worship

clear the stage [ross king]

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
If that's the measure that it takes to crush the idols.
Chuck the pews and all the decorations too
Until the congregations few then have revival.
Tell your friends that this is where the party ends
until you're broken for your sins you can't be social.
Then seek the Lord and wait for what he has in store
and know that great is your reward and just be hopeful

Cause you can sing all you want to.
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

Take a break from all the plans that you made
And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper.
Beg Him please to open up his mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister.
Shine the light on every corner of your life
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open.
Then read the word and put to test the things you've heard
Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken.

Cause you can sing all you want to.
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

Anything I put before my God is an idol.
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol.
Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol.
Anything that I give all my love is an idol.
We must not worship something that's not even worth it.
Clear the stage and make some space for the one who deserves it.

Cause I can sing all I want to.
Yes I can sing all I want to
I can sing all I want to
And still get it wrong, worship is more than a song.

And you can sing all you want to.
Yes you can sing all you want to
You can sing all you want to
But don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.



listen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sKURkM3Es



worship is not something we do, it's a lifestyle.


this song needs no more explanation.



{embrace the journey}

the hunger

The Hunger [fireflight]

Cut it out, cut it out
I know it's what you're wanting to say

Burning up, burning up
I know why you're feeling this way

There's an ache you can't erase
A yearning that you can't replace

And you want Him, and you need Him
-But you act like He's not there-
Yeah, you know that you're hollow
And something's missing here
So you push and you pull the hole in your soul
But you can't make the hunger disappear

You got a rusted out lock on your door
Getting ready to break
You've held back love long enough
I think it's time to cave

You're waiting for a sign
The fact is faith is blind

Do you want to spend your whole life jaded?
Stuck in a rut that you created
Why don't you break the cycle?
Let love win


just a song that i heard this morning that spoke to my heart.


"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6

Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. John 4:34

"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you." John 14:15


{embrace the journey}

its been one of those days

just....really needing some encouragement today.

prayer

Prayer.

What is prayer??

it basically is a conversation with God. but then again it is so much more.

I just heard a sermon on this very exact topic. and it blew my mind away. The speaker Tony Nolan put it in the most practical terms where i could really grasp the whole meaning and then remember it so well to put it into practice.

to sum it up it went like this:

He used cell phone companies to relate prayer to us.

1. Sprint. - sprint to God. We are called to go to God with our needs and desires. In James 4:8 it says "Draw close to God and God will draw close to you.
2. AT&T- approach the throne. we can approach God directly now because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. We can boldly approach him with no problems. Hebrews 4:16 "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
3. MCI- make clean intercession- praying for others. James 4:8 the latter part: " Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded." May you be clean before God- confessed of all sin.
4. Excel- when you do all these things, you excel in your relationship with God. James 5:13-18 "Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out.Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again."

This sermon can be found at this link:
https://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=9002

it is the last one on the page: Tony Nolan SEW- Cell Phone Prayer- 9/2/08

I would SO encourage you to listen to it. It explains so much :)

there is so much more to prayer, its a learning process:
pray continually, when you do not know what to pray the Holy Spirit will help you
God gives three answers- yes, no, wait.
prayer is talking and listening. "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10
praythat you may not fall into temptation, for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak Matt 26:40
pray specific

When i pray, I journal because i can stay focused and really see how God answers prayers. But i am in continual conversation with Him all day.

one resource that really helped me learn how to pray is "Becoming a Woman of Prayer" by Cynthia Heald.

there is power in prayer and God will hear your prayers...they do make a difference, and even when you cannot see the answers sometimes, God does know best and you will look back and see that He did have your best interest in heart and He did answer your prayers, just not the way you thought...but in such a way that mattered.

i pray that you may seek God with all your heart and seek these things you are wondering about and seek answers and pray that you may find Him. you will...you certainly will. Jesus is living and He will change your world in such a way that is life changing and you will never want to go back to anything you ever were before. you will find it hard to believe, but its so true.

I am praying for you, SS.

{embrace the journey}

when God speaks...listen.

So, no lie...I have been struggling with my faithfulness to the Lord a little bit, and feeling a little down about it...but this is what is so amazing about the God I serve- that He is still faithful. I picked up my devotion today (Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado) and this is what it said:

"God Make Us Right Again"

- create in me apure heart God, and make my spirit right again- Psalm 51:10

We are thirsty. Not thirsty for fame, possessions, passion, or romance. We've drunk from those pools. they are salt water in the desert. They dont quench- they kill. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..."(Matthew 5:6)
Righteousness. Thats it. Thats what we are thirsty for. We're thirsty for a clean conscience. We crave a clean slate. We yearn for a fresh start. We pray for a hand that will enter the dark craven of ou world and do for us the one thing we cant do for ourselves- make us right again.

Wow. I am like whoa God. I get it. You are still here- and my prayer today is that you make my heart clean and pure. here's yesterdays devotion:

"The Choice is Ours"
For all its peculiarities and unevenness the Bible has a simple story. God made man. Man rejected God. God wont give up until He wins them back.
God will whisper. He will shout. He will touch and tug. He will take away our burdens. He'll even take away our blessings. If there are a thousand steps between us and Him, He will take all but one. But He will leave that fnal one for us. The choice is ours.
Please understand. His goal is not to make you happy. His goal is to make you His. His goal is not to get you what you want, it is to get you what you need.

Wow again. God really just spoke to me LOUDLY. and I am listening.

May you be encouraged as I have been encouraged.


{embrace the journey}