“…They bowed down and worshiped the LORD because

they knew that he had seen their suffering and was going to help them.”

One of the things that hinder worship is holding on to your burdens. When we come to worship, we let go of those things that hinder us. But most of us are so tied up to our burdens that it’s hard for us to let go. We become use to carry the extra baggage. Every week it gets harder and harder for us to lift our hands and praise because we’ve become so exhausted with our baggage. No matter what your problem or situation is, you have to learn how to give it to God.

The Israelites were facing a very serious situation, over 400 years of slavery. It was an injustice being done to them. They would raise their complaints up to God who heard and saw everything. But God doesn’t want your complaints, He wants your worship. How much is He worth to you, not in dollars but in priorities? How much do you value Him that you can take time to think of Him without thinking anything else? When you worship God, you are telling Him that He’s number one in your life. But when you can’t worship Him because you have all these problems, you’re actually telling Him that He’s not priority.

God had to prepare a man named Moses to tell the Israelites that God had seen their suffering and He was going to do something about it. When the news of hope hit them, the bowed down and worshiped the Lord. When they heard that God had seen their suffering and that He was going to do something about it, they dropped their baggage and fell facedown to worship. You can only give authentic worship when you let go of all your problems and surrender them to God. When you drop you burdens and turn them over to God, your worship becomes more genuine. He knows what you’re facing, He’s not caught off guard by your situation. He wants to see what your reaction will be, will He still be your priority or will you let those things distract you from Him. You were not created to carry any burdens but His. You need to let go of those things you’ve been carrying around for years and allow Him to handle the situation. He’s way better at it than you are. He can take care of your burdens much quicker than you could ever do.

He knows the pain and suffering, but He still wants your worship, not your complaints. That’s when you know you’ve become a real worshiper. When you can worship Him in the midst of a storm, your a worshiper. Many times you have to worship in faith that He will move on your behalf, but you still have to give Him worship. It’s not easy, but it will lift you up and build your faith up. In the end it’s not whether He moves on your behalf or not, He’s the King and we must worship Him as one. It is great to know that He sees what’s going on with my life and that He wants to do something about it. Knowing that can liberate your spirit. You don’t have live bound to the devil’s lies. Knowing that He will be there for you can release those burdens away and allow you to focus on the One who should have your attention at all times: GOD! Why won’t you worship Him free from burdens? Let Him take care of your problems, just worship the King!

Isaiah 53:1 (NKJV)

“Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”

Let me begin by paraphrasing the beginning of this verse like this: who’s report have you believed? The enemy will try to get you to doubt what you believe is true. That’s why he struggles with you so that you won’t read your Bible because the Bible is absolute truth. The fight begins when what you believe is true (what you’ve read in Scripture) is challenged by what you see in the natural. Then the question arises, what will you believe? Who’s report will you believe? You can choose to believe what you see or you can choose to believe what God says. You can’t choose both. You will make truth out of one of these choices. Then another question arises, how much absolute truth is in you?

When you read and study your Bible, you are allowing truth to enter. The only way to know the difference between what is false and what is true is by having more truth in you. When you realize that your Bible is not some ancient artifact created by crazy men who didn’t have anything to do and start believing what it actually says, then the second part of this verse can come true for you. The arm of the Lord is only revealed to those who believe in His report. How can you say you believe in God and ignore what He says? How can man’s words overpower God’s? My point of view is this: If God created us, which He did, then He must know better than anyone else how we are suppose to function. Why do we keep going to the wrong people if God is the only one that can help us?

In this life you will be faced with two kind of reports. The doctor can read a negative report about your body, but will you believe God’s report that says by His stripes you are healed (Isaiah 53:5)? The bank might give you a negative report about your loan, but will you believe God’s report that He will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)? The natural world can say something, but your faith in God should give you another report that should be able to overcome any other report. The thing is that when you accept the report, whether it’s God’s or not, it will come true for you. Whose report you believe is what you will get. The outcome is not determined by God, but by you. You alone have the power to overturn all the negative by accepting His Word. Truth will always win if you allow it in your life. When truth is in you, it’s easier to detect what is false. Allow Him to reveal His power to you by believing in His Words. You can experience it, it’s just a matter of choosing which report you will believe in.

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared

to him and said, “I am God Almighty…”

When Abram was 99 years old the Lord appeared to Abram and presented Himself. Twenty-fours years had gone by since the Lord told Abram to leave his country and relatives. He hadn’t given him His name. Maybe Abram knew Him as Elohim (the name of God as the Creator and Judge of the universe). But 24 years later, God introduced Himself as El Shaddai, which means “all sufficient”. Now, God had already begun telling Abram that He wanted to bless him and that He was going to make a great nation out of him. God spoke to Abram when he was 75 years old about making him into a great nation, now that he’s 99, nothing has happened yet. It’s at this precise time that God decides to present Himself. See, He couldn’t present Himself to Abram as the All Sufficient because at that time Abram didn’t really need anything from God. He only needed direction. But now he was in need. The World Dictionary defines sufficient as:

• adj 1. enough to meet a need or purpose; adequate 3. archaic competent; capable.

Only when Abram was in a great need did God finally presented Himself. He didn’t show up as Elohim, but as El Shaddai (all sufficient, enough to meet a need, all competent and capable). It is at your lowest moment, at the deepest need when you need El Shaddai. We’ve known God as our Creator and our Savior, but now it’s time to know Him as the God who can meet all of your needs, the One who is capable of providing for you. Can you imagine what Abram must of felt like when God presented Himself in that way? Verse 3 says that he fell facedown. Abram need was a child. He had everything else but a child. How could God make a nation out of him if he had no kids? He needed a miracle.

What is your major need? You need to know Him as El Shaddai. Nothing is impossible for God. When He presents Himself to you like that it’s because He has the power to do whatever you need Him to do. He can meet your needs and surpass them. What do you want God to do for you? If you can believe in Him to be all sufficient for you, He can be. Trust in Him, He’s never been wrong. He is not a man that He shall lie. What He says is real and is Truth. So once again I ask you, what is your need? He is more than capable to do accomplish it. Just give a chance to prove it to you. He won’t let you down, and that’s the TRUTH.

“I will not fail thee…”

Too often we come across people or institution that fail is us in every way possible. We try to trust in people, but they just keep on failing us. When we put our trust in the government, they also fail us. We are surrounded by people who fail us and failing systems. But when someone comes along and tells us that they won’t fail us, it kinda crashes with what we’ve been accustomed to see. It’s hard to trust in people who have failed us. But what would happen if Someone was to come to us and say that He will fail us? We would have to see His resume or His track record to see if it’s true. Good thing He left us something to review.

The Bible is a good starting point to know where it all began. You see, God loves you very much. There’s something about you that He couldn’t live without, so He began His journey to bring us back to Himself. From Genesis to now, all God wants to do is prove Himself to you. He wants you to know that He WILL NOT fail you. He’s well aware of all that you’ve been through; all the let downs and the broken promises. He knows the pain you’ve been through when you’ve been failed.

God is the only person that we can trust and believe that when He says that He will not fail us, He will not! He’s giving you life, shelter, food, clothes, all the necessities you need to survive. He’s even done great miracles in your behalf, a healing, paying off a debt, protection, and most of all, He’s given you salvation. All these things He’s done for us is a good track record of Him keeping His promises. He will always fulfill His Word. The question is, will you believe Him?

Take this Word and make it yours: He will NOT fail you. It doesn’t matter in what season of life you find yourself in, He will NOT fail you. It doesn’t matter what the banks, doctors or your family say, He will NOT fail you. You may not even believe in yourself, but God does. His Word for you today and if you can try to remember for the rest of your life is: He will not fail you, ever!

Music is an art; it’s a melody, its sound. One of the first things kids learn to do is dance to music. This is no coincidence though; it’s the way God created us. It’s the way He designed us. God created us as musical beings; He created us to make music for Him

Over the years I’ve come to realize that there is a lot more to music than meets the eye. I can worship God while at work as I hum my very favorite worship song. There is absolutely nothing wrong in singing your favorite song to God, one that an artist inspired by God wrote. Hear me out though, how awesome would it be to write your own song to God? If God gave us these creative minds and abilities why not put them to use? I like to write songs and put music to them. This is one of my favorite things to do for God. I figure if someone can right everyday about how much they love a boy and how he doesn’t love her back, why can’t we write songs to God everyday and share those? A song that will help someone get closer to God when they are going through the most difficult of situations.

So write Him a special song, doesn’t have to be something elaborate or complicated. Just something that comes from the heart. Share this song with your church and your friends and let God use you musically. Here are 5 verses that speak of this:
1. Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. (NIV)
2. Psalm 96:1
Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Psalm 96:1-3 (NIV)
3. Psalm 98:1
Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
Psalm 98:1-3 (NIV)
4. Psalm 144:9
I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you, (NIV)
5. Psalm 33:3
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. (NIV)

“When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused

and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.”

I love this passage because its speaks of the heart of God. I think in the midst of doing so much for God, we have lost the heart of God. We are so busy in our ministry and so busy working that we forget to have compassion for the people we claim we minister. Jesus had a pretty busy itinerary. He was going from town to town preaching and teaching the good news of the Kingdom, healing and delivering people. Seems like a pretty busy man. But yet, He still had time to look at the people He was ministering to and saw them not as a number on a church roster or mere objects. He saw the hurting, the confused, the helpless, the faithless, the desperate, the hungry, the needy, etc. He saw them all and His heart broke.

When was the last time your heart broke for someone? Did it last more than a Sunday service? When was the last time you actually listened to someone, really listen to their life story. You know that there are some people who just want to be heard. There are people who want to release all their pain and suffering and have no one to really be there for them. It is our job Church to be there for those people. Because if we are not there, then drugs and alcohol, addictions, and false religion will be there for them. We are so caught up in our little world and our little problems that we tend to ignore those who are hurting. When was the last time you actually spoke to someone who hasn’t been to a service in a while and really paid attention to what they had to say? I mean sometimes we just push people away and think the worst of them because they didn’t show up to a service.

Jesus really cared for those He ministered. I know you want to do so much for God, but if the point of the Church is to edify and build up and keep those we win, why then do we turn our backs to certain people? I guess our frustration gets the best of us? When we don’t see an immediate change, we loose hope on that person. But you see, when you have God’s heart, you see everyone with His eyes. Our problem is that we tend to loose focus and loose contact with His heart. Let me make a suggestion to you: begin talking to those who look alienated from the pack. Look around for those people that are shy and timid. Try making new friends. Allow people into your inner circle. We all have been in places where we have felt out of place, lets not let our guest feel like the same way. Reach out to someone, whether they are new or old. People want to be heard. Allow your heart to be broken again.

“When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered [your path will be clear and open]; and when you run, you shall not stumble.”

I believe many of us have been standing still for far too long.  God has been trying for you to start walking in a new way and a different direction.  We’ve harden our hearts to His voice.  All He’s been trying to tell us is that its our time to RUN!  You see, time is running out.  You need a lot of catching up to do in the Kingdom.  God is telling you plain and simple: Your path is clear and open…Run!  We’ve been worried that if we run or even walk we would stumble and fall.  God is telling us something totally different.  He’s gonna keep us from falling or stumbling.  All you have to do is believe in His Word and start acting on it.  I’m declaring over you that it’s your time to run to your destiny; to run to a closer walk with the Lord; run to service; run to holiness.  Don’t allow the enemy to hold you back for one more second.  This is your time to RUN.

Part of the reason you have not seen His promises fulfilling in your life is because you’re not at the place you ought to be.  You have run to get in place to receive your blessing.  Life is short, we have to take advantage of its fullness before we leave to eternity.  The faster you move into your place, the faster the church will move into her place.  The faster the nation can turn to God.  It all starts with you.  So RUN!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.” – verse 1

This is a great Psalm. The Psalmist tells us to give thanks (to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment to) to God. He tells why we should be thankful: for He is good. Just meditate on those 3 words: HE IS GOOD. I know that you have met people who were nice and good to you and also you have met people who were completely the opposite. But God, knowing what you are and what you’ve done, is still good to you. Now that is something to be grateful for. We are living in a generation where the “thank yous” and appreciations are quickly being forgotten. You have to understand something about parents, they love it when their kids are grateful for the smallest thing. God is the same way. He gives more and more to those who have learned to be grateful. Isn’t it funny how this is something you have to learn? You would think it is easy to be grateful, but notice in your own life, how many times have you been grateful to God for what He has done? It takes practice to make it into a habit that will make it into a lifestyle.

This Psalm allows us to reflect back to all those times God was good. The psalmist begins to write a detailed thank you list to God. He started from when God delivered them from Egypt and through all that God did for them. Maybe you should write a little thank you list to God. It’s amazing how quickly we forget how good God has been. When you write it down, it makes you more appreciative to what He’s done. You might not be in a thankful spirit today because you need a miracle or you need help, but think back when God blessed you and took you out of a certain situation. Isn’t He will able to take you out of this one…AGAIN? If He did it once, He can do it again and again. If it’s recorded in the Bible, then God wants you to believe that He can do that for you.

