THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS - WORSHIP

For To Us A Child Is Born

To Us A Son Is Given

And The Government Will Be On His Shoulders

And He Will Be Called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince Of Peace

Isaiah 9:6

Christmas is a time of joy and giving. Christians all over the world commemorate this occasion because "God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ ..."

In our celebration, we proclaim the Good News with carols on the streets and we expressed the loved of God to the world with our gifts to the needy and the orphans. In the midst of all these activities, do you know that the Spirit of Christmas is WORSHIP? All those who came to meet Jesus at the manger WORSHIPPED ...

The Wiseman - "Where is the one who has been born king of Jews? we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:2)"On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh " (Matthew 2:11 - note: worship before gifts)

The Angels - "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with angel praising God saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men ..." (Luke 2:13)

The Shepherds - "The shepherds returned, glorifying God for all the things they had heard and seen ..." (Luke 2:20)

Simeon The Godly Man - "... Simeon, who was a righteous and devout ...took Him in his arms and praised God ..." (Luke 2:25-33)The Prophetess Anna" ... she gave thanks to God ..." (Luke 2:36-38)

As we celebrate this year's Christmas, let us reserve the best gift for our Lord - WORSHIP.

EMMANUEL - God Is With US

I am quite sure many of us have seen below you-tube clip. Do take a time to watch again and be blessed. Let us be aware that God inhabit in the praise of His people and you could sense the presence of God filled the shopping mall as the singers worshipped (kneeling down). Glory To God!

THE SPIRIT OF JOY (PART 5)

ALWAYS BE JOYFUL

(1 Thessalonians 5:16 - CEV)

We rely on laws and rules to govern behaviour, but everyone knows they can't govern the human heart. External forces can't command internal responses. Still God works into His Word several unexpected instructions: to love Him with all our hearts, to have no anxiety, and to be joyful. How is this possible? How can an outward command be imposed on inward attitudes? How can an untameable heart be tamed by words?
It takes more than words, of course. In a command to "be joyful," self-discipline isn't the goal. It isn't an effective response or even a realistic one. We can't change our hearts simply by telling them to change. We can however, realize that our attitudes are off-kilter and ask Him to supernaturally change them. He holds our hearts in His hand; He can certainly sway them with His thoughts and fill them with His Spirit. If we are going to be people who are always joyful, this is how it has to be. We can't follow this instruction in the midst of trying circumstances unless we have a radical change of perspective and supernatural help. Biblical commands to rejoice - especially in suffering, persecution, and intense trials of life - can only be fulfilled when we  depend on Him.
Hear His heart: "I designed you for JOY. I sent My Son to you so your JOY might be full, abundant, overflowing. I didn't create you for JOY only on pleasant days but for deep abiding JOY in any circumstances. Yes, this seems unrealistic to you. And yes, you can't simply flip a switch and rejoice. But you can focus on Me, change your perspective, and ask for My heart to fill you. I will gladly give you if you ask."
(An extract from: Experiencing God's Presence Devotional by Chris Tiegreen)

Prayer: Father I'm asking, I want JOY - Your JOY, the kind I was designed to have and that Jesus promised. Pleased let me experience it, even in my most trying circumstances. I want the JOY that overcomes all obstacles and runs deeper than any pain. In Jesus' amen!"

THE SPIRIT OF JOY (PART 4)

Then I will go to the altar of God,

To God my exceeding joy;

And on the harp I will praise You,

O God, my God

Psalm 43:4

David had learned two things concerning JOY. First there is only one source of JOY: it Is God Himself. Second, there is one place where we can draw from that source: it is the altar. The altar is the place of sacrifice, the place of commitment and consecration, the place where our lives are laid down. Through the sacrifice we make at the altar, the JOY that comes from God alone is released within us.
There is a great difference between JOY and happiness. JOY is in the realm of the spirit. Happiness is in the realm of the soul. Happiness is related to our emotions, our feelings, our circumstances. When things are going well, we have happiness. When things are not going well, we have unhappiness. It is good to have happiness, but we cannot have it all the time.
JOY, on the other hand, is not dependent on feelings or circumstances. It does not depend .on our physical condition. It is within the spirit. There is only one source of JOY, and that is God - God Himself. God is eternal, unchangeable. That is why it is possible to have JOY even when we cannot feel happiness or pleasure. JOY comes directly from God Himself. Just like God, JOY is eternal, unchangeable, unaffected by situations or circumstances.
But JOY is released only at the altar. We have to make up our minds, as David did, that we will go to God, to the altar - the place of sacrifice - the place of commitment and consecration - the place where we yield ourselves without reservation to God. Then we can have JOY all the time, unchangeably.
(An extract from:Through David's Psalms by Derek Prince)

THE SPIRIT OF JOY (PART 3)

"Consider It Pure Joy, My Brothers,

Whenever You Face Trials of Many Kinds."

James 1:2

What rational person would consider the trials of life pure joy? Only those who can see the surprising benefit in them. Through the lens of Scripture, we can see that benefit. We are told that our trials develop our character that will produce eternal profit for us; and we are told that the God who allows them always has our welfare in mind. These are things that an unbelieving world cannot see, but they have been revealed to those who will believe.

The book of Acts is an amazing chronicle of the early church. In chapter 5, the apostles who were arrested for preaching Jesus left the court of the Sanhedrin "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (verse 41). In chapter 16, Paul and Silas sang praises to God from the depths of a filthy Philippian prison. What kind of mind reacts to trials this way? According to the world, an irrational one. But according to Scripture, only a mind grounded in the truths of the Gospel can recognize the glorious realities behind our temporary problems.
Though James points to the benefits our trials have for our own character, we know that there is an even greater blessings in them. Jesus is revealed in us. His power is made manifest in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), and participating in sufferings lets us participate in His resurrection (Philippians 3:10). Not only is our character sharpened in painful processes, the resurrection of Jesus is displayed in the crosses we bear. Such trials are worth rejoicing about.
Are you going through difficult times? Don't be despair. Discouragement and depression are not the Biblical responses, only the natural ones. But we live above the natural because the lens of Holy Scripture lets us see beyond the natural. We know the end result of our path. Perseverance results in maturity, and problems give Jesus a stage to show His resurrection power. There is no greater blessing than that. Consider it pure joy 
(An extract from Walk With God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen)