And how many times do you try/lead a new song before ultimately giving up on it? I’d love to hear your responses below!
This post has been a while in the making. I’ve been slow to post it because A) I’m not a mother (yet) and B) I don’t want anybody to think I’m telling them how they should raise their children. However, this is something that’s been on my heart lately; especially, since if you’ve read my last post, you know that I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the future.
Recently, a TON of my friends (and my sister–I’m going to be an aunt again!) have announced pregnancies. While I may not currently be in the same boat, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t thought about the responsibilities we have as parents (from here on out, just accept that I’m going to speak in the future tense in regards to myself, lol).
As parents, there are a lot of things that we’re in charge of when it comes to our children, the most obvious being food, shelter, clothing, protection, love and encouragement. And as they age, we encourage them to walk, teach them how to use the restroom on their own, how to share, the difference between right and wrong, and how to ride a bike, just to name a few. We are deliberate in these lessons and experiences because we want our children to grow up to be capable adults one day. The same should be said in regards to sharing the gospel with our children.
My sisters and nephews at the Botanical Garden in SC.
I heard a pastor a few weeks ago, on the radio, talking about how when interacting with his son, he and his son practiced what he called “Say, Play, and Pray.” They would read Biblical stories together, act them out, and then pray. When I heard this, I thought, “Wow! What an amazing way to be intentional about sharing the gospel and studying the Word with your child.” I decided right then that that was something I would love to do with my future children. Just as it’s our responsibility to provide, care, and teach our children other life lessons, we ought to be responsible for teaching our children the Word and how to apply the Word in their lives.
This couldn’t have been made more clear to me as I’ve read Deuteronomy chapters 6 & 11 these past few weeks, in which, Moses tells the Israelites to remember that their children didn’t get to see all the great and wonderful miracles God did while extracting them from Egypt. Therefore, as men and women chosen by God, they’re to not only obey the Lord, but to teach their children about Him and His commands, as well. As parents, we’ve seen and experienced many great and wonderful things ourselves, and God calls us to be intentional about teaching our children. Just like Moses told the Isralites:
And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, NLT; repeated again in 11:18-21)
So what does that mean? To be intentional? I think sometimes we think that our children will just “get it” or understand things without us explaining to them. However, just like we have to teach them how to share, or play fair, or how to treat people with respect, we should be teaching them the how’s and why’s of studying the Word, teaching them to seek the Lord in prayer, teaching them to be worshipers, and how to walk and be lead by the Spirit, in word and in deed. We are their parents, the people our children look up to and observe every day. Who’s in a better position to do so than us!? It’s a responsibility given to us by God, and is not to be taken lightly.
I may not currently have children of my own—I’m not even married yet—but I know I plan to be intentional, what about you? How are you being (or how do you plan to be) intentional about sharing the Word with your children? Do you read a children’s Bible with your children before bed? Do you share how God has blessed you and your family over dinner? Does your family have devotional time? Or a quiet time, where everybody reads on their own and then shares what they’ve been studying? Let me know in the comments below! I’m sure all of us could use some inspiration. Take care and God bless!
Today’s worship is inspired by Matthew 9:37-38: Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.”
These are the days of Elijah/Declaring the Word of the Lord/And these are the days of Your servant, Moses/Righteousness being restored
These are the days of great trials/Of famine and darkness and sword/Still we are the voice in the desert crying/Prepare ye the way of the Lord
Behold He comes/Riding on the clouds/Shining like the sun/At the trumpet’s call/Lift Your voice/It’s the year of jubilee/And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes
And these are the days of Ezekiel/The dry bones becoming as flesh/And these are the days of Your servant, David/Rebuilding the temple of praise
And these are the days of the harvest/The fields are all white in the world/And we are the laborers in Your vineyard/Declaring the Word of the Lord
Behold He comes/Riding on the clouds/Shining like the sun/At the trumpet’s call/Lift Your voice/It’s the year of jubilee/And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes [repeat]
There’s no God like Jehovah [repeat]
Behold He comes/Riding on the clouds/Shining like the sun/At the trumpet’s call/Lift Your voice/It’s the year of jubilee/And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes [repeat]
Tear down the walls/See the world/Is there something we have missed/Turn from ourselves/Look beyond/There is so much more than this
And I don’t need to see it to believe it/I don’t need to see it to believe it/’Cause I can’t shake this fire deep inside my heart
Look to the skies/Hope arise/See His majesty revealed/More than this life/There is love/There is hope and this is real
