What is Praise and Worship?

                Praise and worship is the last part of the five ways of spiritual growth. Why is praise and worship a part of this? Well, praise and worship lifts the heart to God and invited Him into your presence. When you give Him praise and worship, you lift yourself above the worldly things and overcome the flesh. You can overcome any emotion, any trial, any feeling or thoughts through praise and worship. Through this act, you lift yourself above yourself and your situations and bring yourself before the Lord.

                On top of this, it is the way in which we should serve the Lord. "Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!" (Psalm 100:2) Why should we not be singing out of joy for what God has done for us? He saved us from death! We will sing a song in public because it has a good beat, but we won't sing a song about the God who loves us and saves us just in case we get offended? There is not a song in the world that will not offend someone. Even kid songs will offend some people who feel that they are too old to hear that type of music. It is impossible to please everyone, so why try? Why not just please God, the maker of Heaven and Earth and the one who saved you and loves you?

                If we ever come before God not feeling well about it, or feeling tired of praying, let us put praise into our time with Him! "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!" (Psalm 100:4) This will lift up your spirit and put you in the mindset of how amazing God is! It is your weapon against negative emotions! Psalm 103:1-2 says, "bless the Lord, oh my soul, and let all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not His benefits." Sometimes we just are not feeling praise and worship. That is when we need to speak to our souls and tell it to praise God! Why? Because God has been too good for you to not praise His holy name! At all times we should be blessing the Lord and giving Him praise and worship!

                We can also praise Him with more than singing. We can praise Him with dancing or playing instruments. (Psalm 149:3; Psalm 150:3-4) When it comes to praise, God rejoices over you! "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will comfort you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

                Why would we not praise God? Why would we not worship Him? Why would we ever let what others think of us stop us from loving the Lord? What is Jesus was too afraid of what others thought to die on the cross for us? What if He decided not to die on the cross because someone wouldn't like Him or would laugh at Him? Well, you would have no reason to praise and worship; but He did, so you have every reason to praise and worship! So do not let a moment go by where you do not praise and worship the Lord, because that is a moment you cannot get back. Do not be ashamed, let your praises ring! Lift them up to God and let the beautiful sound bless the Lord!


                                                                                                                                         -D

What is Prayer?

                Matthew Henry once said, "you may as soon find a living man that does not breath, as a living Christian that does not pray." Christians depend on prayer more than anything else because it is our direct connection to God. We should be praying before we worship, praying before we read the word, praying before we make big decisions, important decisions, or before we do anything. We should pray in the morning and at night. To be honest, we should never stop praying (1 Corinthians 1:4; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 1:3-4; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

                A Christians cannot grow without prayer being a part of their lives. The more you prayer, the more you talk with God, and talking with God is how we grow. There are four types of prayer: adoration, which is to give praise and glory to God, confession, which is to repent of your sins and tell God what you have done, thanksgiving, which is to give thanks to God for all that He has done, and supplication, which is to make a request unto God. These for prayers are what the Christian life is based around. We must repent of our sins always! If we want to get to know God, we lift up adoration and worship Him with our prayers. If we want to just be positive and thankful, we make sure that God hears our thanksgiving. When we have a need or a desire, we pray with supplication.

                Well, now you know that Christians should be praying and it is good for us. It is one of the five ways of spiritual growth, after all; but what about the next step? How should one pray? Well, in all honesty, with prayer and meditation at hand, it is easy to find out how to pray.James 1:6 says, "but let Him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." When you pray, know that God will do it! Simple as that! Do not let doubt set in. Psalm 66:17 says, "I cried to Him with my mouth, and a high praise was on my tongue!" Just open up your mouth and praise God! Who cares what it sounds like or what attributes you are praising God for? Just let the praises ring! Prayer can be in singing and art as well! Psalm 95:2 says, "let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!" When we give thanks to God, let it out in any way! It does not matter how many times you say it, let the praises ring! Oswald Chambers once said, "we have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties."

                When it comes to prayer, it is our lifeline to God. We cannot afford to brush off this aspect of a Christian life. How can we go without talking to our Lord and Savior? I have never seen a real Christian who does not pray. It is more than necessarily. It is fundamentally essential. If you want to see a Christian's relationship with God, ask them about their prayer life. It is the easiest way to tell about a Christian's faith and trust in God.

                If there is an issue between you and God, pray right now! What is more important than prayer? What is more important than talking directly to God? Our prayers should never cease! We should never stop praying through the whole day. R. A. Torrey once said, "those persons who know the deep peace of God, the unfathomable peace that passeth all understanding, are always men and women of much prayer."


                                                                                                                                         -D

What is Reading?

                Many Christians, and non-Christians, own a Bible somewhere at home. It is the number one most sold book in the world and has always had that title. It is also the number one more stolen book in the world, as well. Why is this book so popular, and why should Christians care?

                It is the word of God! The Holy Bible is God's word given to us in a physical form, and the word of God is Jesus (John 1:1). The word of God is useful in so many ways. One of the friends that I am growing close to had some trouble getting into reading the word. He would rather ask questions than read the word. Let me make it clear that there is nothing wrong with asking questions to get knowledge; but if you do not know the word, the answer could be completely false and you could fall prey to false doctrine because of your lack of Biblical knowledge. We must prepare ourselves with the word. We must put God's word in our heart. As Psalm 119:11 says, "I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

                If we are ever wondering why we are not growing spiritually, let us look at the Bible. After all, it is one of the five ways of spiritual growth. When we feel like we do not know God, He has make Himself clear through His word. When we feel uncertain about God or something we have learned, the Bible has all truths. When we need help knowing if something is of God or not, the Bible will tell you. When you are thirsty and seeking life and peace, the Bible has an unlimited supply of it right inside of the pages. Everything a Christian needs is presented between Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 22:21.

                Gotquestions.org helps to explain this point. "We read the Bible because there is so much false teaching. The Bible gives us the measuring stick by which we can distinguish truth from error. It tells us what God is like. To have a wrong impression of God is to worship an idol or false god. We are worshiping something that He is not. The Bible tells us how one truly gets to Heaven, and it is not by being good or being baptized or by anything else we do (John 14:6; Ephesians 2:1-10; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:10-18. 5:8. 6:23, 10:9-13). Along this line, God's Word shows us how much God loves us (Romans 5:6-8; John 3:16). And it is in learning this that we are drawn to love Him in return (Matthew 7:24-27). The Bible equips us to serve God (2 Timothy 3:17; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). It helps us know how to be saved from our sin and its ultimate consequences (2 Timothy 3:15). Meditating on God's word and obeying its teachings will bring success in life (Joshua 1:8; James 1:25). God's word helps us see sin in our lives and helps us get rid of it (Psalsm 119:9, 11). It gives us guidance in life, making us wiser than our teachers (Psalms 32:8, 119:99, Proverbs 1:6). The Bible keeps us from wasting years of our lives on that which does not matter and will not last (Matthew 7: 24-27)

                If we want to learn more about God and grow stronger in Christ, we must be willing to dive into the word. This does not mean read a book of the Bible a day. You start wherever God calls you in whatever portion God calls you. Maybe you are reading a verse or two a day, and maybe you are reading a paragraph or an excerpt a day. It does not matter how you start, just as long as you get into the word of God every day in order to grow.

                2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that, "all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." If we want to become wiser, learn more about God, or spiritually grow, we must grab a hold of God's word and dive into it daily.


                                                                                                                                         -D

What is Fasting?

                Fasting is, in the most common sense, willingly abstaining from food, water, or both for a set period of time. Of course, there are hundreds, if not thousands of different ways to fast. You can fast things that are not food and water, or you can fast more than food and water. My favorite way to fast is the Daniel fast, where you do not eat or drink from six in the morning until six at night.

                Fasting is safe and easy. As long as you do not do anything reckless, such as go a month without food or water on your first fast, you will be fine. Many times, I wanted to go days or weeks without food but I was rushing into things. My mother used my pastor as an example. "Our Bishop can fast the way he does because he has gotten used to it. His body is ready for going days without eating now. You should take it slowly. Just miss a meal for a day."

                At first, I did not fully understand what my mother meant. I was excited to fast and ready to go! I was determined, who cared about the rest? She was my mother, though, so I decided to listen to her and compromise. My first fast was the Daniel fast. The day was long and I was hungry, but I devoted my time to prayer and reading. When the fast was over, I was all but reluctant to eat. That is when I understood my mother's words. When it comes to fasting, we must ease into it.

                Why should Christians fast? Well, for starters, it is healthy for our bodies to fast every now and then. It cleans out our digestive system and purifies our bodies. It lets our body do more using the energy that it normally uses for digestion. It is a great body cleaner. Aside from the healthy side of fasting, there is also a major spiritual side to it. After all, it is one of the five ways of spiritual growth.

                Fasting, hand in hand with prayer, brings major results to one's life. When asking my disciples what fasting is, they all gave the same type of response: "it's when you give up food and stuff to give that time to praying and reading." Exactly right! When we give up food and meals and Facebook and other things, we do not simply give it up for a while to prove we could do it. We are giving up the desires of the flesh in order to edify the spirit. The time we normally would be spending on Tumbler would go straight to praying for those in need or praying to God for more of His presence or anything at all. The time you would spend on Facebook will be spent meditating on the word. The time you would be spending eating a big dinner and laying around would go to prayer and praising God. Fasting, in hand with other spiritual disciplines, creates a more spiritual aware state of mind and helps to build a closer relationship with God.

                Not everyone can fast food. Some people have been told, by their doctors, that they cannot afford to miss a meal for medical reasons. In this case, there is more of a reason to fast things like television or the internet or the cell phone. Everyone can fast something, but it comes down to this: are you willing to crucify the flesh in order to grow in the spirit, or are you going to let your flesh have control?

                Fasting is an act, like prayer, that can be done at any time for any reason. Often times, I fast simply because I can. I will try new fasts and new ideas. It is always interesting to try these new things. It brings me closer to God and I learn so much within those hours.

