Heart for Worship

I can remember growing up in the home of a preacher and pastor that getting ready for Sunday worship services was a big ordeal.  Preparing for worship always started on Saturday.  First, we prepared spiritually by studying the Sunday school lesson.  Then we prepared the physical body making sure the hair and clothes were ready.  We went to bed to ensure adequate rest for the day of worship.  On Sunday morning we woke up to the sounds of the local radio station playing gospel music which always aided the heart in preparation.    In addition to all of that, just knowing that God had brought us through another week always increased the desire to worship.  It seemed to me now that the preparation was a “Big Deal”  By the time we made it to church, we were in obedience with Psalm 95:1-3 which says “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!  Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.  Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.  For the Lord is the great God”.   

 Even to this day, I try to make it a practice to prepare for Sunday worship but on occasion I miss the mark.  Last weekend, I missed the mark for proper preparation and found that while in worship that I was so tired even to the point of yawning.  While I sat listening to the Pastor preach from the depths of his heart, I forced myself to listen and stay alert.  Then I became shameful because I thought about the hard work that he must have put into prayer and preparation that I was barely able to receive because I was too tired.  I also thought about how when I need God, I surely wouldn’t want him to be as tired I was at that moment.  When I cry out for him for blessings, I don’t want Him to say “Give me a minute, I’m too tired”.

When we have not properly prepared our hearts for worship, it is difficult to have a true worship experience.  When we don’t have a true worship experience, we tend to blame it on many things including the preacher and the choir or the music.  We become quick to offer the many suggestions why worship is not fulfilling.  So I ask the question “Is your heart prepared for worship”?

Oftentimes people bring a tainted heart to worship and expect to be entertained into a spiritual moment.  When we have a heart to go and worship the true and living God then nothing should prevent our worship.  Our focus should be on Christ.  Make up your mind today to prepare your heart for worship.  Declare today to prepare your heart for true worship.  David said in Psalm 96:9 “Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” 

I am going to work hard to make sure I keep a heart prepared for worship.  Will you join me?

How I Feel - True or False?

Often people tell us, “to follow your heart or feelings.”  The famous Isley brothers once recorded a very influential song titled “It’s your Thing, Do what you want to do” and in today’s society it seems that many people are doing just that.

Some feel the urge to kill innocent people because of envy, greed, bullying, and/or obsession.

Some feel sexual urges that leads to rape, molestation, fornication, adultery and/or homosexuality.

Some feel that they no longer love their spouses and choose to cheat and/or leave their families.

Some feel they no longer want to be a parent so they abandon their responsibilities.

Some feel that life is not worth living, so they take their own lives.

Some feel that it is okay to steal from others things they may need and/or desire.

Some feel that they are depressed and/or empty and choose let alcohol or drugs order their steps.

I’m sure, at some point in our lives; we have acted on false feelings.  I know that I have but God’s word tell us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.”  I’m so thankful that God’s promises are real and His grace and mercy endures forever.

John 8:31b-32 “…”If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  So don’t be overcome by your feelings because we know that our feeling change moment by moment.  If your feelings or your actions don’t line up with the word of God then they are not true but in-fact false feelings and ones to be ignored!  God will not go against His spoken word by giving any of us the approval to indulge in sinful things because that’s what we feel and it feels right. 

2 Timothy2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  In other words, knowing God’s word will help you to know whether or not your feelings are True or False.  I pray that each of us will choose to live according to our true feelings today!

Prayers of blessings to each of you.

Love,

Benita

Deuteronomy Chapter 6 Test: Are you Failing?

When I became pregnant with my first child, I immediately ran out and purchased the following books: “What to Expect While Expecting”, “What to Expect the First Year” and “What to Expect the Toddler Years”. These books provided me with a lot of great information to help me in being the best mom. I read these books almost daily or at least searched for an answer to a question in addition to consulting with my mom. I was so convinced that these books were just the best and used them so much my mom called me “the book mommy”.


I’m sure that I’m not the only women to have done this or at least relied on the wealth of knowledge from grandmamma or another elderly mom. We do this in effort to make sure that we providing the best care for our little ones. We want to give them the best of everything that we and life has to offer.

However; we have been commanded to give our children something else. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 tells us “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

In the midst of giving our children the best of the material possessions, clothes, and filling the trophy case full of ribbons and trophies we need to make sure that we don’t fail to teach them the word of the Lord. God’s word is what will help them to make the right decisions. God’s word helps them be convicted when considering or doing wrong. Children are born into sin and they need to know that they have a Savior who died on the cross to save them. They need to know why they need God and why they need to worship him so that it won’t become “just the thing to do”. They need to fear the Lord and love Him with all their hearts.

It is our responsibility as parents to ensure that their children are taught statues and judgments of the Lord. It is our responsibility to hold true to God’s word and not be bullied into letting and giving them the approval to do things that are contrary to God word.

The question today is, are you passing of failing the Deuteronomy chapter 6 test. If you need further guidance please read the entire chapter of Deuteronomy 6 and make an effort to be obedient by giving your child/children the best that life has to offer “the Word of God”.

I’m sorry that I can’t guarantee that your child/children will be little angels and perfect but we must be obedient and the best stewards that we can be and God will take care of the rest.

Be strong and be blessed,

Benita

Stand for right regardless of your Past

Many people today choose to look the other way when it comes to sin. We believe that since we’ve sinned in the past we aren’t worthy to correct or point out sin. We will instead let others including our own children fail and get stuck in sin because we feel unworthy to speak out because of the past. When we choose to lock our mind and mouths to sin, we give Satan all the power he needs to get control. If God has delivered us from a particular sin or sins, we should share and try to help others from going down the same road or to steer them down another path.

We must share with people that God wants us to live a holy and righteous life. When people remind us what we use to do we must boldly say “Yes I did and just like it was wrong for me then it is wrong for you now.” Sin is sin is sin and it doesn’t matter your status or race there is a price to pay for sin. Be ever mindful of Romans 6:23 that tell us “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Make sure that your sin is in fact a sin of the past! It is hard to be a witness if we are still doing sinful things or not living according to God’s word. We must follow David’s lead when he asked in Psalm 26:2 “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart”. David wanted to be right with the Lord so that he could proclaim with a voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all God’s wondrous works (Psalm 26:7). In other words, regardless of your past if you live right your witness can be pure and true.

He who does not forbid sin when he can, encourages it. Seneca: Troades 1. 291

Let us stand up for right with ourselves, our family, our friends and the world. It is my prayer that we won’t let our past forbid us for standing for right.

Be Blessed in the Lord,

Benita