And I don’t need to see it to believe it/I don’t need to see it to believe it/’Cause I can’t shake this fire burning deep inside my heart
This life is Yours and hope is rising/As Your glory floods our hearts/Let love tear down these walls/That all creation would come back to You/It’s all for You
Your Name is glorious/Glorious/Your love is/Changing us/Calling us to worship/In spirit and in truth/As all creation returns to You
For all the sons and daughters/Who are walking in the darkness/You are calling us to lead them back to You/We will see Your Spirit rising/As the lost come out of hiding/Every heart will see this hope we have in You
And I don’t need to see it to believe it/I don’t need to see it to believe it/’Cause I can’t shake this fire burning deep inside my heart
This life is Yours and hope is rising/As Your glory floods our hearts/Let love tear down these walls/That all creation would come back to You/It’s all for You
Your Name is glorious/Glorious/Your love is/Changing us/Calling us to worship/In spirit and in truth/As all creation returns to You [repeat]
For all the sons and daughters/Who are walking in the darkness/You are calling us to lead them back to You/We will see Your Spirit rising/As the lost come out of hiding/Every heart will see this hope we have in You [repeat]
Your Name is glorious/Glorious/Your love is/Changing us/Calling us to worship/In spirit and in truth/As all creation returns to You [repeat]
You’re the God of this city/You’re the King of these people/You’re the Lord of this nation/You are
You’re the Light in the darkness/You’re the Hope to the hopeless/You’re the Peace to the restless/You are
There is no one like our God/There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come/Greater things are still to be done in this city/For greater things have yet to come/Greater things are still to be done in this city
You’re the God of this city/You’re the King of these people/You’re the Lord of this nation/You are
You’re the Light in the darkness/You’re the Hope to the hopeless/You’re the Peace to the restless/You are
There is no one like our God/There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come/Greater things are still to be done in this city/For greater things have yet to come/Greater things are still to be done in this city
There is no one like our God/There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come/Greater things are still to be done in this city/For greater things have yet to come/Greater things are still to be done in this city
The verses that inspired today’s worship are Isaiah 6:1-3: It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. Attending Him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with His glory!”
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain/Glory be unto Your great Name
You are/You are/You are holy
Let every heart/Let every tongue/Lift up Your Name/With all creation sing/Let earth resound/With heaven’s praise/And with one voice/Let all creation sing
Holy is the Lamb that was slain/All creation, every tongue proclaim
You are/You are/You are holy
Let every heart/Let every tongue/Lift up Your Name/With all creation sing/Let earth resound/With heaven’s praise/And with one voice [repeat]
We sing, sing out/We sing holy is Your Name/We sing, sing out/We sing worthy is Your Name [repeat]
Let every heart/Let every tongue/Lift up Your Name/With all creation sing/Let earth resound/With heaven’s praise/And with one voice/Let all creation sing
Let every heart/Let every tongue/Lift up Your Name/With all creation sing/Let earth resound/With heaven’s praise/And with one voice/As all creation sing
Lord of all creation/Of water earth and sky/The heavens are Your tabernacle/Glory to the Lord on high
God of wonders beyond our galaxy/You are holy, holy/The universe declares Your majesty/You are holy, holy/Lord of heaven and earth/Lord of heaven and earth
Early in the morning/I will celebrate the light/When I stumble in the darkness/I will call Your Name by night
God of wonders beyond our galaxy/You are holy, holy/The universe declares Your majesty/You are holy, holy/Lord of heaven and earth/Lord of heaven and earth
Lord of heaven and earth/Lord of heaven and earth/Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth/Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth/Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth
God of wonders beyond our galaxy/You are holy, holy/The universe declares Your majesty/You are holy, holy/Precious Lord, reveal Your heart to me/Father holy, holy/You are holy, holy
Just one look on Your face/Just one glance of Your eyes/My whole world is changed/My whole world is changed
Oh I seek only to see Your face/I don’t wanna go anywhere without You God/Without Your presence/Oh let me see Your face/The beauty of Your holiness God/Take me into the holy place
And only one word comes to mind/There’s only one word to describe
Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
There is no one like You/You are Holy/Holy
** Note: I’ve never sung this one in church before, but I think you’d be able to leave out the first few lines of and begin at “And only one word comes to mind…” I believe that’s where the song really begins.
Welcome to my new series! I’ve been trying to figure out a way that I could incorporate my love of worship into this blog and share great worship songs with you; and this week it finally hit me! I’ve finally begun to set up my YouTube channel where you’ll be able to find playlists with each week’s worship set. I’ll also provide the lyrics for each song and links for the chord charts, if I can find them.
