Tag: #Acts1:8

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Everyday Worship – Part 1

In mid-October, our Lord revealed a Word to me that “everyday worship is very strategic for life.” So, I began to search it out; and this is what I believe He would like to share:

Beginning with definitions, the word, everyday, according to Webster’s, is an adjective that means “routinely.” Everyday is also a compound word, comprised of “every” and “day.”

Every means “without exception” or “complete.” It’s root word, ever, means “always” in reference to time and way. Vine’s Dictionary defines ever as “at all times…on all occasions…continuous…perpetually…successive occurrences…unbroken…for ever and ever…unto all the ages.” Ever is also a root word of “everlasting,” which means eternal and can reference our future. Interestingly, as we look further in Webster’s, we find that eV is an abbreviation for “electron volt,” an obvious reference to power.

2 Timothy 1:7 NIV reminds us that “…the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

Moving onward, the word, day, according to Webster’s, can reference the light of day, the time of day or a specific period, such as an age. It can mean “the time established by usage or law for work, school or business.” Day can reference “conflict and contention” as in “played hard and won the day.” It can reference mood or attitude in regards to “seemingly endless” or long days, or “an indefinite number of successive days.” It can even reference a “period of rotation of a planet.”

The Word I believe our Lord is revealing to us in these definitions is that if you desire to power through your days on earth with the eternal life-victory of Heaven, it will require continuous, wholehearted worship unto God. In this attitude of worship, God will bring the completion of His divinely-desired (and designed) outcome in abundance to fulfill His promises to us.

This, then, begs the question, “What is worship?”

Worship is both a noun and a verb. The Tyndale Bible Dictionary makes it succinct by saying that worship is an “expression of reverence and adoration of God.” Tyndale goes on to stress that worship is not confined to physical buildings, because we are the building, the vessel, in which the Spirit of Christ, our New Jerusalem, dwells (Ac1:8).

Not only is worship not confined to church buildings, it is not confined to what we may think of as traditional in expression. I love what Vine’s Dictionary has to say, which is that worship:

…is not confined to praise; broadly it may be regarded as the direct acknowledgement to God, of His nature, attributes, ways and claims, whether by the outgoing of the heart in praise and thanksgiving or by deed done in such acknowledgement…to serve, do service to… (Ac 17:25).

So, the short of this is that all the ways in which we serve God in truth and Spirit is considered worship. This includes our work of any kind when we do it unto our Lord. It includes speaking life-giving words over ourselves and others. It includes remembrances and appreciation of God-given deliverance into promises fulfilled. It includes individual and corporate celebration, even as a nation. It includes intentional efforts in intimate relationship with God, such as prayer, Bible reading and operating in the gifts God gives us.

When we worship in spirit and truth, we are not only honoring God, we are exercising our faith, which invites an increase of God’s grace of eternal life into our souls (Jn 4:24, 3:6, 6:63). Active faith is movement, and movement is a sign of life itself. We are, in essence, the church being built by His life-giving Spirit, being made more fit in character by His fruit of Spirit, which pours out of us to build outwardly (1 Pe 2:5).

So, we see here that worshipping God is cyclical. Jesus, whose Spirit dwells in us as Holy Spirit, can pour out worship continually through us, like a river, as we are yielded to Him (Ac 2:17). As we humble ourselves unto Him, we will experience His glory, which is translated as worship in Luke 14:10 KJV. This is the kind of worship that we give back to God.

In this way, worshippers demonstrate Godliness as living sacrifices unto our Lord, who receive a new, constant flow of life (Ro 12:1, 1 Ti 2:10). In this way, we are blessed for our devotion, reverence and awe of Him.

Tyndale’s confirms this by saying:

One’s life can be enhanced by loving and serving God (Dt 30:15-20, 1 Pe 3:8-12), by experiencing God’s deliverance (Is 38:16), and by receiving divine blessings (Mt 5:3-12).” These acts, like praising God, are acts of worship. They are cyclical and life-giving because they honor God, our life-giver, as well as others. This eternal “life is abundant (Jn 10:10), enlightened (Jn 8:12), free and satisfied (Jn 10:9), victorious (Ro 6:6-14), full of peace and joy (Ro 5:1-11), inexhaustibly refreshed (Jn 4:13-14; 7:37-38) and immortal (Jn 5:24, 1 Co 15:51-57).