At the main core of this psalm there are 26 verses that give the same message: His love endures forever. This is not only the core message of this psalm, but of the whole Bible. He loves you. There is nothing that you can do to make Him stop loving you. He loves you in spite of what you’ve done or will do. All you have to do is accept His love. What He does for you and all His goodness is because He simply loves you. This is something we will never really understand, its not meant to be understood, just accepted. So remember the next time you’re being thankful for things He has done or things He will do, its all because He loves you.

“He will be very great and will be called the Son

of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne

of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel

forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Now that is a powerful statement! We have been led to believe that our “religion” is the most insignificant and contradictory one out there. We have been pushed into hiding. We have allowed other religions to step all over our beliefs and we’ve said nothing. Why? Fear has gotten a hold of some people. I think it’s time for you to come out of the shadows of fear and embrace your belief in the Almighty God. You see, He’s no prophet or just a good man, He was and is the Great One, the Son of the Most High and He has a Kingdom that WILL NEVER END! Now, I know you were led to believe that He was some weak person who couldn’t hold it together or some crazy person dying on a cross. That all may not mean much to you, oh but you miss out on what’s important. You see the cross, revealed the power behind this Man. If death couldn’t hold Him back, what can? He defeated the devil, sin, sickness, poverty, death, and everything that you’re afraid of.

Why is it that we who know the Truth, hide from all the lies that are around us? I wish you would really believe in the Word of God to the point where you wouldn’t care what others would say about you. Christians are the only ones that everyone tries to shut. We can talk about every other religion and study it, but when it comes to God, its frown upon. The problem with truth is that you’re not always going to like what it has to say. Don’t just come from hiding on Sundays, let everyone know in this Great God you serve. Speak of His goodness. Let the world know that He is alive and has overcome every single obstacle. This is not just history, its relevant to our lives today. Who God is and what He has to say is important to our lives. You can’t just push this under the rug and forget about it. One day you will come face to face with your Maker. I hope you won’t let the culture bury that faith in God. Allow Him to be alive in your life. Let Him be the Great One in your life. Allow His kingdom to reign in you. Never be ashamed of who He really is. He didn’t just die, He resurrected from the dead. Now that is good news! Don’t get caught up in all the lies and confusion out there. Believe in God and in His Word. He can do Great things in you, just believe.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”

Before Jesus left this Earth, He left us with a mission. It was a mission to win the world. It is because God has always been interested in conquering the entire world, to bring back the original status of man. This commission that He left us with has a two way deal. The first deals with us and the second deals with how we will deal with those we come into contact with. So lets begin.

1. You. Before we can begin winning the world, you have to win yourself. Have you completely given your life to God? Have you really had an encounter with God to the point where you can leave your sins behind? We cannot go preaching a gospel that we don’t believe. Do you really believe what the Bible says? You need to be in line with the Word of God in order for this to take effect. We cannot just be hearers of the Word, we need to be doers. Jesus spent His whole life trying to teach and minister the people that were suppose to set the example to the entire world. But they didn’t get it, only a group of 12. He gave Himself to them for about three and half years teaching them everything. He had to correct them and teach them a lot of stuff that religion didn’t teach. He had to reprogram their minds and hearts. When it was time for Jesus to leave, they were ready to reach the world. And as soon as the Holy Spirit fell on them, that’s exactly what they did. They conquered the known world. But it began as a personal transformation. You really need to evaluate your life. You have been chosen for this time, its time to get up and rise to your calling. This is where we know who the real men and women are. In times of trials, great leaders are born.
2. Make disciples. After you have surrendered your life to God, it is easier to go out there and win. The problem is that some are sacred to be leaders because that will mean they have cut back on some “white sins”. In order to make disciples, you need to be a disciple first. For you to have authority, you need to be under authority. There is a process in becoming a leader of nations. When you have gone through that process, it’s easier for you to help others go through it. So we have this calling of making disciples, the question for us is, when will we become disciples? We have to let go of pride and submit ourselves to a leader. We all need someone to learn from. When you submit yourself to an authority, you learn to leave behind all those childish and arrogant ways. You learn how to depend on God and less of you. Everything you learn will help when you become a leader. Making disciples has a lot to do with you. You will reproduce yourself into others. That’s why Jesus spent so much time with His disciples. He made sure that when the time came for them to train others, they would be like Jesus. And what an impact they made. Would you say that your disciples are like Jesus? Or better yet, is your life a reflection of who He is? God’s plan involves that we reproduce the image of Christ in others.

God desires for the world to be saved. He also wants the Church to produce disciples that will impact the world. With just a few, God was able to shake nations and kings. I believe He wants to do it again. Will you be a disciple of Christ and make other disciples of Christ? It’s our time now!