Practicing Worship – With Our Life

For many people today, words like “worship” and “praise” Have become synonymous with church. Yes it will be fine and worship and praise as something that’s done at church means to diminish what worship really means. Music is a horse away we offer praise and worship to God. Going to church is also a way we offer worship and praise to God. But worship is so much more than that.

God you won the world into our entire being the desire to worship, I think that’s why music is such a huge part of our lives.

True worship isn’t a single app I’m going to church or a song. True worship is a lifestyle, to put it another way our life is our worship. Worship doesn’t exist solely with the compounds of a song going to a church service or an experience. Worship exists in our DNA. There is no such thing asTrue worship isn’t a single app I’m going to church or a song. True worship is a lifestyle, to put it another way our life is our worship. Worship doesn’t exist solely with the compounds of a song going to a church service or an experience. Worship exists in our DNA. There is no such thing as “your life in worship.” And of your life.

Either you’re living a life of worship or you are not. If you are a believer, you were called to offer up our entire lives as worship to God.

Therefore, I urge you brethren by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a holy sacrifice acceptable to God which is our spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

These two verses, were written at the end of the apostle Paul’s life. They are very powerful and life altering. If you notice the first word in the scripture: They are for. That word is a red flag, it should get our attention, and when we see that word we could always stop and find out what “the therefore is there for.” this is a sign of conclusion to a previous argument, in this case Paul’s argument is the entire 11 chapters of Romans.

In these 11 chapters Paul has been laying out he’s theology of who God is and what God has done, and now in chapter 12 he pivots and laid out what our response to all of that should be. That response is that we should, in light of God’s mercy, offer up ourselves, as a living sacrifice. We should offer up our friends, our family, our hopes, and dreams, our careers and ambitions, our possessions , our time, and our money; Everything we have is given up and worship to God who gave us everything.

Our spiritual act of worship is our life. A whole and complete lie that is holy, which simply means “set apart or different.” By living life differently from the world around usBy breaking patterns of the world and culture that is around us, we are offing, by breaking patterns of the world and culture that is around us, we are offering acceptable worship to God. True worship. A sacrifice of our entire being is how we respond and how we worship him.

When we become followers of Jesus (not religion) We give up everything in service of our Messiah. There is no part of ourselves, our life that exist outside of our life of Christ. Jesus invade the entire heat of our life and transformed us with an all dimensions. He leaves nothing un-touched or un-altered.

To be clear, having a life of worship does not happen overnight. It is something that we strive for every day for the rest of our lives. A life of worship is a long-life pursuit. When you become a follower of Christ it isn’t the end of the story, it’s only the beginning.

Make no mistake building a life of worship takes work and purse purposeful intent. God is always revealing to me my need to grow and mature, and I’m convinced that I will not be fully mature until Christ returns and finishes the good work in me that he began long ago.

Yom Kippur

Out of all the holy days in the Jewish faith, the second holiest day of the year, second to Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur begins October 4th at sundown and last approximately 25 hours and it typically observed with fasting and prayer in alignment with the themes of atonement. The Jews believe that if they are not doing something to serve God. God will have no reason to keep them on earth (wasting oxygen).

Look back to move ahead! What you done in the past year to serve God? Can you be sure God will keep you around for another year? This 25 hour window on Yom Kippur is for abstaining from food, drink and bathing as well as marital relations. reflecting on the past year.These 25 hours are the best time of they year to seek God’s face, ask for forgiveness of your sins, turn from your sin and move ahead and use the gifts God gave you for His purposes. A Ten-day period in the month typically occurring between September and October is called the Tishrei, known as the High Holy Days or Days of Awe, which begins with the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah. It ends on the evening of October 5th.

Yom Kippur encompasses all the emotions for spiritual ablution- from guilt to mourning to resolve.

Yom Kippur marks 10 days of repentance which begin with Rosh Hashanah. During this time it is believed that an individual can influence God’s decree for the coming year. The legal code of conduct for life that Jews follow, the Mishnah, portrays God as inscribing names of people in one of three books on the occasion of Hashanah: one book for recording names of good people, the second book for names of wrongdoers, and the third book for those who are not on either side of the scale.

The Jews believe that through extensive acts of prayer, charity, and repentance during the Days of Awe, the book their names are written in can be changed before Yom Kippur, thus saving their own lives by following God’s purpose for them, and the acts that might very well change God’s mind whether He will take their life.

The Atonement (10-days)

The atonement for sins is achieved through acts of fasting, abstinence from sexual relations , wearing leather shoes, washing and bathing. And visiting the synagogue (church) is also trad, although not alk Jews observe every aspect of Yom Kippur.

