We Worship The Faithful One, Who Rescues Like No One Else Can!

Sitting here. Listening to the rain. And getting amber alerts on my phone, due to Hurricane Harvey! Needless to say, I just ran into this devotional that I had charted out for my wonderful friends at Stillwater Community Church sometime last year. So, I thought it would be good to share it on here - especially due to the nature of Houston's inclement weather.

The Daily Dive Devotional (A Series of Stillwater Community Church)

Short Bio: One of the greatest gifts that the LORD has given me, is to be married to Stephany my wife, my crown & my joy! God has also blessed us with four beautiful children...Daniella Ellie, Olivia Grace, Noble Jedidiah, & Finley Judah. An desire & aspiration of mine is to write books on the subject of worship - and make the "Unknown God" known to the Church and to those who would desire to grow in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Fun things I like to do: Hang out with my family & make some memories, play my guitar & write songs for the Church. I also like to take road trips (short & long) with the family! And maybe one day, take my little ones camping and get into the outdoors as a new family tradition. Books I've enjoyed reading: Blue Like Jazz, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, In The Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day, & The Furious Longing of God. Favorite Food? Mediterranean Cuisine. Favorite Movie? The Passion Of The Christ (for many reasons). It is our joy & privilege to be at Still Water - to serve & connect to a community of believers who love Jesus and enjoy doing life together.

Title: We Worship The Faithful One, Who Rescues Like No One Else Can!

Passage (Daniel 4 NLT):1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments,bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue.6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. 22And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames. 24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied. 25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

Commentary/Application:

In these few passages, we can actually see a dark time for these young Hebrew men. a series of several crazy-like events that led them to this particular predicament. However, there they stood, they had a choice to make. Standing before a king: and a tyrant whose only interest was himself and making his own name glorious and that of his god. He was interested in getting these young men to bow regardless what the cost would be. And these young men chose to NOT bow their knee to the image made of gold. Even if it meant killing themselves in the process!

Ah, but isn't it just like God. To show up at just the appointed time! Yes. He is never late, seldom early, but always on time.

Let's break it down a bit further and take a look at what these young men really did. They faced a powerful enemy who wanted to harm them for the conviction of their hearts. Which was to only worship the Living God. Nothing else. No one else. Moreover, to fully understand this, you must understand why they stood their ground; what for really? Couldn't they have 'bowed' and God have 'seen' their heart. No friends. Faith that is real and alive - needs evidence. Evidence equals works. Therefore their faith was NOT DEAD but ALIVE!! This is the kind of faith that we need. Faith that is real. Faith you can touch. And the kind of faith that can be applied to our everyday lives.

This faith is the kind of faith that fuels our worship.

And the thing that fuels faith is the Love of God in our hearts. Which has been shed abroad for all to receive freely.

Anyway, it sounds a bit like what these young men also had was perspective. A clear perspective of an all powerful God. The kind of God who is faithful. If He said it, shall He NOT do it. If He said it, shall it NOT come to pass? For us, we have to maintain this outlook; this perspective of faith. Where we know the Enemy, who has come to ‘kill, steal, & destroy’ and goes around about like a ‘roaring lion’ seeking whom he may devour is NOT an all powerful equal to God. He is a defeated foe. Perhaps, I would argue that the Bible talks to us about fighting the 'good fight' of faith. And yes, the Enemy will do whatever it takes to get us to bow to a golden image (fill in the blank ____fear, failure, success, greed, sexual immorality; etc.) - whatever that may look like to you, just as long as we only bow & worship this 'false god'. The Enemy is not saying, “don’t worship God” but in actuality he is saying, “in addition to worshipping God, also worship this golden image!” You know that golden image that we try and justify - ie. those people who hurt me; I'm justified in my anger - in my bitterness. No friends. That only is hurting ourselves. These young Hebrew men, are still teaching us how to hear the call of worship. And let our faith rise higher! Our perspective get clearer - and allow God to be God all by Himself. He is worthy of our worship! Let me say this about worship:

When we worship' God. We are ascribing value to Him. We set our affection on Him fully. And in turn, we become more like the object of our worship. We become more like Him. Men and women of faith that are NOT moved by these temporary and light afflictions; but have transfixed our gaze on the glory that awaits us.

I'm sure, that these Hebrew men knew if God would of let them die, the glory that awaited them was far greater than the temporary fire they were facing. The Enemy will spew out his lies in order to make us believe them and skew our view of God’s nature. Once this happens, then we let begin to lose our perspective. We cannot afford to lose our perspective. Because if we don’t have our perspective, then we begin to lose our faith. And that my friends cannot happen. That good fight of faith, has already been won!! So don't let some tricky deceiver shake you. Stand on Jesus. He is the rock of our salvation.

In conclusion...

What I love about this passage of scripture is how these wildly passionate young men faced such clear opposition, but nevertheless were NOT easily shaken in their faith and belief in a God of Wonders who still delivers. They definitely had the right perspective of their God, who showed himself as “faithful” & strong. They had this crazy like faith & an attitude that was everything; but unshakable, unmovable, & unstoppable!