Friends, when we model God’s way of life “…the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with” us (Ph 4:9 AMPC).

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

“Let my heart be sound (sincere and wholehearted and blameless) in Your statutes…” (Ps 119:80 AMPC). I invite You to bring me increasingly into Your light of truth, love and abundant life as I continue to submit my heart to You in true worship.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Amen.

Friends, there’s more to this Word from our Lord. So, join me next week for Part 2 of Everyday Worship.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Promised Outlook

You can see it in your mind’s eye. It’s right in front of you. The promise of God as He revealed it to you.

You carry the vision.

He carries the burden.

And He leads you by His Spirit.

Suddenly, all the pressing resistance feels far behind. You’ve been restored to joy in your work. The diligence you held to is paying off now, as The Spirit of Grace empowers you to complete the project you began with Him.

Psalm 138:8 TPT extolls God as your supreme promise keeper by proclaiming, “You keep every promise you’ve ever made to me! Since your love for me is constant and endless, I ask you, Lord, to finish every good thing that you’ve begun in me!”

You remember Proverbs 3:6 TPT, which says, “Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.”

You know God’s promises are rock solid and that He is near to guide you.

Holy Spirit reminds you of Proverbs 16:9 TPT, which says, “Within your heart you can make plans for your future, but the Lord chooses the steps you take to get there.”

So, here you are—crossing over into all you’ve waited for.

All He has promised.

This final process and this time has converged into a streamlined path that leads you to new, abundant life (Matt 7:14).

Even though it narrows, you are content.

Content with Him as all that matters most.

With each new moment, you know you are arriving together.

You trust Him implicitly on your journey now.

You came to learn that it had to be God’s way (Ro 8:5-8 MSG).

You came to understand that “…the fulfillment of God’s promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God’s promise arrives as pure gift…” (Ro 4:16 MSG).

You learned to “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure,” a child “‘of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’” You knew that then you would “shine among them like stars in the sky as you” held “firmly to the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-15 NIV).

So, you came into agreement with Him, your mind renewed, even in your other relationships (Philippians 2:5).

And you believed His special promise to you—His summons, His announcement for assent, His assurance of good—was fitting and guaranteed by Him (Strong’s #1860).

Victory was your beginning and is your ending.

New wine awaits. The best wine that has been held in reserve for you.

You’ve been the faithful watchman and worker (1 Pe 5:8, Is 21:6). Now, it’s near time to be presented as His faithful witness (Ac 1:8).

As God watches over you, He extends peace and invitation to blossom—the first stage of fruitfulness.

And you know you will make it as you stay His course for you—all the way to the mature end.

Beauty is here.

You know your promise of identity and that you are on assignment with a divine purpose (Ro 9:6 MSG).

You know you are His princess, who operates in His truth.

You know you “…were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit” (Ep 1:13 AMPC).

And that you are a partaker “…of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ep 3:6 ESV).

You remember Galatians 3:29 NLT, which says, “And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.”

You’ve proven out His law in your heart by your obedience (Ro 8:14-16 MSG).

And you will continue to do so as you diligently and victoriously prospect the mysteries of Christ into your future (Ep 3:6).

Your special promise from God, for which you’ve been set apart, for which you’ve worked and waited, is about to be made manifest, complete, in person. God will bring greater wholeness of life, a great measure of fruitfulness. As He faithfully perfects—by His Spirit of Grace—you will reach your finish line with Him (and the great cloud of witnesses) cheering you on.

Because when God is in it, a promised outlook, with the mind of Christ, will produce a fulfilled outcome and a celebration of victory.

Pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

Thank You for adopting me into Your Kingdom and for giving me fresh eyes with which to see Your vision forward—eyes that honor, build and glorify You. Thank You for the new wine You stored up for me and for unlocking Your destiny in me. Thank You that Your promises bring life to me and motivate me (2 Ti 1:1). Thank You for walking with me, guiding me and watching over me. Thank You for fulfilling all Your promises to me. Now, help me broadcast Your “…glorious wonders throughout the world” in even greater measure (1 Pe 2:9 TPT).

In Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Amen.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Ascended Mountain – Part 2

Ascension Day commemorates Jesus’ ascension to Heaven on the 40th day that He ministered to His disciples after His resurrection (Mk 16:19, Lk 24:51, Ac 1:9-11). This Holy day is usually held on a Thursday and will be officially celebrated in several countries this year on May 13th.