The verse that inspired this week’s playlist is Psalm 27:8: My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Open our eyes, Lord/We want to see You/Open our hearts, Lord/We want to know You/Open our ears, Lord/We need to hear You/Jesus be revealed/Jesus be revealed [repeat]
God is here/God is here/God is here/He is able/We draw near/To see Jesus face to face/God is here/God is here/God is here/He is faithful/We draw near to see Jesus/Oh Jesus be revealed
Open the gates, Lord/Reveal Your glory/Open the nations/Establish Your Kingdom/Open the heavens/Pour out Your Spirit/Jesus be revealed/Jesus be revealed
God is here/God is here/God is here/He is able/We draw near/To see Jesus face to face/God is here/God is here/God is here/He is faithful/We draw near to see Jesus/Oh Jesus be revealed
Holy/We cry holy/Hallelujah/God is here [4x’s]
God is here/God is here/God is here/He is able/We draw near/To see Jesus face to face/God is here/God is here/God is here/He is faithful/We draw near to see Jesus/Oh Jesus be revealed
We know where the Spirit of the Lord is/(Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty)/We know, living in your freedom/(Living in your freedom, we’ll see your glory)/We know where the Spirit of the Lord is/(Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty)/We’re yours, yours is the kingdom/We’re yours, yours is the kingdom
You are the fire through the night/You are the flame that burns inside/We need your presence more than anything/More than just a song to sing/More than words or offerings/We need your presence more than anything
And You’re all that we want/You’re all that we need/You’re all that we want/You’re all that we need
We know where the Spirit of the Lord is/(Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty)/We know, living in your freedom/(Living in your freedom, we’ll see your glory)/We know where the Spirit of the Lord is/(Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty)/We’re yours, yours is the kingdom/We’re yours, yours is the kingdom
Call us closer to your heart/Lead us Lord to where you are/We need your presence more than anything
And You’re all that we want/You’re all that we need/You’re all that we want/You’re all that we need
We know where the Spirit of the Lord is/(Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty)/We know, living in your freedom/(Living in your freedom, we’ll see your glory)/We know where the Spirit of the Lord is/(Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty)/We’re yours, yours is the kingdom/We’re yours, yours is the kingdom
You’re all that we want/You’re all that we need/You’re all that we want/You’re all that we need
We know where the Spirit of the Lord is/(Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty)/We know, living in your freedom/(Living in your freedom, we’ll see your glory)/We know where the Spirit of the Lord is/(Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty)/We’re yours, yours is the kingdom/We’re yours, yours is the kingdom [repeat]
What fortune lies beyond the stars/Those dazzling heights too vast to climb/I got so high to fall so far/But I found heaven as love swept low
My heart beating/My soul breathing/I found my life/When I laid it down/Upward falling/Spirit soaring/I touch the sky/When my knees hit the ground
What treasure waits within Your scars/This gift of freedom gold can’t buy/I bought the world and sold my heart/You traded heaven to have me again
My heart beating/My soul breathing/I found my life/When I laid it down/Upward falling/Spirit soaring/I touch the sky/When my knees hit the ground
Find me here at Your feet again/Everything I am/Reaching out/I surrender/Come sweep me up in Your love again/And my soul will dance/On the wings of forever [repeat]
My heart beating/My soul breathing/I found my life/When I laid it down/Upward falling/Spirit soaring/I touch the sky/When my knees hit the ground [3x’s]
Find me here at Your feet again/Everything I am/Reaching out/I surrender/Come sweep me up in Your love again/And my soul will dance/On the wings of forever
Upward falling/Spirit soaring/I touch the sky/When my knees hit the ground
I close my eyes to see/My king in majesty/Your grace compels my soul/To love and draw in close/I lift my hands and sing/Surrender everything/In You I know I’m found/My God, to You I’ll bow
Now until forever/Jesus, I surrender/Show me what I don’t know/More of You/I’m desperate for Your presence/Longing to be with You/Lead me to a new place/More of You
I’ll persevere/I won’t submit to anything/Where I’ll go you’ve been before/All my trust is in you Lord
Now until forever/Jesus, I surrender/Show me what I don’t know/More of You/I’m desperate for your presence/Longing to be with You/Lead me to a new place/More of You
Lead me to You/Forever, Lord, I will pursue/I will pursue/You’ve won my heart/Jesus, You’re all that I want/All that I want
Now until forever/Jesus, I surrender/Show me what I don’t know/More of You/I’m desperate for Your presence/Longing to be with You/Lead me to a new place/More of You
Wonderful Savior/My heart belongs to Thee/I will remember always/The blood You shed for me/Wonderful Savior/My heart will know Your worth/So let me embrace You always/As I walk this earth
Be blessed/Be loved/Be lifted high/Be treasured here/Be glorified/I owe my life to You, my Lord/Here I am
Beautiful Jesus/How may I bless Your heart?/Knees to the earth/I bow down to everything You are/Beautiful Jesus/You are my only worth/So I will embrace You, always/As I walk this earth
Be blessed/Be loved/Be lifted high/Be treasured here/Be glorified/I owe my life to You, my Lord/Here I am
Beautiful Jesus/How may I bless Your heart?/Knees to the earth/I bow down to everything You are/Beautiful Jesus/You are my only worth/So I will embrace You, always/As I walk this earth
Be blessed/Be loved/Be lifted high/Be treasured here/Be glorified/I owe my life to You, my Lord/Here I am [repeat]
Pride is one of the enemy’s best tricks. It sneaks up on us when we’re least aware of it and can destroy our ministry, our character, and pretty much every area of our lives. So, what exactly is pride? The dictionary defines it as a “high opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority.” Basically, in terms of worship, this means that we assume we are more important or valuable because of a particular ability or skill we have. Generally speaking, we’ve ignored the fact that God has given us our particular skill or ability, and instead of using it to glorify God, we’re using it to glorify (and inflate) ourselves.