Yes, these young men lived by a principle. That is, that God is the one who saves us. He saves, He heals, He restores, & He delivers us like no one else can! He alone is deserving of our full attention, our full worship & adoration, & even our full devotion!

Key Verse:

"There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

Daniel 4:29

Application Questions:
Are there any lies you have believed the Enemy about God’s nature?
Could there be some place or an area in your life where the Enemy has gotten you to bow?
Is it time to confess our false view of God’s nature to God Himself?
Lastly, confession, Prayer, Scripture reading, Becoming a part of a small group, seeking Godly counsel, all can help us to have a greater dependency & trust in Christ.

Prayer:

Father, make us more like you. Help us to trust in You always. To not be fearful of what is to come, but to be of good courage. To keep fighting the good fight of faith; knowing that it is us fighting from a place of victory. Jesus, be the rock of our lives and the center of our affection towards You. We love you. In Jesus' name. Amen!

Worship Blog 101

Worship is the thing we do.
Worship defines who we are.
Worship depicts the place (of our heart) - where we are.

Bottom line: Worship is a posture of the heart. A decision made. A choice to exalt & lift His name on high.


Okay, let's get into is a little bit; we worship because we were made to worship. God, who created the heavens & the earth did make us in His image which is great, but along with that He gave us one powerful & yet amazing weapon. The ability to worship.

The key here is that we begin to look like what we worship. Which is why, when believers worship Him. Then we begin to be like him. NOT be Him, be like Him. The temptation is - sometimes, even though we don't realize it, to want to be worshiped. Just like it happened to the devil. The problem with the devil was that he was a murderer from the get go. So essentially, his future was shot from the start.

And see, the beautiful part of our story is that our future is NOT shot. Our future is bright! God, making us in His image. He has given us the ability to choose. We choose to worship Him. No matter what. That's a choice that no one, not even the evil can take away. We may lose our houses or our health, we may lose those nearest to us; but somehow we cannot ever lose the ability to choose to worship our creator.

Two main ways of how real worship is done.

One: In Spirit.
Two: In Truth.

One main reason for our inspiration.

A heart of thankfulness. Recognizing what He has done. Salvation He fills us with Power, He gives us His Grace, His Faith. He fills us with His Spirit. He gives us all that we need. Therefore we bow & lift our hearts in song & worship Him. When we begin to get to know Him more, a desire to worship Him will grow. You cannot worship what you don't know. Get to know Him. 

For me, I am most free, when I worship Him. I can get lost in a couple of words that describe Him over & over - because He is good. Really, He commands our love & devotion because He is very passionate about us. He loves us. And desires that we go ahead & experience His Joy, His Life. His Power, His Love!

So, when we choose to worship Him, things not explained begin to happen in the spiritual realm. Beautiful things really. Crazy things like: Freedom, Joy, Peace, Hope that fills our hearts, & the list goes on & on. Things that are counter opposite of the world. Instead of control, fear & manipulation. We get all these things that represent the essence of who He is. So it's quite an amazing thing overall. We worship Him, we become like Him. Look like Him, talk like Him, love like Him. We then sacrifice like Him. And see, I deeply believe a supernatural key for us to enter into His presence personally but also as a body of believers is to apply Romans 12:1 in our lives.

1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

In Spirit & in truth. This is how to worship Him. This is the way to worship Him. Let's do just that!!!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for all that You have done. We do bow our hearts & present our bodies a living sacrifice that is pleasing to You. We honor You & worship You. And receive the calling you have given us, to worship the one & only true God. And let your light shine through how we worship You always!! In Jesus' name. Amen.

As We Worship!

Listening to... Spontaneous Worship w/ Amanda Cook Bethel Church

As we worship...and as we come to Jesus. There is a freedom that takes place. Freedom like no other, b/c of the finished work of the cross. Now, although it may feel sometimes like hope seems dim in certain times of our lives, but in reality we have all the HOPE we need.

He has given us, "faith, hope, & love." Meaning He gives generously. Jesus has given enough hope to last a lifetime. What happens sometimes is we lose perspective on what is real. Jesus. His love. His acceptance. His victory over sin & death & the grave! He has overcome. Trials & tribulations are but for a moment. It is important to hear & obey on James' admonishment to count it all joy when we encounter such various trials & tribulations. The first gift we must abide in is faith, because it leads to hope, which then leads to love. And since God is merciful, He gifts us with opportunities to let our faith be refined in order to get to hope, which then leads to love as I've said. The true mark of us being His disciples will be shown to the world by the love we have & demonstrate towards each other. It initially begins with us counting it all joy. So the faith refinement can happen.

What a concept. To worship Him. Something so intimate to do, because He made a way through His blood shed. Making us righteous before our heavenly Father. This process of being refined in our faith encourages us to count it all joy when we encounter all kinds of various trials & tribulations is key & essential in our daily worship. The act, the posture of worship is one that begins in our hearts through the Spirit & His Word.

As we come in by His Spirit to the moment of encountering His presence, through His Truth - we begin to ascribe value to Him. To put worth where worth is due. Now He is worthy altogether. He has not need of us, but delights in us. So when we worship. We find Him anew. Everytime. Without fail. He reveals a new portion of who He is. Wonder sets in. Mystery takes place. As we worship, the name above all names. The Risen Son. The Christ. Jesus.