A Time To Seek God

The benefits of seeking God have great intentions to make things happen, maybe someone or something gets in the way of that. Even if you can seek God 5-minutes at day you will begin to happen.

Maybe you’ve tried to do this in the past. Maybe you don’t a few times a week. Or maybe something always happens to your schedule, and it’s hard to get back into spa few minutes with God everyday.

I will tell you something I’ve learned. I thought for years I had to get up every morning and get in the Word, Pray and seek God. It was always a struggle for me in the morning. I’m definitely not a morning person. I am usually running late, which makes it hard for me to spend time with God. Guess what, God doesn’t care when or even where you spend time with Him as long as you do it.

Maybe you get distracted my kids, or a spouse and the result is just irritability and frustration. Try to choose a time that’s convenient for you.

So What’s The Big Deal About Meeting With God?

The last 10 years, I have not been a morning person. After my children moved away, I didn’t have to be. My husband is an old military guy, who is perfectly happy taking care of himself in the morning. Plus due to health issues I am up most the night. Usually during the wee hours of the night I’m reading my Bible and Praying, that way I’m free from distractions. I always say a prayer and talk to God before my feet it the floor in the morning.

As long as you spend time with God everyday that’s what’s important.

Many people will tell you “you have to seek God every morning if you want your day to be blessed.” “I say hogwash.” God is going to bless your day regardless of when you spend time with Him. Set a time block that’s good for your schedule and stick to it. You will be amazed the difference it will make when it’s pure undistracted time with the Lord.

God Bless.

Do You Put Up Defensive Walls?

Everyone has experienced trauma in their lives, whether, abuse, divorce, death of a loved one, illness, even hospitalizations can be traumatic.

Many people who experience trauma may build defensive walls to help protect themselves psychologically. Sometimes without even knowing we have.

While this may work as a defense mechanism for awhile, it can create problems later in life. I actually thought I had torn all my defensive walls down years ago.

One of the most common of those defensive mechanisms is to create an emotional wall that helps to separate the person from an event. I tend not to trust people and I avoid saying what I feel because I’m afraid of being judged. I tell everyone around me, including myself that I don’t care what others think about me, but deep inside I am afraid of someone saying something to me and pushing my “button” causing me to fight or walk away from people indefinitely.

An emotional wall is a private and hidden haven in which a person can somehow control anguish from which they cannot escape. Sometimes it’s a wall the people aren’t even aware they have put up.

Many people carry these escape havens into intimate relationships in their adult lives, whether they realize it or not. They are unconscious default responses that are ever ready to avoid the pain of potentially re-emerging past traumas. When they are activated they allow a person to unconsciously or consciously hide behind the walls that are still there or have a fight mechanism to deal with them. They become prisoners to their prior experiences and are unable to be fully present in their current life.

These walls show up in many different ways. Sometimes they are subtle and slow to emerge, but at other times, they are intense and reactive, seeming to come out of nowhere. The person retreats behind protective walls and May no realize they are experiencing the buried pain of the original trauma.

Here are a few examples to help you recognize the emergence of defensive walls in yourself or others:

Suddenly Erupting Defensive Walls

These sudden eruptions seem to come out of nowhere and often leave the other person surprised, wounded, confused, or defensive. Often, they have been smoldering for some time without evidence they are brewing.

Hyperactivity

When a trigger to a prior trauma is activated, the person experiencing it is re-experiencing the original anguish as if it were happening again in the current moment. It can be triggered on the other end of any behavior that rekindles the memory of the past trauma. Almost like a invisible button being pushed.

The person re-experiencing these intense feelings may suddenly snap, walk out, counter attack, or become immobilized, unable to function. They are clearly responding to the other person as if they are someone from the past. Their emotions are out of control, and they can react as if they are about to be morally wounded, and immediately retaliating into their once protective haven.

The other day I was talking to someone who said something about one of my children. Instantly I retaliated and they were shocked, saying it was only a joke, but to me it took me straight back to my childhood. I screamed at them and then went right back into my protective shell, and didn’t speak for two days. That’s when I realized I still had some defensive walls put up.

Meltdowns

If people are re-experiencing trauma cannot get their walls for protection up fast enough, they may fall apart. When they are exposed and vulnerable in that way, they often decompensated, exhibiting pain, rage, confusion, or helplessness. Seemingly out of nowhere, they cannot control the flood of emotions that overtake them like a bursting dam.

Meltdowns often accurately qualify as a PTSD response, erupting because of long-term suppression they can no longer bear. If other people have no knowledge of the past traumas you’ve experienced they can feel helpless and don’t know what to do. This can cause a immediate deepening need to disconnect as they once did.

