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.

A Visit, From The King

Listening to: Bethel (spontaneous song) 


"...and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day." (Gen.32:22-31)

As I listened to this man I spoke with this morning. A man of God, a pastor friend of mine - we spoke and shared life a bit. He talked with me about the man that I am. And he said, "You are like a man that walks with a limp, & you need to rejoice in that."

Funny thing is, in conversation with the LORD earlier this week, I mentioned to Him, "God I feel like Jacob. Like I am a man that walks with a limp." There is a reason, why I feel like this is important to share. That reason is simply because there is something special that happens to all of us when we get wounded out of prevailing. I will explain this point further in the next few sections. 

What I believe that happened to Jacob was simply a metaphor for all of us that says, 

Yes at some points you will be alone, but please realize that you are not alone. I am here with you. And we are engaged in a match of life. I have called you with a purpose. I lead, you follow. I direct, you obey. I love, you respond. I am here to take you on a journey & even if I have to slay you/wound you. It is only a necessary thing that needs to happen. I made you. I know you. I have a plan that is good & not evil for you...

Seeing God face to face means. Being stripped away of the things that are attached to us; to our hearts so closely, & yet do not need to be there. A death of self.

The encounter that our father Jacob had with the angel & prevailed depicts an attitude that says, I will not let go. I will not let up until I have received all the promises of God. He did not let the odds or chances of winning deter his focus on the promise Giver. He went after God with all His heart & held on to Him for dear life. I wonder, truly - I do wonder; if we had as much resolve & determination as Jacob did... where would we be? Maybe in a land, called "Greater Works." This would be a place where Jesus said we'd be at. Doing greater works than He did.

Ah yes. Speaking of land. I also spoke with my Dad this morning & shared with him that lately I've been thinking of how important it is to consider what it is to own some land. Basically what I am meaning is with double expression to both physical & spiritual application. Furthermore, land can have precious minerals, valuables, & can be cultivated. To me, owning land means a type of richness. Now spiritually speaking - how much land do you own? Where have you set your feet upon? Doesn't God say that where ever you set your feet upon, it shall be yours? Where have you become an owner of? Is it Peniel - a place where you have met God?

Right where you are. Wherever life may have brought you to. Or perhaps there may even be circumstances that you are in because of some poor choices you have made in the past. Can I say something as you have already graciously allowed me to do so - stop focusing on what has happened in the past. And start centering your focus on the Center of the universe, Christ Himself. Know that you have prevailed in your surrender, as little of a thing that it may seem to you. The point is that surrender has begun, & believe you me. He will touch your hip, to remind you who you have met. This, all this - yes, this type of encounter with God is meant for your freedom. For freedom's sake once & for all! (See Gal. 5:1)

As a loving Father, that God is to us His children. He loves & disciplines us when we don't even really know we are getting out of line. He loves us. 

God is love. And we are wholly His. No devil can say or do anything to counter that we belong to God. Children of the Light. In a crazy wrestling match for Truth, the Blessing of God most High. And our eager display of response to His crazy & amazing love that keeps on coming is all a part of His plan. A love story indeed. A visit from the King will change us. It will change everything, including the 'way we walk' & even how we see life with the vision that's been given us, even up to daybreak!

Prayer:

Father God, continue to show up in our lives like You already do. Devastate us as you must, so that we can be ruined for anything else other than You. Woo us. Pursue us. And fill us again with a fresh touch & a new infilling of Your Holy Spirit. That we may be empowered believers & walk out the rest of our days differently, like You've called us to do so. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

The Grace, Has Not Left You

Listening to: "Forever" by Hillsong.
So if you're reading this. You might say to yourself. I have heard or read about "Grace" before. Can we please talk about something else? Or maybe you would like to hear about "Grace" because you know that you desperately need it. Either way, please hang with me for the next few minutes. Let's have some coffee together. As I, am already partaking in this marvelous coffee beverage a dear friend from church gave me. Just in case, that I would have some sleepless nights as a new father. Hmm...maybe, just maybe it is fitting for me to drink the coffee as I write & talk about "Grace." :)


Let's pretend that one day, you are going about business doing what you normally do. And suddenly, you realize...something is missing? What has happened? You begin to question yourself, question your abilities, question many life choices that have led you to where you are now. And thus, say, "Where is the former glory? Where is the former grace?" Well my dear friend, glad you would dare to ask those questions as we all might one day do so. However, I want to say to you and encourage you...

The Grace, has not left you.

It is still the very thing that you need to carry through. All the chains. Grace has broken. Sometimes, all the trials & difficulties seem like too much. Grace is still the "POWER" that will carry you through. In fact, sometimes the work of Grace is a lot more evident when brokenness has taken effect in a person's life. The type of brokenness I am referring to is a brokenness of the soul...an invite to far more than just your very own self. Past the ego-maniac, self righteous, self-centered, individual that usually cries out, ME!

ME! ME! Me=Its all about MEEEEEEEEE

I heard someone talking about this the other day, that marriage was a journey to dying to all of our selfishness that exist deep within, and the truth is YES. From the very moment that we take our very first breath, to the very first hunger craving that we get as a new born. Saying...."it's all about me, feed me!" Hah it is quite the amazing journey that we get to take under GRACE.

Grace spells out: REACH OUT, GIVE, & BLESS

Reach out because we are enabled through Grace to think of others above ourselves! (Phil. 2:2-4)

Give because we can do so by Grace! (Luke 6:38)

Bless because you can make a bigger difference in Grace! (Rom. 12:6-16)

Grace is all that we need. A little while ago...I got to go to a special conference where they were honoring men & women of faith that had been in ministry for over 40 years. And I was taken back by the advice of this particular man of faith, He said...to advice us all, that are still babies in this; "All I can say, is that you need to pray, asking Him for His Grace & Mercy to carry you through." And well that stuck with me.

What we need is His Grace & Mercy. So yes friend, the GRACE that you & I so desperately need...has not left us at all. In fact, it has only just begun to manifest itself. In every area, in every detail, in every waking moment & in every place of our lives! Embrace the Grace. And allow Him to make the difference in the big battles or little battles. That way, the victory is always His, therefore always yours as his/her child. Grace matters. And yep, the Grace, has not left you yet. And it never will.


God bless you,

Daniel Castaneda

The New Year...After a Run

So it seems to take me about a year to write a blog, ha. Hopefully, that will change from this point on!

So I just got back from a run, and well got a chance to think freely and meditate on some words a friend wrote on facebook, it went something like this:

All successes and failures in life are temporary. Don’t think of every failure as a loss. If we succeeded in everything we pursued, how would we ever grow to be something greater? You must look a little deeper to realize what you’ve gained when you feel you’ve lost it all. It is in the times of desperation and despair that we find ourselves again and realize our dire need of Him. Denise Carter

When I read this it put something in me. I mean, a seed that will not go with out bearing fruit. The point that I am wanting to share and make is this, that as I've been going and going about life. I have come to one conclusion- We need God!

That's really all there is to say about that. God is so so merciful that He would allow us to go through trials and tribulations, run into walls, etc. For us to realize that we need Him. With out Him, we are nothing. What I mean when I say that we need Him, is to be in love with Him, not only because He commands it, but because He knows - loving Him- wholeheartedly is the very best thing we could do in all of life. Loving God, is different from just knowing Him, because when you love Him, then you can actually be known by Him. That's a different story.

That in the end. He says, "Well done good and faithful servant." And we enter into His eternal rest and joy!!

Tonight, as I was running. I saw two things about my heart- the first is, the weakness of it, in my desire for Him. As the great writer of old, C.S. Lewis puts it, "Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak." And two- how if I'm not careful, if we're not careful, with our desires in our hearts, we can go astray so that our focus is not on Him, as our first love. But in His mercy -- He draws us and He woos us in, back to Himself.

The most important thing we need to do is - to love Him with all we have - heart, mind, soul & strength. Not just get through life - and be moral, be a good servant/good Christian, but to be empowered to truly love Him and to truly be loved by Him. That is what marked David's life, and one of the reason's why he was called, "A man after God's own heart." God will always be there to carry us through, by faith in His Son and by the Grace that has already been given to those that believe in Christ and Him crucified. We ought to have this mindset, that my life is no longer my own, but Christ's.

Really-- what are my light afflictions compared to the very weight of glory that awaits us!?

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” 2 Corinthians 4:17, NIV

Yeah, I also learned another thing that may be old knowledge per say- but truly what we think on or what we let our thoughts be, on a constant basis is what we will end up living out in the end. If thoughts of self piety, and defeat or even the "I am the victim" type of thought pattern- then that is what we will live out. Instead, we ought to have thoughts of victory and of a blessed mindset. This way, as a child of God and of His Kingdom- we will see that, God is in control - He holds it all together and will certainly perfect His work in us. Faith will again fill our hearts, so that they would not be troubled anymore - but be full of peace and we would enjoy Him forever!!

Grace and peace to ya!

Daniel Castaneda

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THE PROBLEM-SOLVER--Morris & Theresa Cerullo

This is a devo with Morris & Theresa Cerullo. I kinda happened to stumble into this and thought it was very good. So here it is. Also meditate on Isaiah 26:3

"You will keep in perfect peace

him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you."

THE PROBLEM-SOLVER

Do you have a problem on your mind tonight? Is it weighing so heavily that you cannot relax enough to sleep? Has the enemy convinced you that there is no solution? Nonsense! There is no problem made by man or devil that God cannot solve on your behalf.

Get your eyes off the bigness of your problem and focus them on the bigness of your God!

If you keep your eyes on your problem, the devil will use your circumstances to defeat you. Determine that this problem will be a doorway to new growth in your life, that somehow God will turn the situation around to glorify Himself. Determine that not only will your needs be met, but that you will find the character of God blossoming forth in you because this difficult experience has driven you closer to Him.

Remember that when you give your problem to the Lord, just because you don’t see an immediate change it doesn’t mean that God is not in control. There may be people He is dealing with and situations that must transpire before you see His behind-the-scenes handiwork revealed.

God has an answer to every problem, no matter how great the struggle or how deep the pain. Cry out to Him in your need and know that His help is on the way even this very night.

The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:17)..

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