Made for Worship (Connecting with My Creator)

Along the way I’ve discovered that my soul was made for worship. In the past I only saw worship as a way to give something back to God. I knew God loves to hear the sound of our heartfelt worship, and that through worship we returned the glory to where it belonged—God.

Now don’t get me wrong, these are very good (and biblical) reasons for worship. But, recently, it’s been my experience that worship also impacts me, speaking to my heart, lifting my spirit, bringing me joy, turning my focus to the Source of my Strength, and drawing me—heart and soul—to the very throne of God. Worship is a powerful way to open the lines of communication with my God.

I’ve discovered that, as with most things God asks of us, worship helps me more than it helps Him. My relationship with God is significantly enhanced by my sincere and authentic worship. The very act of worship reminds me of my place in the universe, the place that I belong—prostrate before the throne of God.

So join me as I throw back my head and worship with reckless abandon, joyfully engaging in a dialogue of the heart—a deep, meaningful conversation with my loving Creator.

Final Thought: Beginning church with songs of worship and praise is an invitation for God to connect with us; it prepares our hearts and minds for a life-changing exchange between heaven and earth.

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Personal Epiphany: A man determined to cherish evil must be very careful about doing any type of good, even for his own personal gain, because often the very act of doing good produces positive changes in his character, and, if continued, may eventually lead to the reckless abandonment of the very evil he once cherished.

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Personal Challenge: It is a constant struggle for me to set my priorities and focus on the most important thing in my life—my relationship with God. So, this week, I’m challenging myself to find a way to use my time more wisely, to set my focus on the eternal, and to put God back where He belongs—at the center of my life.

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Question to Ponder: Are your priorities leading you to temporal or eternal treasures?

Created for Joy (Living God’s Way)

Along the way I’ve discovered that living in Christ is living in joy. We were created for happiness, for laughter, for singing, for dancing—for joy!

Too often I allow the world to close in around me. Too often I allow the darkness to start pressing in, squeezing out the light, threatening to swallow my joy. Too often I allow the burdens of life to drag me down the path of despair.

These moments are a painful reminder that I, once again, need to turn my burdens over to the strong, broad shoulders of the only One Who can handle it all—God.

Once I’ve released my burdens, God whispers joy’s true melody to my heart, reminding me of this powerful truth: The constant taking—the building up of stuff (useless junk); the piling up of fake, frilly friends; the constant attempt to pretty-up of my sad, soiled life—does not lead to true, sustainable joy. Instead, the road to eternal joy lies in the building of genuine community; participating in honest, heartfelt fellowship; the growing of deep, lasting friendships; fulfilling God’s purpose for my life; and, most importantly, the continual building and strengthening of an eternal relationship with my ever-faithful God. These are the true cries of our desperate souls. These are the source of sustained joy. These are the true treasures of life.

So join me as turn from the barren promises offered by a desperate world and turn to the true source of sustainable joy—God.

Final Thought: Laughter matters! Living devoid of laughter and genuine joy is not truly living.

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Personal Epiphany: The mind is the engine of life, propelling us toward our ultimate destination by the power of our thoughts.

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Personal Challenge: My focus is notorious for wandering, and with all the distractions this world has to offer it is very easy for me to wander down the wrong path. So this week I’m challenging myself to prioritize the things in my life in order to minimize the distractions and keep my focus where it ought to be—on God. I am determined to guard what I put in my mind and pay more attention to what I think about, look at, read, watch, and dwell on. I am determined to be more conscientious about those things that I allow into my life.

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Question to Ponder: Are you properly prioritizing your life—thinking about, looking at, reading, dwelling on, and making your sole focus only those things that point you toward God?

Dwelling on God (Wrangling My Wandering Mind)

Along the way God has revealed this simple truth to me: When I allow my mind to wander into dim, shadowy territories, I open myself up to the tempter’s sharp arrows. When I give my mind free reign, it often wanders down the dark path of selfishness and sin; and inevitably, my lips and limbs respond in kind.

Thankfully, this is also true of the God-things. If I allow God to guide me into His gloriously green pastures, He will continually fill my mind with abundant thoughts of His unfailing love. These thoughts, if allowed to grow to maturity, will be manifested in my life as the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23).

The human brain is a powerful tool created by an all-knowing God, a God who created mind power to be the force behind all of our actions. Thankfully, He didn’t leave us to wonder what we should focus on; no, He graciously provides a guide to God-minded thinking—The Bible. If we fully immerse ourselves in the beautiful things of God, He will create a new heart within us. Then with our new, soft God-heart as our guide, our actions will reflect the change deep inside.

We must constantly guard our thoughts to avoid being drawn back onto the dark path of selfishness and sin. That’s why Paul gives us this recommendation: “Here’s how to really live: Focus your thoughts on all that’s true—all that’s morally and spiritual sound. Fill your minds with a deep reverence for everything that’s good, dwelling only on things that are pure, honest, noble, holy, beautiful, kind, generous, and loving. Don’t ever stop thinking about the things that cause you to focus on—and to praise—your Creator” Philippians 4:8 (Randy Reed Paraphrased Version).

So join me as I turn my thoughts to the beautiful things of God, allowing Him to refocus me in the right direction, thus producing the good fruits He promised.

Final Thought: The saying and the doing follow the thinking.

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Personal Epiphany: I’m strongest when I admit my weakness and fully embrace God’s perfect strength.

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Personal Challenge: I am challenging myself to stop focusing on this disposable life—filled with perishable worries and passing concerns—and instead focus on God’s eternal promise to create in me a clean heart filled with a desire to obey Him for all eternity.

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Question to Ponder: What is stopping you from stepping out in faith, from placing your full weight firmly on the broad shoulders of the Creator of the universe?

Admitting My Weakness (Accepting God’s Strength)

Along the way I’ve discovered the desert of uncertainty holds immense faith-growing potential, and when I humbly admit my lost state, I give God permission to work powerfully in my life to His glory.

2 Corinthians 12:9 says: “Each time he [the Lord] said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me” (NLT).

Story after story in the Bible shows God bringing people to a place of complete vulnerability so He can be glorified—look at the stories of Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Sampson, and Paul (to name but a few). These stories give me hope in dark times—times of uncertainty and wilderness wandering.

Time and time again God has powerfully revealed His strength in humanity’s weakness. So, walking in the footsteps of these pillars of weakness, instead of trying to find all the answers or attempting to decipher His thoughts and plans, I’m going to put my faith into practice, placing my trust fully in God, embracing the words from one of my favorite songs: “If You say ‘Go,’ I will go. If You say, ‘Wait,’ I will wait. If You say, ‘Step out on the water,’ and they say it can’t be done, I’ll fix my eyes on You and I will go.”

So join me as I step out in faith, allowing God to work in my life—in His time and on His terms. Join me as I admit my weakness and embrace the unknown—giving God full permission to work in my life to His glory!

Final Thought: Sometimes the best place to start is a place filled with unanswered questions, humbly admitting you don’t have the answers. In this seemingly deserted place, the possibilities for God to work are truly limitless.

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Personal Epiphany: The pain of the present is fleeting, but joy found in God is eternal.

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Personal Challenge: For me, complete surrender is scary; but it isn’t until I recognize my need and fully surrender my life to God that I will become all He plans for me. So I am determined to allow God to conquer my fears and doubts by completely surrendering my life to Him today, tomorrow, the next day, then the next, and the next…

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Quick Quotes: I gave in, and admitted that God was God. ~C. S. Lewis

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Question to Ponder: Do you find God repeating important lesson in your life?

Repeating the Lessons (Listening to The Teacher)

Along the way I’ve discovered that God is a patient teacher, continually repeating the lessons in my life that I stubbornly refuse to learn. His promise to transform the woman I currently am—the one steeped in the rampant sin of this world—to a woman of God is sometimes a long and painful process, but if I ask for His help, God will be faithful to complete the transformation of my life from old to new.

This transformation won’t always be easy, but thankfully God knows my heart and refuses to leave me in my current state; instead, He patiently shows me the way, repeating lessons as necessary. Like a parent teaching a child multiplication tables, God is willing to repeat the lessons again, and again, and again, and again…

But no matter how many times I wander away from His perfect path—falling for the same pitfall I fell for yesterday and the day before and the day before that—God is always faithful to take me gently by the hand and loving lead me back onto His path. And, in His infinite patience, He never gets angry with me; instead, He uses the circumstances in my life to tenderly teach me His way.

So I’ve determined to reassess my view of trials, taking a James 1 view: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” James 1:2-3 (NIV). Instead of looking at the trials in my life as a punishment, I am going to begin viewing them as the gentle hand of a loving Father pulling me back on to His path to eternity.

I pray that God will continue revealing His truth to me, and that one day I will rely on Him to the point that my path will become smooth and my foot will no longer falter—just as He promised.

So join me as I cling to all of God’s perfect promises, as I invest my faith fully in the loving Father Who promises to smooth out my path and lead me safely into eternity.

Final Thought: God is a loving, endlessly patient teacher.