Some questions that we should ask ourselves often, in order to identify whether or not we’ve fallen into this trap are:
Why am I leading worship?
Do I feel called to lead worship?
Do I feel put out or offended when my skill or ability is overlooked?
Am I trying to stand out and gain attention, or am I working in unity with the other band members and under authority of the leadership?
Am I respectful of the leaders’ decisions?
Pride is a tricky thing and God detests it. The pride of mankind is what pushed Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Pride is what caused men to build the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, and pride caused the devil to lose his place in the heavenly realm. In the Old Testament, king after king (2 Chronicles 26:16; Jeremiah 13:9; Daniel 5:20; Isaiah 10:12) is seen losing his power and authority to rule, because of pride; and nation upon nation (Isaiah 13:19, 43:14; Ezekiel 32:12; Zechariah 9:6, 10:11), destroyed because of their pride.
Psalm 10:4 says, “In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God” and 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride says that we don’t need God and we can accomplish everything on our own, but humility and wisdom show that we can do nothing on our own; we need God. This is why Proverbs 11:12 states “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” We should never fall into the trap of thinking we can do everything through our own ability and skill, because at any given moment God can take away our gifts and talents.
Furthermore, there is a great difference between those who are gifted with talent and those who are actually called to the ministry. Sometimes someone may be talented, but not called, while those who are called aren’t necessarily the most talented, but heavily anointed. However, this is a topic for another time.
For everything in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–comes not from the Father but from the world. ~ 1 John 2:16
Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything new, but don’t think that you haven’t been on my mind, because you most certainly have. I’ve begun writing a few things, but never seem to finish, this is partly because I’m a perfectionist and expect a certain amount of quality from my own writing before sharing with others, but it’s also because I’ve just been so busy! Which is actually what I felt needed to be discussed here.
I finally finished my Master’s Degree in Human Services Counseling (with a focus on Family & Marriage) a few months ago, through Liberty University, and I’ve been taking some time to relax after a grueling few years of school and work. I’ve learned that I tend to be the type of student who takes her work very seriously at the expense of her relationships, so I’ve been working on building new ones and strengthening those already in existence. I’ve also begun to get a little more active in church activities.
I love all of these things. I love spending time with my friends and church family. I love being actively involved in worship, children’s, and young adult ministries. I love Sunday school, Bible studies, and worship. (And I suggest that if you’re not actively involved in a church check out Multiply: Week 4 to understand why you ought to be.) I love going to concerts, amusement parks and restaurants; watching movies; reading books; and chatting with friends into the wee hours of the night.
There’s nothing wrong with any of these things, however, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing! With so much busy-ness in our daily lives, where do find the time to spend quality time with the very One Who gives us life—both physical and spiritual—and who gives us the capability to move and participate in all our activities? Every day we are bombarded with a barrage of phone calls, text messages, Facebook posts, Twitter tweets, Instagram pics, Vine & YouTube videos, television, sports, news, jobs, school, and many other activities. When do we make the time to unplug from it all and just sit in God’s presence? When do we get down to the nitty gritty and become vulnerable before God about what’s going on in our lives? When do we study His Word , not to prove any points or prepare for a Bible study, but to just learn about Who He is and to allow Him to change us through the Words (check out Multiply: Week 7 for more on this)? When do we make the time to Worship Him through song? When was the last time we fell to our knees in awe of Who He is?
No matter how much is going on our lives, we must, must, must, carve out time for our Savior, our Friend, Our Father. He ought to be our priority, and everything else, secondary; for it is He Who sustains us and without Him we can do nothing! We should never let our lives become so busy that we aren’t plugging into our source of life; we need our bread and living water on a daily basis!
P.S. Praying and working through a Bible study with others is great, however, sometimes God wants to talk specifically to us and reveal something directly to our hearts that can’t be responded to the same way in a group setting, as it can when we’re at our most vulnerable before a Holy God.
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