Psalm 95:6

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker

He is the Shepherd. We are the sheep of His pasture. He takes care of us. I think part of the freedom that I initially mentioned at the beginning of this blog comes with knowing that in that freedom there is safety. There is security. There is comfort. There is stillness. Green pastures. The promise of NEW LIFE! As we worship, we magnify Him. And all of a sudden our 'trial' - our 'tribulation' then begins to take a backseat & is no longer the deciding factor that plays a major role in our daily lives. But Jesus is.


Let's pray...

Jesus. Shine your light on us. Lift up the light of your countenance upon your people. Let Hope come in & have its way! Let Hope fill our hearts & permeate thoroughly. Let us be drenched with Love. And as our Faith is refined. Let us continue to run this race of faith with endurance. Not wavering, but letting the promise of the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with an added measure of joy. Let joy fill us so we can count it all joy for You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hear the Call...Like The Woman At The Well Did

Listening to iBethel.tv as I write this...

Ring, ring, ring -- ring, ring, ring -- common' -- is someone gonna get that!?? Yep. We've all been there.

Busy. Please leave a message at the beep!

Overworked. I don't have time for that right now...fill in the (blank).

Yes, if we all had more time. If we only had more hours in the day, then we could do so much more!!!

Well, does any of this sound familiar? It may. Or it may not, but my guess is - that yes to some degree or another we have all felt slightly over booked. And maybe not as energized as we should. But what I want to do is be able to -- if you allow me -- to take you on a journey of worship. On a journey that allows you to take flight to a place, where maybe it's not visited by as many as it should. Not because its for a special person per say or a select few, but simply because we may sometimes not really know the way. Let's take a closer look at a familiar story that is found in John 4. Where Jesus, meets a woman. And the woman hears the call.

So the story unfolds a bit like this. Jesus & his disciples had been traveling & ministering. They were busy doing God's work, but there in the midst of life & their ministry. There is a divine appointment. A call that needs to take place. Here in this passage a phrase sticks out at me...

It's found in verse 4, where it says, He had to go through Samaria on the way.

Why did Jesus, the Son of God have to go out of His way - stop what He was doing - go and visit a place that was not so convenient? Location wise, because it was out of the way, and also because it was a place where Jews considered it a socially misfit thing to engage with its inhabitants - the Samaritans. To me this sentence sticks out simply emphasizing the will of the Father. It was God's will that Jesus would stop by Samaria & allow the woman to know Him, to have an opportunity to answer the Savior's Call with conviction. So much so, that instantly she becomes a fired up evangelist. Let's take a look at the account: (Jn. 4:4-24 NLT)

He had to go through Samaria on the way.  Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.  Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her,  “Please give me a drink.”    He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.  She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied,  “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?  And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied,  “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.    But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” “Go and get your husband,”  Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said,  “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet.  So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim,  where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied,  “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.    You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.    But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.    For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (NLT from www.Bible.com)

Bottom line. The woman hears the call. Answers, the Savior of the world after she hears him calling her. Calling her our of darkness, out of mediocrity, out of a place of religion. Out from under there & into a real relationship with Himself. Into the way of worship, not the place of worship. But simply Jesus teaches the woman about the posture of the heart & how it needs to be when approaching God. Thirsty, in need of Him. Knowing that He satisfies. And it must be done with protocol - in Spirit & in Truth. So as she hears the call - to repent of her sins & trust in Him, the Son of God...the Messiah who saves. She also realizes that He is worthy. Worthy to be praise & worshiped. So she begins to worship Him out of an obedient heart after Jesus asks her to "Go and get your husband." She goes on, and brings an entire city, because she wants them to encounter what & whom she has encountered there at the well. She hears the call.

I guess the question would be? Where are you? Yeah, physically, yes emotionally, & spiritually. Where is the Savior finding you at right now? Do you hear...can you hear His call? I know you can. His voice is loud & clear. We who are His people, His children are able to hear Him calling because we are His. (see John 10:9-10) Being His, gives us a place of belonging. You & me now belong to the family of God. When we believed in Christ as our Redeemer. Yes, everything changed. And at His word, everything can continue to change -- again & again. And again, once we hear His call. Once we hear Him calling out to us & we answer it with a fullness of heart & a complete surrender to His voice. Hear The Lord calling? Then its time to answer.

He is mighty to save. He is ready & willing to deliver us from sin. From the heavy load we've been carrying. Whether for the first time, or for the one thousandth time...He wants to reach out to us. Let's dare to believe in a God who is good. In a God, who is interested in His creation - those made in His image. Yes, friends - God loves us!! And He is always calling us to Himself. 

Prayer:

Father, let us Lord, hear your call. Open our ears, our hearts, our minds, & let us ever turn to you in such a way. That every negative thing is yours. And every glorious promise is ours. Let us walk in the light of Your countenance. And let us hear the call of our beloved. Jesus. That we give you all the glory & all the honor, in Jesus' name. Amen.