Personality Changes

People on the other end of spontaneously and emerging walks often report that the other person seems to be someone they don’t recognize. Drugs or alcohol can too easily be blamed for the sudden eruption, rather then the realization that the hidden trauma is the true culprit.

Eventually, the sudden eruptions and personality changes that often accompany them will emerge independently. A person who is normally quite capable and easygoing can, all of the sudden, erupt in anger and blame, threaten to leave, make wipe-out statements p, or not be amenable to any resolution in that moment.

Rage is not always the on,y reactive behavior. I for example just retreat in silence and have a urgent need to be at a physical distance between e and the entrapping situation. People may also have a present urgency of finality, as if they are never coming back, which may create panic and fear in the other person.

Slowly Emerging Walls

Most people are drawn to other by a sense of familiarity, even if that ensures that these trauma-induced behavior are more likely to happen.

If over time, they begin to be triggered by the same familiar patterns that were part of the original need to separate, they may begin withdrawing into those places that once protected them. Their outward behavior may seem unchanged for a while, but as behaviors begin to emerge that the reminiscent of past trauma, the warning signs of retreat become evident

Martyrdom

When people continue to present themselves as stable and fine while feeling disappointed or wounded inside, they are likely slipping into martyrdom. They have less and less ability to receive for fear of losing control. They may begin to keep score internally while seemingly fine on the outside, presenting a “brave soldier’ out-ward appearance while withdrawing internally.

Signs that martyrdom is beginning are subtle. There is less talking, less frustration tolerance, resistance to simple requests, denial of distress, and less interest in events that would normally be more intriguing.

Escaping

People who are slowly retreating behind their emotional walks often turn to outside relationships or situations while simultaneously being withdrawn in the primary relationship.

When challenged by others that they seem happier elsewhere, they are likely to defend and excuse what they are doing, not wanting to risk their primary relationship by admitting what is obvious. If it’s a partner they might challenge the reality but often might feel futile and powerless to stop it.

Sometimes these escapes are temporary and do help the trauma reaction quiet down. If a person who normally retreats behind walks instead embraces now challenges, commits to self-healing, or just takes time for themselves, it may help them put things into perspective.

Sometimes these escapes can cause love affair, or just giving up and the entire relationship with friends.

Even though no one can change what’s happened in the past, some people just keep repeating the behaviors that continue to harm them. Maybe it’s time to accept the challenges of breaking down those walls for good.

Are You Being Deceived? 4 Ways To Guard Against Deception

Are you being deceived? It’s a valid question to ask yourself. With so many voices and opinions wanting your attention, it can be challenging for anyone to sort truth from fiction.

In the last days the Bible tells us many will be deceived.

Are you one of them?

Throughout the Scriptures, we are warned against the dangers of deception- not only in the end times but our day-to-day lives.

If you think about it, guarding against deception in our every day lives is what ultimately prepares us to do so in the end times. It’s not something most of us think about every day, but we should give it attention, or it will sneak up on us and overtake us without our even knowing it.

The very definition of deception means that those who are deceived do not know they are deceived. So, it’s vital that we, as believers, are on guard against this trap from the enemy and diligently seek after the truth found in God’s Word.

Four Ways To Guard Against Deception To Keep You Strong, Free And Living In The Truth

1. Knowing The Definition Of Deception

One thing you need right off is this: anyone can be subject to deception. No one is immune.

In fact, thinking you can’t be deceived means you already are.

The first step to understanding what deception is, is to understand what it’s not.

When we do something wrong – and we know it’s wrong – that’s not deception. That’s making a poor choice. The only deception is that this idea will have no consequences to what we are doing.

True deception goes much deeper. It comes when you get swept away by the wrong idea, but you’ve become convinced that it is truth.

In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Timothy said, “For a time is coming when will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will for teacher who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

“Itching ears” are those that only want to be told whet they want to hear. They want the message of God restyled to fir the times and the flow of society. This leads to mixing truth and falsehood until the accurate picture of Christ and Christianity is no longer present.

That’s the definition of deception – being swept away into believing as truth what you didn’t believe previously. That’s what happened in the Garden of Eden.

The nature of deception is a work of fear that begins with questioning . Adam and Eve believed what God said about the tree of knowledge of good and evil until another voice came along and told them they should question that truth. Then, they started to lean away from the truth through their own questioning, Is that what He really said? Is He trying to keep something from us?

Instead of going back to the source, they let questioning lead them away. That’s deception.

2. Prepare Ahead Of Time

Knowing how easily we can be swept away into deception. Paul strongly warned us to “take heed” in 1 Timothy 4:16.