                If you are ready and willing to fast, I would say two things. First, pray to God of when to fast, what to fast, why you are fasting, and how long to fast. Second, I would say to remember Matthew 6:16-18. "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fast may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."


                                                                                                                                         -D

What is Meditation?

                Meditation is commonly thought of as an Eastern religious idea, but how many of you knew that meditation has a different meaning? We all know of the Eastern version of meditation: sitting cross-legged and relaxing. The idea of that form of meditation is to empty yourself of everything and invite other things into you to fill you up. This is not Christian meditation. Christian meditation is when we receive God's word and allow it to sit in our minds and hearts in order for us to understand it. It is taking the word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you through this word.

                Anytime you sit down and re-read a verse because it captivates you, or you sit and think about what it means, you are meditating on the word. This does not take candles and special clothing or special conditions. It just takes God's word and a little bit of time to think on it.

                Philippians 4:8 says, "finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." We are to meditate on good, God centered things. Anything that is glorifying the Lord, these are the things that we are supposed to be meditating on. Psalms 104:34 says, "may my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the Lord."

                We meditate at all times. Anything that we think of for more than four seconds is something that you are meditating on. It does not matter what it is about. If it is consuming that much time or more, you are meditating on it.

                Why is meditation important? Well, meditation is one of the five ways of spiritual growth. When we meditate on the word, our mindset changes, our hearts change, and we begin to center our lives around God and His ways. If we want God to become a bigger part of our lives, and if we want to get closer to God, we must begin to meditate on God and His word.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Examining Our Hearts

                Last night, the local church that I go to, Emmaus, announced that we were in the midst of the last service. I could feel the shock and heaviness that fell over the crowd. It was hard for people to swallow. This loving community where many came to learn to love God and find a community in Christ was going to disappear forever. It was touch news to handle, but there was a reason to rejoice.

                It is not easy to see God's plan at all times, and it is not easy to be happy about it during every second; but people were able to see the good that was going to come out of it. People were able to see that God was taking away the building and the structure in order to build the people. He took away the building and meeting time in order to have people step out on faith and focus on God and God alone. This change is not a trial or a judgment; in fact, it is a blessing in disguise. God is about to change many lives, and this is the way that He will do it. In this change, all of the people at Emmaus will be forces to examine their hearts and see how far they have come with God.

                Sometimes, things like this happen so that we can examine our hearts. We have to look inside and ask God what He wants us to do. Even in the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit came and fell upon the people at the Pentecost  but it did not stop there. Many wonderful miracles and powerful signs and spiritual families were being made. It was like a spiritual paradise, almost a Heaven on Earth. As good as that was, it was not God's plan. He had told them to fan out, disperse, and spread the good news.

                Imagine the people! "But God, this is so good! We are doing miracles in your name and breaking bread and enjoying fellowship! Why would we ever want to leave this place?"

                That is a hard temptation. When things are going well, we can praise the name of God so easily. God wants us to do more than enjoy the good times. He wants us to spread those good times outwards. He wants the Gospel to be more than just a local thing. He wants it to be global! Because the people listened to God and spread out as He said instead of selfishly staying in their momentary paradise, God was able to spread the Gospel world wide. It is not just in one area, Christians are all over now!

                Not every situation that God gives us will look pretty in the moment. It is fine to cry and be upset, and it is natural to feel things things; as long as you do not let them consume you. At some point, you need to rejoice for God because He is about to do something new. We need to examine our hearts, see where we are with God, and see where He wants to take us.


                                                                                                                                         -D

But God

                Two of the sweetest words in the English diction: "BUT GOD." There is no phrase, adjective, adverb, or noun that can describe the power that is within this. These two words define the Gospel in totality. The power and the passion behind these words cannot be fully expressed behind a computer screen, or even face to face. It must be felt in the heart, and it is overwhelming.

                Ephesians 2: 1-3 says, "and you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others."

                According to these verses, we were dead in our sins. We were sinful people who followed the Devil. According to this verse, we did the Devil's will. According to this verse, we were children of wrath, making us the children of the Devil and not God. According to this, we were the worst of the worst. We deserved Hell as much as the Devil. We deserved the worst life imaginable.

                BUT GOD!

                "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:4-10)

                We were dead in our sins, BUT GOD gave us life in Christ Jesus. We were children of wrath, BUT GOD corrected our paths. We were enslaved to the Devil, BUT GOD set us free. We were children of the Devil, BUT GOD adopted us into His family. We were destined for Hell, BUT GOD gave us a new destiny. We were wondering in the darkness, BUT GOD sent us a light.  We were incomplete and worthless, BUT GOD said that we were worth dying for.

                We were sinners who had no excuse and deserved Hell, BUT GOD so loved the world that He gave His only son so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

                BUT GOD is the most powerful statement that could ever be made. Because of this statement, we do not get what we deserve. We are made whole. We are loved and accepted. Looking at our sinful lives, God is the last person that we should ever expect to love us, BUT GOD is the only one that loves us unconditionally.


                                                                                                                                         -D