Ascension Day is not an official federal holiday in the U. S. But many Christians, especially Catholics, are faithful to acknowledge and celebrate it.

It is a wonderful time to thank God for the invitation and provision to live an ascended life with Christ on earth and beyond. Of course, this kind of life is done in active submission to His gracious Spirit and Word by faith.

Recently, our Lord revealed to me, during quiet time, that He has many of His proven leaders on the mountaintop right now, who have been prepared secretly and are now ready, willing and able to fulfill divine assignments with Him. These are assignments that have been revealed and promised years ago and have felt like a long time coming. 

God has come alongside these high-performance individuals, who went deep with Him in intimate devotion during past years of intense persecution, to help them hit their mark and go long in this now season of super-abundance to help others.

These transformed, titan-like leaders, who were developed by God in the hidden place, are now refreshed, filled and equipped by Holy Spirit to be launched farther into their destiny to impact nations with His explosive grace-power.

Think miracles.

Think Great Commission with the power of Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which was given 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection (Ac 1:8, 2:4; Mk 16:20). 

Are you one of God’s titan-leaders?

Dictionary.com defines a titan as “A person or thing of enormous size, strength, power, influence, etc.” or “… a two-stage, liquid-fueled…intercontinental ballistic missile…designed for launch from underground silos.

Interesting, too, is that titan is the root word for titanium, a lightweight and noncorrosive metal alloy used in the production of strong, heavy duty, high quality aircraft and ship parts, as well as in surgical repairs for fractures (Dictionary.com). The scientific sign for titanium is “Ti,” which has an atomic number of 22.

The number 22 is also the Biblical reference for personal revelation.

So, by coming more into God’s truths, God’s titans have been delivered from issues that once weighed them down to then help others take up their positions to soar and sail through their God-ordained missions of life. 

Think Peter, who received and preached Christ’s truth to the point of seeing miracles manifest after denying Jesus three times (Ac 2-3, Jn 18:15-27). Because, like Peter, these leaders have been made lighter and freer in Christ, they are able to express and lead others into the true power and authority of God by sharing His Word and Spirit to free them from any catch-22 disorder so they can move onward in life (Ac 3:1-10).

Isaiah 22:22 AMPC says, “And the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder; he shall open and no one shall shut, he shall shut and no one shall open.”

Just as Nehemiah was given permission to return to the land of his ancestors (Jerusalem) to lead a supernaturally-powered rebuilding of city gates and walls with God as an act of worship, so too will God use His titans to complete projects that have weighed heavily on their hearts (Ne 2, Ps 122:3 MSG). 

God is sending them out to work, produce maximum value and finish jobs for Kingdom’s sake (Jn 17:4).

I love what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:4 ESV, which was that “…he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but…we will live with him by the power of God.”

So, friends, the way to this higher power is through humility. 

Throughout scripture, we see that high places point to God meeting His appointed leaders with provision for miraculous work.

Acts 2 reveals the story of Pentecost, which occurred 50 days after Christ’s resurrection in the Upper Room, 10 days after His ascension and on the same day that Moses received God’s written Word on two tablets after he ascended Mount Sinai 1470 years earlier (Ex 24:12, 31:18).

Acts 2:2-3 in the TPT version say, in reference to the Upper Room experience, that “Suddenly they heard the sound of a violent blast of wind rushing into the house from out of the heavenly realm. The roar of the wind was so overpowering it was all anyone could bear! Then all at once a pillar of fire appeared before their eyes…”

Friends, what Kingdom assignments will you fulfill by God’s miraculous dunamis power of atomic proportions (2 Co 13:4, Strong’s #1411)? What strategies has our Lord revealed to you on your mountaintop sanctuary as He has equipped you with His very life and breath for your assignments (Matt 4:4, He 4:12, Jn 20:22)? 

Whatever it is, go forward in Him and with Him to do the work of His Kingdom, always remembering that Jesus is alive and is the same yesterday, today and forever (Jn 17:4, He 13:8). His faithfulness reaches to the skies (Ps 108:4).

As His titan-leaders, if we remain submitted to our Lord, we can’t miss, even as we launch out into “the remotest places on earth” (Ac 1:8 TPT, 2 Sa 22:22).

This is God’s reward of expanse in Kingdom-building (2 Sa 22:20).

And for all of this, we thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen (2 Co 1:20 NLT).

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.