To take heed means to beware, perceive and consider carefully. This means we need to prepare ahead of time to judge those things that present themselves as truth. And we should be able to decent quickly and accurately, using the knowledge we have built up.

Guarding Against Deception Is Proactive

Don’t wait until something comes up to try and figure out if it is truth or deception. Be ready for it.

How do you get ready?

You spend regular time in the Word of God. And don’t let the input of society outweigh the input of God’s Word in your life. Your time praying and fellowshipping with the Lord is the greatest preparation for stand on a firm foundation in the last days.

When some new thought comes along – like homosexuality or gender identity – you won’t be swept away by the ever-changing norms. You’ll stand firm in the light of the truth you already know.

If you analyze something with your own thoughts and opinions, you are setting yourself up for deception. As a believer, we have our own measuring stick- another foundation on which ti base our perceptions.” That measuring stick is God’s Word.

There will be greater and greater challenges at the end of the age, and the Bible tells us that large numbers of people in the Body of Christ will be led astray (Luke 21:8). That warning is not meant to scare you, but to help you. When we prepare ahead of time to control the Devil’s tactics, we are guarding against deception.

3. Compare Everything To The Word Of God

Whatever an idea, philosophy or doctrine is presented, you never have to wonder it it’s true. All you have to do is compare everything to the Word of God, and you will have your answer – that’s how to guard against deception.

There are plenty of people out there who are willing and able to cause deceit – especially when it helps them to justify their wrong and sinful living. Causing deceit means pressuring Som to accept as truth or valid, something that is not true.

We see that a lot of it these days.

The Bible has a huge number or prophecy that has come true, if you look at history and compare what has happened in the world I think you’ll be amazed.

There are those who want to believe it is acceptable to the Lord when they choose to vote for people who go against God’s word. How can killing innocent children accountable to God? How is homosexuality acceptable to God? when He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for the exact same reasons. That’s deception!

Deception also disregards God’s law of sowing and reaping. To be deceived is to think you can plant apple seeds and harvest pears, to believe you can plant seeds of hate and reap life and love, or that you can plant seed of anger and reap peace.

Galatians 6:7 says “God will not be mocked, whatever a man sows, he will also reap. You can not sow one thing and get another.

I often look at the COVID deception. Many lies we were told – “We are all going to die,” “stay away from people you love,” “ get the vaccine and everything will be back to normal.” This virus that was no were than the flu that goes around every year. Spread fear and deception across the world. To deceive the people into doing what they are told to do by man.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For He will deliver you rom the snare of the Fowler, and from the deadly pestilence (diseases). He will cover you with His feathers. Under His wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand May fake at your right side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place. For He will put His angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, so that you won’t dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the Lion and the serpent. You will trample the young Lion and the serpent underfoot. ‘Because He has set His live on me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set hon on high, because he has known my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him. I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation.

Psalm 91

When you compare everything to the Word of God, you will guard against deception.

4. Live By Faith

Finally to guard against deception, you’ve got to live by faith. That’s what will keep you out of deception.

There will always be challenges in the world. Even if you have faith, we must face them head on. One thing is different for believers in Christ. We know the truth. Don’t be deceived into thinking that anything less than victory I’d God’s will for you.

The world will tell you to expect defeat, failure, sickness, disease, broken relationships, and financial trouble. But if you walk by faith and believe the greatest book of prophecy ever written (The Bible). You will be guarded from deception.

Certainty And Doubt -The Power Of Both

Certainly and Doubt they both hold great power when it comes to certain things. Some people never ask themselves, “which one is a better motivator?” They both have their benefits but which is truly better? Let’s take time to pull the argument apart and see for ourselves which one.

I strongly believe that certainly has more power than doubt, but our brains are hardwired for doubt. Our faith in anything has to be a certainty. In Isaiah 41:10 it says if you doubt in your heart nothing will go right with you, but if you have certainty in God your plans will prosper.

Sometimes doubt can be a good thing when it comes to things outside our personal beliefs. If we have too much certainty and we try to do something and fail it comes with really feeling bad about ourselves. For example: if I’m out of shape and think I can enter a 5 miles marathon and come out in the top 3 places, my certainty is going to fail me. As little doubt is good for our moral compass to, it keeps us grounded.

If you’re wondering which is a better motivator it’s neither. They have to be put together or its worthless, excluding the grounds of faith. Don’t be too certain have a little doubt so if you fail your task won’t be too surprising.

The honest truth is you can’t have one or the other. It has to be all or none. They both have equal power and should be used together not separately. If they are not their potential is pointless. Doubt makes us fearful, but if we combine doubt and certainty great things are sure to happen.